Suzuki Swish review, test drive

The Swish 125 is the marginally taller and lighter sibling to Suzuki’s acclaimed Access scooter. The company has done a good job on the design of this smart looking scooter, giving it a flair that was missing on the Access. The rounded mudguard and front apron are endowed with smooth lines, while the clear-lens, flush-fit front indicators are neatly set into the front apron. Above those is the modern looking headlamp which is bigger than the one on the Access. The rear-view mirrors look neat, while the instrument panel consisting of an analogue speedometer, fuel gauge and icons for the high-beam and indicators, is well laid out. The palm grips feel good; the switches are crisp and decent to operate, but the brake levers feel flimsy. Just like on the Access, Suzuki has provided a centralised ignition key slot with a safety shutter, and it is also where you open the under-seat compartment from. The Swish lacks a glove box though, and the solitary bag hook is placed inconveniently low and close to the floorboard.

The wide seat is comfortable for both rider and passenger. The sleek side panels carry forward the posh look with new-age graphics and backward-flowing creases. The body panels are made of a composite material called ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) which is used on the Access too. The Swish gets a wide aluminum grab bar and sharply styled brake light cluster which looks upmarket and sporty.

The Swish 125 is powered by the smooth, 124cc, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine that also powers the Suzuki Access. It produces 8.58bhp at 7000rpm and 1kgm of peak torque at 5500rpm, and comes with a push-button starter as well as a kick lever. The gearless scooter pulls smoothly from low in its powerband and is quick enough for city use.

As is expected from good automatic scooters, the Swish 125 does a great job of providing twist-and-go convenience. Like the Access, this scooter too is equipped with telescopic front forks and a single hydraulic shock absorber at the rear. The suspension offers a comfortable ride even on road undulations. The Swish’s handlebar unpleasantly collides with the rider’s knees when taking sharp turns, and this can be unsafe. Braking is via 120mm drums which do an effective job and the Swish rides on tube-equipped tyres and steel rims.

The scooter comes with a spacious, 20-litre under-seat compartment. However, you have to pay Rs 658 more for the optional pillion foot pegs, which are standard on an Access, and around Rs 800 more to add a glove box in the front. The bike retails at Rs 46,257 (ex-showroom, Delhi) and is available in a choice of five colours - blue, white, black, red and grey. The Swish 125 is an upmarket gearless scooter which should be popular amongst college-goers. However, underneath it all, Suzuki has simply made cosmetic changes to the Access to arrive at the Swish 125; their basic dimensions and specification are the same. Suzuki is a manufacturer that is capable of producing superior products and we would have expected better than this.