Suzuki Motorcycle India to launch yet another midsize bike in August-September 2018

Executive vice-president Sajeev Rajasekharan confirms plan to roll out a bike with smaller engine displacement than the GSX-S750. Cue enough that it could be the snazzy V-Strom 650 showcased at the Auto Expo 2018.

By Amit Panday

19 Jul 2018

5241 Views

It appears that the incoming middleweight motorcycle could be the V-Strom 650, which is Suzuki’s prospect in the midsized adventure-touring format.

Confirming its aggressive assault on the growing midsize motorcycle segment, Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMIPL) says that it plans to launch yet another middleweight offering within the next two months’ time.

It can be recalled that the company had rolled out the 2018 GSX-S750 for the domestic market in April this year.

Suzuki Motorcycle India now plans to launch a motorcycle with a slightly smaller engine displacement, confirms executive vice-president Sajeev Rajasekharan.

Speaking to Autocar Professional in this context, Rajasekharan said, “We have recently launched the GSX-S750 and we plan to roll out yet another midsize motorcycle with slightly smaller engine displacement in a month or two. We have launched the 125cc Burgman Street scooter today. So this makes three products launched within a short span of time. This underlines Suzuki Motorcycle India’s stance on the growing premium two-wheeler market.”

The senior Suzuki Motorcycle India official was speaking in the context of how the company is changing gears to become an aggressive manufacturer on the front of premium products.

Is it the V-Strom 650?
It appears that the incoming middleweight motorcycle could be the V-Strom 650, which is Suzuki’s prospect in the midsized adventure-touring format. The model, which was first showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo earlier this year, is powered by a liquid-cooled, V-twin, 645cc engine that’s known to deliver a peak output of 70bhp.

Furthermore, given that the Suzuki GSX-S750 is a locally assembled model in India, it is likely that the company will plan a similar route for the V-Strom 650 to keep the prices under check once it goes on sale. If so, it will become the third premium motorcycle from the stable of Suzuki to be locally assembled in India, first being the iconic Hayabusa. The company already has the V-Strom 1000 on sale in India as a CBU.

Once the Suzuki V-Strom 650 hits the retail showrooms later this year, it will take on the Kawasaki Versys 650.

Also read: Suzuki launches 2018 Burgman Street scooter at Rs 68,000

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