There are lot of heated discussions regarding Unicorn and GS150R. I too was confused which one to buy before going for GS150R. Many friends and relatives told me to go for Unicorn blindly. I also asked a mechanic who is an expert in two wheelers and he too suggested me to go for Unicorn. But still I bought GS150R as I am getting more comfort, power and stunning looks at almost same price and I am happy with my decision. It never let me down. It serves all the purpose I want.
Both the bikes are almost similar yet different…
Unicorn is an all-rounder with smooth and linear power delivery through all the revranges but the top end performance is slightly weaker. Unicorn picks speeds quickly but only till 75 or 80kmph max. and then it takes time to reach 100. GS150R is more of a topend performer with rock solid stability and quickest to reach 100kmph. I travel mostly on highways and so GS150R is the perfect bike. It has the least initial pickup in the 150CC segment and that is due to weight of the bike. I am always the last when the signal turns green. Infact slower than few 125CC bikes. The only option is to revhard and change gears faster to feel the power at low revs. But once you are at say 4th gear and at speeds above 40, you are the quickest to reach 100.
We can’t have all the three viz. initial, mid and top end pickup in one bike. If a bike has rapid initial pickup it sucks at top end. That is the case with pulsar, apache and FZ16. These bikes have solid initial pickup but looses steam at the top end. GS150R is solid at top speeds and is fun to ride at highway. You will feel like crusing and the comfort level is like a car. It is not too smooth and infact sometimes noisy but doesn’t sound harsh like other bikes. Yes, in congested city traffic it is difficult to cut the traffic and switch lines faster and require expertise to do so. But on highways it is awesome. The ride is stressfree due to 6th gear.
That extra weight is an advantage at high speeds. Ride it to believe it. The mileage I am getting is between 55-60. Once I got 74kmpl on pure highway. The minimum I got is 48kmpl in city. The mileage is not consistent some time less some time very high. But I am more than satisfied as the figures are much better than other bikes. I measure it on reserve to reserve basis. Is there any other better option to measure it. Please suggest. The only problem I am facing is some sound from the engine which increases with speed. I told the service centre guys thrice but the problem is not yet rectified. And chain gets loose often. The brakes are just ok ok. Headlight is poor but the horn is powerful. One will not regret the decision to go for this bike. It is a proud to own this bike.
Regards,
Kishan
