2019 Suzuki Gixxer SF: Boys just wanna have fun!
There's a saying. Boys never grow up. Only their toys become more expensive. We all loved the Gixxer 155 siblings. They were light, peppy and a whole lot of fun to carve your way through city traffic. So when Suzuki announced that the new Gixxer SF 155 with its frame and design borrowed from the practical but boring Gixxer SF 250 is heavier and makes less power than before, the first question that arose in our minds was is it as much fun? The one word answer to that is no. The reason is, it's even more fun now! How you may ask? Let's find out.
Design & Quality (9/10): Starting with the way it looks. To me, with this new Katana inspired design, the bike looks drop dead gorgeous, especially in this MotoGP livery. The glossy paint finish, the short windscreen, the LED head lamps, LED tail lamps, the clip on handlebars, the white backlit console with a host of features all give the new Gixxer SF an upmarket, contemporary touch. Everything on the motorcycle from the grips to the plastics to the switchgears to the cycle parts all ooze of quality. When it comes to quality, it can't get any more Japanese than this. The updates are not all visual. The frame has been stiffened to give it more rigidity. The suspensions have been stiffened too to improve the handling dynamics while the wheelbase has been extended to give it more stability. Does it all work?
Handling Dynamics (9.5/10): Yes it does! If there's one reason why you should go ahead and buy the SF, it is the way it handles. The bike feels ever so agile and eager to tip into corners. Flick it from side to side and the SF still doesn't complain. Be it flicking through traffic or carving out corners in the ghats, this motorcycle is all too happy to do it with ease and eagerness alike. What took away the 0.5 from a full 10/10 score? It's the pegs. Keeping in mind riding comfort, the pegs have been set relatively low and come in the way of full blown sportsbike style corner carving.
Ride Comfort (8/10): Despite being a fully faired sports motorcycle, the riding position is quite upright and comfortable. There is a slight lean forward on the clip on bars but only enough to give you confidence tipping it into turns. The pegs too are rearset but again, only enough for you to feel naturally comfortable in the forward lean. The stiff suspensions do make riding through potholes a bit of a jarring experience. However, the fat front forks do a good job at containing the transfer of some of those jerks to the rider's wrist, shoulder and neck joints.
Performance & Refinement (7/10): Now don't get me wrong. This is an extremely punchy and refined motor. There is enough torque in the low and mid range for one to have a fun filled city commute. However, give this engine the beans and you get a feeling that you're not exactly going fast. The torque curve plateaus in the top end and robs you of that typical high revving Japanese screamer feeling that we've been so used to with performance motorcycles in this segment. One of the reason is that this engine is infact long stroked, giving priority to low end torque and drivability over a screaming top end performance.
Braking (10/10): Undoubtedly the best in class in terms of both bite as well as progression, the brakes give you a lot of confidence to push harder through traffic. The SF comes with single channel ABS upfront which does the job well of providing a safety net, should you end up locking the front end under panic braking.
Fitness of purpose (7/10): You must have noticed me mentioning the word "city" and "traffic" many times in this article. That's because this engine is at ease in that habitat. However, the mirrors come out too wide and come in the way of carving your way through narrow gaps in peak hour traffic. This engine would undoubtedly feel strained on the highway doing triple digit speeds. Also, the extremely short windscreen will do little in terms of providing wind protection on the highway. On the track, again the lack of top end and the lower set pegs will take a few crucial seconds off your lap time. So the Gixxer SF will make for a good commuter, a decent track bike and an average tourer. There will always be some shortcoming for it in any environment and hence the lower score. It's naked sibling the Gixxer would score an 8/10 in this regard for the narrower profile with its mirrors fitted on the handlebar itself.
Overall (8.5/10): All in all the Gixxer SF 155 is a great motorcycle, comes with a good set of equipment, is well put together, quality levels are top notch and reliability goes hand in hand if you're buying a Japanese product, especially with the badge of Suzuki put on it. What's more, this bike is extremely fun to ride be it the punchy engine or the Katana sharp handling. Good looks, sharp brakes and the overall feeling of owning a well put together motorcycle will appeal to a lot of youngsters and young at hearts out there. Where it falls short is outright top end grunt and to some extent ride comfort but that's a small price to pay when you keep the overall package in mind. So if you're in the market looking for a fun to ride commuter, you cannot miss checking out the Gixxer SF (and the Gixxer). It might just tug at the right strings on the left side of your chest.
