DERBI SENDA 125 SM (2009 - on) Review

If your parents have a fair old wedge to chuck on your first bike, 125SM ownership is not only guaranteed to put a ruddy big smile on your face, but also pull the girls outside the local KFC. Nothing in its class looks as good. In 30 and 40mph limits (its natural hunting ground) it’s rapid enough. But anywhere else you’ll really need to hold on to those revs.

The quality of the ride is good enough for any budding Christian Iddon to practice his foot-out cornering on their housing estate, though feel from the front end is not the best in the world. Sizeable 120-section rubber on the rear grips well enough, and seems durable (it takes a fair few skids to show evident wear). Front suspension is forgiving, with more than enough travel to soak up jumps from kerbs and unplanned-for potholes.

The four-valve single punts out a claimed 15bhp, and the key to feeling all of those horsies is wringing the DRD’s neck. The motor, though a sprightly affair that requires you to really hold on to the revs in each of its six gears, has an adequate hit of torque at the mid-top of the rev range. Runs out of puff in the higher revs, though, making it all too easy to hit the rev limiter and lose vital seconds on the run into town.    

Although it’s a case of time will tell when it comes to the longevity of components, there’s no reason to believe that, with regular cleaning (like that’s going to happen… have you seen the state of most 17-year-old kids’ bedrooms?), it’ll stand up well to the rigours of hard use on UK roads.

The Derbi DRD 125 SM will see off a full (eight-litre) tank of fuel in 100 miles if you’re not careful (but who’s going to worry about fuel consumption when they’re king of the precinct?). It’s comparable on price with Suzuki’s DR125SM and £300 more pricy than Moto Hispania’s Duna SM125. When it comes to reliability, we’d figure it’s fair to reckon somewhere between the two. Find a Derbi Senda for sale.

This is where the DRD excels when compared with its rivals. It’s not often you see pukka upside-down Paioli forks and a whopping great 260mm front wavy disc on a learner bike. Those brakes are powerful enough for stoppies – just don’t crash it in front of the girls, you’ll never live it down. Compare and buy parts for the Derbi DRD in the MCN Shop.