The Hindu Business Line : Will Suzuki thunder with Zeus?

Unlike Honda, the other Japanese bike maker, Suzuki Motorcycle India, has found the going tough despite having equally efficient and well-made bikes.

RELIABLE QUALITY, but no frills. — S. Muralidhar

Of the big three Japanese two-wheeler manufacturers, Honda dominates the Indian market. The other two bike manufacturers were very successful when they were part of a joint venture, but have failed to replicate the success, in terms of market penetration and sales volume, ever since they turned into wholly-owned subsidiaries.

We are of course talking about Yamaha Motor India and Suzuki Motorcycle India, the two Japanese two-wheeler companies that have found the going tough despite having equally efficient and well-made bikes.

Popular then

The Yamaha RX 100 and the Rajdoot Yamaha RD 350 were hugely popular bikes during the heyday of the Escorts-Yamaha joint venture.

Similarly, the TVS-Suzuki joint venture had popular bikes such as the Suzuki Samurai and the Shogun, and was the bike maker of choice after Escorts Yamaha in the early 1990s.

But after splitting with the TVS group and setting up a wholly-owned subsidiary, Suzuki Motorcycle India's bikes have not met with the same level of success.

The reasons for lower sales may be varied — the Suzuki brand being more recognised amongst car buyers than bike buyers in India or Suzuki's strategy to launch bikes in the 125cc executive segment first rather than in the entry-level 100cc bikes category.

Both the companies have first-rate products, but the market has not been fair to them.

In Suzuki's case, it is also one of the last entrants into the bike mart (if you don't include its joint stint with TVS) making its education about the Indian two-wheeler market that much shorter.

Both the companies have plans for expanding the scope of their market here, and possibly both of them desperately need to infuse some excitement into their product portfolio by launching a bike in the performance category. Maybe then the entry-level bike buyer will be more willing to buy products from these two companies.

Suzuki has been in the market only for the past about 16 months, with basically only one bike that is offered with two body styles and two different trim variants.

Both the base model the Heat and the more expensive Zeus, sport the same 125cc engine and five-speed gearbox. The differences are more in the trim quality and other cosmetic features.

Looking to Zeus

To expand the choice available to customers, Suzuki Motorcycle India recently introduced a new variant of the Zeus with added features.

The new Zeus 125 CD comes standard with starfish shaped, five-spoked alloy wheels, 240mm disc brakes for the front wheel, new body side graphics, a set of individual gear shift indicators at the top of the instrument cluster to clearly identify the gear slot in which the bike is riding in and there is also an electric start.

The other premium features in the Zeus 125 CD are die-cast aluminium alloy sub-frame, handle-bar end weights that help isolate engine and body vibrations, stylish under cowl just below the engine and a premium alloy rear grab rail. The Zeus' 124cc engine has been carried forward and this mill is clearly engineered and tuned more for mileage and city-traffic performance rather than for power.

This engine's peak power of 8.7 bhp delivered at about 7,000 rpm is amongst the lowest in this category. In comparison, the Bajaj Discover 125 DTS-i's engine offers 11.51 bhp and the Yamaha Gladiator's mill generates a peak power of 11 bhp.

However, the Zeus engine's maximum torque is a more comparable 10Nm that is generated at a low 3,500 rpm. Riding the Zeus in city traffic is easy, with its low-end torque and its smooth shifting five-speed gearbox. But, though it is has a five-speed gearbox unlike the four-speed one in the Bajaj Discover, the Zeus cannot still put it to good use as it loses a bit more of top-end power on the highway and on open stretches.

The build quality of the bike is good and though there is nothing fancy about the electrical switches and knobs, they still do seem to be reliable and sturdy.

The Suzuki Zeus CD is now fully loaded and this gives it more ammunition to take on the competition. That would also enable it to attract more buyers in the 125cc segment. But it will still find the going tough with competition from the Discover getting more intense. Suzuki should be able to overcome its image problem over time.

But what it needs now is a dash of excitement around the brand. Maybe Suzuki should launch the Hayabusa here!

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