2013–2016 · Naked Bike · Buyer's Guide
The Smoothest Twin Under 250
Suzuki built the GW250 around a 248 cc liquid-cooled parallel twin making 24 hp at 8,500 rpm and 18 lb-ft at 6,500 rpm, then wrapped it in a motorcycle that looks and sits a size bigger than that number suggests. Steel tube frame, full-size 17-inch wheels with a 140-section rear tire, a six-speed gearbox, deep gloss paint and chrome where the budget end of the class usually hands you flat plastic. That is the whole idea of this generation. It lives at the friendly end of the naked class without ever looking like a starter bike.
What you get in return for the modest numbers is a machine that never raises its voice. It ages the way Suzukis tend to: the finish stays presentable, the mechanicals stay dependable, and service work is simple enough that a competent owner handles most of it at home. At 55 mpg from a 3.5-gallon tank, it costs almost nothing to feed. This is a bike for new riders, for returning riders rebuilding confidence, and for anyone who wants cheap miles without drama. The caveat is mass. At 401 lb wet with 24 hp behind it, 85 mph is a genuine ceiling and interstate merges need planning.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 24 hp (18 kW) @ 8,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 18 lb-ft (24 Nm) @ 6,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 248 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front tire | 110/80-17 |
| Rear tire | 140/70-17 |
| Seat height | 30.7 in (780 mm) |
| Wet weight | 401 lb (182 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.5 gal (13.3 L) |
| Top speed | 85 mph (137 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 55 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
This isn't my ride report. It's what I've heard over years of listening to riders: paddock conversations, owner chats, club-night talk, and the emails and messages that come straight to me. For the GW250, the chatter lands in a consistent place. Riders praise how easy and cheap it is to run, and they hit its limits when the pace picks up.
Riders describe a twin that runs quiet and muted, with a polish they didn't get from the singles they came from. Owners of very different heights report the same easy reach to the bars and controls, and the bike feels secure to them at low speeds. Long gaps between fill-ups come up constantly, with over 180 miles between stops treated as normal. Plenty went in skeptical about where it's built and came away impressed.
The gripe that comes up most is pace. Keeping up with faster traffic takes planning, and owners notice it hardest with a passenger aboard. A smaller group mentions the throttle off idle in first gear: abrupt enough that slow maneuvering and stop-start traffic turn jerky, with a few reporting the bike bucks if the right hand isn't careful.
Rear brake light switch corrosion (safety recall)
Water can enter the main wiring harness at the rear brake light switch connector, leading to corrosion. This may cause an electrical short, resulting in loss of the headlight, taillight, and brake lights. Suzuki issued a recall (2A66) to replace the brake light switch assembly and install a water protection cover.
Where this Suzuki GW250 Inazuma pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the GW250 Inazuma is actually built for.
For working on lines and body position at Dragon pace, the low power is an advantage: you learn technique instead of covering mistakes with throttle. The highway run in from Atlanta or Knoxville is the hard part.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
Be honest with yourself here. If you ride Angeles Crest with quick company and expect to keep up, 24 hp and 401 lb will frustrate you inside a month. Fine for a low-stress day, wrong tool for your usual pace.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Suzuki GW250 Inazuma. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Competitor · 2016–2019
Light, Cheap, Revs Hard
Roughly $2,100 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr
Competitor · 2013–2017
Light, Eager, Go-Anywhere
Roughly $2,200 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr
Competitor · 2013–2016
Small Frame, Serious Bite
Roughly $1,200 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr