Yamaha vs Suzuki Motorcycles – Which One Would We Choose?

When you are choosing a motorcycle, you have a big choice of options. Different brands and models offer numerous advantages and disadvantages. And you'll be able to know about all of them only after you buy a certain motorcycle and ride it for a couple of months. But it may be a very expensive mistake. So, we decided to clear some points about Yamaha and Suzuki bikes for you.

Choosing a proper motorcycle is not easy at all. You need to understand which seat height is optimal for you, what wheelbase should be, how much power you need, etc. At first, you will need to choose the type of bike. And all these choices may make you nervous because you can spend weeks and months just sorting out all the bikes in your try to choose the best one.

Here's what we'll discuss today:

1. Yamaha bikes - are they the best motorcycles currently available?
2. Suzuki motorcycles - why do people still prefer them?
3. Some downsides of Yamaha and Suzuki bikes.
4. Price comparison, maintenance, and longevity issues.

Let's get started!

Are Yamaha motorcycles actually good?

Yamaha company works in Japan and has a long history of motorcycle production. Some of the bikes it makes are actually historical and legendary. Yamaha offers a wide range of bikes including dirt bikes, crotch-rockets, cruisers, and also other types. They don't focus on a single type and they provide a big choice for their clients.

Also, Yamaha is known for its quality. They keep making new electronics, and new technological features for their new bikes. Even if you compare Yamaha bikes with any other producers, you will see that the Japanese brand is one of the most technological companies in the world.

Here are some other things you may want to know:

• the bikes' design is special, you will certainly know that you are looking at Yamaha if you see one on the street;
• all Yamaha bikes are light, this helps them accelerate faster in the city;
• also, lighter motorcycles burn less gasoline that makes them a little less expensive to own;
• quality is one of the most important features, Yamaha bikes last long and don't cause a lot of problems;
• these bikes are easy to handle and they provide you with a wonderful riding experience.

Yes, you can apply a lot of these factors to some other bike manufacturers. But agree that the cocktail of these features is only possible when you are riding a Yamaha motorcycle.

Are there any drawbacks? Yes, we know some. Usually, Yamaha bikes are less powerful than their counterparts. The reason for this is the light weight. Light bikes don't need a lot of power. But this leads to two bad things: engine longevity and also bad highway riding experience. We would say, most Yamaha bikes are good for cities, not for highways.

Some models of Yamaha still "surprise" owners with poor quality headlights and some other important features that don't allow us to say that Yamaha is the world's best bike manufacturer.

What about Suzuki motorcycles?

Suzuki is another Japanese brand that specializes in bikes. It also makes cars and SUVs, but the brand is more famous for its motorcycles. After all those good things that we've said about Yamaha, you could think that we would start saying bad things about Suzuki in our today's comparison. But that's not true.

Suzuki bikes are great. They are all built to last. If you compare the longevity of Yamaha bikes with the longevity of Suzuki motorcycles, you will see that Suzuki wins. You will have much fewer breakdowns than with any other bike in the world. Maybe, just some brands can compete with Suzuki in the field of quality.

But here are some other important features:

• high-performance engines - wonderful options for those who want real sport from their bikes;
• affordability - prices for Suzuki bikes are often lower than for main counterparts including Yamaha;
• a lot of types of motorcycles available in the lineup to choose from;
• wonderful safety features - maybe, we can say that Suzuki bikes are the safest in their price categories;
• good highway riding - you may ride your motorbike and experience only good emotions, no matter what kind of road you are on.

Looking at these pros, you can now start thinking - what's actually better: Suzuki or Yamaha? And the answer to this question is not obvious at all. We would say that a person should choose a motorbike according to his or her personal wishes.

Suzuki bikes are often described as optimal motorcycles for different types of buyers. But we would say that Suzuki doesn't have a lot of options for a starter. Also, we know one basic disadvantage of the Suzuki motorcycles - these bikes all have quite a stiff suspension. It means that you will not get a lot of comfort when riding on a bad road.

Prices for Suzuki and Yamaha

We wouldn't say that we've noticed some differences in pricing when we were looking at these bikes. At first, it may seem that a Suzuki bike costs a little cheaper than the same type of Yamaha motorcycle. But when you start comparing all features and adding to a Suzuki bike everything you already have in a Yamaha counterpart, you will get the same price.

The good thing is that you can buy a bare Suzuki bike with basically no modern technologies. If you are choosing Yamaha, you will need to pay for all those things you may never use. But when we are talking about the prices, we don't see the crucial difference.

Also, we can't see any difference in maintenance. Parts cost approximately the same for Suzuki and Yamaha bikes. Finding a dealer or a repair shop isn't that hard for both brands. But Yamaha will burn less gas, so eventually, it appears to be a little cheaper thanks to lighter weight and less powerful engines.

So, what's better: Suzuki or Yamaha?

It's extremely hard to estimate and say correctly which motorcycle manufacturer is better. On the one hand, we have a cheaper Suzuki with more powerful engines and a sporty riding experience. On the other hand, we have a lighter and more economical Yamaha with better technologies and wonderful design. Hard to choose, right?

It's really hard because each motorcycle model should be discussed separately. We know some less successful Suzuki models that lose on the market and we know some wonderful leaders in the Suzuki lineup that don't even let their counterparts come close to them in terms of sales.

Here are some perks for you when you are choosing a motorbike:

1. Pay attention to your personal feelings. It's very important whether you like the bike you are going to buy or not. If you don't like how it looks, you will never love how it goes and you will be disappointed with your purchase.
2. Compare the prices. Sometimes, the price can be the deciding factor because you may have a promo from one of the dealers and get a bike cheaper than you expect.
3. Think about the way you are going to use your motorcycle. If you want to go on highways, you should choose a Suzuki bike. If you want to ride in the city, you may choose Yamaha.
4. Look at additional options. Think which brand gives you more technologies and more opportunities for the same money. Just take your budget and see what you can buy from Suzuki and from Yamaha.
5. Read the reviews. This article is written at the time when we would choose a Suzuki because it's more practical and cheaper. But in a year, everything may change and Yamaha may offer something unbelievable.

In our team, we love heavy bikes and powerful engines. That's why Yamaha is not our choice. But we still respect what Yamaha does and we know that their bikes are wonderful. We also know a lot of people, they are our friends, who have been riding Yamaha bikes for decades changing them to newer models of Yamaha each time something cool appears on the market.

For a decision, you should just test drive both bikes and see which one appeals to you. Your personal feelings are still the most important when you are going to buy a motorcycle. You should love it.

Final words

As we've already said, Suzuki is something we would buy just because it's one of the best bikes we can think of. It's powerful, beautiful, simple to maintain, etc. But this is just our personal opinion. We also love Yamaha motorcycles for their quality, sound, design, and comfort. Both companies are wonderful and a person should only rely on his or her own feelings when choosing a bike.

We believe that a test drive is the best way to check if you like a motorbike. Try to feel it, try to understand if you are ready to ride like that daily. And when you find a motorcycle that is perfect for you, you will feel this.