27th February 2018, 16:09
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| Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Foreword: This review is based on over 3 years of personal experience. As my mind forays into thoughts of upgrading to bigger and hopefully better motorcycles, I write this tribute with delightful nostalgia to the one motorcycle that started it all for me. This is my first attempt to write a review, so please excuse me if it's not up to Team BHP's high standards. Prologue: It was named after the brightest stars in the hallowed constellation of motorcycling excellence. Its namesake predecessors were pioneers, trailblazers who redefined what a motorcycle could do. To live up to such lofty expectations was an intimidating prospect in itself, but this upstart had the added responsibility to arrest the downward spiral in the Indian motorcycle market that its legendary manufacturer was falling into.This is the story of the Suzuki Gixxer.  The Concise Review Part 1- The Yay The Engine is practically vibration free even when you redline the bike in every gear.You can even dawdle around at 30kph in 5th gear without the engine knocking. Good low end torque makes this an efficient commuter. The Performance: The bike is fantastic upto 60km/hr, in gear acceleration is especially addictive. The sound of the engine is brilliant for a 150cc, second only to the TVS Apache 200. The intake roar turns heads on the roads. The Handling and Ride Quality :The feeback from the suspension, especially the front end is astronomically awesome. This coupled with the brilliant MRF tyres make this a delectably delightful motorcycle in the corners. The ride quality is a better balance between plush (for bump absorption) and firm (for better handling) than the competition. Braking: While the front disc brake is top notch with respect to feedback and bite, the rear drum brake feels vague and weak and is only good enough for ‘balancing’ the bike at low speeds, so don't expect a lot of stopping power. The combined braking performance however is satisfactory if you are used to applying both brakes and using engine braking. Farkle Features: The fully digital instrument cluster comes loaded with a tachometer, a speedometer, a gear position indicator, an adjustable shift light, two trip metres, a clock and finally a light that reminds you to call your girlfriend, especially if you are enjoying the bike too much. First and probably only bike in its segment to have an adjustable rear suspension. Reliability: No mechanical issues faced in more than 3 years of ownership despite riding the bike hard in varied conditions. Part 2- The Meh Aesthetics: This is subjective but I feel the bike could have been designed better, especially that odd looking headlight.The design (and sound!) of the exhaust is mighty marvellous. The Ground Clearance: While you will not face any problems riding solo or with a reasonably fit pillion, but any pillion over 65kg is likely to cause the belly to scrape over “tall” speed breakers. Adjusting the rear suspension to a harder setting will rectify this issue, but Suzuki does not provide the wrench for the same in the tool kit that comes with the motorcycle, so you will have to visit the service station every time you need to get it adjusted. Fit and Finish: Overall build quality is more than satisfactory but the paint on the pillion grab rails has faded over time. I am starting to observe rusting on the kick start lever and swingarm. The plastic bar end weights have a rather annoying tendency to keep falling off. Part 3- The Nay The Headlight: Not only does it look out of place, it feels like a typical government employee; incompetent on it's best day and useless on every other days. The Horn: I can barely hear it under my helmet while riding. Enough said. The Footpegs: Although this is a recent gripe, footpegs are too low for hard cornering(I'm 5’8” & taller folks may be more comfortable). The chassis is capable of carrying higher corner speeds and higher set pegs would help in both gripping the bike with the knees and cornering clearance. Last edited by Shumi_21 : 10th December 2018 at 13:45. |
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8th March 2018, 22:09
