Suzuki's ante in 250 market.

["A"]

Suzuki Inazuma 250, a low cost SOHC in-line twin with six speed transmission.

[Jiggles]

o0o She's a sexy bitch, but looks oddly small?

[choneofakind]

is this for sure?

wow that's a huge rake angle. I'm sensing a need for clip-ons and sliding the forks up in the triples

[Heed]

notsureifwant

[sombo]

At the Motorcycle Live show in the UK, Suzuki has just introduced the Inazuma 250, a low cost SOHC in-line twin with six speed transmission.

Taking design cues from the B-King, the Inazuma 250 appears identical to a model introduced in Asia just a couple of months ago. Suzuki says it “has been optimized for low-to-mid range speeds ideal for city and town traffic.” Suzuki claims the bike still has enough power, however, to “comfortably deal with any open roads.” Suzuki has kept weight down by emphasizing aluminum parts in the chassis.

Instrumentation includes a gear position indicator, a service reminder and a three-mode rpm prompt for gear change. The latter feature also has an option for “economy mode” that will prompt changing gear to “achieve optimal fuel consumption.”

The bike will be available in Europe next fall and priced to compete with the Kawasaki Ninja 250 and Honda CBR250R. It does not appear it will be available in the U.S. next year.

Figures, once again they say "screw you" to the US.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by sombo

Figures, once again they say "screw you" to the US.

You got to remember that the US is anti streetfighter/naked bikes which really blows.

As for the bike, it looks way too upright for my liking. Not liking the seat and the huge front fender.

[n_aditya]

Looks like IRC tires on the bike.

I wonder why this has twin exhaust pipes. Any advantages over a single piece or is this just for aesthetics?

The front headlight cowl looks a lot like the Buell's.

[rusninja]

Its pretty cool. :P

[wayanlam]

if it comes out here in Indonesia at a reasonable price i might buy it for my gf... or should i rather say "influence her to buy it" lol

my dad will buy it for sure i think, he has been looking to buy a new bike to replace his aging honda cb200... this looks like a suitable replacement

[gfloyd2002]

Naked 250 is interesting. Rake angle makes it look really upright, almost cruiserish, which would make it a really easy starter bike. Some of the appeal (sadly) to naked bikes is the stunting/hooligan set, and the idea of a 250 stunter is just silly. Still, I like the look, except for the banana seat. Oddly attractive.

[sombo]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

You got to remember that the US is anti streetfighter/naked bikes which really blows.

As for the bike, it looks way too upright for my liking. Not liking the seat and the huge front fender.

Actually it's more of a "bigger is better" in the US mentality that keeps bikes like this one away from here. We get more of the streetfighter/naked bikes than we do the small displacement bikes. I mean look at the ninjette for example. We got the F model and then the J model while never getting the H model (ZZR250) that Europe and Canada got. You also won't find any ZX2R's anywhere in the states unless someone brought it with them from either Japan, UK, or Australia. The small bike market in the US is not taken seriously and we get the smallest selection of bikes in that genre.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by sombo

Actually it's more of a "bigger is better" in the US mentality that keeps bikes like this one away from here. We get more of the streetfighter/naked bikes than we do the small displacement bikes. I mean look at the ninjette for example. We got the F model and then the J model while never getting the H model (ZZR250) that Europe and Canada got. You also won't find any ZX2R's anywhere in the states unless someone brought it with them from either Japan, UK, or Australia. The small bike market in the US is not taken seriously and we get the smallest selection of bikes in that genre.

Also, the other countries besides the US have dense population and the cities are too crowded which make the 250 more economical and logical. But I do see your point. I've been noticing a lot of scooters popping up though in the city now here in the US.

[sombo]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

Also, the other countries besides the US have dense population and the cities are too crowded which make the 250 more economical and logical. But I do see your point. I've been noticing a lot of scooters popping up though in the city now here in the US.

You know, if you break the US up by making each state equal a EU country, then it's actually about the same in most places. Our problem is that the baby boomer generation started the bigger is better mentality in almost every aspect and we've not been able to dislodge it yet. The mentality is slowly going away as more and more people realize it's flaws, but we're still fighting it in order to try and get some of the world's great small vehicles that they won't bring here. There are even cars built by US automakers for EU, Asia, and Aus that they won't sell here because they do not believe there is a market for small vehicles here. They are still stuck on the truck and SUV craze for some reason. Same problem within the motorcycle market. Bigger = more power = more speed = better bike is the common mentality here it seems.

[CynicalC]

Oh that's sexay. It's half fightered already!

[Bosgarage57]

Id trade for that anyday! I love the looks of the streetfighter, and the stock exhausts actually look nice.

[cbdallas]

Cruiser up front, sport bike out back. Interesting mix, but I'm more of a full-fairing fan.

