Found in Pakistan

Some nations are friendly enough that they may meet you for the first time but won’t let you go unless you have lunch with them. Some are busy enough to say “Hello” when you pass by. And some are heavily impatient. They may think later and shoot first.

Suzuki Inazuma in Gujar Khan

But almost every human being in this world has something in common. And that is: most of us get attracted to the looks but realize the characteristics or the insights lately. A hot chick or an ordinary-looking girl? Of course, the hot chick. But who knows, that ordinary-looking girl has all the care and love you need.

In a way, something similar happened to the Suzuki Inazuma (a.k.a GW250, GW250F and even Inazuma Aegis).

Back in the Day Ninjas and Crabs Roared Inazuma:

It was October of 2024 when we published this article on Found in Pakistan.

11 years and a few months back, Suzuki unveiled Inazuma for the first time in the world. That was even the first time in the history of Pakistan that Suzuki officially launched Hayabusa in Pakistan, often known as Busa to some Pakistanis. Well, it was not just the Hayabusa that came to Pakistan. Their so-called legalization introduction of “Heavy Bikes” even brought in the Inazuma (GW250) and the Intruder.

Inazuma, Intruder, Hayabusa Brochure, courtesy Luxuries2U

While a lot of you may have not seen the Suzuki Intruder. But that is not something to worry about. The actual thing to worry about was, why Suzuki officially launched these 3 motorbikes in Pakistan.

There was a CBR250 from Honda, the Ninja 300 from Kawasaki, and the beloved R3 from Yamaha, easily available in the European, North American, Australian, and some Asian markets such as India. And Suzuki had already anticipated that there was something that may not appease the folks in those markets about Inazuma.

Kawasaki Ninja 300 2013 Courtesy Kawasaki UK Archieves

Honda CBR250 Courtesy MCN

Yamaha R3 Courtesy Wikipedia

Of course, there was nothing wrong with Inazuma’s power or drivetrain. The only thing it may have lacked initially were looks. Ninjas have always been stunning in their designs. And just like them, the CBRs aren’t even old school. At the same time, Yamaha has certainly done something with the R25 that changed the taste of its customers, resulting in lower initial sales for the R3. Well, that suggested, Suzuki had carefully anticipated the markets outside Pakistan.

Looks deceive! But if your competitor has attractive looks and competitive performance, both at the same time, you won’t have your chances.

Something like that happened to the Inazuma. They were pricier but they lacked a lot of things which made them lose the audience. To mention, Suzuki did not equip Inazuma with a Hazard lights option. Even in the 3 feet long Inazuma Aegis, you do not get the hazard lights.

Dolphins on CBR500X:

Politicians in some 3^rd world countries work for their fame and wealth. Indeed, not all, but most of them. When it comes to the Sharif brothers, found in Pakistan, they always want to be that hero who shall get all the polls. And nonetheless, the younger (Shahbaz) Sharif is always on his toes to make a difference. Well, what kind of a “Difference” depends on who is reading this content.

2013 was a year for another political adventure for the younger Sharif. He injected the Dolphins Police force while there was already a police force available. And those Dolphin policemen were given the Honda CB500X to ride.

Dolphins on CB500X, Courtesy Dawn

What the dolphins do, is not what we are telling here. We are talking about the fate of the Inazuma. Well, those were the Hondas on which the Dolphins were riding. And that brought in a “Swift Retort” from Suzuki.

There came in the Aegis!

The Aegis or the GW250F:

The year 2013 passed on and then was 2014. However, I am not sure if Suzuki was able to sell enough units of Inazuma. All I can tell you is that, I hardly saw one of those bikes in Pakistan. And that was in Murree when I was stress-testing Suzuki Sprinter a 110cc motorbike. However, I was comfortable in not taking a photo of that Inazuma.

Sprinter 110cc, it’s just to show what that bike was

Then came 2015!

Suzuki had a change of heart. They introduced a touring version of the Inazuma. However, the original variant has not gone anywhere so far.

The new Inazuma was launched as Inazuma Aegis. The 3^rd World markets were the ones having this new variant. Just a few weeks from its launch, it was learned that the Punjab and KPK (Khyber-Pakhtun Khawa) traffic police departments shall be getting the Inazuma Aegis. But it won’t be available commercially.

Inazuma Aegis, the Traffic Police Version, Courtesy Suzuki South

In a way, Suzuki realized from its experience in the Pakistani market that governments in this country love to fanaticize everything. They spend the tax money as the water flows down the mountainous streams.

In the province of Punjab, Dolphins were already performing their show with the CB500X. And the traffic-controlling policemen were made to ride the bigger Inazuma Aegis. Bigger in the way, it's way wider for riding in tight spots because of its panniers. It is roughly 3 ft wide.

Width of Inazuma Aegis

Inazuma Aegis Went Commercial After 2020:

Suzuki Inazuma had a hard life. Its sales were stopped in some Asian countries by 2015 as it hardly matched the competition because of its looks and price. In the same year, the Inazuma had to leave the European markets. The Euro compliance demands an ABS braking system in every bike over 125cc. But the Inazuma lacked that. And the Japanese were never interested in getting ABS onto Inazumas.