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| Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review The Backdrop Part 1- Suzuki Suzuki had a peculiar conundrum in India. While its joint venture with Maruti had turned out to be an invincible juggernaut in the Indian car market, it's JV with TVS had failed miserably, although many seasoned enthusiasts would still swear by their Shoguns and Shaolins even to this day and rightly so. But from there onwards, it was all downhill for Suzuki.  The Shogun was one of the better products that came out of the JV between TVS and Suzuki. The failure of the joint venture was so monumentally profound that Suzuki was forced to abandon their two wheeler operations in for a few years. They however returned to India with a whimper, rather than the bang they would have expected. The GS150 while a good motorcycle, was so understated that it hardly made it out of the dealerships. Other models such as the Slingshot, Hayate, Zeus etc were (and still are) practically unseen on our roads. Suzuki was making motorcycles that were really good but not really desirable . It seemed there was a lack of aspiration on Suzuki's part, especially with Yamaha having moved the game forward with the FZ and the R15. Even the epitome of understatement, Honda, had come out with the CBR 150R. This reduced Suzuki to being a manufacturer of alternatives to Honda and Yamaha, which was not a good perception to have, a point clearly driven home by dismal sale numbers despite building quality products.  The one(s) that began the legend of the Gixxer name. The yellow one is a race spec GSXR-750, while the blue one is the road legal version from 1985. It's interesting to note that the 1985 GSXR 750 was the one to start the trend of having two headlights on a sportbike, this tradition had been continued by most manufacturers even today while Suzuki now has a single headlight on their current GSXR lineup! This was a rather ponderous situation for Suzuki, who had set the bar in performance motorcycling globally with the original “Gixxer”, the 1984 GSXR-750 and again with the all conquering K5 GSXR-1000, which Troy Corser rode to Suzuki's first and only World Superbike Championship in the year 2005.  Troy Corser (R) and Yukio Kagayama with the championship winning GSXR-1000 Back home too, Suzuki had a reputation for performance motorcycles due to the manic GSX1300 R better known as The Hayabusa.  Whether you are a motorcycle enthusiast or not, you will surely recognise the Hayabusa as the "Dhoom wali Bike" The way to crack the Indian motorcycle market, they decided, was to put this rich heritage at stake. So in 2014, after 2 years of development by the same engineers who were associated with the legendary GSXR series of motorcycles, Suzuki launched the smaller namesake, The Gixxer. Part 2- Personal My earliest memories of a motorcycle is riding pillion as a child behind my older cousin on his Hero Honda CBZ. I really can't recall where we used to go, but I fondly remember the happiness that I felt on two wheels. To say I wanted one for myself would be an understatement! But maybe it was my middle class background, or my desire for the first major purchase in life to be truly ‘mine’, or my (vainglorious!) pride that stopped me every time I walked up to my parents to ask for a motorcycle. My friends (and cousins) who had motorcycles were kind enough to let me ride their bikes whenever we hung out. I endured this agonising 'waiting’ period by reading Keith Code’s A Twist of the Wrist, online reviews of every possible motorcycle, and researching the ones I liked, which was almost every last one. All this before I had even decided which motorcycle I was supposed to purchase!  Probably the most well known book about riding techniques. It's mostly about track riding, but a lot can be applied to street riding too. The Gixxer comes home! The time spent reading online reviews and talking to my friends alluded to the fact that these reviews (and opinions) alone cannot be the final word. A review, for example the KTM Duke 390, written by an international automotive journalist was in stark contrast to the ones written by his Indian counterparts. The differences were more subtle between Indian reviews of the same motorcycle. And the worst part was that I could not disqualify or disagree with any one of them! I realised that motorcycles can, and often do, unleash powerful, intensely personal reactions. Of appreciation as well as of apathy. These reactions would now be important parameters of my purchase decision. After considerable permutations and combinations, I set my budget and went about test riding all available options. After a few weekends of doing of test rides and calculation of service costs, ownership costs, it came down to the Yamaha R15 V2 and the Suzuki Gixxer.  It was down to these two brilliant motorcycles. Notice the weird looking Honda Unicorn bar end weights. I had to use them as the Suzuki supplied ones kept falling off! The R15 is aimed at being a proper sport bike. So it made a few compromises according to me. First was the riding position. It's dedicated with the footpegs being rear set and the clip on handlebars set low and forward, making you lean forward a lot. This arrangement works well at speed and on the track, but in urban conditions, where I would be doing 70% of my riding, this was going to be a problem. Secondly, the pillion seat was too high and uncomfortable and did not have grab rails for the pillion rider to hold on to. But even then, it was a foregone conclusion that the R15 trumps the Gixxer on almost all other parameters. Handling, performance, NVH levels, fit