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  1. #1 Suzuki GW250 impressions 
    Danger, Will Robinson! Lao Jia Hou's Avatar
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    I have been a fan of the YBR250, but there is a new kid on the block.

    Sometimes called the "Sword King killer" (i.e., the YBR-killer), the new Suzuki GW 250 is more commonly nick-named the "Baby B". The GW250 adopts the appearance, and some of the engineering ideas, of its much larger brother, the Suzuki B-King.

    Recently, a riding buddy and I went out and purchased a pair of GW250s. Initially, we were going to use the same dealer, but ended up using two different dealers - both quite large and reputable in Beijing. We each have our faves.

    We put our orders in, back in July, and then waited. The price was 23,800 (plus all the extras, such as tax, plates, insurance, etc). This is such a high demand item, there is zero room for negotiations, and I really mean zero. I've bought several bikes from this particular dealer, and it always provides a little sweetness, but not this time. My buddy was in the same boat - zero discount, or goodies. Well, not entirely true - I got a "free" cover and disc lock, although combined they were worth maybe 200 rmb (applied towards a decent disc lock).

    My buddy's bike appeared at the end of August - he fluked out and received a red one! Apparently, one of only two reds in these early shipments. The Suzuki website, and the dealers, say that red is not produced, so it is not an available color. Well, for whatever reason, he received a red one. He wasn't complaining, as the red is very nice (and, at least for now, extremely rare). I suspect that it will be an export color, and these two reds somehow got mixed into the batch at the factory doors.

    Here is the official GW250 website:

    Suzuki GW 250

    About a week, or so, later, mine appeared. I had initially ordered grey, but switched to black at the last moment. It is very shiny, but will undoubtedly be very difficult to keep clean. The grey is also very nice, but I changed my mind when a large group of the bikes appeared at my dealer. I also had the opportunity to pick a lucky VIN number from this large shipment, as I was one of the first early-morning customers to pick up a bike when the shipment arrived. Amazing how living in China affects one's perception of numbers.

    I'll get more pics and more details up later, but for now, these will have to suffice.

    Twenty-seven GW 250 boxes lined up along the street (and some remaining on a truck, until room was made available) at Qili Motors (Beijing):



    My chosen (good VIN), black "Baby B" being moved to the "delivery room" by Nurse Zhou:





    Baby B popping out in Beijing, covered in vernix:





    Dr. Han (head of Qili "hospital") and his resident intern getting to work:



    Dr. Han with a smiling "expectant auntie"



    Dr. Han and intern with a successful delivery of Baby B:



    My newborn black Baby B next to my buddy's red one (he came down to join in the "birth"):









    Initial sign of approval:



    My riding buddy is a highly experienced motorcycle rider, and has owned many different brands and sizes. Most recently, he was riding a Triumph Bonny (unplated) prior to finally realizing he needs a legal bike. So far, he has put about 1,000 kms (break-in) on his GW250, and he has nothing but good things to say. I've only put a few on mine, so far, but I can say that this bike is very, very nice. I recently dropped it off to have it cleaned, paint-protected, waxed, polished, etc ... and then got on my favorite farkled-out YBR250 (freshly cleaned) for my return journey. I've always enjoyed the YBR, thinking it was one of the best all-around bikes for in/out/around Beijing ... but during that return trip, I was wondering if I have a new favorite child.

    More to come.
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  2. #2 Re: Suzuki GW250 impressions 
    foreign China moto dude bikerdoc's Avatar
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    Hey LJH nice new looking ride. Always great getting a new ride straight out of the box. So how many rides does this purchase make? You must have a much bigger garage than me. I can't fit any more, yet have a new bike arriving in the next several days and I have no idea where the hell I am going to put it. I can't for the life of me put my beloved Suzuki Swift outside the garage and relegate it to the elements... just so I can replace it with yet another bike. Oh well I will work it out I'm sure, just have to get creative.

    I have seen a GW250 in the flesh at the local Suzuki dealer who is also my local CFMoto dealer too, and thought that looks so much like a little B-King. I'd assume that is where the design dept got the styling cues. I'll be intersted to see your long term report and any RR in the near future. One question though, is what did your good buddy do with the Triumph bonny?
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  3. #3 Re: Suzuki GW250 impressions 
    Danger, Will Robinson! Lao Jia Hou's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bikerdoc View Post
    So how many rides does this purchase make? You must have a much bigger garage than me.
    How many? Never enough! But into the double digits now. A trick I learned concerning space & raised eyebrows from significant others:

    1) One bike getting detailed;
    2) One bike getting serviced;
    3) One bike getting farkled;
    4) One bike lent to a friend; and
    5) Balance in garage (within view of significant other).

    Sounds complicated, but probably much easier than managing several girlfriends. I am only hypothesizing about that, of course! No way I would ever know.

    Quote Originally Posted by bikerdoc View Post
    One question though, is what did your good buddy do with the Triumph bonny?
    Not sure, but probably selling it. I'll ask him.

    I'll get a brief YBR/GW comparison up tomorrow, if I've time.

    At this point, as most of you already know, the GW is a water-cooled, EFI 2 cylinder, with about 20% more horsepower, rear disc, 6-speed tranny, full instrument cluster, and a little lower seat height and profile.

    The GW is very smooth and quiet, and definitely has more than enough get up and go (yeah, yeah, I know ... break-in period ... but I can never resist seeing how easy it is to remove weight from the front end).
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  4. #4 Re: Suzuki GW250 impressions 
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    Nice move LJH!
    ZMC888 and I have been eager to know what the GW250 is like and exactly how much it would cost.

