Comparison Tests

The similarities here are uncanny. A half fairing. High-rise handlebar. Large fuel tank. Stepped, wide seat. And chunky but handy rear grab-rails. And there’s more. Underneath that touring façade lays a street naked; be it the chassis, the brakes or the tyres. Even the engine, in fact.

Welcome then to our new age sports Tourers.

The Indian 125cc scooter segment is an important one but isn’t home to a lot of action by two-wheeler manufacturers. It’s more important to have a presence rather than increasing its products numbers, at least for now. Mahindra, recently, showcased their new 125cc scooter – the Gusto 125. Once launched, it will take on the Honda Activa 125 and the Suzuki Swish 125. We give you a detailed spec comparison on their standings, in terms of power, performance, features and their looks. 

Three bikes. Three completely different flavours. One’s a street naked; another a supermoto (or sorts); and the third a cruiser (or at least that’s what they will have us believe). But, yes, three very different takes for what is essentially the same need – the need for something quick, something exciting, something showy and something fun.

We brought you the comparison between the Avenger 150 and the Suzuki Gixxer SF a few weeks back (you can read it HERE). So, while the Avenger 150 is a new category for Bajaj to enter, it has been operating with the 220cc engine for eons. But, the motorcycle’s sales had stopped growing. Its competitor on the other hand, the Royal Enfield range of bikes has been growing in numbers and strength with every passing month. So, to tackle this, Bajaj is now offering the Avenger 220 in two forms – the Street and the Cruise. The Cruise, as its name suggests, is meant for touring along with being a bike for the daily grind; a need the Thunderbird 350 currently addresses. Enough reason really for us to compare the two to find out which deserves to be in your garage.

Seems like déjà vu. We just had the Suzuki Gixxer and the Yamaha FZS-FI locking horns a couple of months back right here on BikeWale. But here we are again with both the Gixxer and the FZ, and for good reason. The last time round, we couldn’t get a Bajaj Pulsar AS150 in time to join the test. More importantly, we also now have the Honda Hornet 160R.

The Bajaj Avenger 150 Street is the cheapest cruiser one can buy. It is here to fill the role of a daily commuter and a weekend getaway bike; something the Suzuki Gixxer SF promises to do as well. Capitalising on the ‘Avenger’ moniker’s popularity, Bajaj has pegged the Avenger 150 Street as an entry-level cruiser, carving out a new sub segment in this market space. Suzuki, in the meantime, has carved its own niche calling the SF the most affordable faired bike one can buy. Both these motorcycles will serve you well for your daily grind, offer a bit of fast paced riding and allow you to comfortably rip through the highways, while bringing a smile on your face. But which one does it better?

There was a time when we used to beg Indian two-wheeler manufacturers to bring in their middle-weight motorcycles to India. While some of them didn’t pay heed, few others got down to serious business. Honda and Kawasaki were the good ones.

Bajaj recently dropped a bomb when it launched the Avenger 150 Street in India, along with its 220cc siblings. The 150cc segment had been missing a cruiser for a long time, and Bajaj decided to spice things up by plonking the Pulsar 150 DTS-i engine in this versatile tubular double cradle type chassis.

This is where it all begins. For the young and restless, the 150cc class is the first step towards a fast and performance oriented motorcycling future. As they mature, both in age and in riding skill, the young will continue to invest in larger, more powerful, and more expensive machines. But, this, the 150cc class, sets the right tone.

The 250cc-500cc class is seeing a lot of excitement lately; mainly because of the number of models now available in this product category, but also because of their great pricing. All the noteworthy models are, after all, priced between Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh. But that’s not all, each of these bikes deliver something unique from touring ability to hooliganism to all round goodness.