and finish levels and even aesthetics were superior on the R15. So why did I pick the Gixxer over the R15 which was certainly the better motorcycle? I believe the answer has to do with the nature of motorcycles, how we react to them and the impact both of those things had on my test rides of both the R15 and the Gixxer. These deeper feelings determine how much you'll enjoy a particular motorcycle and they're hard to quantify and articulate but they're as real and tangible as the motorcycle itself. I thought similarly when I test rode the Gixxer and felt that it was my kind of motorcycle. Maybe it was the “S” logo of Suzuki that swayed my opinion, my real name too starts with 'S’ and it felt like my initials had already been stamped on the bike! So finally in September 2015, I was a proud owner of a brand new, red Suzuki Gixxer!  Probably the first photo of my Gixxer I would rate the dealership experience with Kiran Suzuki as less than average. Although they (sales staff, service manager) were happy to answer all questions to my satisfaction, the delivery experience was not ideal. The crash guard was not fitted, the pillion grab rails were loose and the idle rpm was set too high. These issues were promptly resolved on being pointed out, but I felt the general attitude was very lackadaisical. This is true for almost all brands' dealerships. I also visited the Mahindra dealership to take a look at the Mojo as it was just beside the Suzuki one and I was waiting for the delivery procedures to be completed. Even though I made it clear that I had no intention of purchasing the Mojo, they were enthusiastic in telling me about the bike and even offered me a test ride! Hopefully, Jawa dealerships also continue this good work. Last edited by Shumi_21 : 10th December 2018 at 13:49. |
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21st March 2018, 19:55
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| Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Aesthetics  The empty space in the engine compartment looks a bit odd The Gixxer is refreshingly good looking by Suzuki's tediously tepid standards. The bike’s design theme according to me is muscular minimalism. Think of it as a gymnast's ripped physique rather than the bulky bodybuilders that are generally associated with naked street fighter motorcycles.  While most people think the Gixxer's styling is inspired from the Yamaha FZ, it's actually an evolution of the Suzuki Slingshot The 12 litre fuel tank has a chrome 3D “S” logo and is captivatingly chiselled with bikini fairings bearing the legendary ‘Gixxer’ sobriquet culminating the alluring arrangement. Thankfully there are no excessive graphics or styling cues that may 'intrude’  on the design theme. The fat 41mm front forks and body coloured front fender continue the muscular minimalism on the front, although the headlight is rather dour looking. Moving on, the seat and LED tail lights are inspired by the Slingshot and the pillion grab rails are competently accommodated with the motorcycle. The rear section is skillfully streamlined completing a nice ‘flow’ from the front. The exhaust sounds as good as it looks The most eye catching design deliberation is the dual chrome tipped end can. It resplendently reinforces the overall motif of muscular minimalism without 'intruding’ too much(sorry I can't help myself!). The Gixxer's exhaust design is the best in class, period. Overall the bike has good road presence, especially the all red ones. The instrument cluster is a 5.5 inch all digital one. It has the tachometer on the top, fuel gauge on the right, speedometer.on the left and a gear position indicator with a programmable shift light which I found very useful as a new rider.  The Gixxer is always ready to go indeed! Performance and Handling I will let the following video by Powerdrift tell you about the Gixxer's handling and performance. Can't really add anything to the above video or the numerous online reviews but here's some observations based on my experience, please do let me know if you want any more/further information. The engine is refined in typical Japanese fashion, whether you are doing 50 in 2nd gear or 100 in 5th. But it runs out of power after 8000 rpm, so it's kind of useless to rev it until the 9500 rpm redline. The engine is at it's best when you shift at 6000-7000 rpm. It returns a fuel economy of ~42kmpl when ridden hard like that. Sedate riding can get you fuel efficiency closer to 50, but trust me Suzuki has taken the Gixxer name seriously here and the bike is best enjoyed while being thrashed. The Gixxer’s superb air cooled engine displaces 155cc, producing 14.8 hp at 8000 rpm and 14nm of twisting force at 6000 rpm, it's matched to a 5 speed gearbox that is precise but requires a little more effort (compared to other motorcycles) from your left foot to shift gears making you feel that the gear-box is 'hard’. A faster response from the gear box would certainly