This is my second review after a successful review for CHEVROLET BEAT PETROL LS. It was around march of last year(2011) when I decided of purchasing a bike after strolling around on a Honda Activa for about 2 years. Zeroing in for a bike was a difficult task because of the range of options available. But I had to start from somewhere.
I am a tall guy - around 6’ tall and wanted a bike which would have well suited me and my hunger for power both. The most important was the constraint as I am just a b-tech student who earns by teaching tuition classes part time.I had around Rs.50, 000 with me and another 15-20 could well be borrowed from mom.
Now when discussed with friends, many obvious options sprung up like:
BAJAJ PULSAR-150
BAJAJ PULSAR-200
HONDA STUNNER
HONDA DAZZLER
HERO HONDA HUNK
HERO HONDA CBZ XTREME
TVS APACHE 160
YAMAHA FZ-S, FZ-16
YAMAHA SZ-X, SZ-R
One thing I was pretty sure in the very beginning that I hated bajaj pulsar . Not that it lacked anything, but it was just not my personal taste because:
Quite low in height. I test drove it and didn’t find the height too impressive.
Though it is powerful, but I have seen 2-3 pulsars of my friends loosing all the power and sheen in 3-4 years.though, it depends on the maintenance also and I can’t blame the bike or the brand for this.
I test drove all the bikes mentioned above and found some of them interesting. Basically I was looking for:
A good built and a heavy bike.
Good cornering and handeling for in-city experience
Ofcourse, good fuel economy,
Value for money,
Power.
I knew I could not buy a bullet or a pulsar-220 or a karizma for Rs.70000 that I had. So I left those bike even out of my consideration. Secondly I needed a powerful bike so I left out low-end bikes. All I was concentrating was on a midrange motorcycle with decent power and good mileage.
I test drove these bikes for over a period of 15 days regularly. Some of them I test drove 2 times with different dealers to be sure of the bikes. Every bike had its own pro and cons. I wont discuss them in detail but a few are:
Fz-16 and fz-s sisters were high on power but low on mileage, high maintenance, high valued, small rear seat(a major problem).
Sz-r and sz-x looked good but were quite light weight and didn’t look impressive in built quality.
Stunner was a very good option but i left it out only because of one factor- too zazzy look that makes it look like a karizma for the poor.
Dazzler was a nice bike, but only a bit low height. Dazzler is not so popular and many people do not know about it. But I would recommend it to people who are looking for 150 cc bike.
Hunk and CBZ was a bit too popular and were too common. Nothing was unique about them that would have appealed to me.
Now my search looked never ending only till one day I saw a bike on the road. It had a 6-gear sticker on one side of it that forces one to take a glance of it. I could not see the name of the bike but I could see SUZUKI emblem on it.
I searched on internet and on the website of suzuki and I saw a new bike- SUZUKI GS-150 R. I was not sure of SUZUKI brandvalue and dealership or after sales service, but I thought of giving the bike a try.
Next day I went for a test drive and they took out an orange gs-150 r for me to test. It was a bike that caught my attention because of its height. The bike was quite high and apt for me and also quite broad. It was heavy too and looked aggressive. I test drove it and found it quite powerful, a bit less than pulsar though but the main attraction were the height and the built-as mentioned earlier.The tyres were also aptly wide and the front headlamp quite nicely designed. The bike boasted of an extra 6th gear for comfortable highway cruising and the power was good, the bike took off from 20kmph even on the 6th gear. The console was good- better than any other I test drove. The console has digital speedometer and fuel guage and analogue tachometer. It also has two
Then came the monetary aspect. The bike was around Rs.64500 onroad and that fitted well in my budget.
Though in the end I had some confusion about the after sales service. But that too solved when two consecutive days I went to the service center and asked the owners about the service- this was necessary as once a bad decision is made, my hard earned money would have spoiled. The owners were satisfied with the service except for one or two.
I decided to go for this bike because of the following reasons:
Height and built,
Good design, nice curves, black alloys looked impressive,
A unique bike-not too popular and common,
150 cc and 13.8 ps power.
Sitting position quite comfortable-no leaning forward and therefore, no neck and back pains.
The sixth extra gear.
I purchased the Bike on 5th April, 2011 - orange-red color and took it home. It shined and took my heart away.
The bike glided smoothly and I was happy with my decision. It gave me an average of 30 kmpl in the first month and I was satisfied.
Then the subsequent services took place and the average improved. After 6 services now, the bike is giving me a mileage of 45-48 kmpl and running still the same-like a smooth commuter.The best thing is when I pull its throttle, it roars like a lion. Impressive bike and a good choice. Till now there has been no problem with my bike- not even a single minor problem too. I am getting it regularly serviced and it has run about 9000 kilometres. It doesn’t even have a single scratch on it.
One thing that I would like to share is that the sixth gear of the bike is not something that will give some extra top speed or power. It is just an extra gear that would help you cruise on a highway where you need not change the gears frequently.
I hope I have given all the possible details of the bike. I have not given any technical specification of it as one can search it on internet. It is my own personal experience and may also vary from person to person. I have myself rode this bike and I am quite happy with it. If anything is left or if anyone wants to know anything about the other bikes I test-rode may comment or email me.
I would suggest all the riders and pinions to wear helmets when you ride a motorcycle for you safety.
Thank you