• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Bike India

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

  • Home
  • News
    • Upcoming Launches
    • Latest News
    • New Bike Launches
  • Reviews
    • First Ride
    • Road Test
    • Comparison
  • Features
  • Our Bikes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • NG Auto
    • AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
    • CAR INDIA
    • COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
  • Brands

Sport-friendly Commuters

January 6, 2015 by Team Bike India 1 Comment

rivals 12 web

The 150-cc segment has just become hotter having recently received a brand-new entrant in the form of the Suzuki Gixxer. We pit it against its rivals to see if it can win the battle for the crown in this segment.

Story: Aninda Sardar
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

Gixxer WEB

It all started with a motorcycle called the CBZ over a decade ago. With its cutting-edge styling, offer of a sporty riding experience and a powerful engine it kick-started the 150-cc sporty commuter segment in India, quite literally, back then. Much water has passed under the 150-cc bridge since then and today customers can choose from a whole range of motorcycles in that segment. Recently, Suzuki Motorcycles dialled the competition up a notch when they launched the much-anticipated Gixxer. We were thoroughly impressed with the motorcycle when we rode it, but just how well does it stack up against the competition? To find out, we have brought together the popular Yamaha FZ-16 S but this time with fuel-injection in avatar V2.0, the very capable Honda CB Trigger and the Hero Xtreme (which still benefits from its CBZ associations). To win, the Gixxer will not only have to offer the sportiest experience, but also the best value for money, which is something every commuter looks for.

rivals 8 web

Parked next to each other, the Gixxer and the FZ look similar enough to be related. They both feature sculpted lines and muscular tanks and a bikini fairing that is reminiscent of bigger naked bikes. In the case of the Yamaha the company has done some work in refreshing the FZ’s visual appeal with a split seat, grab-rails along with an LED tail-lamp and a redesigned (easier to read) instrument console. The Gixxer, however, comes across as the fresher design and is meatier, which makes it look better. The Honda isn’t a bad-looking bike either, but its tank is less sculpted and that CB 1000 R-like face feels a tad dated next to the more contemporary Suzuki and Yamaha. The fact that it gets the most upright seating position with high handlebars also ruins things a bit since it takes away from the bike’s sportiness, visually speaking that is. In the design department the Xtreme, with its slim tank and wide trunk, despite Hero’s best intentions, no longer cuts it. To the company’s credit, the Xtreme has been given a nip and a tuck at the rear where it now sports an all-LED tail-lamp. Frankly, it does make things a little better but not enough to put it at par with the other three here. At least as far as looks go.

Get astride each and the riding position on each bike seems to mirror their looks. The Suzuki and the Yamaha offer the sportiest of riding postures with their low, wide handlebars and the slightly rear-set foot-rests. The Honda is by far the most upright and therefore commuter-like, but feels instantly comfortable. The Xtreme’s riding position is somewhere between that offered by the Trigger and the Gixxer-FZ combination. It’s neither particularly sporty, nor is it commuter-like.

rivals 11 web

The real test of any motorcycle, however, happens only when you start rolling. So we flicked on the ignition and thumbed the starter buttons. Even at idle, the Suzuki and Honda engines come across as more refined than either the Yamaha or the Hero powerplants. Get going and the difference in refinement becomes even more evident. On both the Suzuki and the Honda the vibrations (whatever few exist) are muted and non-intrusive with hardly any noise filtering in through the helmet. The Yamaha by comparison feels gruff and throaty with some vibrations being felt through the seat of the pants and the foot-rests when you give the bike the stick. The Hero’s engine, though essentially a variation of the old CBZ engine, has now begun to show its age. It’s not a bad engine by a long shot and has healthy doses of power and torque, but it does come across as the least refined. By the time the tachometer has hit the 6,500-RPM mark, the unit feels strained and there were times when we felt that we were yet to shift up to the top gear.

bikeonline@nextgenpublishing.net'

Team Bike India – who has written 897 posts on Bike India.


Email • Twitter

Related posts:

Spec Comparo: Vida V2 Pro v Chetak v Rizta Z v VLF Tennis

TVS iQube ST 5.1 kWh Review - The Price of Range

Aprilia Tuono 457 Review - Hardcore Naked

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

Filed Under: Comparison, Review Tagged With: 150cc, 2014, 2015, best, bike, Commuter, economical, fz, Gixxer, Hero, honda, India, price, ride quality, shootout, sportier, stability, suzuki, Trigger, xtreme, yamaha

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. karunaprakash9@gmail.com'kp says

    January 6, 2015 at 6:02 pm

    Excellent shootout happy to gixxer 155 winning it..surprised by the performance of xtreme and its mileage

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AlphaOmega Captcha Classica  –  Enter Security Code
 ⟲    ➴
 


* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

LATEST ISSUE

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

19TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

Bharat Mobility Visitor Registration

Triumph Street Triple 765 R and RS Review | The Best Street Triple Yet

Ducati Diavel V4 Review | Devil of the Mountain

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 first ride | Aspi Bhathena

SPECIAL Featured Story

Yamaha FZ-S Fi Hybrid

Yamaha FZ-S Fi Hybrid Launched

The Yamaha FZ-S Fi Hybrid has been launched at Rs 1.45 lakh (ex-showroom). Yamaha claim that this is India’s first sub-150-cc hybrid motorcycle. 

More about this.

Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025

Recent Posts

  • Spec Comparo: Vida V2 Pro v Chetak v Rizta Z v VLF Tennis
  • Brixton Crossfire 500 XC v Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 Spec Comparo
  • MAY 2025
  • TVS iQube ST 5.1 kWh Review – The Price of Range

Car India

Car India Magazine - Get your Digital Subscription

Footer

Latest News

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Updated

Updated TVS Apache RR 310 Launched

Details of 2025 ARRC TVS Asia One Make Championship Revealed

Indian Supercross Racing League Season 2 Rider Registrations Now Open

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

Bike India: India’s no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
SiteMap

Copyright © 2025 · BIKE INDIA INDIA’S NO. 1 TWO WHEELER MAGAZINE, BY FAR! ·