Suzuki has launched the SlingShot 125cc motorcycle in Mumbai today. They have sent us a press release of the same which lists all the details of this motorcycle comprehensively.

~ SlingShot 125 cc combines Style, Performance and Practicality~

New Delhi, August 31, 2010

Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of one of the world’s leading two-wheeler manufacturers Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, today launched the much awaited Suzuki SlingShot. The 125 cc Suzuki SlingShot was launched in the presence of senior Suzuki Motorcycle India officials.

Targeted at the mass segment, the Suzuki SlingShot is positioned to fill the void that currently exists between the 100 cc and the 150 cc segments without compromising on the key parameters that a customer aspires for – style of a 150 cc and the efficiency of a 100 cc bike. The Suzuki SlingShot underscores Suzuki’s commitment to introduce products of global standards that meets an Indian customer’s requirement.

At the launch of the Suzuki SlingShot, Mr. Katsumi Takata, Chairman, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Suzuki is a brand trusted worldwide for its superior technology and uncompromised quality and we have amply displayed this to our commitment to India by launching products, from the GS150R to the Hayabusa, Gixxer and Bandit, that have generated tremendous response from customers. The same global promise of Suzuki ensures that our customers in India get same uncompromising quality, style, performance and comfort in the Suzuki SlingShot. “

Mr. Atul Gupta, Vice President (Sales and Marketing), Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. said, “It has been our constant endeavour to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the Indian motorcycle market and the Suzuki SlingShot is a direct result of us listening to what the customers want and delivering a world class product that meets their requirements. The Suzuki SlingShot offers a complete package in terms of Style, Comfort, Performance and Practicality – all combined in a 125 cc bike. The customer wanted a bike that was as frugal on fuel as a 100 cc bike, yet had the looks to match a 150 cc premium bike combined with a price point that made the product affordable yet met all requirements – which the Suzuki SlingShot offers.”

Inspired by its bigger siblings the GSX-R series, the Suzuki SlingShot boasts of sharp edgy head lamps, an all new front fender design and a convenient gear position indicator for ease in riding in city traffic. With a newly designed sturdy upswept frame construct with a longer swingarm coupled with a preload adjustable rear suspension and a race inspired light weight alloy provides the Suzuki SlingShot with the perfect balance and agility for varied road conditions without compromising on comfort and ergonomics.

The Suzuki SlingShot is available in four colours – Metallic Mustard Yellow, Metallic Fox Orange, Candy Antares Red and Pearl Nebular Black.

Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) is planning to add three new products to its lineup within a time span of 18 months.

These new products will be for the commuter segment and will comprise of a 100cc motorcycle and two scooters.

Suzuki recently launched their 125cc motorcycle SlingShot and looking at how the things are progressing, it seems like they will be concentrating mainly on the mass segment in the months to come.

Suzuki already has a 125cc scooter called Suzuki Access 125 in their lineup which has been doing pretty well so far. Apart from Access and other local products Suzuki has brought in are GSX-R 1000, Bandit 1250S and Hayabusa from their international portfolio.

The company is also planning to expand its dealership network across India and their target is to have 350 dealerships by 2012 which is currently around 226. Apart from capturing domestic market, Suzuki is also planning to start exporting its bike to the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Personally I feel that Suzuki should have an exclusive product in the premium segment as well. We all know how Yamaha made a comeback in the Indian market with the launch of YZF R15 and FZ series and I don’t see any reason why Suzuki cant do something similar to this. Once they have the attention of the Indian bike enthusiasts who can make their brand go viral by going ga-ga over its performance and looks, I think it would be much easier for them to capture the mass segment as well.

