Re: Bike for daily highway commute.

Exactly the reason why I don't like ASCs. I trust my own mechanic a lot (only coz me and my family have been going to him for over 20 years now), and I have this paranoia that ASC mechanics remove the "new and good parts" from new bikes that come in for free service and replace them with fake shit and screw the bike up. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I seriously might not even give my new bike for the "free services". I just don't trust them enough.

Re: Bike for daily highway commute.

Hey guys,

Test drove the Gixxer today (naked version), and I must say, I really liked it. I was afraid it would have the same leaning posture as the Hornet given both are sportier bikes, but Gixxer's posture was much more comfortable compared to Hornet.

And the price point is also coming within my budget. I am really thinking about getting the Gixxer. It looks sexy as hell, loved the posture, loved the engine grunt, the pickup, rear disc break. I asked in the Gixxer ownership thread and the FE they're getting is around 45 to 50 kmpl, which is acceptable. I also loved the odo, which showed the gear number also, which was great.

What do you guys think? Unicorn 160 or Gixxer?

Re: Bike for daily highway commute.

why no one giving him option for abs bikes?

its a life saver..

infact i am also planning to buy bike for myself as i am working in faridabad coming from way cross janakpuri.. but its a mixture of city and highway ride with huge traffic...

by the way i am 6.6" in height with not lean structure [emoji41]

Re: Bike for daily highway commute.

Hi Ravi,

I grappled with the same question two years ago (my list also included the fz). I ended up choosing the Gixxer and I have not regretted this choice at all. And it seems the test ride of the Gixxer has made its mark on you!

Let me try to compare both machines to the best of my ability.

1. Looks:
The Honda is okay looking and is inoffensive to the eyes.The problem with that is that you either get spectacular results or you become anonymous, the latter seems to be true in the Honda's case.
The Gixxer has a head light design that is a bit simple. But as a whole, the Gixxer looks cohesively like a youthful, sharp motorcycle of great quality and finish.

2.Performance
Honda Unicorn 160:
Max power 14.71PS@8,000rpm
Max torque 14.61Nm@6,000rpm
Power/Weight 108.96

Suzuki Gixxer
Max power 14.8PS@8,000rpm
Max torque 14Nm@6,000rpm
Power/Weight 109.63

Numerically, the Honda makes more torque than the Gixxer though they both have roughly the same peak power. They also weigh almost the same. But the Gixxer has a slightly better power to weight ratio. The difference lies in the nature of the performance rather than its quantity. The Gixxer always feels slightly aggressive, slightly more brash. Like it wants to get up to some mischief. The Unicorn feels more mature, more laidback. In terms of economy, the Honda is slightly more fuel efficient, closer to 50 more times than the Gixxer which will be closer to 45 more often than 50.

3. Handling
Here, IMHO, the Suzuki starts to show it's GSX-R underpinnings. The Suzuki revels in its youthful enthusiasm. It really likes to corner hard and where the Honda gives you great confidence, the Gixxer does all that and then pats you on the back for the good time it is having. But when you push on ever harder, you'll realise that the one area where the Gixxer is dramatically ahead of the Unicorn is the tyres. The Gixxer gets a radial at the back and stickier tyres than the Unicorn. That makes it a much more trustworthy plaything in iffy conditions and when you're red misting.
The Gixxer rides a bit softer (Gixxer also has adjustable rear suspension) than the Honda. It means the Gixxer jitters less over bumpy stretches than the Honda and generally feels more plush. The flip side is that the Honda's feel changes very little with a pillion but the Suzuki will feel the pillion noticeably more. In braking, the Suzuki cannot match the assurance of CBS in inexperienced hands but bring a little skill (and the better tyres) to the table and results are in favour of the Gixxer.

Features:
The Gixxer gets adjustable rear suspension, fully digital instrument cluster with programmable RPM light, gear position indicator, LED tail lights and most importantly an engine kill switch over the Honda Unicorn 160.

In conclusion the only parameter the Honda scores over the Suzuki is fuel economy but only just 4-5 kmpl. IMHO this is acceptable in face of the other things the Gixxer offers. So I say go with the Gixxer!

Hope this helps

Re: Bike for daily highway commute.

Awesome reply man. Really appreciate the time, effort and thought you put in it.

I am totally inclining towards Gixxer. Right now trying to get the final rate from the official Suzuki showroom and the local multi-brand dealers. Will let you know how much am getting it for.

By the way, Blue color looks beautiful

Re: Bike for daily highway commute.

Indeed the blue looks beautiful, but I chose the red one! 😉

Re: Bike for daily highway commute.

Guys,

I've decided to go with Unicorn 160. It's a powerful bike, has good mileage, and is comfortable for both the rider and the pillion (which is important for me coz of my wife).

Now, yesterday I went to the local Honda dealership to book my bike, and when I started yapping on about PDI, the salesman said he'll show me the bike before doing the booking, and once I'm happy with it, he'll go ahead and book the bike. I was happy with it.

Then, they brought the only Matte Grey in their godown and showed it to me. I immediately noticed the bad discoloring/smudge near the petrol tank and rejected the bike on the spot. They were like, this is nothing. We can remove it within a few minutes, etc, etc. I just took a few photos of the bike and rejected it.

One thing I noticed was, there were two wires (one black and one red) dangling below the petrol tank (near the engine). They said the battery wasn't connected yet. I asked them to show me the odometer to check how many kilometers the bike had been ridden. They said they can't do that yet coz the battery is not connected. Then I said - if the battery wasn't connected, how will the digital odometer even calculate how many kilometers the bike was ridden? They said the bike calculates and remembers it even without battery, and I was like WHAT! 🙄 Is it true? The bike can count and remember the kilometers driven without the battery being connected?

My only concern is, the bike can be ridden for so many kilometers or even test driven without the battery connection, so how do I exactly know how much kilometers the bike had been ridden originally before taking delivery.

Also, when I was talking about PDI, the topic of "rust" came up, and I told him I won't accept a bike, which has rusty joints, etc. But the salesman said, it's easy to fix and that they have a spray for it. And this again made me go WTF! in my mind coz the spray will just HIDE the rust and won't actually fix it. It's still a rusty bike.

I'm too skeptical about this Honda dealership but it's the only one we have here and it's one of the BIGGEST. The same owner has THREE showrooms in nearby city also and has 5 different godowns.

I would really appreciate it if anyone can put some light on these two queries I have.

Thanx a lot in advance. Desperately waiting for a reply

Re: Bike for daily highway commute.

Book the bike. Select teh bike when a new lot arrives and is being unloaded from the truck. Dealerships in India have a habit of disconnecting Odometers in case they want to cheat the customer in future, its a fact. You can file a complaint on their official website.

If the sales rep is saying stuff like "dont worry", "it can be fixed", dont listen to him. 9 out 10 times they are always full of BS.

Be the smarter person in teh room. Do your research on the bike before jumping the fence.

Re: Bike for daily highway commute.

How do they disconnect the odo? From the front wheel? Does the battery need to be connected for the odo to record the kilometers?