In Bikes, International Bike News, Suzuki Motorcycles / By Mohan K Ramanujam / 4 October 2016 10:33 pm / 8 comments

Many manufacturers seem to be gunning for the small bike market, especially in the quarter-litre and below class. While Yamaha, Kawasaki, and KTM have been going great guns with their offerings, and Honda firing a broadside with the CBR250RR, conspicuous by its absence was Suzuki.

Right up till the 2016 Intermot show in Cologne, Germany. In a surprise unveiling, Suzuki dropped the covers of the GSX-R 125, a single-cylinder full-fairing sportsbike meant to take the fight to market leaders such as the Yamaha YZF-R125 and Aprilia RS125.

There were no real numbers to be had for the new small bike, save that Suzuki says the 2017 GSX-R 125 has “the best power-to-weight ratio, torque-to-weight ratio, acceleration, handling and fuel economy in the 125 class,” according to a Motorcycle News report. With a low seat height that is designed to be rider friendly, the mini Gixxer comes with an LED headlight, LCD instruments and keyless ignition.

Coming in three colours – white, black and Suzuki Racing Blue, the GSX-R 125 looks to be a hit in the learner bike market, and other places where 125 cc-class bikes rule the roads, such as Indonesia and India. The 2017 Suzuki GSX-R 125 is set to hit markets sometime in the middle of next year.

It is a shame though, that it is likely that the GSX-R 125 will never come to Malaysian shores officially since Suzuki Malaysia is no longer in the business of producing small capacity motorcycles, preferring instead to service the large-displacement motorcycle market.