Suzuki is planning to enter the 350-500cc segment of motorcycles which is presently dominated by Royal Enfield, KTM and Triumph
Suzuki is planning to launch multiple new models in the middleweight (350-500cc) segment in the Indian market. The brand has expressed its intentions to enter this segment in key markets across Europe and Asia. The Japanese brand will face stiff competition from Royal Enfield, who happens to be the undisputed leader of this segment for the last several years. In addition, there are several other prominent brands such as KTM and Triumph, who in partnership with Bajaj Auto are retailing bikes in this segment.
Without delving deeper into the details, Suzuki stated that it will target segments which are growing and witnessing higher demand. As per the data available for the British market, 125-500cc bikes were the highest grossing at 1416 units in Oct 2025. The highest-selling model was the BSA Banton 350 with 87 units, making it the most popular model in this category. This segment was followed by the 51-125cc segment.
As for the Indian market, while Royal Enfield dominates the middleweight segment with the likes of Classic 350, Bullet 350, Hunter 350 and Meteor 350, Triumph’s 400cc bikes also sell in decent numbers with a market share of 4.53 percent in Oct 2025. In fact, Jawa-Yezdi-BSA combined sales stood at 6,922 units with market share of 5.10 percent.
One of the newest entrants in this segment is BMW F 450 GS which is likely to launch next month, in Jan 2026, in the Indian market. The production has already begun at Hosur factory of TVS in Tamil Nadu. It has been confirmed that TVS will also use this 450cc engine platform for its upcoming supersport motorcycle. Norton will also use this platform for its upcoming motorcycles in India.
A few reports in media claim that Suzuki might use a slightly detuned version of its existing 398cc single-cylinder engine for the 350cc bikes. This engine already fulfils the Euro 5+ emission standards. It develops max power of 37.5 bhp which is essential for acquiring A2 license in Europe. We have already seen this engine in the Suzuki DR-Z4S and DR-Z4SM bikes. The carburettor has been replaced by electronic fuel injection and ride-by-wire throttle.
Suzuki, taking a leaf out of Royal Enfield’s book, could make India a production hub for the upcoming 350-500cc motorcycle to leverage low-cost manufacturing. One of the foremost factors in succeeding in the 350-500cc is affordability and India has no dearth of cheap labour with lower cost of production. Suzuki is building a new factory in Kharkhoda (Haryana) in India with an annual production capacity of 7.50 lakh units.
