http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/suzuki/2009-suzuki-dealer-show-report-86942.html 2009 TU250X Shocker of the show was a motorcycle no one could have anticipated, that is unless youre hyper-aware of the cost of a gallon of gas here in the U.S. The TU250X is Suzukis stab at riding the retro wave without having to come up with a whole new bike. <TABLE align=center itxtvisited="1"><TBODY itxtvisited="1"><TR itxtvisited="1"><TD itxtvisited="1"> The 2009 TU250X was a surprise to many people attending the dealer show. This new budget bike from Suzuki often drew a bigger crowd than many of the more popular bikes in Suzukis line. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> The TU250X is, in essence, a restyled GZ250. The GZ is a newbies dream with its simple Single 249cc air-cooled engine puttering riders around in cruiser style. The TU plays on the heart strings of those riders that grew up on UJMs. Its powered by the very same Single as the GZ, but (hold to your keyboards ) is fuel-injected! Yes, you read right, a fuel-injected air-cooled 250. Be ye beginner or stingy with your spending on fuel, the tiny and simple standard might be your path to two-wheeled giggles. The TU250X isnt intimidating in the least, and may very well be a big seller for Suzuki in the expanding female market. And again, I dare say Suzuki is thinking of the ladies with this one. Seat height is only 30.3 inches, a mere 2.5 inches higher than the already low saddle height of its cruiser mate. Additionally, the muffler carries a cat with an O2 sensor for cleaner exhaust. The little Standard loses about half a gallon of fuel capacity (3.17 vs. 3.4), but it appears to best the GZs curb weight by roughly three pounds (328 vs. 331 lbs). Id like to tell you what it was like to sit on, but it was kind of the star of the show as well as the show stealer. The thing was continually surround by a crowd of curious dealers. Reaction to the budget bike was mixed, as a number of dealers lamented the low-spec kit. Ill venture a guess, though, that if the current state of economics in the U.S persists, Suzuki may have another high-demand model on their hands, and this time the dealers will know better than to not have enough of this bike on hand. The people will vote with their dollars. Cheng Shin tire-shod or not, the TU250X looks like a deal maker! Just not in California, yet The TU250X will be available in March at an MSRP of $3,499.
Update on my TU250XK9.. Had the 600 mile service done $188. Valves were fine chain had to be tightened and the clutch and speedo cable had to be tightened slightly. Oil and filter changed. Oil was fine, no junk. There was some additional noise from the engine which was magically cured with higher octane gas. My guess is that I got a bad tank. I also noticed a significant performance increase with the higher octane gas and less vibration in the handle bars. Fuel economy at the last fill up was 81 mpg. Since then I have put another 200 miles on the bike and as long as there is no cross wind, 60 is not a problem. (55 actually as the speedo reads higher than you are actually going starting at about 25mph.) Fun rating still at 9 out of 10. Stupid trick of the day... Flip the kick stand up with the helmet still locked to the side of the bike.
Put another 100 miles on mine the last few days. Nothing new to report. Sweet little jewel. Would love to find a luggage rack or some way to carry throw over bags. Seems the turn signals are always in the way. The smallish rear seat would hinder a decent size bag. Ron in Tx
Just finished installing a set of cases on the wifes new 2009 TU 250. She loves this bike. Always gets off with a shit eating grin on her face. She uses it to commute to Boulder from Loveland (CO) apprx 25 miles one way. She's been getting 90 miles per gallon and needed a litle storage for rain pants, yoga clothes, purse that sort of stuff! So i bought a set of these: http://www.mutazu.com/index.html They went on with only a minimum of "engineering" . And the price has gotten even better than when i bought them! I paid $200. they are now listed at $115! jwrover http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwrover/3763157784/
OK, after much searching for a bike to replace the Ninja 250, we now have one of these in the stable. We left Minneapolis Friday morning, bound for Watertown, SD. By late afternoon, Susan had a brand new bike. We rode it home yesterday, taking it easy and just dawdling along the county roads. We switched off and she got her first chance to ride a motorcycle on the open road. She's had a scooter for three years now, and rarely rode the Ninjette. You can't tell with the helmet on, but there's a HUGE grin under there! More pics and a ride report to follow. -K
that is a sharp little bike. would love to see how it looks with that rear seat replaced by a scrambler-type, scaled-to-fit rack ...
I completed my license test on the Suzuki GN250, which shared it's engine with the old TU250, and probably this new version as well. I liked the bike, and wouldn't mind owning one of these new TU250's. Unfortunately they aren't available here.
jwrover: Very nice job with the saddlebags. Can you give a few more details? Did you use the mounting brackets sold by the firm handling the bags or some other type? Do they (the brackets) seem strong enough or are you concerned with them due to the vibration of the thumper engine? Thank you. Ned
Thanks! It is the perfect bike for her. I got this email today: You cannot ride my bike. You cannot ride it in a rally or in the rain or on a train, not on a boat or with a goat, not in a box or with a fox, not in a house or with a mouse. Apparently she knows me too well and is sticking to her guns! :eek1 -K