add to the fun factor. I have found the transmission to be more slick shifting when I 'load’ the clutch foot lever before shifting. Please watch the following video for a detailed explanation: The Gixxer's Kerb weight is at 135 kg, seat height is 780mm and ground clearance is 160mm. The seating position is on the sportier side of the spectrum, the rider has to lean a tad forward than upright to reach the handlebars and the footpegs are rear set too. I would have preferred the foot-pegs to be a few inches higher as it makes gripping the tank easier (for me) and helps carry more speeds in corners when you are in the mood to let it rip. The TVS Apache 200 gets the rider's triangle spot on IMHO. On the move the Gixxer is absolutely amazingly agile, complimented by the excellent MRF Revz M tyres which not only help you enjoy the bike in corners but also provide reassurance while braking, especially in iffy conditions. The tyres have a long life too, my last set lasted about 35000 Kms. Acceleration off the line is good with a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds. If launched properly, you can even suprise higher powered bikes upto the 60km/hr mark. In gear acceleration is addictive in the city, you can basically whack open the throttle in any gear at about 3.5k RPM and feel the exhilaration. Couple this with light weight and supreme agility, and you have a bike that makes your commutes smile inducing! Out on the highway, the Gixxer again punches above its weight with its ability to hold a constant cruising speed of about 90km/hr, post which it begins to lose steam. Given a straight and long enough stretch of tarmac, I have seen a top speed of 114 km/hr on the speedometer. Worth noting is the fact the Gixxer continues to feel refined even when ridden to its absolute limit. Suspension duties are carried out by 41mm telescopic conventional forks at the front and a 7 step adjustable monoshock at the rear, with 1 being the softest and 7 being the hardest. I have found that step #5 is the best overall setting. The front suspension is very accurately calibrated for our roads, not only is it reassuringly responsive with its feedback in corners but also it handles undulations on our roads with aplomb. Even considerably large potholes do not unsettle the bike. Braking is satisfactory, although I would be happier with a little more bite from both ends, the feedback from the front is excellent, the rear is poor overall.  That headlight sure is an eyesore The headlight on the Gixxer is practically useless at night, it's too scattered and does not illuminate the road, AT ALL. The fact that it's looks as ugly as it does is even more dismaying. Build quality is impressive, better than rivals from Honda, but not quite at Yamaha FZ levels. There's some rusting on the kick start lever and the swingarm, but please keep in mind I live less than 200m from the beach which certainly accelerates the rate of rusting, so to speak. Another gripe is the ground clearance, on paper it is 160mm and riding solo, things are easy breezy. But get a pillion over 65-70kg and the underbelly starts scraping on those unscientific narrow and tall speed breakers. By the way, has anyone ever seen a speed breaker being constructed? They always seem to pop up overnight! Servicing is on par with what you get from a Honda or a Yamaha for similarly priced bikes. Basically the same story, the service centres do a half hearted job if you are not vigilant. However, there's a Maruti-Suzuki service centre known as Allied Auto Agencies in Bandra that has a service bay for Suzuki motorcycles too. They are head and shoulders above the standalone Suzuki motorcycle service centres when it comes to professional knowledge, competence and customer service. Maybe it's the high standards of MSIL rubbing off in this case. Suzuki will do well to leverage MSIL's huge service network for their motorcycle business considering most buyers are hesitant about Suzuki's tiny motorcycle service network.  The only 'modification' I have done is the addition of a tank pad. To sum up this review, I'd say that the Gixxer is the perfect starter motorcycle. It's decently powerful, supremely refined and has enough grunt on the highway while being easy on the pocket. It's informative instrument cluster, especially the gear position indicator and shift light are very helpful for new riders. But that's not why you should buy a Gixxer. Why you should buy it is because of its innate ability to make monotonous commutes interesting. For it's beautiful handling and light-weight, that makes getting your knee down in corners that much easier. For it's abuse friendly nature, because no matter what you throw at it, you will not be disappointed. I have taken it off road a few times now and the Gixxer has not let me down!  Do notice I have changed the handle-bar end grips to after market metal ones.  