I went through a lot of R&D before buying a bike and even though I can’t say that I am a very proud owner of Suzuki Zeus, I am pretty satisfied with it’s performance. The only thing so far that I have been waiting to see is better mileages claimed by the showroom people. Currently I am getting some 55 kmpl.As a person who didn’t know even ABC of bikes, it was really difficult task to list, review and ask people (including friends and strangers) about my options.
The only geared vehicle I had driven earlier was ’Hamara Bajaj’ ! I was told by half the peopel to go for 150 CC bikes like pulsar(new one), apache & unicorn as they are the latest ’in-thing’ in automobile market, having which I could easily impress others sheer by the looks of the bike. But truly I did not want a mere stylish bike. My requirements were simple and limited. I wanted a bike which would fit well into my budget, give good mileage, would have good comfort in riding and have decent pick up also. All these wants were not fulfilled by any of the 150CC bikes.
The price itself went above my budget. Plus milage also was only in the 50s as against my desire of 65 to 70 km. So 150CC bikes were out of question. Now, the other half ppl recommended me to go for 100 CC bike as it would be within my budget, give best mileage and also be comfortable. But looking at the options I had (Bajaj Platina, Bajaj CT 100, Bajaj Splendor+, HH Passion+, TVS Victor, TVS Starcity etc) I was absolutely sure that I am not going to waste my money into a 100CC bike. Reason : Bajaj CT : no looks, Splendor/Victor/StarCity : Too Common and they all looked ’uncle’ types !! Passion: Too common.
It was then obvious that a 125 CC bike would come closest to my expectations. The options available to me were Shine, Gladiator, Glamour, Discover and Zeus. Super splendor was already out of competition because it was a splendor sibling. It didn’t even come to my mind that splendor can be something more than 100CC !! After this I decided to test-ride the options.So I went on to have a test ride of Discover.
The pick-up was excellent (11.5 BHP) but the clutch was a little too stiff. Unless I released it fully the vehicle wouldn’t move and it would literally jump when the clutch was released. I asked the salesman whether this would smoothen over the period and after hearing his no, I never went to Bajaj showroom again. Later I test rode Shine. The vehicle was very smooth and lookwise also it was good. The pick up was good (I think 10 BHP)The price he said was 51, 000 something on road, which seemed little costly. Later I went to suzuki showroom for Zeus.
Apart from the fact that it had no self-start, it looked pretty comfy, sturdy, smooth and pick upwas also decent. Only the gear pattern of 1down 4 up took me some time to understand. But today I am very much comfortable with it. Also because of the 3000 Rs discount, on-road price came down to 46000Rs. I couldn’t test ride Gladiator though it seemed a good option. After some 1 week’s time, I decided to go with Zeus. Now was the real test....Till the first servicing it gave me hell lot of troubles in starting, it would require at least 7-8 kicksto start, especially in the morning.
Unless I use the choke, it wouldn’t start. Also, it had the problem of gears being little stiff to change. And of course, the mileage concern was the biggest. It was giving just 53-56 kmpl. I thought after the first servicing, this would improve. So I specifically told the servicing guy(at Suzuki service center near domlur flyover) about the problems. After servicing Starting problems were not at all there but Mileage had become even bigger worry.
Mileage was dropped to 45-47 whichever was making me think whether I did the right thing by buying this bike. I waited till 2nd service time and had to warn the servicing guy about the mileage. Thankfully he did something( "Performance Tuning" is what they call it :-) " ) and now it is giving a mileage of around 55 kmpl, which is still less by normal 125CC standards. But now I am seeing lot more better changes like always I can start in first kick irrespective of whether its cold morning and raining etc.
The gear stiffness is also reduced. Following can be termed as plus points of the bike :
Comfort: Bike is very comfortable in sitting, though I have to adjust my bottom side a little at signals :-))
Handling& Control: Superb I will say. I am not a very smooth & safe driver still I have avoided every single chance of hitting/colliding with other vehicles simply because of its brakes and grip. It can be started in ANY gear. Clutch is also very smooth unlike discover’s.
Reliability: After first servicing I have never had to kick it twice to start. Its pretty much reliable. Also no instances of false neutral either.
Looks: Looks are decent. I would rate Shine better in looks. Of course the new Zeus with self start and new design is much better looking.
Fuel Consumption: As of now its only satisfactory, but I hope to get it better over period of time.
Vibrations: Very very less. I get vibrations at my feet only when I reach 70. Till then the bike is very smooth. Especially if you after ride Apache and then Zeus, you will die for its smoothness ! Even while riding at 5th gear with 20km speed, engine doesn’t make knocking noise.
7.Pickup: Quite good. First 3 gears are for taking pick up and with other 2 you can go aaram se till 60-70.8. Gear shift indicator: The unique feature available only with Zeus. Best for first time riders/buyers.
However, Like any other bike, it has its own flaws like Less Mileage, less BHP, lack of tripmeter, self start, alloy wheels. Also It’s rear brake makes an annoying noise sometimes, which you normally experience in older bikes.It looks like I have written a long blog here, but I wanted to tell you my experience, what all I went through and views of not-so-bike-freak person !
I thought this might help any prospective buyers who are like me, naive about bikes. So please don’t mind guys if you get bored by reading this !!Overall, to end this I would say that Suzuki Zeusis very good for city riding conditions with balanced performance on all the aspects. Go ahead, Mark Your Presence !!!