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.