Suzuki Bikes

Image – Sinha Suzuki
Suzuki domestic dispatches and exports for November 2020 were at a decline

2020 has been a trying year. For manufacturers, FY21 started on a standstill in the grip of national lockdown owing to Covid-19 pandemic. With manufacturing and sales at nil, a system restart was announced in May 2020. And weeks went by in putting logistics and supply chains back on track. Suzuki two-wheelers one of the smaller manufacturers in terms of sales began Q4 2020 o a strong note.
In October, the company was able to report flat domestic sales growth at 1.59 percent up at 67,225 units from 66,170 units. The uptick was largely fuelled by deferred demand, festive season demand, flexible EMI plans and improved finance options among other things. This, and the requirement for safe personal commute to maintain much need physical distancing.
Domestic Sales
For November 2020, YoY and MoM wholesale dispatches dropped. MoM numbers fell by 14.59 percent. YoY decline was reported at 5.58 percent. Down at 57,417 units from 60,812 units. Although Suzuki sells 5 products here, sales volume in some instances is low. It’s bestseller being the bestseller topped the chart at 45,82 units.
Even though it’s top of the chart prowess is unchallenged, numbers did fall by 7.22 percent from 49,128 units. Sales volume contracted by 3.5k units. In fact, such a large chunk of Suzuki’s business depends on Access that the scooter accounted for 79.39 percent of domestic dispatches last month.
Suzuki Two Wheelers Domestic Sales Nov 2020
Suzuki Access a brand bestseller
Comparatively, Burgman is a much newer launch from the brand. Dispatches gained 16.03 percent, up at 9,078 units from 7,824 units. Business at the domestic front accounted for 15.81 percent share. The top two selling scooters accounted for over 95 percent of Suzuki’s wholesales.
Which means, the remainder 3 made up for less than 5 percent. At the narrow end, Gixxer numbers were reported at 2,145 units. This, at a YoY decline of 40.45 percent from 3,602 units. Gixxer 250 was reported at 65.50 percent decline. Given that base sales were at a low of 258 units, an increase to 427 couldn’t have been too difficult. Suzuki Intruder was discontinued at this time last year. But it did live on in its BS6 avatar. Given that the company decided to continue selling the product, its difficult to ascertain why. A mere 185 units were dispatched to dealerships last month.
Suzuki Two Wheelers Exports Nov 2020
Suzuki exports decline Mom and YoY
Exports for November 2020 fell in MoM and YoY basis. Notably, Gixxer makes up the bulk of exports. At 4,572 units, MoM decline was reported at 11,43 percent, down from 5,162 units. Though discontinued here, Hayate lives on overseas. Exports were reported at 1,032 units, down 25.43 percent from 1,384 units. Volume contracted by 352 units. Both motorcycles made up for upward of 80 percent of exports last month.
While domestic sales for Suzuki is dominated by scooters, motorcycles lead exports. Burgman numbers contracted to 512 units from 1,398 units at 63.38 percent decline. Notably, Gixxer 250 sales was in the green. Numbers grew from 16 units to 463.
Though discontinued here, Lets scooter exports keeps the product alive. Numbers contracted manifold at 152 units, down from 668 units. Intruder units were down at 64 units. MoM decline was reported at 29.51 percent. And YoY decline at 23.74 percent. More

