Hornet vs Gixxer – Which one then…?
The premium 150-160 cc motorcycle segment has been the ruling ground of the FZ v2.0 and Gixxer 155, both of which are fine motorcycles. In our last shootout, we pitted both of these together to arrive at the conclusion that the Gixxer seals the deal for us (link to shootout).
Now, the other Jap, Honda, which was busy with its 100s and 125s so far, has come to spoil the party with its recently launched Hornet 160R, which targets both these bikes squarely!
We have ridden the Hornet for a very short distance and you can read our first impressions here. It is a beautiful motorcycle but nothing much can be said about its on-road behaviours. Till we get the motorcycle for a longer test and the others for a shootout, here is a spec and price comparo for the first adapters!
Hornet vs Gixxer vs FZ FI: Comparo
- Engine – Power: The Hornet carries the biggest engine and thanks to its capacity advantage it is the most powerful of the lot as well. Hornet churns out a full bhp of more power than Gixxer and 2.6 bhps more than the fuel injected FZ; but they also peak 500 rpm later. The FZ is the only motorcycle with fuel injection, the remaining two being carburetted!
- Engine – Torque: Hornet 160R is not only torquier than Gixxer and FZ, it is the torquiest motorcycle in the whole 150 cc segment (obviously excluding the beautiful R15)! In terms of absolute figures, it churns 0.76 Nm of torque more than Gixxer and almost 2 Nm more than FZ v2. Like power, torque also maxes out 500 rpm later.
- Emission Compliance: The Hornet 160R is the only BSIV compliant machine in the comparo, rest are still BSIII.
- Weight: Here is a turnaround though – the FZ is the lightest of the lot with a kerb weight of 132 kg while the Hornet is the heaviest. It is full 8 kilos heavier than the FZ and 5 kg more than the Gixxer. Still hoping that the Hornet will be faster?
- Ground Clearance: Hornet boasts of the highest ground clearance, marginally better than both Gixxer and FZ. While both the Gixxer and FZ v2.0 have the same 160 mm GC, the Suzuki specially always ends up kissing the bumps.. has happened in our test vehicles a lot of times. Can Hornet escape that with a clever suspension setup and 4 mm of extra clearance? More on that when we do a proper comparo.
- Brakes: At 276 mm, Hornet boasts of the biggest front disc, which is petal shaped (helps in better heat dissipation). It is also the only bike in the comparo to get a 3 calliper front setup and an optional rear disc and Combined Braking System! All this should ensure that the Hornet is the best stopper.
Hornet vs Gixxer vs FZ V2 – Price Comparo
Now let’s come to the meat of the matter. How much?
The FZ v2.0 is still the most expensive of the lot but it gets costlier fuel injection. In terms of specs, it is nowhere close and then let us talk about the two closely matched rivals.
The Gixxer, which is our favourite 150cc in the market at the moment is the cheapest motorcycle here. The Hornet costs about Rs 3700 to 7200 more on the ex-showroom price. This difference will come down when Suzuki will launch the rear-disc equipped Gixxer, which is already on tests, but this is how it stands at this point.
Also Read: Hornet 160R & Unicorn 160: List of 7 Differences: COMPARO
Summing it up, on paper, Hornet has more power and torque but it is over 10 kg heavier. On the features front, it comes with better braking and a few other titbits. While a detailed road-test and shootout will clarify the real character of these bikes, Gixxer remains our best bet yet, but we have this hunch that Hornet may just be precariously close or even better on the road! You can check our BIKE COMPARO page for more bike comparisons…
