Husky-inspired DR125 from BCKustoms…
The Suzuki DR125 was a dual-sport “trailie” once popular among learners in Europe, especially the UK. These 125cc enduros were seen most often in the era between the “legally questionable” two-stroke learner bikes of the early 1980s (Yamaha RD250LC, etc.) and the range of small-displacement race replicas and naked roadsters available today.
The air-cooled, four-stroke single-cylinder engine is the same one that resides in the Suzuki GN125 — a proven mill that dates back to the 1980s, with spares aplenty. The 12-hp output isn’t too impressive on paper, though the DR doesn’t require much motivational force to get the job done:
“The DR is so light that you’ll feel spritely enough nipping around town or across a field.” –MCN
Recently, we heard from one of our favorite builders, former WSBK team coordinator and MotoGP journalist Yann Le Douche of BCKustoms. Yann’s client, Mathieu, a restaurant owner, was looking for a small-displacement, vintage-inspired machine for Sunday rides and commuting to work on pretty days. He was enthralled with one of Yann’s previous projects, a Yamaha XS500 styled after Steve McQueen’s believed Husqvarna 400 Cross, as seen in Bruce Brown’s iconic film On Any Sunday.
Yann himself says he finds himself returning again and again to these two “benefactors of the motorcycling world” — Steve McQueen and Bruce Brown — as points of inspiration. In the 60s and 70s, they helped helped to bring the joy of motorcycles to a broader audience, and their influence remains formative for the two-wheeled culture of today.
“There is one thing that every biker must know and that must be part of his curriculum. Seeing Bruce Brown’s film On Any Sunday is and will always be a reference… I think, the early 70s is an undeniable ‘zero’ point of our mainstream motorcycle culture as we know it today.”
So Yann and Mathieu decided on a Husky-inspired DT125, a practical and versatile runabout that would pay tribute to McQueen and On Any Sunday. Unfortunately, it turned out that the donor — a ’99 DT125 — had been the victim of an unscrupulous mechanic, who’d recommended and performed a completely unnecessary top-end rebuild…only to botch the job.
Ultimately, Yann opted to pick up a new engine from 50 Factory instead of trying to repair the previous mechanic’s damage. The next challenge was to find a tank that would have more of a classic shape than the dirt bike-style unit of the original DR. As it turned out, a leftover tank from a GN125 did the job perfectly — painted in the iconic Husky red and chrome colors, of course — and Yann did up a chunky black saddle and 70s-style fenders to complete the look.
Yann says the bike rides almost exactly like the original — just as the owner requested — and this little “Suzusky” beachcomber certainly makes us wish that the current trend of retro bikes from major manufacturers would find its way into dual-sport and enduro bikes. But then again, we have builders like Yann to carry such visions to reality!
Below, we talk to the always-insightful Yann for more details and thoughts on not just this build, but the era that inspired it. Enjoy!
Suzuki DR125 Scrambler: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
Yann, still 51 years since the last publication and founder of BCKustoms in 2010 as a fun workshop at first and became a professional in 2019. With close to 60 projects over the 13 years, I always go back to my roots and my time, which will be said time and time again that “it was better before.”
Throughout my career in motorcycling, there are events that stand out and not only those that leave trophies on the shelves. In a biker’s life, there are things to do and see. Apart from tourist landscapes, major events, museums, there is one thing that every biker must know and that must be part of his curriculum. Seeing Bruce Brown’s film On Any Sunday is and will always be a reference.
Like a motorcycle trip, before defining a destination, it is good to know its starting point, its bases, its equipment. And, I think, the early 70s is an undeniable “zero” point of our mainstream motorcycle culture as we know it today. Exit the confidential years where it interested only a limited public, the beginning of the 70s marked the entry of the motorcycle into our daily landscape. And this film is one of the vectors of this popularization.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?
This motorcycle is a Suzuki DR125 of 1999, so in its SE version — a machine known for its reliability and versatility, and these are points of the customer’s specifications. Its generous size and recent production make it a machine of choice since many parts are available for a restoration.
• Why was this bike built?
Bruce Brown has already inspired in me several constructions, Husky or Elsinore inspired.
Mathieu came to the workshop earlier this year with a project: to ride a 125cc motorcycle after his seasonal work as a restaurant owner. The plan was first to draw a design resembling a new model such as we could find for sale, but with a vintage look. The specifications therefore excluded all liquid-cooled machines.
