[4x4addict]

Sorry for not updating the thread as I have not had much time to ride due a combination of busy schedule and poor weather (read continuous) rain in my home town. From yesterday the weather has improved and we got some nice, so I clocked about 250 km in the last two days.

The odo now stands at 2450 kms. Been reading online that Suzuki has discontinued the bike or will be shortly. It is a pity that killed the bike by launching it at a crazy price tag and then acting too slow to recover the sales.

From my point of view, I am glad I got one when it was still available. Personally, I enjoy every minute spend on it. I don't see any major issue with spares as my dealer has stock of the regular consumable spares, like filters, pads, etc. Being a Suzuki, I don't forsee any major repairs. Suzuki corporate assures me that since this model continues to sell in global markets, they will support with all spares. Even if they don't, spares are easily available on most global markets.

[johannskaria]

It is indeed a real pity that the marketing strategy nose dived and the adjoining rumourmil of discontinuation !
Good luck on your rest of the ownership.
Keep us all posted of the developments.
Ride safe!

[ani_meher]

Hey OP, any updates on the bike? How's it going in the winters?

[fiestarry]

I have harboured the intention of buying the Inazuma but baulked at spending 2.5 L on a bike which looks and feels like the GS150R elder brother. If you have ridden both bikes back to back like I have, you may get the drift.
The Inazuma is a class act as far as plush ride and refinement are concerned, but have issues like long term service and spares support and the resultant down time are worrisome.
I wouldnt want to be stuck in a not so urban area with a broken clutch lever or snapped chain only to find out that spares from no other bike will fit.
I already have an Avenger but don't like its hard ride anymore. The Bullet is not modern or refined by a long way.
Therefore, in pursuit of a comfortable, economical to buy (under 2 Lks) , easy to transport by train and easy to maintain tourer motorcycle which would suit a 40+ rider like me (who hates rear set foot pegs) where do I go ?

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

I have harboured the intention of buying the Inazuma but baulked at spending 2.5 L on a bike which looks and feels like the GS150R elder brother. If you have ridden both bikes back to back like I have, you may get the drift.
The Inazuma is a class act as far as plush ride and refinement are concerned, but have issues like long term service and spares support and the resultant down time are worrisome.
I wouldnt want to be stuck in a not so urban area with a broken clutch lever or snapped chain only to find out that spares from no other bike will fit.
I already have an Avenger but don't like its hard ride anymore. The Bullet is not modern or refined by a long way.
Therefore, in pursuit of a comfortable, economical to buy (under 2 Lks) , easy to transport by train and easy to maintain tourer motorcycle which would suit a 40+ rider like me (who hates rear set foot pegs) where do I go ?

If you're not willing to take the gamble of buying the inazuma, then CBR250 is your only option currently, provided you're fine with the slightly sporty riding position.

EDIT: I've heard the new pulsar 220s are really improved over the older lot in terms of refinement. If you are fine owning a bajaj, you might want to have a look at it. Oh, and the new karizma is there!

[outofthebox]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

.... I wouldnt want to be stuck in a not so urban area with a broken clutch lever or snapped chain only to find out that spares from no other bike will fit.
I already have an Avenger but don't like its hard ride anymore. The Bullet is not modern or refined by a long way.
Therefore, in pursuit of a comfortable, economical to buy (under 2 Lks) , easy to transport by train and easy to maintain tourer motorcycle which would suit a 40+ rider like me (who hates rear set foot pegs) where do I go ?

When we compare two bikes as diverse as Inazuma and a Bullet, we are already on slippery grounds to begin with. Here's my $0.02 with the hope that it will help you reach a conclusion:

1) Inazuma is an urban commuter bike & was never intended to be a tourer. There aren't that many touring bike options here anyway.

2) The issue of competent repairs & spares in semi urban centres in India is equally applicable to all speciality bikes. The only exception would probably be the mass market 100 - 150cc commuter bikes segment. In fact, the popular notion that a modern Bullet can be repaired competently anywhere is also a false one.

3)Due to my extended stints abroad, I've had the pleasure of test riding many and owning a couple of retro bikes of different ilk, and I can tell you from first hand experience, post 2010 Royal Enfields are second to none in terms of refinement and ease of ownership. That said, comparing the refinement level of a modern commuter bike like Inazuma to any retro bike, is fundamentally unfair.

4)I would recommend you to take a close look at the new Thunderbird 350 or the 500. It seems to be ticking many of your boxes.

best of luck in choosing the right option!

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by outofthebox

1) Inazuma is an urban commuter bike & was never intended to be a tourer.

It was never intended to be a touring bike, but given the limited choices in India, it makes an excellent touring bike. Very Stable, extremely comfortable to sit and ride, good space for luggage, decent fuel mileage, etc..

[fiestarry]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

It was never intended to be a touring bike, but given the limited choices in India, it makes an excellent touring bike. Very Stable, extremely comfortable to sit and ride, good space for luggage, decent fuel mileage, etc..

How is your bike doing and would you know of anyone wanting to sell his Inazuma?
A sparingly used one might be worth buying if the price is reasonable.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

How is your bike doing and would you know of anyone wanting to sell his Inazuma?

Mine has clocked 3100 kms now and I am quite happy with it. The only time, I will sell it is in when I have the the spare moola to upgrade to BMW F700 GS which is my dream bike .

It is probably going to be hard to find a good used one, given they sold in such few numbers.

