Suzuki launched two bikes last week in India, but my eyes were firmly glued to the 150cc Gixxer SF.
The new, full-fairing avatar of the Gixxer has been priced at Rs 1,07,400 (ex-showroom), but its overall dynamics and the motor on board make it a direct competition for the Yamaha R15 V3 which costs Rs 30K more than the Gixxer SF. Which brings us to the main question, as always.
If you’re in the market for a sporty, 150cc bike and would like to choose from either of these makers, which one is worth the money?
Design
The Suzuki Gixxer SF 150 has been completely redesigned. It looks pretty similar to the SF 250 in terms of styling, but there are subtle dimension differences. It's slightly shorter and narrower than its bigger sibling.
It also runs skinnier 100 mm width and 140 mm width tyres front and rear. The fact that the smaller Gixxer looks almost identical to the larger one helps. However, common elements include the LED lights, panel and overall styling, although the alloys are different.
The R15 V3 visually looks much more muscular than before, and borrows a lot of elements from the R3 and the Yamaha R6. The front fairing is as intimidating as before, although there is a gap right between the headlights that comes out as an uncanny addition.
The tailpiece looks sharper and the fuel tank sports a much bigger design and accentuates the whole look of the bike.
Power
The Gixxer SF is powered by a 150 cc single cylinder fuel-injected air-cooled engine that puts out 14.1 PS of power at 8,000 rpm and 14 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm.
The power is marginally lower than before, while weight has gone up to 146 Kg from 140 Kg earlier. It also comes with single-channel ABS.
The new model R15 V3 comes with a 155 cc, single cylinder four-valve, liquid-cooled engine with fuel injection. The company claims it to be a better performer. The engine is capable of pumping out 19.31 PS of power at 10,000 rpm and 15 Nm of maximum torque at 8,500 rpm.
Having said that, the bike is not devoid of impressive performance as it comes mated with a 6-speed gearbox and a power-train that gives an extra push thanks to the slipper clutch that has now been added to the setup.
We have ridden both the bikes, in different conditions, and frankly, there is very little to separate these two, when it comes to performance. Numbers-wise, the R15 v3 has the better of the Gixxer SF (high power and torque figures), but those come to nought while you’re riding on the roads.
They’ve got the same riding posture, seat cushioning is similar as well and you have the raised pillion seat as most sports bikes have.
More Features
This is probably where you’ll see the Rs 30,000 price difference made up between these two bikes. Suzuki has gone for a cost-effective air-cooled engine, but it does get fuel injected, so that’s still not bad.
The Japanese giant has also equipped the Gixxer SF with a single-channel ABS unit, paired to the disc on front. It also gets a smaller disc at the rear (size not given).
Having said that, Gixxer SF sports a marginally bigger (12-litre) fuel tank, compared to the 11-litre capacity of the Yamaha R15 v3. Both bikes carry an LED instrument cluster with ample information available to the rider.
For a 150cc bike, both Yamaha and Suzuki have put on a decent showing with these two, now it’s up to the buyer to make the decision for themselves.
Which One Should You Buy?
The Yamaha R15 v3 gets a price tag of Rs 1.39 lakh (ex-showroom) which is Rs 14,000 more than the non-ABS model that was first seen at the Auto Expo 2018.
Compare this with the Rs 1.07 lakh price tag of the Suzuki Gixxer SF, there’s a big gap that a buyer might be inclined to look at.
For its additional and steeper price, the R15 V3 does carry a liquid-cooled unit with slipper clutch and dual-channel ABS on board. Even the power figures of the R15 V3 are definitely on the higher side, that is, if you really see this as a buying criteria.
If you’ve got a budget constraint, Suzuki Gixxer SF doesn’t sound bad at all.
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