Source: Business Standard

credit – xbhp

DIMENSIONS AND DRYMASS

Overall Length 2035 mm
Overall Width 770 mm
Overall Height 1075 mm
Wheelbase 1265 mm
Ground Clearance 160 mm
Kerb Mass Spoke Wheel Cast Wheel
Kick and electric starter Kick and electric starter
127 kg 128 kg

ENGINE

Type Air cooled, 40-stroke, 1-cylinder, SOHC
No. no cylinders 1
Bore X Stroke (mm) 53 X 55.2
Displacement (CM3) 124 cc
Compression Ratio 9.1:1
Carburetor VM18
Starting KS and ES
Air Cleaner Non-woven fabric elemnt
Lubrication system Wet sump

TRANSMISSION:

Clutch Wet multi-plate type
Transmission: 5-speed
Gear Shift Pattern: 1-down, 4-up

CHASSIS:

Suspension
Front TElescopic, coil-spring, oil-damped
Rear Swing-arm, coil-spring, oil-damped

Brakes
Front Mechanical, leading-trailing drum type
Rear Mechanical, leading-trailing drum type

Tyres
Front 2.75 – 18 42P
Rear 3 – 18 52P

ELECTRICAL:

Ignition: CDI
Spark Plug NGK

Battery: Kick start & electric start spec: 12 V 5Ah
Headlight: 12 V 35 W/35 W
Fuel Tank capacity: 12.0
REserve 2.1

COLORS :

MEtallic Mustard Yellow
Metalllic Fox Orange
Candy Antares Red
Pearl Nebular Black

credit – xbhp

Suzuki Slingshot 125 Image Gallery

It says “SMIPL will be holding a press conference in Delhi on 25th August 2010 (Wednesday) for an important announcement. ”

Suzuki will send us a formal invitation shortly containing more details of the event which clarify if this is a new product launch or otherwise.

Suzuki launched the Gixxer in the India back in June. It has spoken about new motorcycles over the next few years. Besides the imports, Suzuki sells bikes like Heat, Zeus, GS150R and Access 125 scooter.

Could the Suzuki Slingshot 125 be unveiled on the 25th?

Thanks to Burn Your Fuel, we’re able to bring you technical specifications of the Suzuki Slingshot 125cc motorcycle which could be launched in the coming weeks. The motorcycle was spotted at a Suzuki dealership a couple of months ago.

The motorcycle is based on the Suzuki Zeus and will comply to emission norms enforced in major cities. The vehicle’s design should bring in a lot of young crowd into Suzuki dealerships.

Suzuki Slingshot 125cc Technical Specifications

* Displacement: 125cc
* Engine: Four-stroke, Air-cooled, OHC
* Maximum Power: 8.5 Bhp @ 7500 rpm
* Maximum Torque: 10 Nm @ 3500 rpm
* Gears: 5 Speed
* Clutch: Wet Multiplate type
* Bore: 53.5
* Stroke: 55.2
* Cooling Type: Air
* Height: 1125.00 mm
* Battery Type: 9.0 KC 10HR
* Battery Voltage: 12V
* Battery Capacity: 2.5 Ah
* Wheel Type: Spoke
* Wheel Size: 2.75×18 – 3.00x-18 mm
* Suspension (Front): Telescopic, Coil spring, Oil damped
* Suspension (Rear): Swing-arm type, Coil spring, Oil damped
* Brakes: Drum 130mm
* Fuel Guage: Analogue Self Start:
* Tacho Meter: Analogue
* Trip Meter: Analogue-1
* Speedometer: Analogue

Expected Price Tag : 50,000 – 60000/- INR

We’ll wait for an official announcement before heading any further. Stay tuned to Indian Motos Blog.

Source – Burn Your Fuel

Suzuki has revealed the technical specifications of its 2011 model year Suzuki Hayabusa superbike. The bike will be powered by the same 1340 cc liquid cooled, four-stroke, 4-cylinder engine mated to a re-worked 6-speed transmission.

The engine uses pistons made from Aluminium alloy and the compression and oil control rings of the pistons have been coated with a chrome-mitride lining using the Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) process. This ensures that the pistons are lightweight while at the same time reducing internal friction and improving the sealing of the cylinders.

