This is the last of our Big Four (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki) story series where we tell you about the bikes India should get in the near future. Today, we'll talk about the Suzukis that still haven't set foot in India.
Suzuki SV650
This next launch by Suzuki in all probability, the SV650 has a cult following globally. This motorcycle is loved by those who want a midsize V-twin naked sportbike that's 'reliable'.
It has a liquid-cooled 645 cc V-t win, and sits just below the GSX-S750 (an inline-four) in Suzuki's naked bike section. The SV has a low seat height of 785 mm, which should make it very approachable for shorter riders who find the GSX-S750's 820 mm seat height a tad intimidating. Expect it to worry the Ducati Monster 797 a lot...
Suzuki TU 250 X (ST 250 in Japan)
Most don't even know that the makers of the firebreathing Hayabusa and Gixxers also produce a lovely, single-cylinder, retro motorcycle! it houses a 250 cc air-cooled fuel-injected four-stroke engine and a five-speed gearbox. Its wheelbase (1375 mm) is a shade longer than the Jawa's (1369 mm) while its seat height of 770 mm is also almost as low as the latter's (765 mm). However, where this Suzuki will leave every retro offering in the segment for dead is its weight (the lack of it rather)—its kerb weight is just 148 kilograms!
Fans of the erstwhile Suzuki Shaolin will be the most obliged to Suzuki India if this 250 is launched. In fact, we recommend Suzuki to further tug at their heartstrings by naming it the Suzuki Shaolin 250.
Suzuki DR-Z400S
Like Kawasaki, Suzuki also sells a few of its hardcore off-road bikes in India—RM-Z450, RM-Z250, and DR-Z50. Again, like Kawasaki's off-road bikes, even these are not street legal.
However, Suzuki also has six dual-sport motorcycles, which you can register like regular street bikes. Those six Suzukis are: DR 650 SE, DR-Z 400 S, DR 200 S, DR 200 SE, TS 185 ER, and TF 125. While the last two are two-stroke motorcycles and will get the expansion-chamber fans in India salivating, it's the DR series that makes the most sense in the current Indian scenario.
These, especially the 650 and 400, are considered as the best in the world by many off-road enthusiasts. Therefore, either one's launch will get Suzuki a standing ovation from those wanderers-on-wheels. Our choice would be the DR-Z 400 S. But only if Suzuki somehow manages to bring its skyscraper of a seat (935 mm!) down by a good margin.
Suzuki GSX-R600
The Hayabusa, GSX-R1000, GSX-R600, DR series and SV650 are Suzukis that need no introduction unless you're someone who's been in quarantine for several decades.
Out of these, Suzuki sells only the first two in India. Of course, the 'Busa has now been discontinued, but it was on sale in India until recently. As and when the new one breaks cover, Suzuki for sure will get that one to India as well. And we've already talked about the DRs and SV650.
That leaves us with the GSX-R600. It should be here too. The sooner, the better—for both Suzuki and prospective buyers.
