Bolstering the Suzuki LAMS category of 10 machines, the GIXXER 250 and GIXXER SF 250 offer learner riders fun, experience, practicality and great value... Photos: Heather Ware
Last year Suzuki announced the new GIXXER 250 and GIXXER SF 250 would be joining the Suzuki LAMS lineup this year, with pricing of just $5,990 Ride Away until September 30! We recently had the chance to spend a week living with the 250s. Here’s our GIXXER 250 test.
Extremely popular in India and throughout SE Asia, the GIXXER 250 and SF 250 are built to a price, incredibly robust and reliable, and designed to make life easy in super high density areas, bustling CBD traffic and survive rough, bumpy roads and hot conditions (being air/oil-cooled), so it makes sense that these two quarter-litre singles should make their way Down Under for our LAMS riders out there.
Pricing of just $5,990 Ride Away until September 30!
But not only are these two great looking bikes that young new riders would be proud to cruise around on, with big bike looks and fun performance, they are also practical as daily riders and commuters, particularly the naked version. They are spacious, have decent pillion room and are incredibly economical as well. With this 100kg in gear rider on board, the 250s really coped well over the week.
The Editor relived his youth on the GIXXER 250s. He did his Ls and Ps partly on an RGV250, so the little Suzuki’s brought back some memories, without the risk of highsides! Both bikes have their own styling positives.
The GIXXER duo join the V-STROM 250SX, GSX-S125, SV650L, V-STROM650XTL, DR-Z400E, Address 110 and Avenis 125 to expand Suzuki’s LAMS range to 9 – two scooters and eight bikes. There is something there for every learner rider, but the GIXXER’s stand out for pricing. Not every learner rider wants a used LAMS bike…
Yet not ever learner rider can afford some of the more expensive LAMS machines in the market. The GIXXER 250’s are priced really well for what they are, would get you through your L and P plate years with warranty and reliability, and then you could trade up to something bigger… The good news it, both bikes are also loads of fun in the twisties…
You can read all of the tech info on the bikes in the specifications below, so let’s jump straight into what the bike’s are like to ride… Starting with the sports version, and I’m not calling it a sportsbike, just a sports version. With the full fairing, screen and clip-on handlebars, which are the exact height of the naked version as I discovered when measuring them.
When I was riding in India recently in the Gurgaon and Chennai regions, these GIXXER SF’s were everywhere. In fact, they are made at Suzuki’s factory in Gurgaon, and they are really well put together. They have to be tough to survive the roads over there, that is for sure…
And both bikes have some nice detail, like the finish on the clutch cover, rubber topped and mounted footpegs, folding mirrors on the SF, grab rails, ByBre brakes, and a cool chrome-tipped muffler. Oddly, both bikes have two rear mudguards, something that I just can’t explain!
The GIXXER SF 250 is a fun, friendly and super economical sports styled bike.
I did around 300km of freeway, urban and twisty mountain roads on the GIXXER SF. Although that doesn’t sound like much, I also spent hours on it in traffic, where it will spend a lot of its life, and overall I was extremely impressed. The freeway work is hard for the bike, despite tall final gearing around town, the engine sits up near the redline at 110km/h.
Top speed on the SF is 145km/h on the rev limiter in top gear. So short stints on the open highway are OK, or longer stints in 100 zones, but fuel consumption goes through the roof on longer rides and gets up around 5L/100km. Average over my test was 4.5L/100km, high due to those freeway revs. Around town though, it is an economical gem.
The GIXXER SF 250 is fun around town but also capable in the twisties. Overall a great learner rider’s bike.
It’s a torquey little single and loves life between 5000 and 7000rpm, and despite the tall gearing, it gets off the line well. The cable-actuated clutch is very smooth and effortless in action, the gearbox is light in shift but our press bikes both had issues shifting from second to third (had to roll off the throttle to disengage the gear dogs and return the shift shaft before taking a second attempt).
