I'm old enough to remember when small general purpose utility bikes like this were very popular. As a senior rider, the kinds of places I would enjoy riding a Grom; I can ride this with much more comfort and a useful extra 10 mph. Back country roads paved or dirt become a much more viable proposition and I would happily be able to spend a full day putting around enjoying the day and scenery in total comfort. What a wonderful little bike! Sometimes I just want to go for a ride. It's not about popping wheelies or pushing limits, and looking cool. It's about relaxing and having a good time. For secondary roads way in the back country far from the traffic; except for the small tank, this bike would be well neigh perfect. As per usual, Chase as a young whipper snapper simply doesn't have a clue. I don't need warp speed. I already have a highway bike.

I have the VanVan 200. I have terrible coccyx tailbone pain. I thought I’d never be able to ride again. The seat of the Vanvan is so comfortable, I’m back to riding! 🙂

Love these types of bikes, they have a certain charm

I've ridden the 125 version of this in the UK as a daily commuter in London, it's perfectly suited to that.

I sorta think you were expecting too much from a bike that size and style. I own a TW200 and ride it like it's a 200cc bike. I don't take it in freeways or expect to cruise at 60mph all day or stop like a performance machine. It is what it is and if you ride it like a trail bike or small town get around it performs just fine. I wish my TW had a seat like that, and maybe even fuel injection. So go take a little ride through a small town or in the trails or down a fire road and then come back and give us your opinion!

I've had my 2017 van van for over 2 years now, 3 in june. I have to say, I regularly take the freeway and give the poor bastard hell, sticking consistently 65-70mph every day to work or driving around the county. I've even gone on camping trips in the mountains for 2.5 hour drives (not burying the throttle, of course). But it's performing just as good as when I got it. Changed the sprockets and chain to help with faster speeds, keep up regular maintenance and all. Also that speed wobble mentioned in the video was an issue when I 1st got it, but I nessed around with the back tire alignment and pretty much never got it again unless I really wanted to dick around and go 80mph down a steep freeway hill. So far, 55,000 miles in, it's still chugging. Obviously I don't recommend putting such a small bike through that, but if you gotta do it, do it to a van van. It doesn't get more reliable and straightforward as that

The VanVan originally came out in the 1970s i believe. And they wished to keep that Vintage 70s appeal to the motorcycle. Bigger wheels, older classic body styling. I like the VanVan200.

My wife had the van van 125. I LOVED IT! What a giggle to ride. The twitchy front made every ride a fun play, although feeling twitchy it never did once let go & believe me I pushed it everywhere on twisty roads, as I am used to much bigger machines. I always said it needed a bigger brother though, like a 250cc twin .

The older 125 of this version was the first bike i learned on ;) It just feels awesome to ride it. Great Video btw!

You should do the Yamaha TW200 for the next First Ride and compare these two.

I just went with a friend to get this today as a first bike for him putting around a small town on paved and dirt roads. I think it's perfect for a new rider and we loved the retro styling. He wanted a dual purpose but all the larger ones had that rock hard uncomfortable seat and height he did not like. I sure wish it had 50 more cc like you, but I think he will enjoy it.

Awesome job on the review. Thoroughly enjoyed your video.

I have very little interest in motorcycles, but listening to this and the Grom review and how this dude bubbles over with those little involuntary laughs, just leaves me with a silly smile on my face.

I rode a 125cc vanvan for 1 day whilst doing my CBT in England. it was the first time I had ever been on a motorcycle and wow - to me it felt like I was going warp speed when it maxed out at about 55-60mph (well I was a total rookie)! I remember the seat being super comfy though 😉.. the Vanvan will always have a place in my heart & if I had a collection of bikes - I'd definitely have one! great vlog mate - keep up the good work sir 😉

Literally just sat on one of these while I was looking at some hold over bikes. It is crazy comfy

Chase you should do a first ride on an Aprilia, a tuono or rsv4 would be awesome!

please do a first ride on dan's magna

I test rode the Van Van 200 back in August. Keep in mind, I have owned an SMAX 155cc scooter for commuting. The Van Van is much slower both in acceleration and top speed than the lowly 155cc scooter. The motor on the Van Van is not smooth and makes some pretty unpleasant sounds. I wanted to love it. I couldn't. He nailed it for a tiny town bike though. It looks super cool.

Love the wheels, retro looks, i like this kind of reviews

You always get it right on your first rides man. Excellent cinematography! Btw stole your flooring idea for my own garage. Awesome video, keel em up man!

Thanks so much! You prevented an unhappy customer. I've been thinking about buying this because of its charm, but now that I know it's not what I'm looking for, I'll be searching for something with just a bit more displacement.

