There comes a time when we all have to test the smaller capacity motorcycles, like my new test unit the Suzuki DL250.
At first glance, this bike didn’t look like a small capacity machine. In fact, many people mistook it for a 650. The DL certainly looks the part but does it perform? Time will tell.
On closer inspection, it has all the features of its big brother the DL1000. I love the fact that it comes standard with a 12-v outlet, very well done to Suzuki on this. Some more expensive models don’t come with one as standard.
It has the unique quick start feature and this particular test model came with a very nice aluminium top box. With the luggage, I love the way Suzuki builds the pannier brackets into the bike so all you need to do is buy the panniers and clip them on. There is no need to buy additional brackets.
The screen looks small at first (with no adjustment here) and I thought ‘here we go; I’m going to get blown around by the wind at freeway speeds.’ Yet, I was pleasantly surprised that at a speed the screen does a great job at protecting you from the wind as do the body panels on the bike.
The LCD display is very easy to read and comes with a host of information. There is the usual suspects like Rpm, speedo, fuel gauge, trip as well as average fuel consumption. I would like to see the Suzuki DL250 have a distance to empty feature, especially as it is aimed at the commuter market. Instead I found the fuel gauge is a bit confusing, one minute I have four little blocks then the next two.
The bike is very light and nimble. It is the perfect commuter and although it’s not going to break any speed records, I did manage to get it up to a steady 130km/h. This is while staying away from the nifty little rev limiter light. This does a little dance when nearing over the 10000rpm mark.
Overall the Suzuki DL250 is fully capable of doing the every day commute and the odd little weekend ride. You may even try a bit of gravel road but nothing extreme. Don’t let the metal engine guard fool you into doing rough, off-road riding. For someone starting out with motorcycles, this is a prefect option. With the Suzuki line up this is the perfect intro to the DL 650 and then the DL 1000.
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