Suzuki Gixxer Long Term Report 1

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The Suzuki Gixxer is unquestionably one of the most exciting budget motorcycles that has been launched in India, in the recent times. I had been eagerly waiting to put the streetfighter through its paces over an extended period, ever since I first got a taste of it a few months ago. Now that it finally became a part of our long term fleet, I quickly stepped on every other team mate’s shoes and made a mad dash to grab the keys of the Gixxer.

While my daily commute doesn’t involve a lot of travel, my allocated 500 kilometers disappeared quickly thanks to the 250 kilometre round trip to my home in Raigad that I did on the weekend. Not many will call the NH17 monotonous, but try doing the same road thrice a month and you will be in the same boat as I am. My Honda CBR250R is probably the best Indian motorcycle for such a ride, and it was going to be a tough challenge for the Gixxer to match up to the same. The 150cc motorcycle was never going to match the CBR250R in terms of performance, but it was pleasant surprise to see the Gixxer managing to be around the triple digit mark all the time, and that too with minimum vibrations. On dual carriage highways like the NH17, is where the advantage of having abundant low and mid-range torque really comes to assistance. Overtaking was surprisingly easy and the 14.8 horsepower gets you to the cruising speed of 100kmph very quickly. The loud rumble of the Gixxer was music to the ears, and was way better than the muted note of the CBR250R. While it is unfortunate that I didn’t time my journey, I don’t think the Gixxer took a lot of extra time to cover the entire journey. Of course this meant the bike was kept at higher rpms for a major part of the journey, which took a toll on the efficiency. I could only extract 39kpl from the Gixxer, which is three kmpl less than what my quarter-litre bike usually manages on these runs.

After extensively riding it on highways and through the concrete jungles of Mumbai, I felt that Suzuki has struck an ideal compromise for ride and handling with the suspension setup of the Gixxer. While the average consumer might feel that the suspension is a bit on the stiffer side, it has been perfectly adjusted to help you make the most of the eager chassis. However, with a pillion aboard, the Gixxer does tend to scrape its underbody on tall speedbumps.

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Not that the current setup seems inadequate, I feel that Suzuki should offer a rear disc brake, at least as an optional extra, to improve the bike’s stopping power. While very few 150cc commuter motorcycles get a rear disc brake, this feature can prove to be a big boon in quick motorcycles like the Gixxer. The engine kill switch is also a nice touch which comes handy in urban traffic.

Coming to the Gixxer’s niggles, I felt that the headlamp feels a bit low on power in both the low beam and high beam modes, especially at times when you are riding without street lights. Also the fuel-filler cap also pops right out when you open it, and a hinged setup would have been much easier to use. While the gear indicator on the fully-electronic LCD instrument cluster is a particularly useful touch, the flickering shift indicator can become a nuisance after a while. Over the 600 odd kilometres, the Gixxer returned an overall efficiency of 38.37kmpl, which translates into a real-world range of just over 460 kilometres. While this might seem quite low for a commuter motorcycle, this is a price that I, and for that matter a majority of Gixxer buyers, would be ready to pay for the kind of fun you can have on this motorcycle.

Apart from the small niggles and the mediocre fuel efficiency, there is barely anything wrong with the Gixxer. The metallic triton blue, as Suzuki calls it, makes it quite easy to spot the Gixxer in a crowded parking lot and also plays a major role in grabbing eyeballs, everywhere the bike goes. The stubby and large exhaust canister of the Gixxer has two outlets, which gives it the visual appeal of a ‘big bike’ and exaggerates its true potential. Passing references about its resemblance to the Yamaha FZ-S aside, people do get surprised when told that it is just a 150cc motorcycle.

All this while, I have been referring to the Gixxer as a commuter motorcycle, but in fact it is so much more than that. The Gixxer has the premium feel to it which gives you a lot more than your money’s worth, while the engine makes sure you have a big smile on your face, every time you ride it. Be it smooth highways or some traffic carving, twisties in the ghats or pothole riddled urban road, the Gixxer takes on all of them in comfort. Suzuki has given us an all-round package which can serve you efficiently on your mundane weekdays, while delivering dollops of fun for the weekend rides. And to top it all, the Gixxer offers all of this at a very competitive price. Small quirks aside, all of this makes the Gixxer my pick of the segment.