Suzuki TU250X may lack punch, but (for a beginner bike) it sure has style

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When Suzuki announces its 2010 lineup later this month, I’m hoping the TU250X will be on the list. Technically, the 250 cc beginner bike was new for the 2009 model year but not for California. We were the only state in the nation that didn’t get the bike; according to Suzuki, its emissions clearance was held up by the California Air Resources Board, which conducts the test that allows bikes to be sold in the state.

My reasons for hoping the TU250X gets the OK? Variety, for one. It’s the first all-new, street-centric beginner bike to be released by the big four Japanese makers in well over a decade. Half of the bikes that make up this small and small-displacement class are cruisers, i.e. the Honda Rebel, Kawasaki Eliminator and Suzuki GZ250. So the TU250X, with its retro, ‘70s, cafe styling breathes some much-needed fresh air into the genre.

Beyond that, it’s affordable. At $3,799, it’s one of the least expensive bikes a rider can buy from a major manufacturer, which is good, since the industry is in such dire straits these days that sales are down about 50% for the year. Getting roughly 80 miles to the gallon, that low price is a gift that keeps on giving, especially as gas prices inch back up.

While the TU250X has as much punch as a choreographed stunt, this air-cooled, single cylinder is at least fuel injected – the first for its class. Speaking as a person who feared having to futz with a choke or fumble with a petcock when I was first learning how to ride, oh, 18 years ago, it’s nice that the fuel delivery system has been streamlined to remove rider input, except for looking at the gas light and pulling into the station to fill up.

Since many new riders suffer from a lack of finesse – overbraking the front, popping the clutch – there’s a lot of play in all the levers on the TU250X, which serves as a subtle safety mechanism. They’re responsive enough to get the job done, but not so much to get riders in trouble before they learn to truly control the machine. In fact, everything on the TU250X is a little squishy – from the saddle (which is an extra-cushy indoctrination for fragile bottoms) to the suspension (which was as bouncy as my neighbor’s El Camino’s) to its off-the-line power (which is an oxymoron) – all of which makes it an underwhelming experience for a seasoned and/or performance-oriented rider, unless that rider’s No. 1 priority is fuel efficiency. But the sponginess of this bike will most likely be unnoticeable to a newbie, who’s just trying to keep the bike upright without bucking it like a bronco or coming in to contact with a Mack truck.

What makes this a beginner bike is, first and foremost, its displacement. At 250 cc, this bike won’t be intimidating any Ducatis when the light turns green. I was able to get the bike up to 82 mph, but I really felt like I was riding a horse in the final stretch of a race at that speed; the animal just didn’t have anything more to give. This bike is much more comfortable cruising at 70ish mph, which is around the speed riders who’ve gotten their biker legs will be rooting around for a nonexistent sixth gear.

In addition to its intentionally bridled speed, the TU250X’s overall proportions are also scaled down. The bike is fairly diminutive compared with even moderately larger bikes – shorter in length, narrower in width and, of course, lower to the ground. While the saddle is a not-too-tall/not-too-short 30.3 inches unladen, it really compresses when you’re sitting on it. I was flat footed and my knees were slightly bent, which made me feel a little like Ginormica from ‘Monsters vs. Aliens,’ and I’m not even that tall. Just 5 foot 8.

With its spoked wheels, rounded signals and chrome details, the TU250X has some pretty decent style for such a budget-minded bike, though I wish the chrome of the headlight, mirrors and signal stems had been carried through to the finish on the shocks, frame and engine, which look pewter-y, unfinished and, unfortunately, cheap, er, inexpensive. But this is, after all, a beginner’s bike. If all goes well, the riders of this beginner will move up to bike No. 2 -- and with it, more power and fancier trimmings.

2009 Suzuki TU250X
Base price: $3,799
Powertrain: fuel-injected, air-cooled, SOHC, 4-stroke, single-cylinder, 5-speed
Displacement: 249 cc
Seat height: 30.3 inches
Curb weight: 328 pounds
Manufacturer’s claimed MPG: 82
Road test MPG: 79 (based on 201 miles traveled)

-- Susan Carpenter