Suzuki Gladius enters the arena

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It’s telling that the designer of Suzuki’s new Gladius was sent to Italy for three months to suck up the culture and steep himself in design. With its trellis steel frame and flowing European design, the Gladius is clearly drafting Ducati’s bestselling Monster. It’s just doing it for $2,000 less.

Like the Monster, which, in its smallest, middleweight version, got an overhaul for 2009 to broaden its appeal, the Gladius is pursuing a market that all the major manufacturers are chasing with a vengeance this year: new riders. With bike sales down by as much as 50%, and credit difficult to get for customers even with 700-ish FICO scores, the Japanese are hoping to lure intrepid, cash-in-hand newbies with an onslaught of affordable, midsize beginner bikes. Kawasaki’s doing it with its new ER-6N, Yamaha with its FZ6R, and Suzuki with the Gladius -- the latest Japanese naked bike to step into this increasingly competitive arena.

The Gladius is based on Suzuki’s popular SV650, which was originally intended for new and reentry riders but has evolved into a sportier, more performance-oriented machine with each update. The 645 cc Gladius fills that void, with a lower (and narrower) seat, wider handlebars and a powerband that gives this V-twin more torque at lower rpms -- all of which work together to provide stability and improve rider confidence, especially at low speeds.

That doesn’t mean the Gladius is for sissies. This bike rips regardless of the rider’s experience level, probably because it imports some premium technology that was pioneered for Suzuki’s bestselling sport bike. The dual-throttle-valve fuel injection and weightier, torque-amplifying crank are just a couple of the high-tech tricks that were lifted from the GSX-R600 and incorporated into the Gladius to increase off-the-line responsiveness and overall performance.

Despite its ancient Roman name, the Gladius isn’t as much of a warrior as Suzuki’s inline four cylinder sport bikes when it comes to flat-out speed. But what it lacks in whip-lashing, high-revving shrieks it makes up in easy-riding, down-to-earth practicality. The Gladius takes regular, as opposed to high-octane, gas and gets about 50% more range from each gallon. For a catalyzed exhaust, it even sounds good -- almost Termignoni-esque. Agile, easy to operate and extremely fun to ride, practical-minded buyers of the new Gladius may be surprised at how hard it is to say ciao for the night. A Ducati, it is not -- much as it tries with its style. But its performance is on par.

2009 Suzuki Gladius
Base price: $6,899
Powertrain: fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, DOHC, 90-degree V-twin, 6 speed
Displacement: 645 cc
Seat height: 30.9 inches
Curb weight: 446 lbs.
Claimed MPG: 58
Road test MPG: 56 (based on 178 miles traveled)

-- Susan Carpenter