Suzuki Address 125

I put about 18,000 km on a '96 Address 125 commuting through city traffic, and the air-cooled two-stroke never once left me stranded — which is more than I can say for flashier options at the same price. Power delivery is punchy off idle with that characteristic two-stroke hit around 5,000 rpm, making it genuinely quick off traffic lights, though it runs out of breath past 80 km/h and the claimed 95 is optimistic on a headwind day. The step-through frame is brilliantly practical for stop-start riding, underseat storage swallows a full-face helmet, and the low seat height means anyone can flat-foot it confidently. Weaknesses are real though: the two-stroke thirst for premix is an ongoing chore, the basic instrumentation skips a fuel gauge entirely, and the powerband's abruptness catches inexperienced riders off guard in slippery conditions.

I rode one of these daily for two years in a mid-sized city and it genuinely impressed me with its honesty — point it at traffic, twist the throttle, and that 2-stroke punch between 5,000 and 7,000 rpm still catches car drivers off guard at lights. The revised Gen 2 bodywork felt more cohesive than its predecessor and the under-seat storage, while not cavernous, swallowed a full-face helmet with some persuasion. Where it frustrated me was fuel consumption — you're stopping at the pump far more often than any modern 125 four-stroke would demand — and the powerband's on/off nature makes slow car park manoeuvring genuinely awkward for newer riders. It's also getting old now, and sourcing the right mix ratio for the oil injection or finding a mechanic who remembers 2-stroke carburetion without looking it up is a real-world headache.