Suzuki will soon offer four new dirt bikes in India, all imported as CBUs. Dealers have already received a few units of the RM-Z250 motocrosser, with other models arriving in a short while.
The India line-up begins with the mini DR-Z50 that is meant for kids with a price of Rs 2.65 lakh. The next model is the motocross-ready RM-Z250 that’s priced at Rs 7.20 lakh. The company has also launched two other offerings – the RM-Z450, priced at Rs 8.40 lakh, and the RMX450Z, priced at Rs 8.75 lakh (all-prices, ex-showroom, India). None of the bikes are road-legal and dealers suggest that delivery will take around 15-20 days, depending on the model.
These dirt bikes lack equipment like headlights, tail-lights, turn signals and tyres that are meant for the road, which is why they cannot be registered for road-riding. They are designed to be as lightweight and peppy as possible and only intended to be used for recreation or competition.
The DR-Z50 is a mini bike aimed at younger buyers. It is powered by a 49cc, four-stroke, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine. The bike also has a kerb weight of just 54kg and low seat height of 560mm.
The RM-Z250, on the other hand, is powered by a 250cc, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder motor. Being a full-sized dirt bike, it has a kerb weight of 106kg and a seat height of 955mm. The bike also has full-adjustable, KYB-branded suspension at the front and rear.
Coming to the 450s, the RM-Z450 is powered by a 449cc, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine and, like the RM-Z250, it is a competition-ready dirt bike. The bike has a kerb weight of 112kg (a figure similar to our 125cc mopeds) and an extremely high seat height of 960mm. Lastly, the RMX450Z – though it uses an engine that is based on the RM-Z450 motocrosser, is more suited towards trail riding and features a headlight for enduro riding.
These bikes take on Kawasaki’s KX and KLX range in India, where Suzuki’s RM-Z250 (Rs 7.20 lakh) is a direct rival to Kawasaki’s KX 250F (Rs 7.43 lakh), the Suzuki RM-Z450 (Rs 8.40 lakh) goes up against Kawasaki’s KX 450F (Rs 7.79 lakh), and Suzuki’s RMX450Z (Rs 8.75 lakh) takes on the Kawasaki KLX 450R (Rs 8.49 lakh) (all prices, ex-showroom, India). Kawasaki however, has a bigger range that also includes the KLX 110 and the KLX 140G, and they even offer a two-stroke in the form of the KX 100.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