“Overall though, a good little 250 with a heavy flywheel effect that just keeps pulling”…
This happened under acceleration occasionally, and often led to false neutrals. It doesn’t quite keep up with traffic on the open Australian highways, you really have to work it hard, but it is OK for half an hour freeway stints. Big long trips at high rpm could cause engine problems… Overall though, a good little 250 with a heavy flywheel effect that just keeps pulling. Not a fast engine, but a strong 250 single.
Chassis-wise, the frame is shared with the V-STROM250SX, which is a good handling little bike. The brakes on the GIXXER are great up front, the ByBre (By Brembo) caliper has impressive initial bite, lots of power, good feel and modulation and overall great feedback from the entire front-end. I was quite surprised with the forks, the front tyre (a brand I have never heard of) and the brake package. The overall front geometry and above combo is very learner friendly as it promotes feel and confidence. The forks are on the soft side, but that means they soak up the bumps, yet they still support braking.
Footpeg clearance is not sportsbike-like but the GIXXER SF is still fun in the corners.
Moving to the back, the rear brake is OK around town but really lacks initial bite and power. It is a tiny disc and small caliper, I would prefer bigger rear brakes. The single shock with preload adjustment (I could not access it actually), is surprisingly on the firm side and the ride height is quite tall. In fact, the bike is high at the rear and the seat height tall for a learner.
I’m 187cm and it was just right for me, but I felt quite wedged in on the seat in the seat/tank area. Smaller riders will be more comfy but may find the 800mm seat height a little bit tall for them. The pillion seat is a fairly high stadium step up, too. There is a small amount of storage under the pillion seat – a user manual and toolkit are stored there.
The riding position is more nakedbike than sportsbike. It is upright, but with a relaxed rider triangle.
The footpegs are really well placed and comfortable, the rider triangle is natural feeling and not sporty, it feels upright and just like a nakedbike to be honest. The handlebars are in a nice position and the layout of the dash and switchgear is all easy, I do think the SF would benefit from a taller screen, as the one fitted does very little in terms of wind protection or deflection, particularly as the seating position is so tall and upright. I am sure there are plenty of options out there… it would be my first purchase. The mirrors are well placed but a tad small, the dahs is super basic with two trips, a clock, fuel, revs, speed but it does have a neat little GO! greeting when powered up.
The SF is was my pick of the two bikes, purely due to the ergonomics being better for taller riders.
Handling-wise, I have to say that it is narrow for lane splitting, nimble around town, easy for feet-up U-turns and generally super learner friendly in the city, but head out into the twisty roads and the GIXXER SF is equally as good. It thrives on big, wide old school corner lines and that suited this 1990s era rider here… I had an absolute blast on the Old Road, my favourite local stretch north of Sydney.
A mid week blast up and down, mainly in third and fourth gear, and the SF was brilliant. It won’t steer super quickly, it is very stable in that sense and needs to not be rushed from lean to lean, so needs a bit of body language to get it over, then it will flop on its side pretty rapidly so you need to catch that…
The Matt Blue colour scheme looks great, it has a touch of pearl that really comes out nicely in the sun.
The SF likes to carry a fair amount of lean angle to get through the turns on line, a characteristic of the stable geometry, and does feel a bit tall and top heavy mid corner. You don’t need to hang off it like a MotoGP bike, you can just sit on it, drop your shoulder into the corner and track through with success, so it is a good set-up to teach new riders about cornering technique and picking the right line at the entry to a corner. It is a rewarding little ride to be honest… It doesn’t stand up on the brakes mid turn, it doesn’t get out of shape at the back when braking hard and downshifting, it doesn’t do anything silly…
SUZUKI GIXXER 250 (nakedbike)
Jumping on the GIXXER 250 (the naked version) is a different experience. Although the specification differences are few, the actual ride experience difference is huge. It feels like they are two completely different bikes, even the engine character of the naked version feels zippier than the SF, as though the gearing is lower. The forks feel firmer, which would be the riding position and lack of fairing weight, plus with the wide naked styled handlebar, with extra leverage, and slightly sharper from geometry the naked version is quick steering indeed…
The GIXXER 250 feels like a completely different model to the SF, not just the stripped back sibling…
The ride position is a lot more cramped for me at 187cm than the SF, this is due to the seat shape. I am really wedged in there and for the blokes out there, it is a bit of a nut cracker to be honest… the 5mm different in height also makes the footpegs feel a bit too high and the ‘bars feel too close to the rider and the seat feels narrower and firmer than the SF seat, all of that could be due to the handlebar positioning. So unfortunately as a larger bloke I just found the naked version too uncomfortable. I was very wedged in, found the seat rock hard and I could not ride it the flowing way I could ride the SF.
