Hi everybody, I am Farooq from Guwahati and I am currently doing my graduation in software engineering. I am here to write a review of my first bike, the Suzuki GS150R. I started looking for a bike 6 months ago when I barely knew how to ride one. I started learning how to ride on my friend’s Honda Unicorn on the beaches of the Brahmaputra.
That was one hell of a ride in the sand! After that I practiced on my father’s 9 year old Yamaha Libero. After 6 months of learning from friends and family, I started looking for a bike of my own. Originally I wanted a Royal Enfield Classic 350 (I am a hardcore cruiser fan and I dream of owning a Harley Davidson someday).
But I had to put that beast out of my mind for its cost, waiting period and not to mention, objection from family. I came down to Bajaj Avenger and did go to the showroom to check it out but the mileage and cost was way out of my league. I had no choice but to look in the 125-150cc category.
The ones that were in my list were,
- Hero CBZ Extreme: I loved the front and rear disc brakes. It was one great bike with a bad boy image and full of adrenaline. Unfortunately for me, that was not my kind of thing.
- Honda Unicorn: I started learning on my friend’s Unicorn and since then I had a liking for this babe. If I had a second choice, it would have been this one.
- Honda Shine: This was totally because of Shine’s mileage factor. A mileage of 65 in city roads is a huge thing for commuters in these hard and costly times.
- Yamaha SZ-R/SZ-X: This one from Yamaha did have something which I like a combination of power and mileage and style. However I felt it was light for me. I wanted something a bit heavier. And besides I already had a Yamaha at home and in the neighborhood.
- Suzuki GS150R: I checked out this bike 6 months before and again 6 months later. After a test ride, I felt it was for me. And apart from that there were not so many of this model on the road and so the “unique” bike factor was running on my mind.
I didn’t even take a look at the Pulsar as I swore that I will never ride that again after riding once! (I was a newbie at that time). And besides it’s very common. Also I crashed a Hero Honda Hunk once and had developed an aversion to the Hunk.
Almost all I knew had advised me against the GS150R except one or two. My mother even asked to ride something small and light (she meant bikes like Splendor or Glamour). My father was concerned about availability of parts. But at the end, 2 days after checking it out at the showroom, I brought this babe home.
My Suzuki GS150R
First look at the bike and it was like any other. But when the sales guy gave me all the features and after taking the test ride, that was enough to convince me. The acceleration is exciting. And being a cruiser fan, I loved the mild thumps of this bike.
Positive Aspects of the Bike
- Comfort and Handling: This is one damn comfortable bike which is ideal for both long drives and city traffic. Though it does not have mono suspension, its suspensions do just fine. I have driven this bike through all kinds of roads to test the suspensions. With a kerb weight of 149 kg, the bike is very stable at the highways. The bike is designed such that the rider feels absolute comfort.
- Engine: Being a commuter bike, the engine is a good one. The 149.2cc engine gives a maximum power of 13.8bhp@8500rpm and a torque of 13.4Nm@6000rpm. It has a top speed of 110 kmph which I feel is more than adequate for a commuter.
- Mileage: Before the first service, it gave me a mileage of 35-38 kmpl. After the first service, it increased to 45+ kmpl. I reckon it will go up to 50+ later. Its huge fuel tank holds 18.5 liters of fuel including reserve, giving more than enough for a long distance trip.
- Brakes: GS150R has a front disc brake and a rear drum brake. The front disc brake does not have the pump to do a stoppie but then again, It’s a commuter bike and one is not expected to perform stunts with this bike. The front disc is more than enough for handling this bike.
- Performance: This bike has two modes –ECO and POWER. The only difference between these two modes is that in ECO mode, there is an RPM indicator that blinks if you are driving at a level which consumes more fuel than in the optimum power and speed. The initial pick-up of the bike is a bit low but it’s no disadvantage as the bike rapidly picks up speed later. It has 6 gears which is unique in the commuter segment. Riding in the 6th gear between 45 and 60 gives the optimum pleasure, comfort and mileage. The speed steadily increases to 85-90 but after that the rate of acceleration slows down. It takes some time to reach the three figure mark. The bike is butter smooth at 45-60 but after around 70, it starts to roar, just like a typical Suzuki.
- Looks and Style: Personally I don’t give a damn to the looks of a vehicle. But for those who do, the look of GS150R falls in the same category of Pulsar or Unicorn. But its dashboard is more attractive than any other bike. Its analog digital combo dashboard has the gear indicator, fuel indicator, mode adjustor, two trip meters apart from the other regular features
Negative Aspects of the Bike
- No Tubeless Tires: Tubeless tires would have been a great feature considering that Hunk and Unicorn Dazzler gives tubeless tires.
- No Rear disc brake: I feel Suzuki should have given a rear disc brake. However the rear drum brake does a good job.
- No DC headlamp.
- Height Factor: If you are short, you’ll have one hell of trouble with this babe in traffic. (I am 5’10” and so no trouble!)
- Cold Start: Using the choke is necessary when doing a cold start.
Overall, it’s one of the best all round packages for a commuter looking for day to day travelling and touring once in a while. It does not fall into the category of Pulsar or Apache or FZ or R15. But on a tour, keep riding this babe and you can just feel the pleasure. I personally have loved each moment I have spent with it. It’s been more than two months and more than 1800 kms (the photos are a few months old) and I am looking forward for more with my GS150R.
Regards,
Farooq