The 4MB file size limit is preventing me from uploading most of the good photos  Life as it often does to a lot of us, had caught up to me and I had started a ride immediately after a hectic day at work that extended almost into midnight. The night was cold, foggy and raining. I was frustrated, tired and hungry. Once I got past the bright lights of Mumbai, I was literally(thanks to the rubbish headlight) and metaphorically riding through pitch black darkness. There was nowhere to stop for a hot beverage/meal. At about 3 am, in one of the middle of nowhere sort of places on the highway, I found myself standing by the side of the road, temporarily overwhelmed by how miserable I was, when I noticed I had not switched off the bike’s engine. As I reached for the kill switch, I suddenly became aware of the soft, unimpeded and liberating thrum of the Gixxer's engine. It seemed ceaseless and serene in that moment. “We can go on”, it seemed to drone, “All night if need be, but we will get home. I will always get you home”.  And that's going to be the lasting memory of my Gixxer. Last edited by Shumi_21 : 10th December 2018 at 13:40. |
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11th December 2018, 07:26
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11th December 2018, 11:14
| #5 | |
| BANNED Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Kollam
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| Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Quote:
In case it does happen do not stop midway as that would result in a false neutral and the dogs grinding, the key is to avoid being surprised and in the event of an unexpected shift, drive the shifter lever all the way so that the dogs are perfectly driven into their slots. Cheers, A.P. | |
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11th December 2018, 12:17
| #6 |
| BHPian  | Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Brilliant write-up and nice photos!  I too own a Gixxer (white blue combination) bought 3 years ago. I agree with each word you've written which is exactly similar to my experience. Its an awesome bike for daily commute and weekend rides out of town. Agreed with your assessment about the headlights not being powerful enough and the bottom scraping on taller speed breakers with a pillion rider. My ownership and service experience has been fuss free except for a niggle with the chain sprocket that I need to get rectified.Also my rear tyre has suffered 2 punctures in quick succession recently and I am thinking of getting the rear tyre replaced altogether. Any suggestions on that? |
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11th December 2018, 17:18
| #7 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Hyderabad
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| Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Thanks a ton for sharing your experience Shumi. It is very beautifully written. You certainly meet TBHP standards. I believe your write up is right up there with the best  |
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11th December 2018, 20:57
| #8 |
| Distinguished - BHPian   | Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Congratulations  I am no fan of smaller capacity bikes, but except for 2- the yummy R15 & and the Gixxer. You have properly covered everything. Here is my small review of its twin the Gixxer SF. Whenever someone asks me to suggest a bike below 1 lakh, I suggest the Gixxer eyes closed. |
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12th December 2018, 09:06
| #9 | ||||
| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Mumbai
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| Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Quote:
Quote:
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 The Honda CB300R would be the ideal upgrade for me. Too bad Honda only wants to sell us Activas And that's where the CBR250R comes in! I'm not a fan of how it looks or the fact that it has been updated to the 300 everywhere except India, but it seems to hit the right spot with regards to performance and economy for me. The money I will save if I go for the CBR250R instead of the R3 can start my Triumph Street Triple fund! What your views about this after riding the CBR, the Gixxer and the R3? Is the CBR fun around corners with the Michelin's? Can it tackle light off roading without popping a fork seal? Can it handle an average monthly running of 2000 KM's for years like the Gixxer? | ||||
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12th December 2018, 12:10
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| Distinguished - BHPian | Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Quote:
R3 is simply overpriced today! I would suggest the CBR or the Duke 390(since you spoke of fun)  CBR with Michelin PSR is a great bike on corners. It feels better than the Gixxer-(also has rear set pegs). But CBR riding posture is different from that of the Gixxer. A few people complain of neck pain on it as it is slightly front leaning. The CBR is too long in the market without any significant updates. But it does its duty exceedingly well! Even after the Duke 390 and currently the RC 390, I still miss my CBR at times. It is a whole package! | |
