REVIEW RIDES: Suzuki Raider 150Fi Super Cub and Suzuki GSX-S 150 Naked Sports
I had reviewed these 2 Suzuki motorcycles within a span of a week from one another, hence I could recall their performances and agilities within that period while still fresh from memory. To be honest, there’s not much differences between these 2 Suzuki motorcycles. They are both easy-to-ride, very agile and great for lane-splitting tasks – a boon for those looking to bypass traffic congestions during morning and evening rush hours.
Of course, the Raider 150Fi is more agile and lighter than the GSX-S 150 due to its shorter overall length as compared to the latter. Engine performance is similar, with the Raider 150Fi having a slight edge in commuting as it is able to perform lane splitting tasks much easier than the GSX-S 150.
Some may find the Raider 150Fi to be faster but this is because of its lighter chassis and overall weight allowed it to be agile in many difficult situations where the GSX-S 150 may struggle a little. The Raider 150Fi is also slimmer in overall width, from the tips of the handlebars between left and right sides as opposed to the wider style adopted by the naked GSX-S 150, which is required for an aggressive riding style.
On its own, the Raider 150Fi has a superb acceleration and plenty of torque to get it going in a quick time (0 – 100km) but the same is also apply to the GSX-S 150. In short, despite their respective 150cc engine capacity, both machines do not have the same “struggling” feel when they are ridden in higher speeds, as commonly associated with many 150cc kapchai.
Both Suzuki motorcycles feel and performed like a mini superbike, as their unique accelerations and torques more leeway for a pleasurable ride as I could feel there’s reserved power that’s yet to be utilised further despite riding at 110 km/hr on Expressways.
Yes, the Raider 150Fi was heavily hyped of being able to travel as fast as 177km/hr over numerous social media accounts but is it capable of achieving that kind of speed in reality?
In a word – NO.
The social media hype was based on dyno simulation, not from real world riding. Of course, some may come across reviews elsewhere proclaiming the Raider 150Fi as capable of approaching 169 km/hr in top speed but that’s just pure nonsense!
Tyre quality, rider’s overall weight/size and maximum acceleration in each gear will contribute towards the performance and top speed capability of the Raider 150Fi. In this review ride, the fastest speed clocked was a mere 158km/hr, which is considered remarkable, given its unique design.
What about the Suzuki GSX-S 150? In terms of top speed performance, this naked sport has the lowest of the 150cc trio, which tapped off at a mere 151km/hr, as compared to 165km/hr on the full fairing GSX-R 150 – accomplished during the media group test ride (stay tuned for its own review ride in the near future).
With an experience of close to 3 decades of riding 2-stroke machines, I must say the performances of these Suzuki 150cc duo are exceptional. Both Suzukis are able to out-accelerated the ageing 2-stroke bike I had, with ease. Of course, to outperform those Suzukis, there’s a need to maximise all the 6 gears, in an aggressive way, which is easier said than done in reality.
By the way, the Raider 150Fi has a storage compartment in-between the seat and handlebars, with just the right size to accommodate a small bottled water or a can of soft drink.
The GSX-S 150 has a dual-seat design, similar to its full-fairing sibling, the GSX-R 150, which is unique for a 150cc naked sport motorcycle, as they tend to feature a long seater styling.
Any limitation from both Suzuki motorcycles? Just a few minor ones.
The Raider 150Fi has a small fuel tank capacity, just 5 litres! And the GSX-S 150 has a larger tank, approximately 11 litres! Both bikes have good fuel consumption capability but the smaller capacity of the former may lead owner to believe it guzzles more, which is not the case. Also, the front discs of both bikes have smaller holes than per industry standard, disallowing most anti-theft disc locks to be used on them.
The GSX-S 150’s handlebars are a tad too wide, making lane-splitting a hassle when cutting thru rush hour traffic congestion – rider has to use precaution in this regard to avoid scraping the sidemirrors of vehicles caught in the jam.
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