Suzuki V-Strom 250, GSX250R And Inazuma To Be Euro 5/BS6-compliant Soon

New patent images show a greener parallel-twin motor. Will they come to India?

• The patent image shows two exhaust pipes leading into a catalytic converter.
• There are two oxygen sensors to measure the oxygen content in the exhaust gases.
• These help in modulating the air-fuel mixture, thus ensuring optimal combustion and exhaust gas emission.

Patent images of the Euro 5 / BS6-compliant version of Suzuki’s 248cc parallel-twin engine that does duty in the Suzuki GSX250R, Inazuma 250 and the V-Strom 250 have surfaced online. These motorcycles are all sold abroad but the Inazuma 250 was once sold in India, back in 2014. It was then discontinued owing to its high asking price of Rs 3.10 lakh.

Coming back to the patent images, the drawings clearly show the two exhaust pipes from the engine leading into a catalytic converter, complementing the bigger catalytic converter further ahead. The smaller catalytic converter looks similar to the ones you have in BS6 motorcycles sold in India. There are two oxygen sensors: one at the entrance of the catalytic converter and one near the exit. These sensors measure the oxygen content in the exhaust gases and give feedback to the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the motorcycle. It then adjusts the air-fuel ratio to ensure optimal combustion, which thereby results in tailpipe emissions that are safe enough to comply with BS6/ Euro 5 emission norms. 

Suzuki has also experimented with separate converters for each exhaust pipe but this setup may drive the costs too high as catalytic converters contain precious metals like platinum, palladium and rhodium. 

It remains to be seen how adhering to tighter emission norms will have an effect on the engine’s output. At present, the 248cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled SOHC motor churns out 25PS at 8000rpm and 23.4Nm at 6500rpm in the UK market. 

None of the aforementioned motorcycles will enter our market as Suzuki has already developed a single-cylinder quarter-litre oil-cooled engine for India, which does duty in the Gixxer 250 and the Gixxer SF 250. The BS6-compliant version of the two bikes made their debut at the 2020 Auto Expo and are likely to be launched once the COVID-19 pandemic situation stabilises in the country. The word around the town is that the Japanese brand might also launch an adventure tourer and a cruiser based on the Gixxer 250 twins' quarter-litre single-cylinder engine in the future.