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12th December 2018, 12:46
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12th December 2018, 14:08
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| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Anand(GJ23)
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17th February 2019, 17:01
| #13 | ||
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| Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Quote:
I am a little more than halfway through my 2nd set of tyres, both of which have been the stock MRF 140/60 Revz M’s. The Revz-S does sound exciting being a 130/70 and should theoretically increase acceleration as there would be comparatively lesser rolling resistance. But wouldn’t the 14mm difference in tyre diameter (599.8mm for the stock 140/60 Revz-M & 613.8mm for the 130/70 Revz-S) cause a speedo and odo error? However, I am upgrading to a 300cc soon, it does not make sense for me to replace my tyres. One of my friend’s has been running Masseters on his Ninja 300 (pre-localization) and according to him, they are superlatively better in all aspects compared to the stock IRC’s. Quote:
Yes, that is absolutely true SJM! Thanks for reading! I recently had a chance to ride TVS's new Apache 160 (FI) and it comes really close to beating the Gixxer. The TVS has a definite advantage in fit and finish levels and also has more power than the Suzuki. But in-gear acceleration is superior on the Gixxer, so is braking and handling ability. This is mainly because of the TVS Remora tyres on the Apache 160, that do not inspire confidence even when slightly leaned over and during braking. A better set of tyres will easily see the Apache beat the Gixxer in the handling and braking department. Refinement advantage goes to the Gixxer, although by the tiniest margin. The only time you feel vibrations on the TVS is under hard acceleration. If only TVS had managed the same refinement with the Apache 310’s engine! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Few Updates: First Break Down So finally, after more than 3 years and almost 67000 kms on the odo, I had my first break down. The culprit was the clutch cable that snapped while downshifting from 3rd to 2nd at about 55km/hr. It was a hairy moment to be honest, due to application of full engine braking, as the cable gave way before I had a chance to rev-match, causing the rear to fishtail dangerously. Luckily, it happened as I was downshifting and was already on the brakes. Hence, I was able to recover by letting go of the rear brake & gradually reducing the pressure on the front. But in that momentary panic, I forgot to modulate the throttle to keep the engine running just above idle. As a result, the bike stalled with a substantial jerk, leaving me stranded in 2nd gear, in the middle of the street! My first thought was to get the bike in neutral and push it to roadside, but this was not happening on account of the broken clutch cable and the Gixxer’s hard clutch, that wouldn’t budge at all. I was sweating now, both literally and metaphorically, at the prospect of trying to drag my bike to the side of the road as irate motorists honked at me, some even yelling as they went around me. But then I remembered reading something in my motorcycle’s user manual - the Gixxer could be kick-started in gear! Hence, I clamped on the front brake and pushed the kick-start lever. The bike obliged and came to life. In my excitement, I blipped the throttle and dumped the front brake, doing an unintended wheelie and was on my way again!  Reading your bike's manual can prove to be beneficial in many ways! Rode the motorcycle in 2nd gear exercising all the throttle control I could summon, to the nearest FNG (was lucky again here as I was in a familiar area and knew the location of the mechanic’s shop). The FNG, surprisingly had the clutch cable for the Gixxer in stock. Guess the Gixxer is slowly getting the reputation it so rightly deserves! Even the mechanic was all praises for Suzuki and how their bikes last forever. The clutch cable was from a brand called MILEX. Wasn’t really sure about it, but did not have an option so I got it installed. Cost: ₹220 (₹170 for the cable, ₹50 for labour) The only upside from this whole fiasco is now my gear shifts have become lighter and quicker despite me keeping the clutch lever play at the exact same adjustment as before. I dare even say the clutch has become “butter smooth”. Makes me wonder if the “hard” clutch is a result of the cable Suzuki is using as standard on the Gixxer. New Tank Pad  Parts of my original tank pad were peeled off by some lowlife when I had parked my bike outside a friend’s house. So, I