These are the latest motorcycles from the two manufacturers which helped changing the fortune of their respective manufacturers in India. For after having so many motorcycles that just did not work out for Honda, Honda finally came up with a proper street-fighter motorcycle that looks and performs just like how it looks.
Coming to the Suzuki, after a failure story of the Inazuma which did not actually sell any numbers at all, Suzuki were in bad need of a motorcycle that actually made their sales go high, hence the engineers got to work and came up with an amazing looking street-fighter that not just won many hearts but also got Suzuki's sales numbers rising up again. So how do these motorcycles ride and perform when we put them on the test with each other? Read on to find out,
Styling:
A first look at the Honda Hornet and you are immediately blown away, it's just something very muscular, unique, especially the muscular tank, the carbon-fibre finished plastics, the exhaust and most importantly, the rear end- an X-shaped taillight makes the Hornet stand out of the crowd.
The Suzuki Gixxer on the other hand looks smaller than the Hornet but again it looks very much like a FZ, which often people may get confused to when they see both these machines parked next to each other, but again the Gixxer's dual exhaust port design makes it stand out, a little bit. Also of note is how big the Hornet actually is and how roomier it is compared to the Suzuki Gixxer, it just makes you feel comfortable which the Suzuki misses out a tad bit.
We are not saying the Suzuki Gixxer is bad looking or does not have enough space, but when we look at both when standing side by side, it's the Hornet that attracts a lot of crowd. Overall, the unique shaped taillight, more muscular and unique design makes the Hornet look better than the Suzuki Gixxer.
Instrument Cluster and Switchgears:
Instrument cluster on both bikes are similar with each of them offering all digital instrument cluster which displays all the essential details the rider needs to know, but the Suzuki Gixxer's display is a little bit better than that of the Hornet. Coming to the Switchgears quality, there's no competition here as the Suzuki Gixxer has got better quality switchgears which goes well with its design than that of the Hornet's which uses a 110cc switchgears which makes it stick out like a sore thumb on a premium motorcycle.
Ergonomics:
When it comes to ergonomics as we said earlier the Hornet 160 has a slight edge over the Suzuki Gixxer, since it is big and roomier than Gixxer, which helps the rider to move around easily. A sporty yet comfortable riding stance is offered in both the bikes, but that is the only common thing between the two.
The Hornet being a bigger bike, offers much more space to it's rider and pillion, while being a smaller bike, the Gixxer is also comfortable, especially for short riders and also the rider and the pillion sit low, again making it good for short riders. Both these machines are comfortable but again the Honda edges out being wider and bigger than the Gixxer.
Engine and Performance:
The Hornet is powered by a 162.71cc engine that generates 15.88PS of maximum power and 14.76Nm of torque. The Gixxer though has a slightly smaller engine, powered by a 154.9cc engine that puts out 14.8PS of power and 14Nm of torque. Both motorcycles use a single-cylinder air cooled engine.
Even though both motorcycles have a similar power, on the move both motorcycles behave differently. First, the Honda Hornet has a smooth delivery of power, the Suzuki on the other hand has got this urgency to deliver power as quickly as possible, making it really good to ride in the city.
Start revving both these machines out, the Hornet starts to get stressed out and tops out at a maximum of 110kph, while the Gixxer is happy to be revved hard and has a better top end than that of the Hornet at around 115kph. So even though the Hornet is quicker than the Gixxer in 0-100kph, it is the Gixxer that keeps going faster and faster than the Hornet which makes it a better ride on the highways. Overall, we are really pleased with the performance on both the motorcycles, while the Hornet is good to ride in the low-mid range, the Gixxer happily revs even at higher rpm.
Riding Dynamics:
Again, both these motorcycles offer similar riding dynamics, taking in account that both have a slightly rear set footpegs, a sporty yet comfortable riding stance and both have a similar tyres. Both bikes took the corners really well and to be frank, we are really confused as to which is the better of the two. You can take corners well on both these machines, but let us just say that the Hornet is a tiny-bit better than that of the Gixxer, just a tiny bit. While it comes to maneuvering in the city, it is quite easy for the Gixxer, since it is small and can be easily maneuvered in city traffic. Also of note is the brakes, both bikes offer excellent brakes, but it's the Hornet's CBS which makes it stand out.
Verdict:
While both these motorcycles are like a lucky charm for their respective manufacturers to help gain sales back and both of the machines offer pretty much similar performance, at the end of the day we got to choose one. So, we go with the CB Hornet because the Hornet looks muscular, has unique designs which make it stand out of the crowd, it is roomier and also considering the fact that it has got CBS. It sure is what we would want to ride, but again even if you choose the Gixxer too, you will never go wrong, as the Gixxer is well suited for city riding, it has better quality switchgear and it also performs well.
