Suzuki
GT250 Road Test
Motorcyclist Illustrated 1977
The quarter-litre class is a peculiar institution,
especially in Britain where it owes a great
deal of its popularity to the legislation that
limits learners to machines not exceeding 250cc.
Consequently the Japanese manufacturers attribute
much importance to success in this section of
the market, hoping to win brand loyalty at the
start of a rider's motorcycling career.
So when Suzuki advertised its GT250 last year
as Britain's best seller in that class, based
on Government registration statistics, it seemed
the importers certainly had something to crow
about. But when the opportunity arose to test
the GT250B, the latest in a long line of 250
Suzukis that stretches back to the famous Super
Six Hustler, my initial reaction was one of
great disappointment. How could such a noisy
motorcycle, with a complete absence of power
below 4000rpm, be such a big seller?
That is where the peculiarity of the British
market comes into play, for it is a virtual
certainty that the majority of 250 buyers have
just graduated from mopeds, slopeds, or extra-lightweight
motorcycles, and to these riders the GT250 will
be the bee's knees. I would hazard a guess that
two-fifties are more of a stepping stone to
greater things, with a transient owner population,
than a mainstream motorcycle class. Certainly,
anyone who changes down from heavier metal is
going to have to modify his riding style, and
any rider with experience of larger machinery
who is looking for a smaller bike for economy
would be better off looking at the GS400 Suzuki,
which to my mind is a far more suitable all-rounder.
Having spent most of this year happily testing
bikes in the one-litre class, this little' Suzuki
took some getting used to, but towards the end
of the test I began to appreciate some of its
finer points. Riders moving up through the capacity
classes should be delighted with it. The top
speed is an impressive 91mph, with the speedometer
showing 96mph and the rev counter reading 7500rpm,
just SOOrpm short of the red line in sixth gear.
Owners should be able to improve upon this and
top 95mph, since most 250 riders are likely
to be lighter and less bulky than I.
Acceleration is virtually nonexistent
below 4000rpm, at which point the machine takes
off rapidly with an extra burst coming in at
6000rpm by which time you're really flying.
Maximum power is 32bhp at 7500rpm and that is
the best changing-up point; nothing is gained
by wringing the motor out to 8000 rpm. Wheelies
are an easy but avoidable possibility around
6000rpm in first gear.
My only real quibble with the Suzuki concerns
its narrow power band. This is only 3500rpm
wide, and while this may be necessary to give
such scintillating acceleration from a small
engine, the machine would be far more pleasant
and a good deal easier to ride if some of the
top-end power were sacrificed for a bit of punch
lower down.
I have long thought that riders of 250cc two-strokes
rode around town in rather a more zestful style
than
the situation warranted. Now I know it's not
their fault: it takes a practised hand to coax
the GT250
away from a standstill in anything resembling
a civilised manner. And it's damn near impossible
with a
pillion passenger aboard. A reasonably fast
getaway demands at least 4000rpm; anything less
and the
motor merely sighs weakly. The trouble is that
while the engine is fairly quiet mechanically,
at 4000rpm the exhaust takes on a loud cackle
that can only irritate other road users nearby,
however much it may please the two-stroke fan.
Exciting to younger riders it may be, but
few of them seem to realise how important a
reasonable level of
sound is to the future of motorcycling. At certain
points in its rev range the GT250 sound level
is not reasonable, and Suzuki ought to correct
this before the bureaucrats do it for them.
This narrow power band, coupled with a six-speed
gearbox which could benefit from having one
gear fewer, also makes overtaking a manoeuvre
which requires careful planning. In most situations
you need to drop one or two cogs to overtake
swiftly and safely, and since the bike's practical
top speed is only 50mph (the last lOmph requires
a certain build up) passing out fast motorway
traffic can be tricky. This lack of tractability
can make long journeys a little tiring, and
if that does not worry you then the handlebar
vibration over 65 mph certainly will. It takes
the form of a continuous buzzing which is bearable
but adds to rider fatigue.
