When it was time to buy a new bike, I did lot of research and finally narrowed down my choices to Gladiator, Suzuki Zeus and Honda Shine. Then I took out Honda shine as it had only 4 gears even though its power was 10.3BHP. After this I took a test ride of Zeus and felt it was good. The turning radius is small and had good grip with the road. The changing of gears was smooth. Even though it was good some how I was not fully convinced to buy this. Then I thought a lot about Gladiator and it scored ahead of Zeus because of its power. Gladiator has 10.8 BHP of power while Zeus has 9BHP. In torque, Gladiator has 10.4NM @5500 while Zeus has 10NM@3500. This means that Zeus takes less stress on engine to deliver almost the same torque when compared to Gladiator. This inturn means engine longivity for Zeus when compared to Gladiator.With several thoughts on my mind, I finally had to make a choice depending on what I need most. I thought I needed good pickup and power as my personality is big. So I purchased Gladiator.
After I started driving it, I realized that looks wise it is very cool. Added to that the power of engine. The 5 gear system is really good. The button start is really handy while standing at traffic signals. I am happy with my decision so far. I am yet to check the mileage but looks like I am getting 45+ in the initial days. They promised me 60KMPL after the first service is done if not will return my money.
I am happy with my decision as it is really good to carry a lady pillion rider as the wheel base is larger. The braking is perfect. Overall I feel this is a good product from Yamaha.