    GW250
    23,800rmb
    6-speed
    250cc twin
    Front and rear disc
    Water cooled

    YBR 250
    23,600rmb
    5-speed
    250cc single
    Front disc, rear drum
    Air cooled

    A very slight difference in the price for a much more exciting 250 road bike. There are only a few small advantages that the Yamaha may have over the Suzuki
    1: The YBR should be more economic, being much lighter and with less power.
    2: Suzuki's reputation for quality isn't quite the same as Yamaha's or Honda's but who knows; they might have done a better job with the GW250 than they did with the GSX(R) models.
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  5. #5 Re: Suzuki GW250 impressions 
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    Nice pixs.

    Congratulations on your new family member.
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  6. #6 Re: Suzuki GW250 impressions 
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    Was riding a certain CB400 the other day and met up with a Chinese rider on one of these. I was very impressed at how easily he took off from the stoplight and got up to about 120. Keeping him in sight was a bit of a challenge, the GW250 is no slouch. My reluctance at getting one is just that the frame is too damn small for me. The CB400 is sure as hell not comfy either, but at least the seat height is there. Still, for that price it's not a bad deal for a Japanese 250 in China.
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  7. #7 Re: Suzuki GW250 impressions 
    Danger, Will Robinson! Lao Jia Hou's Avatar
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    Here is a brief comparison I did ...



    Please keep in mind that I have very limited time in the GW saddle, but here is what my initial thoughts are:

    1) On paper, the GW appears more powerful. And from my little runs, in the city, it seems so ... but that could also be a function of the gearing in the 6-speed range. When you look at the power/weight ratio, the YBR is superior.

    2) The GW is way, way heavier ... and it shows, and feels. It is definitely more stable on the street, and cornering feels a bit better, but the lighter YBR is going to perhaps serve you better in out-of-city conditions. I am not sure if the slightly wider stock tires on the GW contribute much to the feeling.

    3) You sit higher on the YBR, and also in a slightly more upright position. My personal preference. But I gotta say that the GW does feel really nice. And it is so much smoother than the YBR (probably largely a function of the two cylinders).

    4) The YBR is slightly more narrow (an advantage in Beijing traffic).

    5) The YBR has a far larger fuel tank capacity, and a lesser crankcase oil capacity.

    6) The YBR has a better ground clearance.

    7) The GW is stretched out a little (wheelbase) and also sits lower (and heavier). This definitely contributes to a very stable, steady feel on the street.

    8) Not noted above, the GW has adjustable clip on bars, which is very nice. I never really cared for the YBR bars.

    9) The GW has a great console, with gear indicator, various trip meters, digital/analogue readouts, clock, and other goodies (like a setting to turn on a shift indicator, telling you when to shift for optimal economy - but I doubt I'd ever use it).

    10) The GW's compression ratio is much higher than the YBR - could be a concern when acquiring fuel in small Chinese villages. The GW will require champagne, whereas the YBR is happy with beer.

    I really like the GW ... a lot ... BUT if I was heading out on a China trip, I'd take the YBR. Longer range, proven reliability, familiarity among Yamaha dealers (which are everywhere), lighter, and more ground clearance.

    Hitting the streets of Beijing, and the good roads in the mountains around Beijing, I'd definitely prefer the feel of the GW.

    As for appearance, that is a personal thing. The YBR maintains some of the old school look, whereas the Baby B GW is more contemporary.

    More later ... I need to get out and ride this thing!

    Oh, by the way, I found out that the red is indeed the export color ... for the UK. The UK is getting black and red ... no grey. Brazil is getting black and blue, no red or grey. It seems grey is the unique China color. Well, we'll see how long this lasts.
    Last edited by Lao Jia Hou; 09-19-2012 at 12:57 AM. Reason: grammar, typos
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  8. #8 Re: Suzuki GW250 impressions 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    I've gotta say I love the Suzuki, its 6 gears and low center of gravity means I can imagine it can rail some mountain road corners, although not mad about the overly swoopy fenders. The Suzuki's weight is a real concern, obviously caused by the water-cooling and twin exhausts. Are there any obvious ways to reduce the weight such as pulling off a heavy center stand?

    The figures say that the YBR has a better power-to-weight ratio, but I suspect in the real world plus rider plus more torque, plus six gears, plus lower center of gravity the Suzuki will be the quicker bike especially when the Yamaha gets hot and you are in the hills.
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  9. #9 Re: Suzuki GW250 impressions 
    Danger, Will Robinson! Lao Jia Hou's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nuhaus View Post
    My reluctance at getting one is just that the frame is too damn small for me.
    You're 100% correct with that one. Alas, we're in China and the market understandably caters to the Chinese physique. I've noticed the same on almost all bikes here. Therefore, in accordance with adapting to one's environment ... my growth is now horizontal, rather than vertical.
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  10. #10 Re: Suzuki GW250 impressions 
    Danger, Will Robinson! Lao Jia Hou's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post
    I can imagine it can rail some mountain road corners
    According to my riding buddy, the GW loves mountains twisties.

    Quote Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post
    Are there any obvious ways to reduce the weight such as pulling off a heavy center stand?
    Interestingly, the center stand is standard in China, but an optional accessory on the export bikes.

    Quote Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post
    I suspect in the real world plus rider plus more torque, plus six gears, plus lower center of gravity the Suzuki will be the quicker bike
    You're probably right on the money with that ... add a rider (and perhaps passenger), and the bike's relative "naked heaviness" becomes less of an issue.

    I haven't had the chance to do anything decent in reviewing this bike, but here's some snippets from a ride the red GW went on, a couple of weeks ago. We hit a bit of "road repair" so the GW owner got a chance to see what the bike was like in "real China" conditions (and also christen the Baby B with dirt). Naturally, I was very interested in his impressions (given that my Baby was still in the womb), and he kept telling me "Luv it - it is great!"

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