The engine is fed fuel via the Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve (SDTV) electronic fuel injection system which consists of two 12-hole, fine-spray injectors for each of the bike’s 4-cylinders. The intake air for the engine comes via a ram air intake system alongwith a high volume airbox.

Suzuki has equipped the bike with its Suzuki Clutch Assist System (SCAS) in order to limit back-torque coming from the engine and thereby enable smooth downshifting of gears on the bike. The bike is also equipped with Suzuki’s Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS) system which enables the rider to choose from three different power delivery modes of the engine namely A, B or C mode.

The braking duties of the bike are handled by twin 310 mm disc rotors upfront in conjunction with a single 260 mm disc rotor at the rear. The bike has been fitted with Tokico brake calipers mounted radially in order to reduce unsprung mass and improve the handling characteristics of the bike. The bike weighs in at a hefty 260 kgs and is held up by a 120/70 ZR17 M/C tyre upfront and a 190/50 ZR17 M/C tyre at the rear.

To please the green brigade, Suzuki has fitted the bike with its Pulsed Air Injection System (PAIR), which lowers the bike’s emissions by igniting the unburnt hydrocarbons coming out from the engine after combustion.

The bike still retains its five-pod analogue instrument cluster consisting of a speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge and engine temperature indicator alongwith displays for the S-DMS, gear position, time, neutral light and a low fuel warning lamp in the centre pod.

The vertically stacked front headlamp has been boosted by increasing its intensity and the LED tailamps now have two lenses, a clear inner lens and a red outer lens.

The bike is available in two colour schemes of Pearl Mirage White with Golden graphics and Peral Nebular Black with Black Graphics. Suzuki has not yet revealed the pricing for the bike, but one things for certain, Suzuki will try to make available this bike in India as soon as possible for the many Hayabusa afficionados waiting to get their hands on one of these mean machines.

Source - Motoroids

Superbike manufacturers such as Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha have been taken aback by the response their high-end machines have received way up in the mountains. The manufacturers are reporting decent sales figures of their high-end bikes from Northern and North-Eastern parts of the country.

Atul Gupta, Vice-President, Marketing and Sales, Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited -

Much to our astonishment, 10% of superbikes have been bought by highlanders in Dehradun and Guwahati

The general trend among big bike manufacturers is to focus mainly on customers from metro cities, since these customers are the ones who are most likely to have the moolah to splurge on these exquisite machines. Manufacturers see Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore as the regions with the highest demand for their high-end bikes, but this recent statistic of good contributions from the mountainous regions has taken them by surprise.

Manufacturers attribute the good sales of their high end machines to the steadily rising disposable income and the availability of easy financing services. The presence of a well-trained service network and hassle free support for the bikes is also one of the factors pushing up sales of these bikes.

N.K Rattan, Head, Marketing and Sales, Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India -

We have special teams to service these bikes across the country. This has boosted the confidence of the consumer, and has translated into better sales

Pankaj Dubey, Head, Marketing and Sales, India Yamaha Motor -

The actual numbers coming from the north-east mountain region are not as significant as the metros, but they are crucial. For this super-niche segment every unit sold makes a lot of difference to our sales strategy.

Though manufacturers have been surprised by the numbers reported from the mountains, the metros still lead the sales charts. Mumbai accounts for every 1 out three superbikes sold in the country, followed by Delhi and Bangalore, which account for around 20 % of the total sales of these bikes in the country.

The superbike market in India began to boom only when Yamaha brought in its YZF-R1 and MT-01 into the country during the year 2008. This was followed by launches from rival manufacturers such as Suzuki and Honda who brought in products such as the CBR 1000RR Fireblade, CB 1000R, Suzuki GSX-1300R Hayabusa and the Suzuki Intruder.

The Hayabusa has gone onto take the lead in the superbike sales charts with a sales figure of 108 units till date. It has also enabled Suzuki to go atop the manufacturers sales chart ranking, leaving Yamaha and Honda to bring up the rear of the pack.

