Hi Xbhpians,

I've been following xbhp for quite a while now. Finally, the time has come for myself to become an xbhpian.

I own a Gladiator Type JA for the past 6 years.
Till a couple of years ago, it was just fine. I didn't have any major problems... untill... I've sacrificed my Glady once for myself.

The Accident:
I was cruising @ around 80 kmph around midnight on a relatively unknown road, and then all of a sudden, I found myself in a tight corner (almost 90%).
I've tried to bring down the speed by using both the front and rear brakes at once, but it's not coming down, obviously bcoz the speed is too much for that tight corner.

Then and there itself, I understood that I'm going to fall down, and to reduce injuries to myself, I thought of something, which I can say had actually worked out.
I had earlier experience that, if we apply even a little brake during a corner off road (say, in the dust/sand part), the bike skids easily. So, keeping in mind that, I just drove straight off road, without applying any brake, hoping that I would go into some fields (it was city outskirts).

The bike didn't skid, but, the path was not so plain (there was 2-3 feet downhill), due to which I fell down.

I just had a small injury on my butt (lucky I guess), but my Glady wasn't so lucky.
I somehow drove it till my home, and the next day, I gave it to nearby Castrol bike zone, as I don't have a Yamaha service center nearby.

Then The Problems started:
I'd to keep my bike there for almost 2 weeks for different kind of reasons, but mostly due to unavailability of spares. Only later I came to know that, we should not keep our bikes that long in any service centers.

I got it back from repair, but I've been facing problems ever since. Now, the sound coming from the engine is not so pleasant, and also there is complete loss of pick-up. I doubt I can ride uphill with it now even without a pillion.

Time to Change:
Now, coming to the point, I've been thinking about changing my bike now.

When I've purchased my bike originally, people said that I would get very less resale value for Yamaha, but, I was sure at that time that, I would never ever have the need to buy another bike (trusting Yamaha). Either way, I don't regret buying it bcoz of resale value, but, I'd a lot of regret initially buying a 125cc bike instead of 150cc (even more when I drove a 150cc bike). Nevertheless, I've moved on gradually.

I'd researched a lot while buying Glady (almost a month), but, now, I don't have that much time. I'm planning to buy it next month 1st week itself (hopefully, my finance would be ready by that time).

Requirements:
1. Budget - 80k
2. Age - 29
3. Height - 5'10''
4. Weight - 75kgs
5. Intended usage - mostly office commute (possible long trips occasionally)
6. Fuel Efficiency requirement - 45-50 kmpl
7. City & Highway percentage usage - 20 & 80 respectively as of now (this will change to 80 & 20 respectively in 4-5 months when I change my office)

8. Approximate Daily / Monthly running - 1000kms/month
9. City - Hyderabad
10. Brand / Bike type preference (if any) - GS150r

Suzuki vs Bajaj:
As I've mentioned in the title, I've narrowed them to these brands.

I've a soft spot for Suzuki, may be bcoz, I've learned my driving on a Max100.
Pulsar 150 is actually more of my wife's choice, may be bcoz she sees lots of pulsars in the streets and in the parking lots.

I know both there bikes have their pros and cons. I'm listing down a few that I know of -

GS150r Pros:
Engine reliability
Better gearbox
Good ride comfort
More stability at high speeds
Less vibrations at high speeds
Better console features

Pulsar 150 Pros:
Better looks
Better headlight
Full DC
More service centers
Better resale value
Better spares availability

GS150r cons:
Not so attractive looksSpares availability issue
Less service centers

Pulsar 150 cons:
Engine reliability
Gearbox issue
Just too many on the streets
Quality of the spares

Please add if I've missed any of the major pros and cons.

I don't have a problem driving some 20-30 kms for a good service center, and waiting for spares (but, not so occasionally). So, I've decided to go for GS150r. I just somehow have to convince my wife.

But, on some recent threads, I've read that the gearbox issue is solved in new Pulsars. Not sure how much of it is true. Can someone shed some light on this?
Even today, my Glady's gearbox feels so smooth that I've never driven a pulsar that has such smooth gearbox.

If new Pulsar's gearbox is good enough, then, I might even go for Pulsar.

And, can someone tell me if GS150r has had any recent upgrades/changes (in 2013)?

Finally, sorry for very long post. I know I'm just supposed to ask a question about which bike, but, I just couldn't resist to tell the actually reason for a new bike, and also the story behind it.
Also, I guess I'm too enthusiastic bcoz this is my first post.

Hope moderators will approve this thread....