NAOKI URISHIBATA CHIEF TESTER

A natter with the chief test rider taught us more about the building of the bike…

FB: When designing the GSX-R125, what was the main aim? NU: The main aim was to make the fastest, sportiest and best 125cc in class. Nothing less! FB: Fair enough! So how did you go about that? NU: Mainly with rigorous testing. It was very difficult to get the bike how it is today, as we’ve developed lots and lots to make the engine and chassis better than anything else, and also putting it up against the rivals to make sure it wins. And it did! FB: So how long did it take? NU: Over two years of development! But we feel like it shows. We’re extremely happy with the end package and believe our customers will have a bike that will be very enjoyable and competent to ride.

FB: So the main aim of this bike was to make it fast and usable? NU: Yes! We did all our testing on a closed test track and we used all of our rivals to make sure it did just that. We even referenced the bike against the (Kawasaki) Ninja 250 to make sure it was really good. Only when we knew we’d massively exceeded the competition’s ability did we stop trying harder to make the bike even better.