GPR Camp: Replica Racers

Whereas,Lifan has collaboration with MV Augusta, Keeway with Benelli, Haojue with Suzuki. Zongshen Motorcycle Company made collaboration with Piaggio. Based on this collaboration they made APR125 in China which Race Global re-branded as Race GSR125 in Bangladesh. They also rebranded CF Moto150 NK as Race Fiero 150FR.

Engine

Race GSR 125 is fitted with 125 cc water cooled single cylinder 4 valve engine EURO III engine.The engine is double overhead camshaft& has inner stability balance shaft technology. The engine is also loaded with EFI Marelli system with accurate MIU electrical unit which helps to allow the FI system to give the best amount of fuel to the bike.

Engine of the bike is fitted with abnormity fuel combustion, secondary double filter system & duel oil pump separately chamber lubrication. With a compression ratio of 12:1 the engine produces 15.8 BHP @9280 RPM& 12 NM of Torque @ 8000 RPM. All those power is transferred to the rear wheels by a 6 speed gearbox.

Styling

Race GSR125 is a huge motorcycle in terms of a 125 cc motorcycle. It is much bigger then Suzuki GSX-R150 & in many ways as big as Honda CBR150R. It features two halogen headlights upfront which give the impression of an owl’s eyes.

Tail light is bulb unit so are the indicators. Seating position of the bike is full sporty like Suzuki GSX-R150. Looking glass of the motorcycle is spread out & you can’t solidly adjust the mirror & the rear visibilities aren’t the best.

Switch gears of the bike are conventional. Both the headlights don’t beam at the same time. Right light illuminate at low beam while the other one at high beam. The bike also has a huge rear chain sprocket. Build quality of the bike is fantastic but they lack the good fitting of the bike.Color quality of the motorcycle is good too.

Key Feature

Apart from the engine & styling let’s talk about the major features of Race GSR125

Full LCD digital speedometer.
Twin spar aluminum beam with double sided swing arm.
Aluminum frame.
300 mm front disc brake & 220 mm rear disc brake.
Front disc brake has radioactive caliper.
17 inch alloy rim.
100/80 front tyre& 130/70 rear tyre.
USD front suspension with duel hydraulic stoke damper which travels 114 mm.
Single coil hydraulic damper with helicoidally spring rear suspension.
Split seat for the pillion.
820 mm saddle height.
Rear grab rail for the pillion under the body kit.
The bike weighs 148 kg.
16 liter fuel tank.
Underbelly exhaust.
Build in Chain tensioner.
Side Stand Indicator.
If the side stand is ON then the bike won’t start in gears.

Riding Experience

City riding experience is not the best, with sporty handle bar & USD front suspension the rider will feel lot of pain on wrist & neck for the first week to adjust the riding of this motorcycle. It is difficult for any rider to ride this motorcycle from one part of Dhaka to another carrying a pillion on a busy working day.

Part of the reason is the front suspension which gives feedback on smooth rode but doesn’t work that better on bumpy or roads with potholes. Also the road conditions in Dhaka city aren’t the best followed by the huge traffic congestion. On the highway this is an open machine. The bike will give its best performance on the 4 lane highways of Dhaka – Chittagong & Dhaka – Mymensingh.

The bike cuts the air beautifully on the highway. In terms of braking performance I got best feedback from the front breaks but the rear brake is something they need to work on as the experience weren’t so good. Despite a halogen unit the headlight illumination power is good but need to be adjusted as per rider’s requirements.

Although the handle bar & riding posture is just as full sports bike but cornering ability is good but not the best in class. The reason for that is the weight distribution of the bike is a bit front biased. With this bike you can do good high speed corning but bike struggles in low speed cornering.

Another big issue with the motorcycle is the low ground clearance, it will hit any speed breaker in Bangladesh & if you happen to hit a deep pothole then you might get bike’s under belly kit damage. But at a high speed, the bike is very stable under braking which is good. Sadly we couldn’t test the bike in rainy season so we have no feedback about that.

The engine sound isn’t the best at low RPM, but when you rev the bike it comes alive. The engine isn’t smooth like Honda or Yamaha but it is rough. It makes a sound which gives you the impression of metal banging.

At low RPM the bike is civilized but it comes alive after 6500 RPM. There is no ready pickup in the motorcycle. Gearbox isn’t smooth either. Chain tensioner sound is irritating but it is helpful for long distance ride.

If you are about to ride at low speed with higher gear then the engine will make knocking noise, asking you to lower down the gear. To get the maximum amount of FUN from this motorcycle you have to ride it over 6500 RPM to feel the excitement.

Speedometer warning lights aren’t well visible during daytime riding. There is no gear change indicator in the speedometer which is SHOCKING! Horn of the motorcycle is also not the best. The biggest issue with the motorcycle is that it requires RON 92 fuel which is very hard to find in Bangladesh & with contaminated fuel you won’t find the best performance from the motorcycle.

Performance

Top Speed: 122 km/h

Mileage: City = 30-32 km/l Highway = 35-38 km/l


Good Side of Race GSR125

Looks of the bike grabs the attention of onlookers.
Build quality is better than even some Indian made motorcycles within the price range.
Braking stability.
Corning ability on high speed.
Pure sports bike feeling.
Chain tensioner is a good help on highway.
Side stand indicator is a safety feature

Bad Side of Race GSR125

No ready pickup.
Low ground clearance.
Mileage figure is poor given it is a 125cc sports bike.
Spare parts & Service center are hard to find outside Dhaka city.
Many riders may feel wrist & neck pain while riding this.
Not a good city riding motorcycle.
Gearbox isn’t smooth.

Final Verdict

Race GSR125 is a full on sports bike with a range of 250,000 BDT and it is well priced if I compare to the build quality & finishing with CBR150R & V3. The bike lacks practicality & this will be tough motorcycle to ride in city but on the open road with good tarmac this is a very good machine. This is not an everyday use motorcycle but as a tool to make you feel special this is a fantastic machine. Thanks to Race Accessories for supporting us with the Safety Accessories for Test Ride Review of Race GSR125. We also want to thank MUV for being our Ride Sharing Partner.