2014 ET ZigWheels Awards: Bike of the Year Suzuki Gixxer

For members of the ZigWheels Awards Jury though, it wasn’t too much of a tough task to pick the likely winner – and based on individual scores given by the jury, the results produced the unanimous choice – the Suzuki Gixxer.

For some of us, who have tested and compared the Suzuki Gixxer with other motorcycles in its segment, it was clear from the start that the Gixxer will emerge as the winner – at least in its class of 150-160cc motorcycles. But to claim the coveted ‘Motorcycle of the Year’ title, it needed to outshine every other new two wheeler across all segments, and this is where it gets interesting.

It’s a handsome motorcycle, no doubt about that. Sharp lines carve out an aggressive naked street styling on the Gixxer, with a chiseled fuel tank with sharply edged tank shrouds. A beefy, chrome-tipped muffler, Y-spoke alloy wheels and a chunky 140-section rear tyre add more muscle to the Gixxer. In fact, the front part of the bike with the finely sculpted fuel tank and tank shrouds give the Gixxer the appearance of a motorcycle with a much larger heart.

Performance is top notch, at least for a bike in this segment. And though the 155cc engine on the Gixxer doesn’t get electronic fuel injection, the bike feels quick, and the air-cooled motor revs freely, without letting any sort of vibey protests felt at any rev range. It only makes 14.8PS of power and about 14Nm torque – quite respectable for a bike of its class, and the Gixxer hits upwards of 115kph and it can hold 100kph for a long time, such is the brilliance of this refined Suzuki engine. But it’s not the numbers which make the Gixxer so good. It’s how all that power and torque are handed out to the rider – the Gixxer begs to be revved through the powerband and handling is just outstanding. The more familiar you become of the bike, the more confidence it gives you to push it harder, faster, tighter, through corners.

Great looking bike, very good performance, superlative handling and a sticker price of Rs 72,199 gives the Gixxer the best bang for buck available across any segment of bikes currently on sale in India. That certainly tips the scales very much in favour of making the Suzuki Gixxer the ZigWheels Motorcycle of the Year!