After lots of dilly-dallying, Hamamatsu-based Suzuki has finally decided to usher in the Inazuma Gw250 in India in January 2014. This confirmation comes from Suzuki Motorcycles India executive Vice President Atul Gupta, as he revealed Suzuki’s plans in an interview to Autocar.
It will be brought in through the Completed-Knocked-Down Kit (CKD) route and will be assembled at Suzuki’s Gurgaon plant. Suzuki Inazuma GW250 is powered by a 248cc liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder engine. The powerplant will churn out an estimated 26 horses, and will pump out about 24.2 Nm of torque. The engine will be paired to a six-speed manual transmission, which will transmit power to the rear wheels via a direct chain drive. The bike is a bit bulky at 182 kilograms of kerb weight, and is not really in the mould of other bikes in its segment.
However, the Inazuma presents itself as a very sensible and practical option as compared to contemporaries like Ninja 300 and CBR250R. The relaxed seating position accompanied by plenty of torque should make it an interesting proposition and it can also perform the job of a low-cost highway mile-muncher very well, if you consider its semi-faired version (pictured below). We are unsure if this GW250S will be launched simultaneously.
*This is the Semi-Faired Inazuma GW250S. Click pic for more details
However, the styling of the inazuma looks a bit dated. Bits and pieces of the bike look inspiring, say for example the classy three-spoke aluminium wheels. Take the complete picture, and what you get is an Ugly Duckling! Hence, the success of the Inazuma will depend on its pricing. This assumes even more importance when you take into account the fact that the 250-cc segment is bustling with activity at the moment, and a few more bikes are expected to come in very soon.
Suzuki’s tryst with India has been far from perfect. Do you think the Inazuma can turn the tide in Suzuki’s favour?
Also Read: Behold: Is this a Suzuki 250cc Gixxer in the Works?