The naked version likes the tight hairpins. It is nimble and very flickable into corners, making it great fun to ride.
The strong points of the naked are that it is super chuckable and nimble, steers lightning fast, is really good in town and traffic, and still fun in the twisties. You don’t ride it with those big sweeping lines that the SF likes, the naked prefers a more streetfighter style technique of hard braking and throwing it at the turn then firing off, which is great fun in the really tight hairpins… Like on the SF, the front brakes are fantastic, the rear needs more power, the tyres are good in the dry (I had no chance to ride in the rain), and overall a fantastic little nakedbike that is very stylish and well made…
Both the GIXXER SF 250 and GIXXER 250 are priced incredibly well at $5,990 Ride Away and come Matt Blue or Matt Black. Both models are eligible for Suzuki’s 3 Year Factory Warranty. To qualify, owners simply need to ensure their applicable Suzuki motorcycle is serviced and maintained in accordance with the product service scheduled as outlined in their owner’s manual based on time or mileage, whichever occurs first.
Interested customers order their GIXXER now by visiting suzukimotorcycles.com.au and select the Build Your Bike Function or contact an authorised Suzuki Motorcycle Dealer. Ride them both, then decide which one is for you… There are a few accessories from Suzuki available; wheel decals, tanks pads and a seat cover – here.
2024 Suzuki GIXXER (SF 250) & GIXXER 250 Specifications
Price: $5,990 Ride Away (Until September 30 2024)
Warranty: Three-years unlimited km
Colours: Matt Blue, Matt Black
Claimed Power: 19.8kW@9300rpm
Claimed Torque: 22.2Nm@7300rpm
Wet Weight: 156(161)kg
Fuel capacity: 12L
Fuel Consumption Claimed: N/A
Fuel Consumption (measured): 4.5L/100km
Engine: Four-stroke, single-cylinder, oil/air-cooled, SOHC, 76.0mm x 54.9mm bore x stroke, 249cc, N/A compression, EFI, six-speed Clutch: Wet, multiple disc slipper, cable actuation.
Chassis: Frame: Steel Backbone Frame
Rake: N/A degrees Trail: N/A mm
Suspension: onventional front forks, non-adjustable, rear monoshock, preload adjustable.
Brakes: Single disc(f) with two-piston ByBre caliper, single disc (r) with single-piston ByBre caliper, ABS.
Wheels & Tyres: Cast aluminium wheels, 110/70 – 17 and 150/60 – 17 tyres.
Dimensions:
Seat height: 795(800)mm
Ground clearance: N/A mm
Overall width: 805(740)mm
Overall Length: 2010mm
Overall height: 1035mm
Wheelbase: 1340(1345)mm
Instruments & Electronics: ABS, LCD Display Dash, Electric Start.
Editor’s Note: If you are reading this article on any website other than BikeReview.com.au, please report it to BikeReview via our contact page, as it has been stolen or re-published without authority.
Ratings | Bike Review | Suzuki Gixxer 250 Test | 2024 250 and SF 250
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Bolstering the Suzuki LAMS category of 10 machines, the Suzuki GIXXER 250 and GIXXER SF 250 offer learner riders fun, experience, practicality and great value…
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