Suzuki Marauder 125 GZ

What model was it? I have a Marauder 125GZ, it is a 2008 model and has done just over 4,000 miles.

When did you buy it and how much did it cost? I got it in January 2013 and part exchanged my Suzuki 125GS for it and £800.

Good points? For those of us with short legs (I am 5 feet one), it is really, really comfortable with an inside leg of a pair of cropped trousers at 23 inches! However, the chap I got it off was six foot three and he looked cool on it too - its not a 'girls bike' or a 'toy bike', in fact everyone who has seen it can't believe it's 'just a 125' as it looks like a bigger capacity bike.

All the bits are adjustable to make it fit the rider comfortably(after all it is a cruiser!) I have adjusted the clutch (small feet on the end of my short legs) and dropped the handlebars so I am not sat 'at full stretch' and now it is even more comfy.

I bought a sissy bar and rack for the back with a padded seat rest for the passenger to complete the look, but some people take the passenger seat off to attach saddlebags - lots of options!

Bad points? The 'manual' is buried in the back of the Suzuki 125 book along with the GS, GN, and DR and limited so you need to be not scared to 'learn by doing'. Having said that I snapped the right hand side panel fixing screw plate to access the battery as I didn't know it was screwed on (Doh!) and you have to take the seat off to get to it. I also learned that eBay have 5 million left hand side panels and no right hand side panels - where do they all go I wonder

Mine is metallic blue, though on some of the MOT's it is describes as grey (eek), so I now need to match the paint colour to respray the black right hand panel I have managed to source.

Would you get another? Absolutely! And I would recommend them to all learners as it looks different to the standard YBR's, CBR's, or anyone wanting a 'pootling about' bike. It is comfy, looks like a 'big bike', is economical on petrol, sounds smooth, it is a real head turner.

Any other comments? Spare bits are aplenty on eBay (apart from right hand side panels, lol). Any little bits and bobs you might want to further cutomise your bike can be picked up cheaply and make it a real peach of a bike, though it really is a cool looking bike already. Since buying my metallic blue one I have found that black ones are more popular and 'common' - but who wants to look like everyone else? I'll stick a pic on later.