2021 Suzuki GSX250R
2021 GSX250R is unlikely to make it to India since we already have the more affordable Gixxer SF 250

Suzuki has revealed its entire lineup for 2021 and this includes its quarter-litre faired sports bike GSX250R. The only major upgrade is the addition of a new colour scheme, the GSX250R will now be available in a white and black paint scheme. The full black colour scheme has been carried forward as well.
Other than this, there are no updates in the latest iteration of the quarter-litre motorcycle. The motorcycle has been priced at USD 5,499 (equivalent to INR 4.06 lakh) in the US market. Unlike the previous edition, the current model will only be available in one variant, i.e., ABS variant.
Design & Features
It gets identical specs and features from the outgoing model. It continues to sport muscular styling thanks to its fully-faired design. The front of the motorcycle features unique dual LED headlights, angular fairing-mounted mirrors, and an effective sport windshield that incorporates slots to reduce continuous wind lashing. At rear, it gets a sharper tail with an LED taillight which reminds us of the larger GSX-R1000R.
It gets signature sporty elements which include split-style seats and clip-on handlebars although they are fairly high. Footpegs are lower than usual, therefore, the seating position is relatively roomy and relaxed.
2021 Suzuki GSX250R
Additionally, the front and rear turn indicators have been equipped with clear lenses that add to their stylish appearance. Overall, even though the bike tries to be aggressive it is a fairly neat and easy to go design.
In terms of features, the GSX250R is offered with a reverse-lit LCD instrumentation which displays a wide array of information such as a bar-graph tachometer, speedometer, odometer gear position indicator and more. Suspension setup consists of conventional telescopic forks at front and a mono-shock at rear from KYB. It receives disc brakes on both ends assisted by dual-channel ABS.

Powertrain
Coming to its performance, it is powered by a 248cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled motor which is also used in Suzuki’s tourer Inazuma. This unit is paired with a six-speed gearbox. Output figures of 24 PS of power and 21.6 Nm of peak torque aren’t the greatest in this segment. For reference, it gets trumped by a smaller Duke 200 which receives an output of 25.83 PS and 19.5 Nm. This is probably because Suzuki has designed this bike keeping in mind beginners and younger riders.
At around Rs 4.0 lakh, it makes very less sense for a quarter-litre motorcycle in India. In a budget centric market like India, Suzuki is better off selling more value for money bike in the form of single cylinder Gixxer 250 and Gixxer SF 250. More

2021 Suzuki Burgman Electric Scooter
Suzuki is likely to launch an electric scooter under the Burgman brand name in India sometime next year

The prototype of Suzuki Burgman Electric has been spied testing once again. Like in the previous case, in the recent shots as well the absence of an exhaust canister can be clearly seen.
As mentioned in our previous report, the electric scooter is similar to the Burgman Street in design. It gets a similar maxi-style design just as its petrol counterpart, however, the electric scooter prototype is seen in a white and blue dual-tone paint scheme.
2021 Suzuki Burgman Electric Scooter
Suzuki had revealed its intentions of developing an electric scooter back in 2018 but it was not known that the Japanese brand would be adding it to the Burgman range. Tagging it as ‘Burgman’ would make good sense since the first electric scooter will be expensive and the Japanese brand needs a strong donor with convincing looks, features and presence to justify its price. Moreover, with increasing popularity of maxi-scooters in India, it might give Suzuki a certain edge.
Distinguishing styling elements
The electric scooter also had a grey sleeve around the footboard which offered a visual distinction. Another major difference revealed on closer observation is that on the IC engine Burgman Street employs a single-sided shock absorber on its left side whereas in the test mules spotted the shock absorber was on the right. Common elements included telescopic front suspension and alloy wheels.

Features expected
Other design elements noted were a rear tyre hugger for better protection and a digital instrument cluster. Also, the reflector is now re-positioned from below to above the registration plate. The instrument console might feature Bluetooth as well as 4G LTE which allows for smartphone connectivity and using connected vehicle functions.
Last month, Suzuki rolled out the latest version of the Suzuki Connect which now offers features like SMS and Call Alerts, Whatsapp alert, turn-by-turn navigation, caller ID alert, riding statistics, charging status, etc.

Rivals & Expected Price
There has been no word from Suzuki on its powertrain yet, however, one can expect it to be equipped with a battery pack capacity of 3-4 kWh and paired to a motor generating 4-6 kW power. Performance would be in the range of Burgman Street 125cc scooter.
One can expect a top speed of 80 kmph with single charge range of 70-90 km. As far as prices are concerned, expect it to be well over Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom). Upon its launch, it will rival the likes of Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube.
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Image – Sinha Suzuki
Suzuki says that the retail sales operations have been registering sustainable growth compared to last year