Consequently the best cruising speed is 65-70mph:
the engine is nudging 6000rpm and since maximum
torque of 23.5 ft-lb occurs only SOOrpm later,
you are in a good position to overtake other
traffic with relative ease. Also at this speed
the engine is smooth (the seat, tank and footrests
do not, transmit any real vibes) and most of
the noise is carried away on the wind. Rider
comfort is good, with a well-padded and comfortable
seat, well-placed but slightly bigh_. footrests,
and rubber handgrips that are so much more acceptable
than the plastic ribbed variety. Pillion comfort
is , reasonable but the seat is a little short
for two full-grown adults.
The final effect of the machine's power characteristics
is an average fuel consumption of a consistent
41mpg, which is a ridiculously high rate for
a 250 and comparable to the consumption of a
heavyweight performer. But the poor fuel mileage
reflects the fact that you have to use lots
of revs to obtain the engine's full performance
and anything less is not going to get you very
far. However, lighter riders should be able
to improve upon my fuel figure by 3 or 4mpg.
The petrol tanks holds 3.3 gallons, and goes
on reserve at about 105 miles, at which point
it takes 2.75 gallons to fill to the brim. Two-stroke
oil consumption is meagre at almost 300 miles
to the pint, a tribute to Suzuki's excellent
CCI lubrication system.
The engine is conventional for a modern two-stroke,
with twin aluminium alloy cylinders having four
scavenging ports, which gives a power boost
over the old GT250M model's twin ports. Unlike
the older model the cylinder head is a single
casting, and does without the M model's ram
air cover which was of dubious value. The crankshaft
runs on four main bearings; the centre pair
and the left bearing are lubricated by the CCI
oil supply, and the transmission oil does the
honours for the right-hand bearing. The air
cleaner is a wet polyurethane foam element,
replacing the M model's paper type, and the
carburettors have revised jetting as well as
being mounted on flexible rubber inlet pipes.
The six-speed gearbox is smooth and combines
with a light clutch to give easy changes, although
shifting through the lower ratios is a bit noisy.
The transmission oil, all 2.3 pints of it, is
easily accessible for filling and draining.
All this makes for an undeniably rapid 250,
and the engine's performance is not let down
in the handling and braking departments. The
brakes really are first class, the front hydraulic
disc giving progressive and powerful retardation
which is well supported by the cable-operated
rear drum. A lightweight needs no better brakes
than these. Despite what goes down in my book
as our worst summer in years, it never rained
during the test so I have no idea how the disc
performs in wet weather. The stop light is activated
only by the rear brake, although provision is
made for a front brake light to be fitted —
in today's traffic it should be standard.
The duplex frame provides enough stiffness
to make the GT250 a good handler, and the suspension
is reasonably well-damped to give a stable and
comfortable ride. Back-road scratching is enhanced
by adequate ground clearance, and the rear shock
absorbers are five-way adjustable. Roadholding
is good with Bridgestone rubber front and rear,
but again, their wet weather capabilities remain
a mystery.
The standard of finish is average to good.
The paint on the petrol tanks (ours was red)
was smooth and appeared deep and durable, and
the only rust apparent after 4000 hard miles
in road testers' hands was on the washers at
the fork crown and front brake lever clamp.
The bike's neat appearance is helped by matt
black side panels, but spoiled by the number
of silly stickers and instructions cast or stamped
in the metal. The tank sticker tells you not
to pour brake fluid on the plastic parts, the
word 'kickstart' is cast above the lever of
the same name, and the gearchange pattern is
cast in an ugly fashion above the gearlever.
Both silencers feature stamped instructions
telling the owner not to tamper with the baffles.
Is all this really necessary, or are Suzuki
customers really the morons the factory obviously
believes them to be?
.. No oil leaks were evident, but they might
as well have been, considering the mess the
rear chain makes of the bike's rear end. The
chainguard is totally inadequate and allows
oil to spoil the rear mudguard, tail light,
shock absorber, swinging arm, silencer, number
plate, and the rider's back. The plastic shrouds
on the instruments looked tatty as they began
to lose their black finish. The instrumentation
is simple and effective: speedometer with mileometer
and resettable tripmeter, revcounter, and warning
lights for neutral, high beam, and the indicators.
