A few months after Suzuki Motorcycles India introduced the Gixxer, we are here with its faired sibling, the Gixxer SF. This is not a new trend; manufacturers have been using the same engine in a variety of guises for a long time. This saves on lengthy development costs, as shoehorning new bodywork into an established platform is a lot easier than creating an all-new product from the ground up. Heck, some manufacturers even use the same engines and underpinnings across different classes.
So now the Gixxer SF is here to play ball with the faired 150ccs of India. And we love full fairings here in this country, be it for their head-turning looks alone or their sporty appeal, or both.
Images : Chirag Mondal
Does the Suzuki Gixxer have what it takes? We will find out soon. We won’t go into too much detail here in this review, as we have covered the original Gixxer thoroughly in our road test, and the SF is literally the same motorcycle with the addition of a full fairing. You can read our Gixxer 155 review here
Design and Features
While we weren’t too taken with the name itself, we embraced the styling of the Gixxer with open arms, pointing it out as one of the best aspects of the motorcycle. We raved about its sculpted lines and sinewy, muscular look that gave it a stance more akin to far larger motorcycles than other 150ccs. I even went forward to proclaim to my colleagues that this is the best 150cc naked motorcycle I’ve ever seen in the country.
The SF still has that look, although much of its sculpted fuel tank – a large part of its appeal – is now hidden under a full fairing. The fairing comes with an extremely large and partially left out Suzuki sticker that we have seen on newer Suzuki big bikes before. Suzuki has tried to replicate the feel of its big bikes with the SF and it shows here.
Whether you like what they have done or not is a matter of taste. To us, the headlight assembly and fairing feels rather simplistic, lacking any real definition or beauty. It is the same with the fairing. It doesn’t have quite the pizzazz or the aerodynamic sportiness look that full fairings should have, although it has been also developed at Suzuki’s Hamamatsu plant where all of its research on its big bikes takes place.
The handlebars are another sore point. Suzuki has retained the same one-piece handlebars from the naked Gixxer, and while it feels natural on the original, we would have preferred clip-ons to go with the sportier styling. Even clip-ons on risers, like they have on the newer crop of sporty 150s and 200s, would have been a lot more welcome.
But the complaints end there. This is still a solidly built bike, with extremely good build quality and attention to detail. Every piece and panel, made of plastic or metal, has an air of quality to it.
The rear-view mirrors, now mounted on the fairing, are wide, perhaps a tad too wide, but they give an excellent view of what’s happening behind you. The downside is that they just out to the sides a lot more than the rest of the bike, and while you can bring them in, weaving through traffic with them fully extended is unnerving at times.
The instrument console is also still all-digital, serving up a wealth of detail and info that can be matched only by the KTMs. And, like the KTMs, some details may be a bit too tiny to discern on the move, but it is still pretty comprehensive and we love it.
From the seat down, the rest of the bodywork is exactly the same and the Gixxer SF retains that beautiful stance viewed from the rear three-quarters.
Next page for performance, handling, verdict and image gallery >>>
the naked Gixxer has a kerb weight of 135 kg, the Gixxer SF tips the scale at 139 kg, where from did you get the figure of 12 KG, please change the details!
We believe that it would be sufficiently comfortable for you. But just to be sure, we would recommend getting a test ride of the motorcycle before making a decision.
On the similar lines, would it be comfortable for a rider 5’6″? Its my height and found some of the sporty bikes around make me backache. I had to choose commutorish bikes like Unicorn.
I’m 5’9″ tall and I think the motorcycle looked pretty decent in the photographs. We would suggest you head out to a showroom near you and check out the motorcycle.
Is the bike big enough to look nice on a 6″2′ rider..??