Contrary to the positive growth trend of the two wheeler industry in November 2020, Suzuki Motorcycles India posted a YoY decline of 7.93% in overall sales. The company, however, remains positive about its immediate prospects as more and more people are opting for personal mobility.
Suzuki Motorcycles India November 2020 sales
Suzuki sold a total of 64,224 units last month compared to 69,755 units during the same month in 2019. The domestic dispatch accounted to 57,429 units which represented a YoY decline of 5.63% while the exports dropped by 23.65% (at 6,795 units) mainly due to pandemic induced challenges.
Looking at the MoM growth rate, the Japanese two wheeler brand registered a decline of 14.57% in domestic sales compared to 67,225 units in October 2020. The overall sales of 76,865 units in October 2020 is Suzuki’s highest monthly sales performance in the country.
However, Suzuki Motorcycles India revealed that the retail sales is actually indicating a sustained growth in demand compared to last year. In the scooter range, it was the Access which delivered highest sales. Other scooter in lineup is Burgman. Motorcycle range includes Gixxer and Intruder. Below is the detailed sales table of Suzuki for Nov 2020.
Suzuki Two Wheeler Sales Nov 2020 vs Nov 2019 (YoY) vs Oct 2020 (MoM)
New addition to the portfolio
Suzuki introduced the V-Strom 650XT BS6 to its premium motorcycle lineup last month. The company is happy about the number of queries the medium displacement adventure touring has been receiving.
In October, Suzuki introduced a refreshed version of its popular Access scooter in addition to the sporty Burgman 125. New color themes for the Gixxer family were introduced as well.
Suzuki electric scooter on the anvil
Like most other two wheeler OEMs, Suzuki is seriously looking at the electric scooter segment. The company had previously expressed its interest in this sector and a pair of prototypes of what appeared to be a pure electric Burgman was recently caught testing in India.
While the prototypes retained the India-spec Suzuki Burgman 125’s edgy design, they eschewed the exhaust canister. The test mules appear to be equipped with an additional spring at the rear to handle the added weight of the electric powertrain. Nothing much is know as of now but we expect the Suzuki electric scooter for India to have sufficient localization and appropriate technical specifications to take advantage of the government’s FAME II subsidy.
One can expect the Suzuki Burgman electric to be equipped with fully digital dashboard with connectivity features, sprightly performance, a range of around 80 km, and a price tag in the vicinity of INR 1 lakh (ex-showroom). The zero emission urban runabout is not expected to be ready before 2022. More

Image – Sinha Suzuki
Suzuki two wheeler domestic sales were at 67,225 units while exports stood at 9,640 units in October 2020

The two wheeler segment in India has noted strong sales in the past month as the country emerged out of the slowdown followed by the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. Not only were domestic sales substantially higher but exports also increased on an equal footing. Oct 2020 sales were the highest ever by Suzuki India.
In the domestic sales, Suzuki India registered over 67.2k sales in Oct 2020 – growing by over 1.59%. Majority of the domestic sales were thanks to their Access scooter, which registered sales of over 52.4k. Followed by Burgman scooter at 10.6k sales. This was followed by Gixxer 155 sales at over 3.2k. YoY domestic sales have grown by 1.59% while MoM have registered a growth of 3.11%.
Suzuki Two Wheeler Sales Oct 2020 vs Oct 2019 (YoY) vs Sep 2020 (MoM)
Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) has revealed their export figures for October 2020. It may be seen from the attached table that both their YoY exports and MoM exports increased substantially. The Suzuki Gixxer, Gixxer 250 and Burgman were the three products to scale past the 1000 unit mark with the Gixxer being the most in demand in global markets.
Total exports of the company stood at 9,640 units. This was a 14.83 percent YoY increase as against 8,395 units exported in October 2019 and a 49.09 percent MoM increase over 6,466 units sold in Sept 20. In the past month, the company also introduced the new Access 125 and Burgman Street scooters with Bluetooth and new colors for the Gixxer range.
Suzuki Two Wheeler Exports Oct 2020 vs Oct 2019 (YoY) vs Sep 2020 (MoM)
Suzuki Gixxer Leads Exports
Talking about the most preferred model in export markets, the Suzuki Gixxer suffered a 12.27 percent de-growth in terms of YoY exports. However, it still commanded the charts with 4,711 units exported in the past month. MoM exports faired better with a 39.67 percent increase as against 3,373 units exported in Sept 20.
The Gixxer currently commands a market share of 48.87 percent lowered from the 52.17 percent market share it commanded in Sept 20. Exports of the Gixxer 250 increased significantly by 3,719.05 percent to 1,604 units in the past month, up from 42 units exported in October 19. Market share of the Gixxer 250 also dipped to 16.64 percent in October 2020 down from 19.05 percent share it held in Sept 20.
Exports of the Burgman also increased by 75.54 percent to 1,536 units in the past month, up from 875 units exported in October 19 while MoM shipments also improved by 21.62 percent as against 1,263 units exported in Sept 19.
The Suzuki Hayate was at No.4 on export charts with 960 units exported in October 2020, down 39.70 percent as against 1,592 units exported in the same month of the previous year. However, MoM exports surged 1,233.33 percent as against 72 units exported in Sept 20. Market share of the Suzuki Hayate has increased substantially MoM from 1.11 percent market share held in Sept 20 to 9.96 percent in October 2020.
Suzuki Access, Lets and Intruder
Lower down the order were the Suzuki Access 125, Lets scooter and Intruder. Lets and Intruder 150 BS6 cruiser showed a YoY degrowth of 32.05 percent and 26.39 percent respectively while the Access scooter noted a 751.67 percent increase to 511 units, up from 60 units exported in October 2019. MoM exports of this scooter increased 25,450 percent as against just 2 units exported in Sept 20. More

