Suzuki Saluto: Bikes We Would Like To See In India

This 125cc scooter offers tons of features, looks fantastic, and has ample performance. It is the youthful scooter we need

The Indian two-wheeler market is rapidly evolving with a special affinity to scooters. While most bikemakers have their products tailor-made for Indian customers, they have some interesting offerings abroad (especially in South Asian markets) that would work well in India. One such example is the Suzuki Saluto 125cc scooter, which was recently unveiled in Taipei, Taiwan. This retro-looking scooter gets modern tech and features. 

Why does it make business sense?

For a long time, Suzuki India has had just 125cc scooters in its portfolio. The bikemaker has tasted success with the Access 125, which is the best-selling 125cc scooter in India. It also tapped into the niche maxi-scooter segment with the Burgman Street. We think the best-selling Access could do with more features and a better design, but that could alienate customers looking for affordability which the 125cc scooter currently offers. Here’s where the Suzuki Saluto could potentially step in and take the fight to other premium scooters like the Vespa. 

What makes the Suzuki Saluto special?

The Saluto gets retro-looking bodywork inspired by the old-school Lambretta and Vespa scooters. It features a squarish headlamp with a ridge running down the centre of the front apron and flanked by turn indicators at the bottom. The swooping tail lamp ends into a modern LED tail lamp with turn indicators integrated into the bodywork. It also gets a classy-looking brown leather seat unit. The instrument console too sits in a square housing with period-correct dial and chrome surround. The scooter impresses with its fit and finish levels and by the way it manages to blend modern features into its neo-retro design. 

What does it feature?

The neo-retro bodywork gets modern features like LED headlamp, LED tail lamp, LED turn indicators, and even keyless ignition. The retro-looking instrument console gets a semi-digital instrument console with a readout to relay information. It gets an external fuel-filler cap under the handlebar and a fuel tank located in the floorboard. This relocation should free up more underseat storage space. 

What about performance?

Its 124cc fuel-injected motor delivers 9.4PS and 10Nm of torque. In comparison, the Access 125 BS6 makes 8.7PS and 10Nm. So you get a bit more performance. Underpinnings are modern units comprising telescopic forks and monoshock, a front disc brake and a rear drum brake.  

Suzuki has no plans of getting the Saluto to India, which is a shame really. The Saluto is a proper neo-retro scooter that Suzuki could bring to rival the Vespa scooters. They could offer the Saluto at a lower price point than the Vespas while offering more features. This could potentially be a win-win situation for both Suzuki and enthusiasts in the country.