KIWI RIDER 09 2018 VOL.1 | Page 39

The suspension is simple and not adjustable but that doesn ' t mean it doesn ' t perform . All three of us who tested the bike thought the suspension drew little comment , suggesting that it just gets on with the job no matter who is aboard . It ' s a trick that ' s difficult to pull off , but Suzuki has managed it . I have to admit that , based on the numbers , I wasn ' t expecting much from the
GSX250R especially considering I ' d recently ridden its larger capacity competition but I thoroughly enjoyed my time aboard the 250 . While it doesn ' t quite have the legs of the bigger engine capacity Z400 Ninja and YZF-R3 , the GSX250R has plenty to offer the learner rider and city commuter , especially considering it comes in $ 1000 lighter on the pocket . Looks great too .
-BEN WILKINS he first thing that sprang to mind when sighting the Suzuki GSX250R was how cool it looks . It looks great in blue like a proper grown up GSX-R , akin to the 1000cc model and just as stylish . Hopping on there is a spacious feel that will suit a lot of riders . I only started to feel a little cramped after a decent ride , which is normal for me at 6 ' 2 ” ( 188cm ) and sportsbike style ergonomics . But I do have an oversized frame . The engine is a little gem and so much fun to “ work hard ” when going about your business – thrash seems such an ugly word , but the fact is the engine loves to rev and can make the Suzuki get along pretty quickly . It even managed to hit the limiter in top gear which is license losing territory and not too shabby with my carcass on it , but , admittedly , it was on a downhill . At no stage will a nervous learner be assaulted by large dollops of torque , it ’ s not that kind of engine . This motor is all about slick gearchanging and keeping the revs up to make rapid progress . However , that ’ s not to say the Suzuki engine needs to be worked hard all the time ... it happily keeps pace with motorway traffic . The upshot is I had an absolute ball thrashing ( yes , I did have to use that word ...) the little parallel-twin through local , twisting back roads . It really was a true joy to work the engine to the maximum , to carve the corners hard and not feel like you were endangering your life or license at the same time . But , of course , the surprisingly good chassis set-up and adequate brakes helped a lot here too . Make no mistake – this is a great wee beastie .
-JOCK MCLAUCHLAN