Suzuki TU 250
Two years ago our much heralded state program director Paul Graves got approval to replace a portion of our aging motorcycle feet (Some having provided more than twenty years of faithful duty), which is how I was introduced to the Suzuki TU 250, “Hello little buckaroo!” Aside from being elated that we finally got to retire the Jurassic two-wheelers, I was excited to shake down the new toys. I was pleasantly surprised as the TU is a fantastically fun bike in many regards and would be an extremely capable machine for a new rider.
It’s labeled as a standard which means you’re sitting upright and is very comfortable. Petrol delivery is via fuel injection so there’s no fumbling with the choke on cold mornings or fuel petcock at inopportune times, say heading down an incline with an 18 wheeler rapidly filling up your mirrors. Turn on the key, wait two seconds for the electronics to nod their approval and fire it up. The silky smooth single is alarming in its passivity.
While the sixteen mega-ponies this beast puts out won’t cause you to hang on Hayabasa style, power delivery is smooth and predictable. Tipping the scales at 328lbs it is well balanced and gets 79 miles to the gallon. The mpg subject always moves to the forefront of any motorcycle discussion when the price at the pump starts heading north.
Much like my mustang, this baby doesn’t start to pull until you coax it into 3rd gear and beyond. While you can ride two up, it’s not the TU’s strong suite. In 5th gear at 60 mph it’s still comfortable to ride.
It feels like a bigger bike than it is until the next wind blast awakens your senses.
The styling is eerily reminiscent of a Triumph Bonneville with a touch of Honda Nighthawk added. Color options are red and gray. A quick visit to Suzuki’s website listed only gray for 2011/12 which is unfortunate, I prefer the red. Can you say ebay.
With the wire spokes, a tasteful painted two-toned tank and an out of your way chrome exhaust, it’s a cool looking motorcycle.
With scooters becoming more and more popular as around town commuters, the TU will still attract its fair share of proponents. I’ve always favored the motorcycle over scooters based a single facet, stability. Those small diameter scooter tires start to wobble over 20 mph and make me nervous.
The TU is great trainer and a really fun filled first bike! At $4,099 it won’t disappoint and I’d say you could do moderately better price wise in the used arena. Though at this time, Sukuki is offering 0% financing for five years.
Decisions decisions!
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