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Picture this: It’s an average morning in the city of Kathmandu. The roads are convoluted with morning traffic, rush hour indeed. Amidst the chaos, is a father, dropping off his children at school on his way to the office. One of the kids is in the passenger seat with his arms around the father. The other has a water bottle (tumlet) hanging on their neck, precariously standing on the front of the scooter, peeping their head over the front apron. What scooter was the father riding? If you imagined the father riding the Suzuki Access, then we think alike. If not, this was a failed experiment and we should swiftly move on.
Our point is, the Suzuki Access is the definition of a “dad scooter”. Great utility, minimum frills, zero nonsense and got the job done. However, it wouldn’t be your weapon of choice if you wanted to impress a girl on a first date.
Now, someone at Suzuki must have noticed this slip-up because they have now come- up with a trendy, youthful 125cc scooter and named it the Suzuki Avenis. So, if the unassuming, family scooter style of the Access was what put some riders off the otherwise decent scooter, the Avenis could turn things around for Suzuki.
More than just a wardrobe upgrade?
The Suzuki Avenis is sporty and aggressively designed, the sharp lines and creases on the body make sure of it. It definitely demands notice on the roads, especially when it is sporting its Moto GP graphics livery. Even with its other dual-tone colour options, the Avenis is not looking to be subtle.
On the front apron, you get LED headlamps flanked by angular body panels. You’ll find the indicators mounted on the handlebars. This, paired with the tinted fly screen, definitely gives off a praying mantis vibe. The profile carries the aggressive, angular design language well. The sporty muffler cover is a nice addition to the new design language. The stepped seats add dimension and is comfortable for both rider and pillion.
We spent many hours on the saddle of the Avenis and it is difficult to find fault in terms of ergonomics. You get plenty of knee room thanks to the long floorboard, even for lanky riders. In fact, you can chuck a few of your belongings on the floorboard within city limits.
The rear gets a sporty, triangular LED tail lamp. While the design is compact, the lights are very visible and were very useful in the monsoon rains, especially at night. In terms of features the Suzuki Avenis gets a few practical ones, let’s start with the storage spaces.
Up front, you get a front pocket where you can store things that you might need quick access to, like a small water bottle. You also get a USB socket for charging your phone. In between, you also get a convenient hook to hang your belongings and another securing point under the front of your seat for your luggage that would be on the floorboard.
Under-seat storage is also 21.8 liters, which is the segment-largest. We weren’t really able to fit in a full-size helmet because we were not willing to risk scratching our gear, but a half-face helmet fit in comfortably. The larger under-seat storage only allows for a fuel tank that accommodates a total of 5.2 liters of petrol.
To make life easier, you also get an external fuel cap. This was extremely useful in fuel stations where you have a long queue of people breathing down your neck. Not having to open the seat to refuel is a blessing for scooter riders.
The new console sticks to the youthful nature of the Avenis and takes on a completely digital avatar. The body-mounted fully digital instrument panel displays a digital clock, fuel gauge, oil change indicator, and more. Furthermore, you can also link your scooter to your phone via the Suzuki Ride Connect app.
We have established that the Suzuki Avenis is a trendy and youthful scooter that comes with new designs and features, but how does it ride?
The Suzuki Access 125 was a fun, zippy scooter, and pretty much everything underneath the snazzy new exterior of the Avenis does remain the same. You get the same 4-stroke, single-cylinder, 124cc BS-VI engine which produces a peak power of 8.6 BHP which is reached at 6750rpm. Peak torque of 10NM comes in at 5500rpm. This was a pretty decent package for the Suzuki Access. It was built to get you around town, to your office, to the market, and on any errand that may come your way on a daily basis.
However, the Suzuki Avenis doesn’t look like your conventional, chore-assisting scooter. The Avenis looks like a fast, aggressive scooter that zips in and out of traffic and enjoys breaking speed limits.
However, the power output remains identical to the Access. Not that the Access was a terrible scooter, it was great at what it did and people loved it for it. But, it would have been amazing if Suzuki could have tuned it to make it slightly peppier, even if it was at the expense of a smooth ride.
Nevertheless, the Suzuki Avenis is refined with smooth and linear acceleration. It is quick on its feet, but you won’t be breaking any speed records on it. In terms of ride and handling, once again, it is identical to the Suzuki Access. Regardless of the road conditions, the Suzuki Avenis managed to keep its cool and soldier on without complaint. It also receives a sturdy setup, resulting in a balanced bike that inspires confident riding.
The Combined Braking System works well in conjunction with a combination of disc brakes on the front and drum brakes on the rear. Overall, the ride was refined and stable. Yet, we would be willing to trade it for a slightly more aggressive tuning for the Avenis.
Like it or not, the Suzuki Avenis is mostly a better-dressed Suzuki Access. It is the glow-up that takes your conventional “dad scooter” and adds a fun, young ride to the Suzuki scooter roster. However, the Avenis’ likenesses to its older sibling work both for and against it.
The engine is smooth, linear and reliable, but it isn’t reflective of the new, aggressive design language. The handling is calm and predictable, but we would have liked something more responsive and exciting. On the bright side, the Suzuki Access was a great scooter and it brought with it, a lot of positives. Like its older sibling, the Avenis is practical. It has plenty of useful spaces. It is also easy to ride and comfortable for both rider and pillion. Moreover, the Suzuki Access has proven to be a tried and tested success, so we can assume the Avenis is set to follow that path.
Regardless, it is good to have a sporty scooter from Suzuki. Yamaha has one, and so does TVS. What Suzuki brings to the table is the dependability established by Access. However, we would have loved a performance upgrade as well.