2021 Suzuki V Strom 650
After months of waiting, the new BS6 Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT adventure motorcycle has been launched in India today

Suzuki Motorcycles India has launched V-Strom 650 XT today in India. The adventure bike was launched in Australia a couple of weeks ago. The ADV has been able to carve a niche for itself in the Indian biking fraternity. Price is Rs 8.84 lakhs, ex-sh. Two colours are on offer – Pearl White and Champion Yellow.
The updated V-Strom 650 was showcased at the last edition of AutoExpo held in February this year. The India-spec model is similar to the one which went on sale in Australia earlier this month. The adventure motorcycle was expected to hit showrooms in April itself, however, Covid-19 had some other plans which forced the makers to alter theirs.
Updates on 2021 V-Strom 650 XT
2021 iteration of the middleweight adv-tourer gets an updated engine which now complies with the latest Euro-5/BS6 emission standards. Visually the bike remains identical to its predecessor. It, however, gets new colour options to choose from. These include a full-black paint with a red beak, white colour with gold rims on wheels and silver paint with blue rims and highlights. India gets two colours only.
Even design-wise, V-Strom 650 XT is similar to its predecessor that features a stepped-up seat, a sloping fuel tank with extensions, a raised transparent windscreen and an upswept windscreen.

With regards to features, it gets a smartphone charger, handguards, a semi-digital instrument cluster, a 12-V accessory power outlet and a plastic sump guard. In addition to this, it receives a bunch of electronics including a dual-channel ABS, three-stage switchable traction control as standard and more.
Mechanical Details
Coming to its powertrain, it continues to draw its power from a 645cc, liquid-cooled, V-Twin motor that churns out 70 bhp at 8,800 rpm and 62Nm of peak torque at 6,500rpm. These figures are almost identical to the outgoing model. This unit is linked to a six-speed transmission. The upcoming model also features Suzuki’s Low RPM to assist the system in order to minimise engine stalling by automatically tuning the idle speed at low revs.

Nothing is different when it comes to the dynamics of the adventure bike. V-Strom 650 XT rides on 19-inch front and 17-inch rear spoke wheels wrapped in tubeless Bridgestone Battlax Adventure A40 tyres.
Suspension duties are handled by 43mm telescopic forks at front and link-type preload adjustable mono-shock at rear. Anchorage is taken care of by twin 320mm discs at front with twin-piston calipers and a single 260mm disc at rear with a single-piston caliper. It tips the weighing scale at 216 kg.
Mr. Koichiro Hirao, Managing Director, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. said, “V-Strom has made its own following in India. The ultimate adventure tourer has proved its mettle in the highway touring capabilities while exploring different terrains. It is truly a masterpiece with the ultimate balance provided by the natural riding position, comfortable seat and the flexible engine character. This is our first BS6 compliant big bike and we are confident that this cleaner and greener motorcycle will continue to win people’s hearts with its performance and maneuverability as it hit the Indian roads.” More