EICMA 2016: Suzuki reveals the 2017 GSX-250R
The 2017 Suzuki GSX250R has broken cover at EICMA, Milan, and it looks quite like a baby GSX-R1000. The bike looks fetching, especially in the MotoGP livery. There's an all black colour option too.
While the bike does look quite sporty, the engine specifications are not in the the same league. The 248cc parallel-twin makes 25PS at 8,000rpm and 23.4Nm at 6,500rpm. Suzuki's intention was to create a sporty commuter and that explains the high set clip-on handlebars. The GSX250R is an everyday motorcycle that you can ride to the office or to the canyons on a weekend. The seat height is 790mm which is adequate for leg range of most riders.
The bike gets KYB, right-side-up suspension upfront and a KYB monoshock at the rear. There's a single petal disc up front and smaller, single unit at the rear. The Bosch ABS system is standard.
The instrument cluster is a full LCD unit with a white on black display.
To keep costs in check, Suzuki has shod the Y-spoke alloy wheels with IRC tyres. We've seen these on the Kawasaki Ninja 300 and are aware that they take a long time to heat up and generate enough grip.
The Suzuki GSX-250R will go on sale in international markets soon. In India, however, it's highly unlikely of Suzuki to get the bike. A GSX-300R would make more sense, given the competition such as the Yamaha YZF-R3 and the KTM 390 Duke, which has been recently unveiled in a brand-new avatar at the 2016 EICMA.