bought a new tank pad off AliExpress. It is originally intended for the famed GSXR motorcycles and it says so prominently. It’s also a little too big for my bike’s tank. However, this new tank pad does a good job of highlighting the GSXR-Gixxer connection. At least in my mind. And it looks hot!! Cost: ₹400  This one comes with smaller side stickers that also say GSXR! DIY Wrap Job The paint on my Gixxer’s grab rails had faded to such an extent that they were looking pink instead of red. There were also spots where the paint had faded completely and you could see the silver-ish metal base. It was an eyesore to say the least. My first thought was to get it repainted, but decided against it as I will be upgrading to a bigger motorcycle soon. A friend was getting his bicycle wrapped in faux carbon fibre vinyl and he had some left over. I borrowed the left-over vinyl and wrapped it around the grab rails as best as I could using my mother’s hair dryer instead of a heat gun. The results are better than my expectation and by a fortuitous co-incidence the wrap matches my tank pad too! Cost: A couple of Shawarmas.  Forgot to take "before" pics, so you will have to do with the "after" pics only  The grab rails look better integrated and incognito now  This is how the bike currently looks. Do notice the rusting kick start lever & the chipping paint on the engine block | ||
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17th February 2019, 23:15
| #14 | |
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| Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Quote:
Yes i agree that the PSD rear had a more rounded profile compared to the Revz S and i liked the PSD more because i could carry more speed and more lean into a corner than Revz S; but then, since you cannot get PSD any longer meant i had to go for Revz S. This time however, i m thinking of changing to Michelin Pilot Sport or something similar. Probably this will be the last set of tyres i will change before i hand my horse over to a new owner, such is the curse of being in my line of work. PS: clutch cable snap? Never had that happen to me in the 125k+ km i have done on the horse. Always changed the cable every 30k km. Mechanic would discourage, i would tell him to sod off! | |
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18th February 2019, 01:08
| #15 | |||
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| Re: Living up to the name: The Suzuki Gixxer Review Quote:
If you do periodically change cables then its just an unfortunate scenario,hence why its always recommended to carry a Auto/Vespa clutch cable and lock in the motorcycle, non-oem one costs Rs.30/- and the pack comes with the lock included, lakes a few seconds to replace the inner cable and you're back on your way. Quote:
The Gixxer could be kick-started in gear as it has a Primary Drive Kickstarter, which enables you to kickstart the motorcycle in any gear 'with the clutch pulled in' What you basically pulled off is a Hail Mary attempt which riders with a Transmission Drive Kickstarter do when they're stuck in an aggressive incline and cant afford to shift back into neutral to kickstart the motorcycle. Basically to shift gears in a motorcycle transmission i.e constant mesh transmission you don't need a clutch as in the case of a car transmission i.e synchro-mesh transmission The only reason a clutch is present is to unload the transmission, if you know how to unload the transmission with the use of the throttle then you do not need to use the clutch at all with the exception of rolling off from idle. You could simply test this out by hoisting the motorcycle on its main-stand and with the motor running and rear wheel freely rotating, shift the gears from 1 to 5 and back without using the clutch, as the motorcycle is not under load the shift would more or less happen just as it would when the clutch is disengaged. Now coming to the point at hand, to shift gears with the motorcycle stationary i.e with the rear wheel not moving you only need the clutch if the motor is running if not you don't need the clutch, BUT, you need to rock the motorcycle To and Fro, even with the moto running when you're stationary and need to shift gears it happens best when you rock the motorcycle. As for riding without a clutch cable; 1. Shift into neutral and start the motorcycle. 2. Build momentum and shift to first gear. 3. To Up-Shift, load the shifter and then close the throttle, motorcycle would shift up effortlessly, provided you shift near peak-torque. 4. To Down-Shift, load the shifter and then blip the throttle and the motorcycle would downshift effortlessly. As understood from the previous exercise on the main-stand, the transmission shifts cogs with ease as long as you take the load off of it. Quote:
As for the engine block, don't think much about it, this is quite common with air-cooled machines. Ride Safe, A.P. | |||
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