Suzuki has tasted a fair amount of success in the premium scooter segment in India with their Access 125 & Burgman Street 125 models. Now, the Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer is evaluating the possibility of introducing higher capacity scooters for India. Suzuki might introduce bigger engine variants of the Burgman series and then consider launching other scooter models with an engine bigger than 150cc. To start with, even a Burgman 200 would suffice as India has now received a sporty scooter ever since the Kinetic Blaze back in the day.
The Suzuki Burgman 200 sold in international markets comes with a 200cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, SOHC, 4-stroke motor which produces 18 PS of power @ 8000 RPM and 16.8 Nm of torque @ 6000 RPM matched to a CVT automatic transmission. The scooter weighs 164 kg, which is not particularly light considering the scooters Indian audience has been used to. However, the added performance shall more than justify for that. The Burgman 200 is typical of a maxi-scooter, and there is also a Burgman 400 scooter which with a 400cc motor produces 31 PS of power and weighs a massive 215 kg. There is no clarity yet on what the engine capacity would be for a bigger Burgman in India.
There have been rumours that Suzuki has been developing a Burgman 180 and this scooter would be developed in Japan before rolling out to potential markets. The scooter will be a typical maxi-scooter, but will have styling similar to the higher capacity Burgman models. The 180cc model will be a single-cylinder, air-cooled motor to keep costs in check and will come in a BSVI avatar obviously.
The bigger question though is how many customers would line-up to buy a scooter with more performance. In India, scooters are looked upon as a utilitarian product rather than aspirational and performance oriented. Suzuki could very well start a new trend if they launch the Burgman 180 / 200 in India and then other brands might follow suit. Nevertheless, good times for scooter fans who want to ride faster…