Looks good, feels good, rides great…
Economy.
A big talking point right now with cost-effective economical bikes taking front and centre for people who can’t afford to drive their cars or even ride their bigger bikes.
If you are travelling a short distance to work and back every day, then a bike like this absolutely makes sense…
Or in our case – getting your teenager to school and back. It beats the traffic, is nippy enough to get out front and it looks pretty cool.
Climb on and even for a big rider, things feel pretty spacious and well laid out.
The fully digital LCD display gives you all the info you need, speed, revs, fuel, gear selection and a clock.
Forgot to charge your phone? No worries, there’s a charging port. The bike has LED lighting all round and the 780mm seat height and lightweight 123KG kerb weight make it accessible to most riders.
Tickle the starter and she silently comes to life.
Silently…
Silently? Well yes, manufacturers of small capacity bikes are moving away from solenoid switches to a system called ISG which, in a nutshell directs power straight to the flywheel in order to get things fired up. It sounds and feels really strange at first but it is silky smooth.
We like the fact that this bike also has a kick-starter for just in case…
The clutch is soft and she snicks into first gear.
The carburetted 124.76cc air and oil cooled single cylinder motor doesn’t blow your hair back, but that’s not what a 125 commuter is meant to do.
She shifts smoothly through the 5-speed gearbox, is easy to ride and light and nimble to navigate traffic with ease. The absolute top speed we got was 115km/h on a slight downhill, but it’s not built for speed. It runs comfortably at 80 – 90km/h, all the while emitting a cool little rumble from the exhaust system. .
The speed limits from our house to where Kyle goes to school vary from 60 to 80, so he had no issues keeping up and carving through.
The Raider 125 has 17” wheels dressed in Remora rubber, an in-house TVS brand. The bike is equipped with a single twin piston brake disc up front and drum brakes out back. No ABS or electronic nannies are to be found, but it all works perfectly for a little machine like this. We grabbed the brakes a few times, the suspension is soft, so there was a bit of a nosedive but everything stayed true and straight and most importantly, in shape.
The Raider runs on a street suspension. Up front, you get 30mm forks with 120mm of travel, while the rear uses a gas-charged monoshock with a five-step preload adjustment. You get 180mm of ground clearance and hitting the speed bumps is fun.
The Raider is lots of fun through the twisties.
The nicely shaped fuel tank takes 10 litres and it will take a rider more than 400 kilometres to ride it all out.
This is a great little fuel efficient commuter to get you to and from the office or excellent for getting a teenager to school and back.
Oh yes! There’s even a little storage unit under the seat that accepts a phone and a few nik-naks. Super cool.
Good backup. Good warranty. Parts supply…
TVS is on the ball:
TVS Motor Company is the 4th largest 2-wheeler manufacturer in the world with revenue of over US $3.2 billion. It has annual sales of more than 4 million units and a production capacity of over 5.5 million 2-wheelers and 250 thousand 3-wheelers annually.
The Raider 125 will cost you R23999.00
You get a 36 month/30000KM warranty
Engine Type:
Air and oil cooled single cylinder, SI
Engine Capacity:
124.76
Max. Power(kW@ rpm):
8.37 kW @ 7500 rpm
Max. Torque (Nm @ rpm):
11.2 @ 6000 rpm
Fuel supply system:
Carburettor
Starting:
Electric
Gear box:
5 speed
