Top 10 best-selling Suzukis
These were Suzuki's top 10 biggest sellers in the first half of 2015
REMEMBER the days when a big Japanese manufacturer like Suzuki could sell thousands of a single model in a year? When the GSX-R600 accounted for perhaps 2000 sales a year, with a similar number of GSX-R1000s also finding new homes?
Well those days are long gone, as a combination of increasing diversity and lower overall sales means it’s rare for a single model to get anywhere near those numbers.
Recently we’ve been looking at the top 10 best-selling models in the first half of 2015 from a range of manufacturers, using government new bike registration figures from January to June. Now it’s Suzuki’s turn, so which of the firm’s bikes are doing well?
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10. DL650A L5 (86 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
That does seem like a small number, doesn’t it? We’re talking about the fairly well appreciated V-Strom 650 here, so you might have expected more to sell. The explanation is perhaps due to the fact that this is specifically the 2015 ‘L5’ model, and during the same period Suzuki sold an additional 31 2014-spec ‘L4’ machines, while the tougher-looking V-Strom 650XT is also listed separately – read on to see how well it’s done.
9. GSX1250FA L5 (100 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Yes, it’s old enough to feature in cave paintings and has a name that sounds more suited to a washing machine than a motorcycle, but the GSX1250FA still represents a huge lump of motorcycle for the money. The RRP’s a mere £7999, which is impressive for a fully-faired, 1255cc, four-cylinder tourer complete with luggage, and of course the RRP is merely the starting point for negotiations… In that light, it’s surprising that only 100 people took advantage of such a deal in the first half of the year (plus an additional 29 who presumably got an even better deal by grabbing old-stock 2014 models).
8. GSX-R600 L5 (101 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Given that it hasn’t been updated in eons, the GSX-R600’s 2015 registration figures are fairly solid, particularly if you add an additional 24 2014 bikes registered this year to the L5’s total. Yes, we’re a long way from the glory days of 2000-plus annual sales, but the GSX-R600 is within spitting distance of being a top-five seller in Suzuki’s range.
7. DL650XA L5 (104 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Adding a beak and some wire wheels to the V-Strom 650 to create the ‘XT’ version (technically the XA L5) was clearly a good move by Suzuki, since its sales are already outstripping the cheaper ‘A’ model’s. Combined, the V-Strom is on course to easily outperform its total 2014 sales figure, even though the bike is largely the same apart from the new cosmetics.
6. UK 110 NE (108 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Given that Suzuki sells a range of scooters, as well as the learner-legal VanVan 125, it’s surprising that this is the only L-plate-legal bike on the list. Better known as the Address 110, it’s a fairly run-of-the-mill, sub-£2000 twist-and-go.
5. GSX1300RA L5 (120 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
From one extreme of Suzuki’s range to the other, the Address is about as slow as Suzukis come and there’s little question that the GSX1300R Hayabusa is the fastest of all. There were an additional 14 2014 versions registered this year, too, so the Busa’s actual registration figure is slightly higher than the 120 that gained it fifth this year. Yes, it’s been unchanged for a long time, but if sales continue in this vein then 2015 is going to be a relatively decent year for the Hayabusa, even if it’s surely one of its last.
4. GSX-S1000A L6 ABS (137 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Ah-ha, perhaps the biggest new bike for Suzuki this year, the GSX-S1000 (and this is specifically the naked version) is likely to rank higher than 4th come the end of the year because it wasn’t on sale until halfway through the six-month period we’re looking at here. The faired ‘F’ version didn’t officially reach showrooms until July, missing the cut entirely, although 19 were actually registered by the end of June. If we repeat this list at the end of the year, expect both models to feature strongly.
3. GSX-R1000 L5 (166 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
For a bike that everyone has been expecting to get replaced for years, and which has been completely overshadowed by refreshed rivals this year, the GSX-R1000 is still going strong in terms of sales. Its low, low price (in 1000cc superbike terms) is probably the reason. There’s no cheaper way to get on a brand new bike that’s still at least 95% as capable as the very latest rivals in the real world, and a decent number of buyers have realised that.
2. GSX-R750 L5 (195 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Err… Hello? Is anyone out there in the product planning departments of other firms paying attention to the fact that the GSX-R750 – a race-replica languishing in a class that hasn’t actually had a race series to replicate for years – is outselling its sibling 600cc and 1000cc models? Most riders agree it’s a near-perfect compromise, and the popularity of the format (around 150bhp and a lower price than a ‘superbike’ class machine) is also reflected by the fact that Ducati’s 899 Panigale, one of the few machines with a similar performance balance, outsells its bigger sibling over here as well. Imagine how well the GSX-R750 might do if it actually got some updates apart from bold new colours each year?
1. DL 1000 AL4 (225 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Adventure bikes are certainly the style du jour, with something in that class topping many manufacturers' sales lists, and the DL1000 V-Strom is no exception. Oddly, while Suzuki sells four separate flavours (Sport, Desert, Adventure and plain) they’re all lumped together on the DfT’s registration figures. However, there’s a strong chance that the GSX-S1000 will be able to overtake the V-Strom in sales terms before the year is out.
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Top 10 most read-about bikes of Eicma 2015