I really appreciate your work on the testing and review of this fun looking bike and find the end with your legs up hilarious! But the story of the Vanvan cannot be told without having a look 40 years back when in the early 70s Suzuki presented the predecessor of this bike: the RV 125 with 8 hp. They also introduced models with smaller engines like the RV 90 (with even bigger balloon tires), the RV 75 and the RV 50. Here in Germany it was a quite popular model which you could drive at 16 with a small license plate (you must be 18 to drive "real" motorcycles). Back in the day all these bikes were two-stroke-models which today would no longer be possible to launch due to CO2-emmissions and other regulations. RV stood for Recreation Vehicle and reflected the real purpose of this bike. Today the Vanvan 200 looks like an exact replica of the RV 125 of the Seventies. So i don't assume it to be a modern grown-up naked bike, but something like a Beach Bike or City Cruiser. Back in the day, the big wheels and tires were perfect for driving on rougher or looser survaces like sand, mud and snow. In the US i remember many people driving on the beach and along coastlines with shorts and T-shirts "Hippie-style". So i guess it's meant to be a reminiscence of these times and i think one has to bear that in mind when riding the bike. I had an RV 90 and i remember the poor brakes, the wobbly chassis, the soft set-up and supension. But also i had a lot of fun driving it through the city and enjoying a really handy, agile and comfortable ride. I also had a windshield attached to it which made it look like a small HD Electra Glide (Lol)... At the end of your video you got the idea: It's a bike for people living on the beach or in small cities who don't want a scooter. That's exactly what the old RV-bikes were about as well.

The 125 has been available in Europe since 2003 (and other markets I think) and the 200 has been on sale in Japan since 2003. They're great little bikes and unlike most small Japanese bikes these days they're still made in Japan.

Excellent editing skills with the slow mo's at the start mate, nice work

YAY HE'S BACK!

cute little bike, reminds me very much of my suzuki gt185 I had in the early 80s!

Neat bike! It looks like something a farmer would have to go checkout the crops in his fields, the big floaty tires would be well suited for tractor paths and farm roads etc. Or as you suggest if you had a summer house or cottage on some small island paradise and needed suitable transportation to go get your groceries etc.

omg! look at that beautifull piece of art

i ride a 2016 suzuki van van 125 here in Scotland identical to this one. they are great wee bikes but holy shit its slow haha

Chase very informative video and your enthusiasm is contagious! I was wondering if there is a kick-start on the VanVan 200?

Wow does this ever remind me of my grandpa's 1973 Suzuki RV 125. I still have it garage kept too.

yoooo chase you have really good taste of music. keep the videos coming man.

your best rev yet . Thanks

I mean. I love the retro look. I always say sport bikes are like haircuts, you think they look cool, but one day you see an old picture and you're like wtf. These retro bikes have a timeless cool look. 20 years from now it's gonna look as cool as it does today.

Just got one of these. It's verrrrry fun.

we train new riders on suzuki vanvans 125's in the UK

my friend have a clone of the VanVan its called Skyteam V-Raptor with 250cc engine... he modifyed the engine with other camshaft, roller rocker arms and a PZ30 Carb..... he rides with us on enduro tracks and man this little vanvan is really impressive and capable !!!!!!

The bike looks amazing. All the kids who comment on here aren't old enough to remember Suzuki's heritage and some of the neat offerings they had 45-50 yrs ago. For anyone who does remember and wants to relive some of that past, and who has the money, I think the VanVan 200 is awesome. Good for Suzuki to offer this; nice to see a company think outside of the box and offer something fun. Not for everyone, but.......

A put put intercity commuter that can cut through an empty sand lot for a short cut and get up to 70mph in a pinch with a sub 30 horsepower engine with low MPG. Sounds like a nice city bike to go to work on.

Ive been looking at this. Useful review COTW, thanks.

Best vanvan review, good information

I've had one for about 6 weeks. Fun little bike. Just getting back into riding after 30 years - love being able to flatfoot and I plan to take it to ride at the beach like Chase suggested. Great for around town. That said, I'm already looking to upgrade to or add a Triumph Street Twin in the Spring.

I love it

I think it's a perfect bike for around town. Hawaii tourist bike. Messenger/carrier in a big city big. Great beginner bike. Great review.

I`m 59 now so when i was 12 suzuki sold a 90cc and a 125cc dual sport just like this bike same color, the thing i liked about the old ones is that the old ones had a high and low range and of course 5 speeds in low and 5 speeds in high.

Can you ride an XT225 or an XT250?

Those fat tires are for going offroad. They stop you from sinking into mud and sand.

Keep up the great work i am a new sub and i am already a fan😀😀❤️

I did the my basic training on the 125 version loved it so much character

I saw it at the moto show here in Montreal, too bad there is not a little more power, but looks like fun, would be great on the beach or sand dunes, You give great reviews man, you are personable and funny, keep it up!

seems they aimed for the "cruise around town and carry it on the motorhome rear bumper " folks..if so they nailed it

that looks like something I would love to drive around

In many places around the world, this would be the greatest thing to ever happen.

If I needed anything alike I'd get a good ol DT175MX over it anyday but it looks like a great beach bike, I love the dirt track tires they put on it.

for some reason this bike looks adorable af

I love that you pick Monstercat music for these first rides.

That seat looks comfy!!!

I have a 1982 version of this and it looks so similar!

