Suzuki Gixxer 250 & Gixxer SF 250 Review | Motorcycle Test

Suzuki Gixxer 250 & Gixxer SF 250 Motorcycle Test

By Wayne Vickers, Images by RbMotoLens

Two new entry-level bikes from Suzuki have landed on Aussie shores to provide even more options for our currently spoilt-for-choice LAMs riders.

The Gixxer 250 and Gixxer SF 250 both share the same single-cylinder 249 cc engine and chassis with their sister, the adventure V-Strom 250 SX bike that I threw a leg over a while back.

The Gixxer pair are very competitively priced at $6,490 for the naked 250 and only $300 more for the fully-fired SF. So, cheap gets a tick. Cheerful too as I came to appreciate.

While the bulk of the two bikes are the same, what seem like minor mechanical differences make for quite a different riding experience on the road. The SF most obviously gets the full fairing treatment which also means a unique front cowl and headlight treatment, but also gets lower bars, and slightly more trail to coincide.

I quite like the overall styling too – on both bikes. They aren’t pretending to be something they aren’t. And are nicely finished for the price point.

Headlights on both bikes are surprisingly good and there are a few nice little touches like the machining on the cast wheels and muffler design. The overall proportions on both bikes are well executed.

Yes there are some relatively cheap-feeling plastics here and there, like on the sides of the number plate bracket. But that’s because.. they are cheap… There’s nothing I saw that would put off potential buyers. On the contrary, I think a lot of folks would be surprised by the build quality for the price.

Throwing the leg over them, both bikes sit nice and low with both feet able to be planted flat on terra firma for even the little ones amongst us. They feel very light and nimble.

At 156 kg for the naked and just over 160 for the faired bike, the scales once again don’t tell the full story as they felt another 15 or so kilos under that to me. Moving them around from standstill was a breeze and reminded me why I love light bikes so much. Low and light, both get a big tick for usability.

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Both bikes do have quite steep steering, and feel very direct compared to bigger bikes, but a couple of hundred kays on them had me fairly dialled in.

I preferred the more upright riding position of the naked version, and I reckon it being the cheaper-to-repair option (with no fairing to worry about if you drop it), will possibly be the more popular version. But the SF isn’t a painful thing in terms of riding position and will certainly be some buyer’s preference for the fully faired look.

On the go the little single punches out a respectable 26 hp and just over 22 Nm of torque. As I said on the V-Strom SX – it’s no stump puller, but it does the job. Fuelling is probably a little abrupt on throttle opening, but with that sort of power level it doesn’t need to be buttery smooth does it?

The clutch take up is also in the same category and the whole driveline including the gearbox feels a little basic. But, it does have an almost trail bike kind of ‘I’ll take whatever abuse you throw at me’ feel to it. And it will too.

Suzuki have produced over six MILLION engines from the plant churning these puppies out. So yeah. It’ll probably be more than fine in seeing out an entry rider’s needs.

Suspension was surprisingly firm when I first jumped on the bikes, but they only had 150 and 300 km on them and as I rode them, they started to loosen up and bed in nicely. The shock is adjustable for pre-load on the rear only, but I didn’t feel the need. The seat was also nice and firm, but still fairly comfortable.

They’d make perfectly good commuters and urban bikes, but I dunno if you’d want to do big miles and go touring on them. Look at the V-Strom if you want more comfortable, longer touring options I reckon…

And while the pillion grab handle looks surprisingly good – I certainly wouldn’t like to be a pillion on one. I’d think of that pillion seat as more of a potential luggage platform…

There’s quite the nice short first gear for manoeuvring around cars and yet it didn’t seem fussed sitting on highway speed for nearly an hour either. And that little engine will run on the smell of an oily rag showing less than 3 L per 100 km, so expect the 12 L tank to have you sailing past the 300 km range mark pretty comfortably.

Brakes are also solid. A 300 mm single up front with a Bybre caliper being perfectly acceptable. While it doesn’t have the feel of a high end unit, again – it gets the job done and has more than enough power for what’s needed in this case. And learners will find comfort knowing there’s a decent ABS system there too.

All in all, I think they’ve done pretty well here. They’ve set out to deliver a couple of good-looking, cheap, reliable entry-level options and get some more bums on Team Yellow’s seats. There’s some strong competition in that segment now, but these are right up there and will find plenty of fans.

Head to the Suzuki Motorcycles Australia website for more information, or to find your nearest Suzuki dealership.

I like the Gixxer 250s because:

• Hard to go past that price point first and foremost
• I’d expect them to be pretty solid from a build level and reliability point of view, three-year warranty too
• I reckon they both look pretty sharp too, nice paint and finish

I’d like the Gixxer 250s more if:

• I wouldn’t mind a little taller screen on the SF
• I did find the mirrors vibing especially on the SF
• The muffler doesn’t let out the most exciting note in the world

Suzuki GIXXER 250 Specifications

2024 Suzuki Gixxer 250 / Gixxer SF 250 Gallery