In addition, in looking at the potential machines on the market, their size until the end of the 80s made them mini motorcycles with their “junior” dimensions. From 1988 and the arrival of the DTR, KDX, and others, the small displacement motorcycles grew into a more generous size, avoiding the disdain of a biker salute to these small engines from those who’d already forgotten where they came from.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
Mathieu also mentioned one of my previous projects on a Yamaha XS500 base, which carried the colors of the iconic Husqvarna Cross dear to Steve McQueen and Bruce Brown.
In addition, France has arrived at this dreaded moment of technical control known to our German neighbors and their octopus DEKRA — more anxious to fill its crates than to really improve the safety of motorcycle users. In recent months, customers are moving away from magazine covers with lowered, shortened machines, flat saddles, and other aspects that have become very popular in recent years, as this new situation makes legal appendices even more mandatory. But Mathieu, wanted a machine that seemed straight out of dealership, so big turn signals and generous mirrors have their place.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
Even if the bike was only from 1999, there was significant restoration needed — most notably the wheels, suspension, and all of the electrics. From the purely mechanical standpoint, the history of the machine had revealed that an unscrupulous mechanic had taken advantage of the ignorance of the previous owner to charge him for a change of pistons, as for a two-lap trip when you arrive around 20,000 km… At least the job, certainly useless, could have been well done. Not even.
As the motorcycle showed a slight oil leak from the base gasket, the customer asked me to consider replacing the full engine. In fact, a simplified history: The motorcycle was given a new engine to run in. How to get closer to a new machine?
The line of the DR tank does not lend itself to the vintage aesthetics of the period, so I looked at tanks from the same era of production that might be suitable. Recently leftover from the construction of two projects based on the Suzuki GN125, I had an old tank to test and confirm as a replacement. The beautiful fenders look very 70s, graced in the red and chrome paint dear to the Swedish builder, and the main shape was in place.
It remained to make a vintage enduro-type saddle — a place and a half, arriving as close as possible to the tank. The side covers were done with mesh in a Teflon / aluminum sandwich material to cover the disappearance of the original side plates and the relocation of the lighthouse — a signature of the workshop — to make it look more like a racing motorcycle used on the road than a street bike.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
I didn’t actually think about it; the burden was on the client to do it when the time came. The 500 XS had already taken the nickname “HuXSy,” and a DR650SE built along the same lines had appropriated that of “Suzusky.” I could have called this new realization “Husqzuki” or similar, but without much interest. The references to Steve McQueen and the film On Any Sunday are many, as with several of my builds, but so many projects result from these benefactors of the motorcycling world…
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
I started running in the new engine during my end-of-construction checks. This 125 offers much more space on board than its GN cousin. Their engine in common has the merit of providing the necessary power for the use that Mathieu wants to make of it. From Sunday rides to commuting to his workplace on beautiful days.
The sensations once you’re behind the bars are very close to those of the original machine, since the chassis remains entirely original. So not too much a surprise on this side, and it was also a request to remain that way. So validated.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
With all due respect, I had the pleasure to shape two insignificant but important pieces in my opinion for attention to detail. In a rubber plate, I cut the front flap and the rear light bracket that serves as a registration bracket. It’s not much, but for me, it’s that kind of detail that ensures the finishing of a project.
Builder Thanks
Special thanks to my sponsors:
@daytona73 / leather company
@ironandresin leather company
@moskomoto / Tough gear-Hard travel, Motorcycles luggage
@motul_france / Motorcycle oil and lubricants
@heidenauer_reifen / German quality tyres
@makadamkulture / Bike & Breizh event September 23rd-24th 2023
@noline.france / cleaning wipes
@delkevicuk / Motorcycle exhausts
@supersproxusa / Motorcycle sprockets
@bellhelmets / #bellpowersports
Special thanks to my technical partners:
Thanks to @50.factory for most OEM Suzuki parts and accessories, including the new engine.
NC Design Workshop for upholstery (@nc_design_workshop)
Cap Enseignes for all stickers
Follow the Builder
Website: www.bckustoms.com
Instagram: @bckustoms
Facebook: facebook.com/breizhcoastkustoms/
More BCKustoms
Cool bike but the blinkers are way to big.