Quick Ride

QUICK RIDE

GILERA SP01 125cc fashion statement

MOST AMERICAN RIDERS DON'T give a flip about 125cc repli-racer streetbikes. But in Italy, producing the sexiest, fastest, best-handling 125 can make or break a motorcycle company.

The fickle fashion-followers who buy these bikes are generally in the 16to 23-year-old age bracket, and,

clearly, the most-important thing in their lives is having the trickest 125-brand loyalty be damned.

Gilera just laid claim to that title with its SPO l, a GP-replica that weighs only 260 pounds and is propelled by a liquid-cooled, two-stroke Single that produces 35 horsepower at the crankshaft. A 32mm. flatslide Dell’Orto carburetor supplies fuel through a crankcase-mounted, carbon-fiber reed valve, and an electronically controlled exhaust valve does its best to broaden the Gilera’s powerband.

Even so, the SP is a terrible bike for town use, as there’s only a hint of power below 7000 rpm, and trying to ride the bike at less than 3500 rpm will stall the engine. But after the tachometer’s needle sweeps past 7000, hang on! The transition from anemic output to full clout is truly meteoric.

Between 7000 and 10,000 rpm, there’s a frantic rush of power, and the lightly muffled expansion chamber gives off sounds that could be mistaken for an approaching invasion of killer mosquitoes. Great fun on back-country roads.

Matching the peaky powerplant's fondness for serpentine scratching is the SPO 1 ’s frame. It’s a stampedsteel, perimeter structure that appears stout enough to handle a 500cc engine. Also aiding in the handling department are fat Pirelli tires; a 100/80-16 front and a 130/ 70-17 rear. The brakes weren't overlooked, either, with an 11.8-inch disc up front and 9.4-inch rear disc.

These features, combined with a relatively long 53.1-inch wheelbase, an aluminum swingarm, a single rear shock and a fork with 35mm stanchion tubes, result in a 125 that assaults corners with confidence and stability, instead of the nervous twitching of most of the bikes in the small-bore class.

Maybe more surprising is the degree of comfort offered by the Gilera. The suspension is smooth and compliant, and an adult actually fits the bike quite well. Still, fitting an adult well wasn’t a design objective of this motorcycle, as grown-ups won’t drool over any 125cc pocket-rocket, especially one that is noisy and has a narrow, lightswitch powerband.

But the wanna-be-racer kids of Italy will surely buy every SP01 that Gilera produces. A 125cc motorcycle—even one costing $4120, as the SP does—that looks like a miniature version of Kevin Schwantz's Pepsi Suzuki 500 and does an honest 106 miles per hour is a screaming deal for youngsters who have to be fashionable and fast. Alan Cathcart