Suzuki Inazuma

Being one of the big players at the international stage, Suzuki’s stint in India is not that happening as in other countries. Sure, their CBU Superbikes such as Hayabusa, GSX-R and Intruder are bringing in fame for this big Jap player, but where they are losing a stroke is the mass market. The commuter bikes of Suzuki are not bringing in numbers as they would have expected, are losing behind in the game from the other players in the Indian market. To make the matters even more difficult, their absence in the faster growing entry level superbike segment cannot be avoided where the bikes like Yamaha YZF-R15, KTM Duke series and Honda CBR series are building up a chunk of sales for their respective manufacturers. To make up for this, Suzuki has launched its much awaited 250cc motorcycle, the Inazuma GW 250, in India. It is big, seems brute and promises to deliver class rivalling performance. The bike has proven its credentials in the European and Japanese markets with its thunderous credentials of being a sports commuter, and thus living up to its name, as ‘Inazuma’ means lightening in Japanese. To spruce up the segment, Suzuki has equipped this bike with a parallel twin, liquid cooled motor, thus sensing us with a superb performance. This configuration slots it between the Honda CBR 250R and Kawasaki Ninja 300. The Suzuki Inazuma is built in China for the global markets and in India, the parts are imported and assembled in Suzuki factories here. This means that it is also the first CKD product for Suzuki in India. Though arriving in the scene a bit late, but with the Inazuma, Suzuki is trying to revive up its image and make its position in the browning 250cc segment. Can it delivers as it promises? Let’s find out.

The Suzuki Inazuma may look ‘not to be built for everyone’s taste’, but what makes the things most interesting is its engine configuration. The power mill of the Inazuma is a 250cc, 4-stroke, liquid cooled, twin cylinder parallel engine with a bore length of 53.5mm and stroke length of 55.2mm, giving it a compression ratio of 11.5:1. The maximum power output churned out by this bike is a high 24 bhp at 8500 rpm and the maximum torque figure is of 24.2 Nm at 6500 rpm. These figures, though may seem interesting on paper for a 250cc motorcycle, but once you come to know that this motor is a parallel twin, the figures are a bit disappointing, considering the parallel twin performance of one of its rivals, Ninja 300, is way too superior than the Inazuma. To make things even worse, the kerb weight of whopping 182 kgs gives this bike a lower power-weight ratio as compared to its other competitors.  This mild output figures are reflected straight away in its street performance results. The Inazuma manages to cover up the sprint of 0-60 kmph in 4.1 seconds. The 0-100 kmph comes out even slower at 10.73. To hit 120 kmph mark, it takes an almost lazy 21 seconds. The top speed of the motorcycle is a soft 131.6 kmph. These figures make it a ‘not so zoomer’ performer in front of the single-cylinder rivals, Honda CBR 250R and KTM Duke 200. This performance may seem a bit dull in the present day scenario, but the one aspect where the Suzuki Inazuma completely bowls out everyone is the engine refinement and smoothness. The parallel twin nature of the engine, coupled with the light clutch action, makes this bike creamy smooth all the way long to its redline, which is set up at 11,300 rpm. So, riding this motorcycle for plenty of kilometers may be hassle free, as cruising at even 100-110 km of speeds is vibration free and enjoyable. The linear power delivery also helps it a lot, making it easy and relaxing to use. The longer stroke engine promises decent performance and oodles of torque lower down the rev range as well. The gearbox is a slick 6-speed transmission unit, with gear ratios set up adequately to give the Inazuma a smooth performance in the rev range of 4500-9500 rpm. The bike delivers a decent fuel efficiency of an overall 34 kmpl, which is commendable for a motorcycle this large and bulky.

Though the Suzuki Inazuma's pricing is at a higher side, the bike doesn't come up with premium safety features, except the front and rear disc brakes doing the duty at both the wheels. The absence of essential safety features for a 250cc motorcycle, such as ABS, is a bit disappointing.