Suzuki Bandit and GSX1000R India launch soon

Suzuki to bring Bandit 1250S and GSX1000R to Indian shores this month

Photo: Suzuki GSX1000R in India soon

SMIL or Suzuki Motorcycles India Ltd is keen on getting the Suzuki Bandit 1250S and the GSX1000R on Indian roads sooner than expected.

The rumors doing rounds are that these could be launched in the mid-February 2010 and should be priced at about 9-13 lakhs range.  These two bikes need no introduction and have been two of the most famous models that Suzuki Motorcycles have manufactured worldwide.

Photo: Suzuki GSXR 1000, front and back.

The Suzuki GSX1000R (sometimes called GSXR 1000) is classified as a super-sports motorcycle, while the Bandit is a sports-street motorcycle. There is an ABS version of the Bandit – but that won’t make it to India.

Photo: the Suzuki Bandit 'hooligan' bike coming to India soon

The liquid-cooled 1250 cc engine of the Bandit 1250S produces 98 bhp at 7500 rpm and a torque of 108 Nm at 3700 rpm. The GSX-R1000, on the other hand, produces 160 bhp – this would probably be the one that will be launched in India. There is a separate ‘anniversary edition’ GSXR that produces 190 bhp.

Suzuki already sells two high end motorcycles in India – the Hayabusa 1300 and the Suzuki Intruder M1800R. The Hayabusa and the M1800R are both is available at a price of Rs 12.5 lakh in New Delhi.

The high prices are due to import duties of 113 % which are extremely high – manufacturers have been lobbying the government for reducing the duties without any success so far.

There has been a sudden growth in the sales of the superbikes in India and all the Japanese manufacturers have got their monsters here. The big 4, ie Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha have launched their superbikes in the last year, while Kawasaki sells their Ninja 250 pocket rocket. Harley Davidson too has entered the Indian market and has big plans for India.

It was only yesterday that Honda showcased its 2010 Fireblade at the CB Twister 100 motorcycle launch in Mumbai.

Launching the Suzuki Bandit and the GSX1000R would give a big push for the brand in India.

Yamaha has  its R1 and the V-Max in India, while Honda has the CBR and CBR 1000RR.

The sales figures are positive so far and moreover the superbikes help the company get noticed  much more thanks to Hindi movies such as Dhoom a sudden wave of Superbike craze is felt lately.

Both the Suzuki bikes are one of the best performers in it class for decades and the 2010 versions seem to be very exciting. So while we get our riding gear all you Power Hungry Superbike wannabes its time to sign on the dotted line soon.