[fiestarry]

The Inazuma may not be a tourer in the propah sense but is the closest one can get to having a smooth long ride without realigning the spine set for a forty something guy like me.
Rear set foot pegs, crouched ride position and revvy engines are not my style. Please dont bring up the Thunderbird because it is crude and I want a refined and plush motorcycle.
Let us see what the market throws up in 2015.

[outofthebox]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

It was never intended to be a touring bike, but given the limited choices in India, it makes an excellent touring bike. Very Stable, extremely comfortable to sit and ride, good space for luggage, decent fuel mileage, etc..

fully agree with you sir. in fact two more reasons why the Inazuma tugs at my heart strings over every other comparable option are the twin cylinders. i think twin cylinder bikes are incredibly groovy.

Originally Posted by fiestarry

The Inazuma may not be a tourer in the propah sense but is the closest one can get to having a smooth long ride without realigning the spine set for a forty something guy like me.
Rear set foot pegs, crouched ride position and revvy engines are not my style. Please dont bring up the Thunderbird because it is crude and I want a refined and plush motorcycle.

you are most welcome sir. you should also add Honda CBR250R to your list. It has two pluses which might matter to you - better wind protection due to the fairing and ABS brakes.

Given your opinions on the type of ride you desire, other aspects which you must give some thought are as follows:

a) the 'textbook' riding posture of Inazuma and all others of the same ilk is definitely a slightly crouched one. In my test ride, I kind of 'slid down' with my crotch almost hitting the tank and my legs automatically were in the 'rear foot peg' folded condition. In the short ride, I could not transfer back the weight which I was exerting on the handle bars. Maybe it needs a bit of practise.
That said, one can always slide back up a little bit and ride it almost straight up - that is a personal choice, but not a given on this bike.

b) any low cc, low torque bike will always be a high revving one, Inazuma included. It goes up to 11k RPM I believe. The torque difference between a 500cc Bullet and any comparable modern street bike is massively in favour of the Bullet. In other words, in real world conditions, one would have to rev much harder to get the same power.

c)In my experience, road condition, riding style, position of handlebar, type of suspension & its settings, seat cushioning and contour have the biggest impact on one's spine, sometime much more than the type of bike one rides.

[sandeip]

Hi All,

Im from Bangalore.

Have had a duke 390 for 15 months now and i yearn for a smooth twin. I guess my realization is a bit late as i called a couple of showrooms and they said it the zuma was discontinued in Feb 2015.

Is there a way i can still get my hands on one? im ok with a preowned one as well (checked OLX, quikr and all possible classifieds - no luck)

Please advise.

Sandeep

[outofthebox]

There are several ways to skin this cat.

1. Take the official route. Approach the regional marketing team of Suzuki and explain your requirements. They might have a helicopter view of any residual stocks in the country. FWIW, I saw one Inazuma on display at the Lajpat Nagar showroom in Delhi a couple of weeks ago. In case this doesn't work out, ask them if they can import a single unit for you from China. Since the model has already cleared all the 'red tape hurdles' in the country two years back, this might still be possible.

2. Visit the biggest or 'most likely' service centre of Suzuki in your city and meet & befriend the service centre head. Explain your predicament. You can either seek their permission to put up a small 'Want to Buy' poster at an appropriate area or seek their help to check with Inazuma owners coming in for servicing if they are interested to sell. Keep following up for a few weekends.

3. I used to do this a lot, but of late Google has started playing truant with classifieds websites so it doesn't work as well. Still, set up a Google alert for 'Suzuki Inazuma for sale' and monitor what it fetches, from time to time. I'm not familiar with Olx etc but they might have an e-mail alert feature - do look for it.

4. Of course, do put up 'Want to Buy' ads wherever possible in the online world, if not already done.

All the best for your search!

[fiestarry]

Is there any chance of the Suzuki folks reviving the Zuma in India ?
Just as there is the need for a budget offroader, there is a good market for plush, comfy motorcycles which dont cost upward of 2 lakhs.
Suzuki should exploit this yawning gap in the market and relaunch both the Zuma and the GS 150 @ Rs 1.50k and 0.85k respectively.
To keep costs down, they could share non critical parts. Maybe Messrs Suzuki need someone like a Rajiv Bajaj to shake things up !

[sandeip]

All,

I am extremely happy to announce that i got a brand new red Zuma home today. Someone reported one on display at Advaith Suzuki, and when i called they initially said it wasnt for sale. I followed up again after a month and they agreed to sell it. Turns out it wasnt registered, the owner had initially decided to keep it for himself but changed his mind. So i got a brand new bike after all

Rode it 40 km today - some of it in high traffic and some on bad roads. Absolutely loved it. The wife loved how easy it is to climb on, how spacious and soft the seat is, and how her legs didnt get cooked. Oh and the muted exhaust note - sounds sophisticated and grown up.

I did test ride the benelli 300. The exhaust was astounding, and it looks and feels like a really well made bike. But the Zuma's suspension, refinement and rideability were better. The benelli heated up quite quickly, which was my main grouse with my Duke 390. Overall i dont think the 300 makes as good amcommuter in daily bumper to bumper Bangalore traffic.

I am aware that it is a risk buying the Zuma now, given its a discontinued model that sold in miniscule numbers. I just hope the tradeoff is worth it. And that the service experience is not too bad.

Sandeep