The flashers themselves are large and bright,
as is the square tail light, and the headlamp
is excellent for a machine of this size, but
the instrument lights were dim and the revcountet
light failed the first' night. And Suzuki must
be aiming to please only the impressionable
with a quite ridiculous ISOmph speedometer.
The horn is just about adequate.
Starting is easy, usually requiring two prods
with the choke on from cold, one prod when warm.
The left-mounted kickstart lever is awkward,
though, and takes some getting used to. The
choke can be dispensed with quickly, and the
engine ticks over reliably when warm at a steady
1350 rpm. The plugs never showed signs of fouling,
and the efficiency of the CCI metering system
was evident from the relative lack of two-stroke
smoke screen even under hard acceleration. The
oil tank nestles behind the right side panel,
while the left hides the small 12v battery,
the single fuse and a spare, and a place to
put a toolkit although the test machine came
without one. Access to the air filter element
is also easy, requiring only the removal of
one wing nut.
Maintenance is made easy by the provision of
one centrally mounted grease nipple for the
swinging arm pivot, and despite the Suzuki's
considerable poke, the chain wear was minimal.
And a vacuum-operated fuel tap eases the starting
chores; it is an excellent idea now finding
favour with other manufacturers. Other convenience
features a petrol cap that can be opened with
one hand; a sidestand that holds the bike at
a realistic angle, and a centre stand that is
fairly easy to use thanks to a grab handle under
the seat and the machine's light weight, at
3221b dry. The seat does not hinge, and no helmet
lock is provided, which is no great loss since
the last time I used one somebody used a knife
to leave me with only the strap hanging on the
machine. The steering lock is one of the easiest
to use that I have ever come across. And to
help you keep a clean licence the twin mirrors
are well placed and give a clear rearward image
at 70mph.
The total package obviously appeals to a great
number of 250 buyers, on whom its attractions
of reliability, handling, relative comfort,
acceleration and sheer speed are not wasted.
At £647 the GT250B is, like all Suzukis,
highly competitive in its class with other Japanese
offerings. As a sports bike the Suzuki makes
the grade, and would serve as a reliable small-capacity
tourer with no great problems, but in town it
is actually harder to ride than, say, the BMW
R100S, the Kawasaki Z1000, or even the Honda
Gold Wing.
A new 250 is rumoured to be on the way from
Suzuki about the middle of next year, and it
would come as no surprise if it were a four-stroke
to cater for the commuter and compete directly
with similar offerings from Honda and Yamaha.
But I'm sure countless young riders will want
the GT250 to remain just as it is - a high performer
for those restricted by legislation on one side
and cash on the other.
Suzuki GT250B Specification
- Length: 80.5'in
- Width: 31.2iin
- Wheelbase: 51.6in
- Ground clearance: 6.3in
- Dry weight: 3221bs
- Engine Type: Two-stroke,
piston-valve twin
- Bore x stroke: 54 x 54mm
- Displacement: 247cc
- Compression ratio: 7.3:1
- Clutch: Wet multi-plate
- Gearbox: Six-speed Primary
reduction: 3.050 Final reduction: 3.071 Gear
ratios: 1st 2.333; 2nd 1.352; 3rd 1.050; 4th
0.905; 5th 0.783; 6th 0.708.
- Frame: Duplex full cradle
with swinging arm
- Steering angle: 42 deg.
- Castor: 62 deg.
- Trail: 4in
- Suspension: Telescopic
fork front, 5-way adjustable rear shocks
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc
front; single leading shoe drum rear
- Tyres: Bridgestone 3.00S18
front, 3.25S18 rear
- Battery: 12V 5Ah with single
phase ac generator
- Fuel capacity: 3.3 gallons
- Engine oil: 1.9 pints
- Transmission oil: 2.3 pints
- Top speed: 91mph at 7500rpm,
rider crouching
- Fuel consumption: 41mpg
ridden hard
- Price: £647.
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