Suzuki Skydrive FI

Place the Suzuki next to its counterparts from Honda and Yamaha and you can instantly tell that there is something feminine about the design of the Suzuki. The design of the Skydrive incorporates more curves in it than angles. It is not necessarily a bad thing and even shows some creativity on Suzuki’s part. The design otherwise has remained very much unchanged from the one it came with back in 2009. But it still makes it stand out from the usual crowd of scooters on any parking lot. The most distinctive feature here is the front. The headlight assembly is made up of five different lights. There are two indicators that cover almost the entirety of the pointy apron. Below them are two extra multi reflector light flanking the central light that is housed in a curvaceous glass housing. Under the apron lies the pointy beak like front fender. The handlebar housing is clean with some sculpted lines and a small Suzuki logo. The sides are clad with similarly shaped paneling. The rear is not too high. The tail end has the indicators and taillight integrated in the same assembly. The indicators can be clearly seen from the sides which is good for visibility. The rear gets a conventional grab rail. The angular silencer and heat shield do add some much needed aggression. There are four color options – black, red, violet and pink. There are checkered graphics in the front and sides which frankly are not the best looking. The instrumentation is conventional and basic. There are two storage compartments in the back of the apron that can hold water bottles. There is an underseat storage too, but it is only wide enough for a cell phone. The scooter is 1885 mm long, 655 mm wide and 1040 mm tall with a wheel base of 1240 mm. The ground clearance of 140 mm is also decent as is the seat height of 760 mm. It rides on 14” cast alloy wheels with 70/90 tires on each end.

The seat is nearly flat and the seating position is upright and comfortable. There is conventional oil damped telescopic coil spring swingarm type suspension up front and the rear gets a single sided oil damped shock absorber. The suspension does a good enough job of absorbing the bumps and keeps the ride stable. This is commuter scooter does a decent job of being just that.

Powering the 106 kg (dry) scooter is a 124 cc SOHC 2-Valve air cooled and fuel injected engine. Peak power of 6.9 kW comes at 7500 rpm and peak torque of 9.5 Nm comes at 6500 rpm. The power is sufficient and around the same mark as its competitors. 0-60 km/h time is around 9 sec. Thanks to the fuel injection and the composite electrochemical material used in the engine construction, the fuel economy is easily 45-50 km/L. The fuel tank is 4L which gives a decent range of around 200 km.

The front gets a disc brake and the rear must manage with a drum brake. However, with the intended use these brakes are just fine. As for security concerns, the scooter also comes with a keyhole shutter.

The Suzuki Skydrive Fi is a very good scooter that will serve its rider on urban roads while standing out from the crowd with its styling. But the competition is soon going to leave it far behind,  if Suzuki does not give it a much-needed upgrade. The current price point can also prove to be a sore point with potential customers.