Suzuki Gixxer Review
I nearly fell off my chair laughing when Suzuki launched their 150cc commuter motorcycle and decided to call it the Gixxer. Then came the reviews and the numerous motorcycle journalists' awards that the Gixxer went on to win and that made me reconsider what I initially thought of it. So on a perfectly lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to test the hype.
What I loved about the Gixxer at first go is how light it is and how light it feels. The tank is very well sculpted and tapers down towards the bottom making space for the rider's knees to slot in with near perfection. The sitting position is almost upright with the slightest of rearset on the foot pegs. Perfect recipe for a traffic carver.
The engine is refined and pulls off the line smoothly. It has a strong low and mid range but loses steam in the higher range and that's kinda disappointing for someone looking at extracting some performance out of this motorcycle. When pulling the bike hard, the gearshift indicator screams at you to upshift. The engine vibes come in and the bike seems very uncomfortable being in that rev range.Once you do upshift though, the motor is happily pulling away once again. The gearshifts are smooth and precise. The best part about the bike however, is the braking. The front disc and rear drum combo together provide a very very sharp bite. However, the wider section tyres are sticky enough to absorb the sharp bite and the bike in no way feels unsettled under hard braking. The overall braking and tyre package is quite confidence inspiring for the rider to go faster. The suspension is sort of softly sprung to keep city commuting comfortable.
The verdict. Well awards and all aside, what the motorcycle remains at heart is a commuter. Take it on the highway and it will start screaming out its shortcomings. If you're looking strictly at the commuter segment, this one deserves at least a test ride before you go on and buy a Unicorn (or one of its avataars) or the FZ16. If weekday commuting with some weekend highway fun is your thing, look at the R15 / CBR 150 and and beyond. Go for a used one if you fall short on the budget. But as an enthusiast, the Gixxer will definitely leave you wanting for more. The chassis, the brakes, the tyres and even the name itself are worthy of housing a much bigger capacity motor. All I can say is, I hope Suzuki is working in that direction.
What I loved about the Gixxer at first go is how light it is and how light it feels. The tank is very well sculpted and tapers down towards the bottom making space for the rider's knees to slot in with near perfection. The sitting position is almost upright with the slightest of rearset on the foot pegs. Perfect recipe for a traffic carver.
The engine is refined and pulls off the line smoothly. It has a strong low and mid range but loses steam in the higher range and that's kinda disappointing for someone looking at extracting some performance out of this motorcycle. When pulling the bike hard, the gearshift indicator screams at you to upshift. The engine vibes come in and the bike seems very uncomfortable being in that rev range.Once you do upshift though, the motor is happily pulling away once again. The gearshifts are smooth and precise. The best part about the bike however, is the braking. The front disc and rear drum combo together provide a very very sharp bite. However, the wider section tyres are sticky enough to absorb the sharp bite and the bike in no way feels unsettled under hard braking. The overall braking and tyre package is quite confidence inspiring for the rider to go faster. The suspension is sort of softly sprung to keep city commuting comfortable.
The verdict. Well awards and all aside, what the motorcycle remains at heart is a commuter. Take it on the highway and it will start screaming out its shortcomings. If you're looking strictly at the commuter segment, this one deserves at least a test ride before you go on and buy a Unicorn (or one of its avataars) or the FZ16. If weekday commuting with some weekend highway fun is your thing, look at the R15 / CBR 150 and and beyond. Go for a used one if you fall short on the budget. But as an enthusiast, the Gixxer will definitely leave you wanting for more. The chassis, the brakes, the tyres and even the name itself are worthy of housing a much bigger capacity motor. All I can say is, I hope Suzuki is working in that direction.
