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Presenting the Suzuki SlingShot 125Suzuki SlingShot 125.
We recently got our hands on this machine for 3-4 days and we decided to make full use of it. Given below is an attempt to convert our experience in to black and white.
The Looks and features
Though we found the Suzuki SlingShot design to be minimalistic in nature, when we were riding this bike on the streets of Delhi, it managed to get a few heads to turn and inquiries from petrol pump operators and general road users, so there seems to be a slight element of freshness in it, be it the bikini fairing with sharp headlight designheadlight assembly hosts a 12V/35W bulb. Also fitted in this fairing/headlight assembly are turn-indicators with clear glass and orange bulbs inside.
The instrument consoleanalog speedometer on the left with its dial in blue-white color combination and the needle in orange. The odometer is also located on the upper part of it. The fuel gauge finds its position on the extreme right of the console. Sandwiched between the speedometer and the fuel gauge are the neutral position indicator on the bottom, the high- beam indicator on its top, and then the turn indicator light on top of it. Sitting on top of everything is the ever-so-useful gear position indicator, which is a very handy feature while riding a motorcycle. But, there is no tachometer, even the trip-meter failed to find a place in the instrument panel.
Moving rearwards, the upright handlebar gives way to a muscular looking petrol tank. The tank has a 12 liter capacity with 2.1 liter reserve. The contrasting black color side panels improve the overall visual appeal of the bike. This is followed by the body-color rear panels and a single unit tail lamp.
The bike has been given an all-black look, which is the most common thing in most of the Indian bikes nowadays. The heat-shield on the exhaust pipe has also been painted black.
Apart from the headlight assembly, the most distinct feature of this bike are the split-end 5-spoke all black alloy wheels, which have the love-it or hate-it factor in them. The Sling-Shot also comes with spoke version.
The Suzuki Sling-Shot is available in four colorsElectric start comes as a standard in both the versions, alloy and spoke wheel.
Engine and Performance
Powering the Suzuki SlingShot is a 125 cc 4-stroke SOHC mill that is capable of producing around 8.5 Bhp at 7500 RPM3500 rpm, you have 10 Nm of torque5-speed gearbox, which we found to be of top quality. Throughout the test period, the gear shifts were positive and smooth with hardly any glitches or false-neutrals. The universally-adopted 1-down 4-up pattern finds its way in this gearbox also.
Ride Quality, Comfort, and Handling
When we rode it, the traffic condition in Delhi was at its worst due to the Commonwealth Games and stuff and for us, this seemed like the perfect condition to test this bike.
The bike performed like a charm in the stop-go-stop traffic that it faced, requiring minimal effort from the rider and this is what SlingShot is made to do. The upright sitting position and the comfortable seat also add to the small list of goodies it offers. The vibrations were minimal throughout the rev range during our test period.
One of the key features of SlingShot is the way it handles in the day to day riding condition. A very short turning radius makes it a good traffic cutter and the response to the quick maneuvering inputs from the rider is also impressive. This bike comes fitted with a 2.75 x 18 tire on the front and 3.00 x 18 tire on the reardrum brakes at both the front and rear. With disk brake feature is not available even as an option and so braking is a sad story here.
Fuel Economy and PriceFE of 70+ KMPL and comes with a price tag of Rs. 45,911 for the alloy version and Rs. 43,945 for the spoke wheel one (Ex-Showroom).
Build QualityVerdict
At this price tag and for its ride quality, and if you are not a BHP-sensitive soul, the bike seems to be a competent contender in 125 cc commuter segmentFor:
1. Good Torque.
2. Good claimed fuel economy.
3. Build Quality.
4. Comfortable seat.
5. Gear position indicator.
6. The most practical grab rail.
Against:
1. Lack of disc brake.
2. No tachometer or trip meter.
3. Less BHP figure.
Photos:
1. Sandeep Goswami/OldFox
2. Sunil Gupta/Sunilg
Text: Sunil Gupta/Sunilg
We recently got our hands on this machine for 3-4 days and we decided to make full use of it. Given below is an attempt to convert our experience in to black and white.
