Aug 28, 2006 08:42 PM
14209 Views
My brother was looking for a decent all rounder after his Pulsar gave lots of problems and literally spoiled his 'peace of mind'. We both have done couple of dozen test rides on various bikes ( Apache, Gladiator, Shine, Unicorn, HH Achiever, HH Glamour, HH Glam F1, Zeus). We did not consider Bajaj product, obviously as my brother still feels Pulsar took him to HELL !!
Consistent & 60+ mileage was one big factor on my brothers mind, none of the 150 cc bikes will give that in B'lore city condition. Though HH Achiever is mileage champion in 150cc, my brother didn't like it's headlight.and colors + stickers. Only Black Achiever looks good. Unicorn & Apache were the other scrutinized bikes. But my brother said no to 150cc.
Next was 125cc band-wagon !!!
HH Glamour F1 : We test rided this bike, we felt that FI is really working on this bike. But the cost is very big and we don't get back any benefit back ( there's a claim of 5kmpl extra) but the on road price tag was huge & we rejected this. Not sure why HH put this big tech on this small heart !!!! You loose by buying this !!!
HH Glamour/SS : Looks very glamourous and we'll feel pshycological that we are paying more for that extra glamour. Mileage claims through users were consisitent at 60 kmpl. None of the users said they got less than 55kmpl. We kept this on list for some time. Both Glam & SS lacked good trorque in low gears. The bike goes to 60 kmph effortlessly and is stable and smooth at that speed.
Gladiator : When we went for second test ride the salesman said 'no-petrol' with grim face, he idendified us & he taught we have come to burn his feul & not buy a bike !!. But glad is a good bike wth 5 speed gears and re-worked old yam 4S engine. Service feedback was poor, mileage feedback from about 7 users was was consistent but 55kmpl. Got five gears and riding position was relaxed and better than any other bike. Older guys and people who travel long stretch can consider this bike.
Shine : The ride & posture feel was like an Super Splendor, but brand made us look into this bike seriously. Users said they are getting good mileage after 3/4 th service. Mileage feedback from users were consistent at 60 kmpl and two guys said they got 65 kmpl after 4 th service. This bike lacked 5th gear and still was on our minds. The bike ride at different speeds was similar to SS & Glam. There's more torque in Shine on low gears compared to HH twins.
5.Zeus : was test rided last and it was almost love at first sight. It's looks pretty, good torque on low gears and a consistent 60+ kmpl feedback from about 16 users. we test rided the bike 3 times and (salesman entertained us everytime we dropped in w/o hesitation)and one stretch was 5+ kms on inner ring road. We liked it's handling and its smooth at 60 kmph, the engine is silent & makes buzzz sound like my Ambition and gearbox is fantastic. The biggest deciding factor in fav. of Zeus was a visit to its service center. The service in charge is hand-picked from best Maruthi showrooms in B'lore, mechanics are very well trained (many from Maruthi service) and were listening to users every point. Spares costs are overall lesser compared to Honda. We spoke to many users on two occasions. All were praising Suzuki very much and were recommending to close friends. Though the experience of riding this was similar to Glad, service & user feedback made a difference to choose this bike from large pool of hot competition !!
Well ZEUS is new and there's no doubt that all bike makers will have to give their pie (across all segments) to this amazing bike from Suzuki ....Can a Hayabuza maker go wrong in any way ??!!!
