2014 Suzuki Inazuma 250
Dealer’s price:£2500 | 24bhp | 16lb-ft Liquid-cooled parallel-twin
The Suzuki Inazuma 250 was introduced in 2013 to fill an A2 licence-sized gap in the range. It’s aimed at riders who pass their test, but are happy to wait out the two-year ‘purgatory’ before their full licence.
Equally, it’s ideal for more experienced riders needing a frugal commuter, perhaps with the ‘main’ bike kept for weekends. This one’s dealer said the core clientele is older riders still wanting to keep riding, but on something lighter and easier to handle.
The bike I tested was a 2014 model the store presses into occasional ‘loaner’ duty when the main courtesy bike is already being used.
Givemesome spec
A tubular steel cradle frame is home to a 248cc parallel-twin engine, putting out a modest 24bhp (18kW) at 8500rpm with 16lb-ft of torque at 6500rpm, but still capable of 85mph. It’s light (183kg), so the single front and rear disc brakes will not be overworked. Fuel capacity is 13.3 litres; combined with the frugal little engine (reputed to give 85mpg) petrol stations will not require regular visits.
So what’s it like to ride?
For a small bike, it sits surprisingly tall (it has a 780mm seat height), but I was able to put my feet down either side – anyone above about 5ft 8in should be fine. The Suzuki also has a ‘big bike’ feel about it – when I stopped off for the photo shoot, my photographer was surprised it was ‘only’ a 250.
It’s an easy machine to ride, with light steering, a light clutch and slick gearbox. First gear is pointless: It gets you moving and no more; second is quite capable of pulling cleanly from standstill. The lower gears are close-ratio, meaning I found it best to be in third by the time I got to 40mph. The engine wants to be worked, running at 8000 revs – and it redlines at 11,000.
Once the above is understood, the Inazuma can dish out some fun. It was an enjoyable B-road ride, where letting the engine spin up and running in a sufficiently high gear to allowfor some flexibility made the most of the light handling and more than sufficient ground clearance. It felt planted at all times, and the admittedly budget suspension soaked up everything apart from some ripples in a back-road section that unsettled things a little.
Commuting is easy with the slick box and light clutch, but motorways are best avoided; it’ll get up to speed, but keeping it there is hard work.
What nick is it in?
Living at the dealer, and being fettled to step in as an occasional loaner bike, it’s been well cared for, so no real niggles to report.
What’s it worth?
The dealer is looking for £2500 for this 2014 model with 1825 miles under its belt. A search came up with a small number of comparable machines; prices ranging from £2500 with 3500 miles on the clock, to £2800 with just over 1000 miles, so this is a very good price.