Well in our tests, the braking on Inazuma is way better than those on the ABS bikes of its class. We drove her on and off the road. The ABS is meant to keep the rider and the pillion safe. For instance, if you have to apply hard brakes at a high speed, the chances are that the bike may slip depending on the road conditions. If you have had similar experiences, you may have learned to control the bike in such situations.

Inazuma Parked Off-Road, Shot taken somewhere between Rawat and Chakri

Finally, by 2018, Suzuki discontinued the Inazuma entirely!

But if Suzuki had discontinued the Inazuma, how is the Inazuma Aegis still available in Pakistan and officially sold on Pak Suzuki Motorcycle outlets?

Inazuma Aegis Displayed at a Pak Suzuki Outlet

There was a Breach of Contract which Forced Inazuma Aegis to become Commercial:

Pak Suzuki contracted with the Punjab and KPK governments, which included federal and provincial agencies to provide Inazuma Aegis. The provincial governments breached that contract, citing they didn’t have the money. While, in reality, it was because of the so-called “RegimeChange”.

An official from Pak Suzuki told us that Suzuki (the Japanese Version), delivered a fresh lot of the Inazuma Aegis, ordered by the government. By the time it was delivered, the government had changed. And the new government breached the contract based on the unavailability of funds.

Per our assumption, Pak Suzuki may have asked the Suzuki to take the bikes back. But Suzuki denied the request probably because those were on NCNR (Non-Cancellable, Non-Returnable) terms. And why won’t they? Suzuki had already moved on to the beautiful VStrom!

Right Grip switch assembly of Suzuki Inazuma Aegis (Front)

Right Grip switch assembly of Suzuki Inazuma Aegis (Top)

Our assumption continues! The trouble continued and the solution to that was to commercialize the vehicle. In the photos above, you may see some unusual switches on the grip. These were meant to control the strobe lights, the alarms, and the speakers. Check this out:

Tail box Light on Inazuma Aegis

That was the Only Way!

Pak Suzuki was out of options. The only way was to sell the vehicles in commercial markets. And that is when they added the Inazuma Aegis to their price list:

Suzuki Motorbikes Price List as of May 2024

However, you won’t find this motorbike on the official Pak Suzuki website. You may not even see any of those on regular showroom displays.

What We Found in Suzuki Inazuma GW250F:

To be very clear the Inazuma Aegis is not meant for speed. While we have tested her over 150 KM/h. But that doesn’t make it a sports bike. It is a touring machine, a bike meant to be driven on highways from one city to another.

However, in the European and Australian markets, it was just an entry-level commuter, that people used for their daily needs. But here in Pakistan, people call it a “Heavy Bike”.

Well, if you are planning to get one of those, then you may need to know these:

Inazuma Aegis vibrates when the gears are held for long. Thanks to its dated tires
Panniers and the tail box vibrate, adding strange music to your ride.
In the break-in period, the gearing feels harder. But after its first service, they never felt harder again
The windshield could have been taller. You may feel that need if you are 6 feet or over.
The headlight is troublesome. The brighter one or the high beam aims for the stars, and the low beam targets the eyes of the oncoming drivers. Thanks to Ayub Autos on McLeod Road in Lahore who adjusted the light.

Further, the Inazuma has:

Stable ride
Not a quick shifter, but still the shifter works pretty quick
Braking is sharp
Panniers and the tail box are quite handy
The tail box can keep the water bottles cold for up to 100 kilometers or just over one and a half hour
Suspension is smooth. We are still driving it on factory settings. And we tested carrying eggs in its tail box. They didn’t break!

There is nothing to complain about its powertrain. It is powerful and smooth, since it’s a dual-piston machine, smoothness is its pact.

But you just read up there that it vibrates when the gears are held. Held in a way, the rider tries to maintain the speed when in traffic. Well, that vibration is like a circular impact. It starts and stops, and cycles sequentially. If you want total peace, get the new tires!

Options We Had Before Going for Inazuma Aegis:

Back in the beginning of 2024, we began to find a bike bigger than the 150-cc class but smaller than 300 cc. That was because of the budget we had.

The primary consideration was the Benelli 180S. It has sharp looks and a bespoke design. But we were never able to find any review about that bike. Especially, the review about its drivetrain driven over 10,000 km. The next option was the Benelli 251S and the TRK251. But both were called off for the same reason, lacking reviews.

Finally, the Inazuma Aegis appeared to us out of nowhere. And there were plenty of reviews available for this machine.

Well, if you have more than a million but less than two million you may go for:

Of course, the Suzuki Inazuma Aegis
Benellis up to 250 cc, and after a lot of digging we just found Nomalogy Vlogs or Shiraz Biker, who recently reviewed one of those which is in use since last 3 years

Besides, there is a Lifan KPT200 which costs slightly less than 1.1 million Pakistani Rupees. But as it happens in Pakistan for the motorbikes, the long-term reviews aren’t available yet. Whether it is a comparable or considerable bike at all, is yet to be discovered.

Benelli TRK251 Courtesy Benelli Pakistan

Not to forget, the Benelli TRK251 is one of the closest competitors of the Inazuma Aegis. It offers better handling and indeed a comparable performance. But its drivetrain’s durability is still to be tested.

The Testing shall Keep on!

As long as we are alive and keep this machine with us, we shall continue the tests. There is a lot more to discover about this bike. You will find that in our upcoming content here or on our YouTubeChannel.

Till then, stay blessed, and Allah Hafiz!