[Momaru]

Pretty sure I've seen a couple modded Ninjettes with extremely similar fairing setups, leaving the majority naked. Kinda like the look, but the "optimixed for low-to-mid speed in-town" just says "replace the sprockets immediately"

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by Bosgarage57

Id trade for that anyday! I love the looks of the streetfighter, and the stock exhausts actually look nice.

funny, I think they're kinda ugly... I like my 2bros slipons better

[Malicious Logic]

Looks cool but definitely not my style. Never been a huge fan of naked or street fightered bikes.

[KawiKid860]

Not a bad looker, love streetfighters/naked bikes but I love fully faired bikes more and am more into the round headlight classic look like an sv or monster might have anyways. Looks sorta like a modernized GS500e with half the displacement, following that logic and considering its an air cooled SOHC engine the thing probably only has around 20hp *shrugs* that probably isn't a problem for the market its aimed at though.

[greg737]

considering its an air cooled SOHC engine

Am I seeing this thing wrong? Because I think I'm seeing a small radiator tucked into the bike's "1/4 length" fairing and some coolant tubing/piping running up the left side of the engine just like the EX-250's does.

[greg737]

Cruiser up front, sport bike out back.

So it's the motorcycle equivalent of a "Mullet" hairstyle? "Business in the front, party in the back!"

[Numbersix]

I like it; but I can already see why they're not rushing it to the U.S. from the comments here.

[greg737]

.... SOHC engine the thing probably only has around 20hp *shrugs* that probably isn't a problem for the market its aimed at though.

I'm gonna call it "a swing and a miss".

But that's what I would expect from Suzuki, they seem like a strange bunch when it comes to marketing and styling: Their styling always seems to be slightly behind the times, especially in comparison to Honda and Yamaha, and quite often it seems their bike's lines are drawn in a "safe" sort of way as if the fear of offending somebody is their guiding principle. They never go anywhere near the cutting edge of the style envelope.

Well, there's still the hope that Yamaha will eventually jump into the 250 Sport class. Maybe they'll do it with more emphasis on "Sport", maybe even "Supersport-ish".

[Alex]

Originally Posted by greg737

Am I seeing this thing wrong? Because I think I'm seeing a small radiator tucked into the bike's "1/4 length" fairing and some coolant tubing/piping running up the left side of the engine just like the EX-250's does.

I agree. This link says:

What we do know is the Inazuma 250 is powered by a new liquid-cooled SOHC parallel Twin engine with a six-speed transmission. Suzuki tuned the engine to optimize performance at low- and mid-range speeds, making it an appealing option for new riders in urban stop-and-go traffic.

[nickjpass]

Reminds me of the Gladius, I want it!!

[Boom King]

Reminds me of the Suzuki Gladius except a mini version with twin exhaust pipes.

Originally Posted by nickjpass

Reminds me of the Gladius...

Edit: haha, ditto.

[nickjpass]

I want it even more because it has two exhaust pipes. Makes it look "balanced".

[KawiKid860]

Am I seeing this thing wrong? Because I think I'm seeing a small radiator tucked into the bike's "1/4 length" fairing and some coolant tubing/piping running up the left side of the engine just like the EX-250's does.

Lol fail I obviously didn't look good enough, doesn't even have cooling fins like an air cooled engine would. My bad!

[Lil_Green_Demon]

Like it & hate it at the same time.
I especially dislike the banana seat. Its front is gorgeous, though.

[akima]

I don't mind banana seats.

[gfloyd2002]

This bike will be called the GW250 in China and India. Here are the factory claimed stats:

Displacement: 250cc
Maximum Power: 26 Bhp @ 8500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 24.2 Nm @ 7000 rpm
Gears: 6 Speed
Cylinder Configuration: SOHC
Cooling Type: Liquid Cooling
Weight: 180.00 kg

At first glance, looks competitive with the Ninjette out of the box (26.4 bhp, 19Nm). However, that rake angle tells you about its function -- it won't be as good in the corners, it will make it comfy in traffic. Also about 10 kg heavier than the Ninjette, despite losing the fairings - also telling of it's mini-cruiser aspirations with that. And the kicker? It will be "de-tuned" for lower compression and low to midrange power instead of the Ninjettes mid-high RPM power. Its all about the low end torque. A mini cruiser, not going for the thrashability of a sportbike. I'm betting a much better 1st and 2nd gear experience for inner-city traffic than our revvy (useless 1st gear) Ninjettte. But not nearly as fun to ride at speed, or in the corners.

Overall, looks like a near miss to me. A commuter, not a sportbike.

[akima]

I wonder if it could be modded to compete in 250CC racing? There's got to be some Suzuki fanboys and fangirls out there who have the drive to make it happen. Would be great to see the Kawi, the Honda and now a Suzuki all facing off.

[OGjackafidy]

that thing looks like a giant moped. not my style at all