The superbike space in India has all the global majors presently in it except Kawasaki, who only have the Ninja 250R as their sole offering to Indian customers. But, this could change in the very near future, with Kawasaki setting up its Indian subsidiary and having said that customers in India can expect bigger and more powerful bikes from their international range very soon.

Source - Economic Times

The growth rate of the scooter segment of the Indian two-wheeler market has doubled over the first two months of the current fiscal, when compared with that of motorcycles. Traditionally, the growth rate of scooters and motorcycles has been the same.

The growth of scooter sales last fiscal was 26 % compared to 27 % for motorcycles, but the current growth rate for scooters at 49 %, is more than double that of motorcycles, which have a grown at a rate of 21 %.

Atul Gupta, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited -

In the first two months we are seeing scooters growing faster than bikes and this is due to a couple of factors. Not only is the popularity of scooters amongst women fuelling the growth, scooters are also penetrating into the younger age group and it not just the women and 35 plus age group phenomenon. The most important group that is adding to the numbers is the 20-25 plus age group, a typically bike preferring segment. The other important factor is that scooters are now penetrating into the eastern market where it was virtually absent for all these years.

The growth over motorcycles for scooters is especially staggering considering that the majority of the two-wheeler manufacturers have been facing production shortages due to a lack of supply of components.

The scooter segment in India, which had almost been killed by motorcycles towards the end of the 90′s had been given a major booster shot with the arrival of Honda’s Activa in 2001. The segment is now taking major strides forward, with every two-wheeler manufacturer wanting a sharing of the pie, which has caused the segment to hit a purple patch, with demand outgrowing supply.

Naresh Rattan, Vice-President, Marketing and Sales, Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India -

Until the mid 90s, contribution from scooters was more than motorcycles and then it started to sharply decline as better bikes started flooding the market. But this trend has reversed with gearless scooters coming into the market, which also provide the same mileage and maintenance cost as that of a motorcycle. HMSI, which has a 55:45 split between scooters and motorcycles, believes that the scooter segment has earned a respectable position in the two-wheeler market and it will reach its full potential but will not replace the bike market. From the current share of nearly 15% of the total two wheeler market, it will soon reach up to 20%.

The scooter segment in India is set for even more growth in the years to come with rising congestion in cities and a higher number of female users and with almost every manufacturer having a minimum of one offering in the segment, it looks as if the manufacturers will be fighting hard with one another in order to stay ahead of the game with their products.

Source – DNA India

Suzuki Motorcycles India Private Limited (SMIPL) has reported a 44% increase in the sales of its two-wheelers for the month of June. The company sold 17,876 units as compared to 12,382 units during June last year. The company’s only offering in the premium 150  cc segment, the GS150R and its only scooter segment offering, the Access 125 have contributed majorly to this growth figure.

Atul Gupta, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited -

As promised we have delivered quality products as well as customer satisfaction to our consumers. We will continue to keep up this growth momentum in coming months as well

The company is now gearing up to launch a new offering in the 125 cc segment called the Slingshot, by this month end. The company will be banking on the Slingshot to add further numbers to its sales charts, in order for it to sustain this growth and momentum going ahead.

Source – Wheels Unplugged

Suzuki Motorcycles India Private Limited (SMIPL) has opened a new workshop in Delhi to exclusively service only its superbikes offered in India, namely the GSF 1250S, GSX-R1000, GSX-1300R Hayabusa and the Intruder M1800R . The workshop has been opened by Bittoo Sodhi under the name Bitto Suzuki.

Atul Gupta, President, Sales and Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited -

Usually people open service centres in the NCR area and that makes it very difficult for a customer to travel so far. From our Suzuki point of view, this workshop in Delhi is centrally located and secondly the facilities and manpower available here has been fully trained by Suzuki. Spare parts are also available and we want bikers to get spare parts and service easily

The workshop is fully automated and all the mechanics of the workshop have been specially trained by the engineers working at Suzuki’s manufacturing facility in order to expertly deal with these mean machines in the best possible manner.

Source – Sify News