Suzuki Gixxer 250 naked launch confirmed – To be cheaper than SF250

At the Suzuki Gixxer 250 SF launch event in Delhi, the Japanese two wheeler maker has confirmed that naked version of the quarter liter motorcycle is indeed in the works and will be launched in the coming months. We expect the street fighter to debut in time for the festive season.

The idea of a cheaper version of an already competitively priced compact sportsbike is certainly exciting. Thanks to the ditching of full fairing, the Gixxer 250 naked would be lighter and that should have a minor positive effect on the overall performance.

The fairing-less variant is most likely to retain the fuel tank and tailpiece design. Suspension, wheels, tyres, braking system, etc., would also be identical. The new headlight is expected to be sportier (with LED elements) than the one seen on the current Gixxer 150 naked bike. The clip-on handlebar could be replaced by a cost effective conventional handlebar (this could alter the riding position in the direction of a commute-friendly stance).

If the smaller engined Gixxer duo is to be taken as reference, there won’t be any difference in the state of tune of the engine. The 6-speed transmission would also have identical ratios. The oil-cooled single-cylinder engine which displaces 249 cc is tuned to dish out 26.5 hp and 22.6 Nm of torque.

The primary objective of the street fighter is to cater to different tastes with a single product. Considering that the Gixxer 150 is raking in decent volumes, its quarter liter sibling is expected to do so as well. While the fully faired Gixxer 250 SF locks horns with the likes of Honda CBR250R, TVS Apache RR 310, Yamaha Fazer 25, the naked variant will fight it out with the Yamaha FZ-25, KTM Duke 250, Mahindra Mojo, etc. In terms of price and performance level, the Gixxer 250 would be at a mid-point between the Yamaha FZ-25 and KTM Duke 250.

The Suzuki Gixxer 250 naked version is expected to around INR 7,000 – 10,000 cheaper than the SF which is priced at INR 1.7 lakhs (ex-showroom). Suzuki has not spoken about any update for the Gixxer 150 naked variant but we expect it to be introduced along with the Gixxer 250 with similar styling and feature updates.