Suzuki marches its way ahead with a 'Swish'

When Suzuki launched its Access 125 scooter a few years ago, it set on a competitive course with a Japanese rival and other homegrown players who offered similar products that had already struck a chord with the Indians.

Access, though simple in design, did manage to strike the hot iron and before Suzuki knew it, the vehicle was enjoying a waiting list of patrons who were willing to wait that extra week or month for the right shade or for the right auspicious moment to buy it. Almost five years on and many other manufacturers bidding for a share of the lucrative two-wheeler (scooter) market, Suzuki recently rolled out yet another scooter.

The ‘Swish 125’, as it is called, is a sibling to the Access, running on a similar engine and built on the same platform. The term ‘Swish’ is related to the sound of the swinging sword (Samurai’s Katana), which is a sacred weapon used in Japanese martial art, based on which, the gearless scooter is also named, owing to its edgy looks.

Having riden the Access, I was keen to try out its sibling. I was given a chance by Aryan Suzuki at Domlur, in Bangalore. On first approach, the vehicle had a soothing feel to it or should I even say, it was very inviting. One look at it and you can see that the Swish carries minute details borrowed from the Access. 

A major change is that the sides of the vehicle are rough and edgy. The Access was built to suit a typical urban working commuter, but the Swish clearly looks to be made for the youth.

On the front, it has no unique design and looks very much like other competitors in its class, with the broad rectangular headline on top and a separate pair of indicator lamps. Even the instrument panel is very basic, containing only a speedometer, fuel gauge and indicators.

But when one moves towards its rear, there appears a radical shift from the known designs of today. The upward-raised tail section with the outward-protruding angular tail lamp integrated with indicators looks futuristic and essentially, Japanese, resembling the rear sections found on top-end bikes and scooters. Overall, the looks, along with the tall stance, is a welcome design in the traditional scooter segment.

The ride

I mounted a beautiful blue shade Swish and took off. The feature that impressed me from the beginning was the comfort. The Swish’s ergonomics are laudable. The vehicle’s height of 1,140 mm means a reasonably tall seating, ensuring that the rider gets a full sense of the road ahead.

The seat is placed perfectly and the distance between it and the riding console is also methodically calculated, aiding in the easy handling of the different knobs and switches on the console. With these conveniences, riding a tall scooter like the Swish for a short person like me, felt effortless.

The Swish has a pretty powerful 125cc 4-stroke single cylinder engine, dishing out a power of 8.58hp@7000rpm, along with a torque of 9.8 Nm@5000rpm. As I made my way towards the Manipal Hospital junction in Bangalore, gradually pulling at the throttle, the scooter began to pick up speed gracefully. Within no time, it had already begun to touch the 60 kmph-mark, while calmly maintaining a steady ride.

Even at this speed, the scooter reacted effortlessly to variations in throttle handling, during which, I had a chance to savour the Swish’s manoeuvrability.

The ride from the junction towards Marathahalli was dotted with sudden bursts of heavy traffic. The Swish has a streamlined design and its engineers seem to have adhered to the principles of aerodynamics in a big way.

This I could soon realise as I, with ease and dexterity, zipped through the traffic, maintaining a constant speed of 50 kmph and the vehicle responded effectively.

Good ground clearance

I reached Kemp Fort and took a U-turn. The design of the scooter didn’t require me to reduce much speed, coming down to about 25 kmph. On encountering the many puddles and dimples that Bangalore’s roads are famous for, the scooter’s ground clearance at 160 mm, coupled with good shock absorbers, helped it comfortably defeat them.

The ergonomics have a role to play here too, considering that rider comfort is much ensured, especially while riding on bad roads.

It was now time to test its climb. As we (Swish and me) headed on the Old Airport Road flyover towards Koramangala, I found the same amazing power and pace with which it had defeated the straight roads.

It was on the way down that I faced my first disappointment about the Swish. For a powerful 125cc scooter, it would have been a better option to have it fitted with disc brakes. The 120mm drum brakes do their job, but the stop is jerky and the overall feel is ordinary. Another not so impressive feature on the Swish is also related to the ride.

While this scooter is slowing down and its speed coming down to about 20-30 kmph, the handling becomes quite hard. I encountered a lot of drag and the engine suddenly turned noisy, making the overall ride heavy.

This was brief and on hitting the open rode again back from the Koramangala side, the Swish got back its mood. It thundered forward, making its flaws seem but minor ubiquities. After a 30-minute spin, I rode the Swish back into the showroom, during which I learnt that scooters are here to stay.

The feeling

The Swish, is no doubt, a worthy entrant in the race for the ultimate scooter, competing against a range of other players from home and abroad. It does justice to its name too, with its looks and ride quality.

Coming in five distinct colours, the scooter seems to have it all in its favour, especially aiming to become a favourite among the youth. It has its share of disappointments, but they are all overshadowed by its juicy price. For a 125cc scooter, one can grab a Swish for Rs 48,752 (ex-showroom Bangalore).