Suzuki RV 125 Tracker

Does anyone own one?

I just saw one of these beasts... 1973, with fat tires (14 inch front and 12 inch rear), and was wondering how good they are.

This is the beast...

It does not seem to be too popular, although Suzuki has re-invented it as the "Van Van".

Can anyone tell me anything about the old "Tracker" model?

Similar in concept to Honda's ST90 (mine is pictured below) but the Suzuki was a two stroke, and the Hondas were four strokes. The Honda ST90 was a three-year bike, coming out in '73 and ending in '75. It had 13" wheels at both ends. Centrifugal 3-speed semi-auto tranny. Great little bikes these Hondas, and in my opinion, superior in every way to the CT70s that everyone goes crazy over.

I was unaware that Suzuki made this Bike. it does look very much like the Honda however the 123 cc 2 stroke would significantly improve the performance. A real mountain goat perhaps with a five speed transmission perhaps geared to the low end. The slogan "Built to Take on the Country" seems to imply that the Market was the off road.. it was advertising front disc brakes which is not on the Honda shown here.
At this time in my family my father-in-law had a pickup camper that he used to haul his boat and to use for hunting in Oregon. He had fabricated a mount for his front bumper to Transport his Honda Passport. that he used as camp transportation. That way he could leave his camper hooked up and run to town for Bacon Beans . In the western United States Pickup Campers where the thing to have. He loved fishing for salmon at Depoe Bay and trout at Diamond lake. That outfit was on the road all the time. Lake Powell, Alaska,Texas. Ok, I'm getting carried away here, sorry. However a little light weight bike was a desirable addition to a pickup camper.

handKphil,
That is one very nice looking Honda.

Thanks, Windburn. Here's one more shot of my ST90. It runs as good as it looks too. My 13 year old nephew and I took it up to northern Michigan for about ten days this summer, along with my '79 CT90, and we had a total blast. O.K., I'm done hijacking this guy's Suzuki thread now

Boy did I lust after those as a small, and seriously underpriveliged child....

Sweet Machine HandKPhil! Thanks for the info.

I just picked up a 1973 ct90, which I think is a really cool ride... and an ST90 would be a perfect match to have around. I would love to find one.

The Suzuki RV125 was spotted by my brother, and he is probably going to grab it for $500 (cdn). He tells me that it is in mint condition from the original owner. Should be fun to putt around on.

I remember a old frame sitting in a buddys backyard when I was a kid and I just identified it as that old Zuki. Thanks for a lil' flashback from childhood!

The van van is cool as hell!

Unless you are doing more than 50% of your riding in heavy mud or full sand dunes I would stay away.

Bought a first year 1972 RV90J brand new. At the time was the only bike my Dad would allow. He thought the big tires made it safer. In reality it made it more dangerous for my single track riding trying to keep up with my buddies on regular bikes.

Plus side Suzuki's of this era were super reliable and can take a lot of abuse and keep going. Also the RV models are unique and kinda collectable as only made for a few years. If you like riding something different this might be the bike for you.

_

The RV series are great bikes. I have a couple of stock RV90's, and one that I've swapped a Honda CT90 motor into. They're a hoot to drive around on. Mine are street legal.

I've never ridden the 125, but the 90's are good to about 50mph. They're super reliable, and great fun to ride. I've owned a lot of two strokes, and I've never had one as bulletproof as the RV.

Ive got one of these in yellow that im going to start restoring now, was only thinking about it yesterday, its been sitting in the back of the garage for 5 years
anyone know where I can buy parts from in the UK

I've got two 1973 RV125L Trackers sitting in a storage shed in the mountains near Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. I currently live in Kentucky, so I don't get to ride them very often. My dad and I bought them from the original owner, a 74 yr old man, in 1986. They are great fun to ride on mountain roads and trails. They are not very fast (53mph...tested many times as a teenager), but have a low center of gravity and seem to bounce over any obstacle.) We still ride them whenever we go up there, but they have sat for up to 5 years without being started. The last time I was on them was after they had sat for 2 years, and both of them started on the 1st kick after adding new gas. They both need to be restored, so I'll be interested to find out where you get the parts. The reason mine stopped being ridden on a regular basis was because we couldn't find new tires for them. So, if you can find those, it'll be a good start (to tell you the truth, I haven't tried looking for a decade or so.)

Good luck with it!

HandKPhil.....beautiful Honda 90. I agree, much nicer than the cult of CT70...(have to admit, I lusted over the 70 growing up - never knew of the 90)

Anyway, just picked up a '74 RV125 yesterday from the original owner. Good shape all around, runs but needs a carb clean and a good overall bath. Luckily, he stored it inside all these years and only rode it just over 1800 miles during it's lifetime. Peppy & fun.

The cleanup begins! I found several parts still around. The engine appears to be the same as the TS/TC models so that broadens the parts pool.

Last weekend was the region's big "100 mile garage sale", complete with mini-donuts, circus tents, etc. I never pay attention and make every effort to be riding far away, but did happen to notice that nearby was a green ST90 that had seen quite a bit of outside time. I couldn't tell later if it had sold or not when I rode past, though it was the only thing all weekend that made me stop and take a look.

Price on the duct tape price tag looked like $1650. It wasn't even close to being as nice as HandKPhil's.

one of the guys at the local suzuki shop has a nice one

cool bike

Well here she is after her first bath.

that is cool looking!

I'm looking at one of these to buy but can't find much info out there abt these little scoots. The one I'm looking at looks as good as yours, and it's $550. So just wondering what you've found out abt them since you picked it up. Do you ride it around much? I'd be using this one as a town scoot, not so much for off-roading. Also wondering if slightly thinner, more street-oriented tires will fit- don't see why not, tho.
If I pass on it, I'll go for the ubiquitous CT90/ Trail 90, simply b/c of their parts availability and reliability. I just like things that are a little different- and THESE are different.

p.s. how's the handling on the streets?