Late last month, Honda officially unveiled the GB350 in the Japanese market. This bike, which continues to be a highly sought-after model all across the world, was in fact the Honda H'Ness CB350 initially launched as an India-specific release. Motorcycles from the Japanese big four tend to be launched in Japan prior to making their way across the pond. However, the CB350 was a testament to the improving build quality of Indian-made bikes.
This time 'round, yet another India-specific model has somehow managed to make its way to Japanese shores. The Suzuki Gixxer 250, an entry-level naked streetfighter clad in aggressive modern styling, has been launched in the Japanese market. This motorcycle has seen massive popularity in India thanks to its affordable price tag, bulletproof engine, and decent performance. In Japan, the Gixxer 250 has been launched in two colors—Matte Black Metallic, and the more popular Triton Blue Metallic, which bears a resemblance to Suzuki's MotoGP livery from the previous season.
As far as specifications go, the Japan-spec Suzuki Gixxer 250 is no different from that of its Indian counterpart. That said it comes equipped with a peppy 249cc single-cylinder engine equipped with an oil-cooler. Pumping out an adequate 26 horsepower, this bike is likely to be a hit among first-time motorcycle riders in Japan looking for unmistakable Suzuki styling in a naked bike. After all, if you squint your eyes a bit, the Gixxer 250 does bear a resemblance to the GSX-S1000.
It's interesting to note that Suzuki has priced the Gixxer 250 at a rather premium JPY 448,800, which translates to around $4,121 USD. In its home country of India however, the bike fetches just Rs. 1.67 lakh, or $2,220 USD—nearly half the price of its JDM counterpart. Given the fact that more and more previously India-specific bikes are beginning to make their away to other markets (the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 has in fact landed in the U.S.), could it be safe to say that smaller bikes like the Gixxer 250, as well as a whole host of other 300cc-class bikes could soon make their way to the global market?
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