By: Rakesh Gowda
Coming to the Suzuki, after a failure story of the Inazuma which did not actually sell any numbers at all, Suzuki were in bad need of a motorcycle that actually made their sales go high, hence the engineers got to work and came up with an amazing looking street-fighter that not just won many hearts but also got Suzuki's sales numbers rising up again. So how do these motorcycles ride and perform when we put them on the test with each other? Read on to find out,
Styling:A first look at the Honda Hornet and you are immediately blown away, it's just something very muscular, unique, especially the muscular tank, the carbon-fibre finished plastics, the exhaust and most importantly, the rear end- an X-shaped taillight makes the Hornet stand out of the crowd.
The Suzuki Gixxer on the other hand looks smaller than the Hornet but again it looks very much like a FZ, which often people may get confused to when they see both these machines parked next to each other, but again the Gixxer's dual exhaust port design makes it stand out, a little bit. Also of note is how big the Hornet actually is and how roomier it is compared to the Suzuki Gixxer, it just makes you feel comfortable which the Suzuki misses out a tad bit.
We are not saying the Suzuki Gixxer is bad looking or does not have enough space, but when we look at both when standing side by side, it's the Hornet that attracts a lot of crowd. Overall, the unique shaped taillight, more muscular and unique design makes the Hornet look better than the Suzuki Gixxer.
Instrument Cluster and Switchgears:Instrument cluster on both bikes are similar with each of them offering all digital instrument cluster which displays all the essential details the rider needs to know, but the Suzuki Gixxer's display is a little bit better than that of the Hornet. Coming to the Switchgears quality, there's no competition here as the Suzuki Gixxer has got better quality switchgears which goes well with its design than that of the Hornet's which uses a 110cc switchgears which makes it stick out like a sore thumb on a premium motorcycle.
Ergonomics:When it comes to ergonomics as we said earlier the Hornet 160 has a slight edge over the Suzuki Gixxer, since it is big and roomier than Gixxer, which helps the rider to move around easily. A sporty yet comfortable riding stance is offered in both the bikes, but that is the only common thing between the two.
The Hornet being a bigger bike, offers much more space to it's rider and pillion, while being a smaller bike, the Gixxer is also comfortable, especially for short riders and also the rider and the pillion sit low, again making it good for short riders. Both these machines are comfortable but again the Honda edges out being wider and bigger than the Gixxer.
Engine and Performance:The Hornet is powered by a 162.71cc engine that generates 15.88PS of maximum power and 14.76Nm of torque. The Gixxer though has a slightly smaller engine, powered by a 154.9cc engine that puts out 14.8PS of power and 14Nm of torque. Both motorcycles use a single-cylinder air cooled engine.
Even though both motorcycles have a similar power, on the move both motorcycles behave differently. First, the Honda Hornet has a smooth delivery of power, the Suzuki on the other hand has got this urgency to deliver power as quickly as possible, making it really good to ride in the city.
Start revving both these machines out, the Hornet starts to get stressed out and tops out at a maximum of 110kph, while the Gixxer is happy to be revved hard and has a better top end than that of the Hornet at around 115kph. So even though the Hornet is quicker than the Gixxer in 0-100kph, it is the Gixxer that keeps going faster and faster than the Hornet which makes it a better ride on the highways. Overall, we are really pleased with the performance on both the motorcycles, while the Hornet is good to ride in the low-mid range, the Gixxer happily revs even at higher rpm.
Riding Dynamics:Again, both these motorcycles offer similar riding dynamics, taking in account that both have a slightly rear set footpegs, a sporty yet comfortable riding stance and both have a similar tyres. Both bikes took the corners really well and to be frank, we are really confused as to which is the better of the two. You can take corners well on both these machines, but let us just say that the Hornet is a tiny-bit better than that of the Gixxer, just a tiny bit. While it comes to maneuvering in the city, it is quite easy for the Gixxer, since it is small and can be easily maneuvered in city traffic. Also of note is the brakes, both bikes offer excellent brakes, but it's the Hornet's CBS which makes it stand out.
Verdict:While both these motorcycles are like a lucky charm for their respective manufacturers to help gain sales back and both of the machines offer pretty much similar performance, at the end of the day we got to choose one. So, we go with the CB Hornet because the Hornet looks muscular, has unique designs which make it stand out of the crowd, it is roomier and also considering the fact that it has got CBS. It sure is what we would want to ride, but again even if you choose the Gixxer too, you will never go wrong, as the Gixxer is well suited for city riding, it has better quality switchgear and it also performs well.
By: Rakesh Gowda