The Looks and features
Though we found the Suzuki SlingShot design to be minimalistic in nature, when we were riding this bike on the streets of Delhi, it managed to get a few heads to turn and inquiries from petrol pump operators and general road users, so there seems to be a slight element of freshness in it, be it the bikini fairing with sharp headlight designheadlight assembly hosts a 12V/35W bulb. Also fitted in this fairing/headlight assembly are turn-indicators with clear glass and orange bulbs inside.
The instrument consoleanalog speedometer on the left with its dial in blue-white color combination and the needle in orange. The odometer is also located on the upper part of it. The fuel gauge finds its position on the extreme right of the console. Sandwiched between the speedometer and the fuel gauge are the neutral position indicator on the bottom, the high- beam indicator on its top, and then the turn indicator light on top of it. Sitting on top of everything is the ever-so-useful gear position indicator, which is a very handy feature while riding a motorcycle. But, there is no tachometer, even the trip-meter failed to find a place in the instrument panel.
Moving rearwards, the upright handlebar gives way to a muscular looking petrol tank. The tank has a 12 liter capacity with 2.1 liter reserve. The contrasting black color side panels improve the overall visual appeal of the bike. This is followed by the body-color rear panels and a single unit tail lamp.
The bike has been given an all-black look, which is the most common thing in most of the Indian bikes nowadays. The heat-shield on the exhaust pipe has also been painted black.
Apart from the headlight assembly, the most distinct feature of this bike are the split-end 5-spoke all black alloy wheels, which have the love-it or hate-it factor in them. The Sling-Shot also comes with spoke version.
The Suzuki Sling-Shot is available in four colorsElectric start comes as a standard in both the versions, alloy and spoke wheel.
Engine and Performance
Powering the Suzuki SlingShot is a 125 cc 4-stroke SOHC mill that is capable of producing around 8.5 Bhp at 7500 RPM3500 rpm, you have 10 Nm of torque5-speed gearbox, which we found to be of top quality. Throughout the test period, the gear shifts were positive and smooth with hardly any glitches or false-neutrals. The universally-adopted 1-down 4-up pattern finds its way in this gearbox also.
Ride Quality, Comfort, and Handling
When we rode it, the traffic condition in Delhi was at its worst due to the Commonwealth Games and stuff and for us, this seemed like the perfect condition to test this bike.
The bike performed like a charm in the stop-go-stop traffic that it faced, requiring minimal effort from the rider and this is what SlingShot is made to do. The upright sitting position and the comfortable seat also add to the small list of goodies it offers. The vibrations were minimal throughout the rev range during our test period.
One of the key features of SlingShot is the way it handles in the day to day riding condition. A very short turning radius makes it a good traffic cutter and the response to the quick maneuvering inputs from the rider is also impressive. This bike comes fitted with a 2.75 x 18 tire on the front and 3.00 x 18 tire on the reardrum brakes at both the front and rear. With disk brake feature is not available even as an option and so braking is a sad story here.
Fuel Economy and PriceFE of 70+ KMPL and comes with a price tag of Rs. 45,911 for the alloy version and Rs. 43,945 for the spoke wheel one (Ex-Showroom).
Build QualityVerdict
At this price tag and for its ride quality, and if you are not a BHP-sensitive soul, the bike seems to be a competent contender in 125 cc commuter segmentFor:
1. Good Torque.
2. Good claimed fuel economy.
3. Build Quality.
4. Comfortable seat.
5. Gear position indicator.
6. The most practical grab rail.
Against:
1. Lack of disc brake.
2. No tachometer or trip meter.
3. Less BHP figure.
Photos:
1. Sandeep Goswami/OldFox
2. Sunil Gupta/Sunilg
Text: Sunil Gupta/Sunilg
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