The late(est) offering of Suzuki in the 150CC segment is Suzuki GS150R which suzuki claims to be and is a commuter bike.
This bike looks quite muscular and stunning in flesh. Pictures really don’t do justice to this baby. The tank and the handlebars are designed higher than any other bike in the same segment.
The GS headlight seems to be taken directly from Suzuki GSX-r1000. The air scoops below the headlight looks odd. The digital instrumentation seems to be the best in the class. The build quality and the paint job is superb.
When I press the thumb starter, the bike started with a smooth sound similar to Honda Unicorn. The engine felt smooth initially but the sound gets amplified and vibrations creep in after crossing 7000 rpm mark.
However the sound and vibrations are very minimal, thanks to the engine balancer technology. It has 6 gears with 1 down 5 up pattern. Gear shifting is smooth. However I felt the toe and heel gear shifter of this bike little bit uncomfortable.
The bike felt heavy on standstill and while taking corners the weight of the bike is felt as the bike is the heaviest in the 150cc lot. It has hydraulics forks at the front suspension and gas filled rear suspension.
This bike handles the potholes very well. The chassis-suspension setup on the GS has been designed well and works well for riding solo as well as with a pillion. While taking sharp corners it does not give enough confidence.
This may be due to absence of mono shock and very light handle. The turning radius is large as the bike is lengthier.
The pickup of this bike is more than Honda Unicorn and slightly less than FZ16 but performs better than FZ16 in the mid and high speed range. The mileage figure as quoted by the showroom guys is between 58-61kmpl which seems to be very good.
The upright seating posture and the wide seat provides excellent comfort to rider and the pillion. You will not feel any back pain. This bike can be termed as a traveler next to Hero honda Karizma and Honda Unicorn.
In many aspects, the bike seemed to be quite similar to Honda Unicorn with extra goodies. Many people are confused between Honda Unicorn and Suzuki GS150R. On one hand we have a proven excellent commuter in the form of unicorn and on the other hand a very good commuter bike to be proven.
This bike has the potential to provide tough competition to other 150CC commuter bikes. However, Honda Unicorn still remains the best in terms of engine refinement and handling.