It's kind of cool that they are still making bikes like these. I would expect these to be on sale in some place like China or Vietnam. it's the kind of bike you expect to see loaded down with 4 rolls of carpet with two kids sitting on the handle bars in Bangkok.

Definitely need to give the Yamaha TW200 a first ride. so fun

The seat is important. Thank you for that info!!!

I found a brand new 2017 (It's 3/2019 as I post this) at a dealer and offered $3100. He almost hit me, screaming that he paid $3900, Suzuki wasn't giving him any incentives, and he was NOT ABOUT TO SELL it for less than he paid for it. I found a used 2017 with 89 miles on it at another dealer and they gladly rolled it out the door for $3100 (plus TTL.) I don't think I stole it--Suzuki is just out of touch with their pricing for a bike like this one in America.

love the reviews on the different and obscure, how about some Italian scooters, Korean bikes?

You should try and compare the VanVan to the TU250, both have a similar old UJM look. and the price is very close.

the engine needs running /breaking in carefully before you get the best performance out of it. Great video.

I love the fact you test a suzuki van van in one episode and a ZX10R in another. Thank you for not being that guy who is like "screw that thing i don't wanna ride that". P.S. you ever gonna try a harley out?

chase would you ever do a first ride on a maxi scooter ? , something like a honda forza 300, burgman 650 , etc , and how they would compare to something like a ninja 300 or r3 as starter bikes , would be cool to hear your thoughts on something like that... once again great video

the coolest fuel injector. the fuel pump is attached to it so no need for one in the tank. want to do a conversion on my drz400 just like that

Id really like to see you do a first ride on the new Honda rebel once it's available. It's a complete redesign and it actually looks really good. Way better than the previous models!

this bike looks really cool.

Many,many moons ago,i owned an original RV125 Sandbike which this replicates,and it was great fun.Had the same air-cooled 2-stroke engine as the RM's of that day and as a result,used to hop-along quite nicely.I would love to own one of these modern 200cc examples but i think they a priced a bit too high for what you get.A good commuter-bike but not a lot more.Maybe with a 300cc lump it would be worth a look

Hey Chase, i love your First Rides and wanted to ask if you could Test Ride a Aprilia Dorsoduro 750?

Thankyou Chase .I was wondering what that little bike could do and now I know.I think I would get the KTM duke 390 for scooting around town and canyon rides.

We did have the van van 125 back in the day. it was two stroke.

Looks to be for scooting around town, trail riding and beach riding. Might be good to carry on a truck for camping and vacationing. Probably made for 80% trails and 20 street.

Well, at least the price of this will take the heat off of both the Honda Grom and the Kawasaki Z125. Countess people have complained about these two bikes being way over priced for what they are. Now we have a new king in the category. It does have it's place in the motorcycle world, it's just a shame that they're priced far too high.

This reminds me of the first "big" motorcycle I had - a 1974 Kawasaki 175. Thing was a boss. Also, not really...but #memories.

Yamaha did this a few years back with the RD400, longest continues production bike they've had, they've got a retro bike with everything nice about a new bike

can you revisit the FZ6R again?

200cc is a big bike in places like the Philippines. A 300cc is a big expensive bike. I saw two actual big bikes on my visit last year. A 900 Kawi and a Ducati 999 touring together, with foreign plates.

Nice running in of a new bike ;)

It's great..especially off road

I wanted a light weight bike to haul behind my camper van. Every time I called on a TU250, they no longer had it. So I ended up with a van van. And they are hard to find as well. 2018 with 100 miles on it, still new at a dealer. Love it so far. Well except for the seat. That thing is hard as a rock, and looks stupid. That will be replaced. They are very big across the pond, as you can see by the comments. I also joined a face book group. People just love them. Very basic, flickable little bike.

I have seen this bike before it does look funky but its seat is great like you said

Nice little bike

he's in full tuck in! like the bike but I'd only ride that thing in town and maybe some county roads.

U Could do some really nice little custom mods to this bike. I like it.

What bikes you've tried have been best regarding front wiggle?

Shame you can't get the Honda VTR250 in the states.

I hope you can review the Misfit 2nd Gen from Cleveland Cyclewerks.

cinnamon toast feature! you crack me up, dude.

I would be more interested if it was more powerful, like 450 or at least a 250

Suzuki stop dicken around. bring back a modern updated version of the GS500 already!!!

What about the rv125 (the vanvan 125)??? Good for daily use?

Actually drove that bike, just the 125 version. doesnt go very fast but Its absolutely fantastic in the city

nice video. very entertaining.

Is this video being produced in HD format? Just curious because it's looking really grainy lately. What camera are you using?

bike Reviews!!! awesome!

It’s a Suzuki version of the Yamaha TW200. The specs are practically the same except the VV has fuel injection and the stock tires are a bit more street oriented. Honda had a similar bike in the 80s called the Fat Cat.

dude!!! chase the bike that needs to be reviewed is the one to the left of the van van. the kawasaki green one. ZX14 man come on!