Our first encounter with the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 was on an FIA Grade 1 racetrack and as you’d imagine, it was great fun. However, it is not the best place to assess a motorcycle’s real-world characteristics. The short-lived experience on the fully-faired 250cc motorcycle left us impressed to a large extent, but also left many questions unanswered. Which is why we got hold of the bike as soon as we could and put it through a comprehensive road test.
If you were to judge it by its looks, you’d assume the sporty-looking Gixxer SF is a back-breaker, but it’s not the case. I rode it through a nasty pothole-ridden section of road and came out unstirred. The 41mm telescopic fork and the slightly firm monoshock both do a more-than-decent-enough job of absorbing uneven surfaces. The suspension also doesn’t bottom out or feel crashy if you hit bumps at high speeds.
Contrasting silver highlights on the wheels look neat.
As a result, the Gixxer SF is not a KTM, but it’s still a sweet and confident handler that is easy to lean over. The fork feels progressive and is also competent when braking hard and changing direction quickly. Overall, the SF 250 is a very ‘neutral’ handling motorcycle. As for the brakes, the front isn’t the sharpest out there, but it’s powerful, progressive and more than sufficient.