[ebonho]

Originally Posted by balenopower

I bought the GS for most of the reasons mentioned and i'm simply loving it. Very comfortable, very large and comfy seats and an extremely good range considering the massive 18 litre tank. And a 6-speed gearbox aids efficiency and highway riding.

Thanks bro. How long/how many kms have you had it? Any downsides? What about relaibility and quality? Top speed, realistic real life mileage? Does it have 18 inchers or 17 inchers? Tube or tubless? Is the seat bigger than that on the Unicorn? What made you NOT go for the Unicorn?

Sorry for all the questions, but you are a real life user, and this is a bike I am pushing the guy to also consider and try. He is stuck on Honda and Yamaha for now.

[ebonho]

Hi guys,

Urgent query please!

The Honda CB Unicorn does not come with tubeless tyres, but they do come with Tuff Up tubes I think.

Some of the tyre guys claim the Tuff Up tubes are actually better than tubeless in terms of punctures. How true is that?

The sizes are 2.75 x 18 42P for the Front and 100/90 x 18 56P for the Rear.

Do we get tubeless tyres in these sizes? If so, which?

[aargee]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Some of the tyre guys claim the Tuff Up tubes are actually better than tubeless in terms of punctures. How true is that?

Really? This is news to me!!
Activa comes with Tuff up tubes too, in the last 20000 Km & 9 years of ownership, not a single puncture + this is the only vehicle that had to be checked for air pressure less than frequent than all other 4 vehicles including the tubless tires on the car & CBR 250R. May be (may be) it's due to tuff up, not sure though.

If you happen to know why tuff up is superior, pls share it. Tks

[balenopower]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Thanks bro. How long/how many kms have you had it? Any downsides? What about relaibility and quality? Top speed, realistic real life mileage? Does it have 18 inchers or 17 inchers? Tube or tubless? Is the seat bigger than that on the Unicorn? What made you NOT go for the Unicorn?

Sorry for all the questions, but you are a real life user, and this is a bike I am pushing the guy to also consider and try. He is stuck on Honda and Yamaha for now.

My odo currently shows about 7000 odd km. The only downside i see is that its quite a heavy bike tipping the scales at 150 kg which does rob it of a few seconds in acceleration (but it is on par with most other 150's). Other than that i love the bike. Top speed i have seen is about 122-125 on the speedo. Mileage in the city is anywhere between 40-50 kmpl depending how i ride it. Gunning the bike can give you 35 kmpl too. like the Unicorn, it too comes with 18 inch wheels.

The bike is way better than the unicorn in a multitude of ways. More features which include a 6-speed gear box, a way better ride quality ( Unicorns mono shocks can get back breaking over bad roads), a comprehensive console which has a gear indicator, shift light, clock and 2 trip meters. And last being cheaper than the Unicorn its not only a better bike but better value as well.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by aargee

Really? This is news to me!!
Activa comes with Tuff up tubes too, in the last 20000 Km & 9 years of ownership, not a single puncture + this is the only vehicle that had to be checked for air pressure less than frequent than all other 4 vehicles including the tubless tires on the car & CBR 250R. May be (may be) it's due to tuff up, not sure though.

If you happen to know why tuff up is superior, pls share it. Tks

Only the MRF Zapper Y is tubeless in 100/90 x 18 apparently.

One tyre guy says Dunlop also has tubeless in this size, but the only 100/90 x 18 in Dunlop is the Geocruiser, and as far as i remember from my Pulsar days long long ago, it was not tubeless, and it did not inspire a lot of confidence either.

The other option suggested by another tyre guy was Michelin Sirac Street in this size, but another tyre guy told me though people do fit it as tubeless, it is actually a tube type tyre and is not radial (risky using it as tubeless therefore).

So guess the Tuff Up tube type stock tyres are the only option.

The front 2.75 x 18 size does not have an tubeless tyre.

No idea why Tuff Up is better or almost as good, but from real life experience I have been told that even after puncture it retains air for at least half an hour, so that you can reach a tyre walla and will not be stranded. Plus no sudden deflation, which is the real concern with tube type tyres.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I have been told that even after puncture it retains air for at least half an hour, so that you can reach a tyre walla and will not be stranded. Plus no sudden deflation, which is the real concern with tube type tyres.

Thanks for the reminder. I'm quoting what's there about TUFFUP tube from Activa's owners manual...

This scooter is fitted with TUFFUP tubes in both front and rear wheels. Compared with ordinary tire tubes, the TUFFUP tube releases little air when punctured by a nail or other similar object. For this reason even though they remain fully inflated, it is important to regularly check the tyres for embedded objects.

The TUFFUP tube is not intended to prevent tire puncture completely. It is not effective against excessive damage or L-shaped cut in the tread surface, or damage or cut in the tired.

The TUFFUP tube is of special construction so ensure while repairing the tube that it is not inflated beyond the size of the tyre else the properties of the TUFFUP tube will be lost

[a4anurag]

Tuff-Up tubes to my understanding are Honda's type of Run-flat tyres but at a VERY SMALL scale. They don't have that great a life and durability after a puncture.

Just that tuff-up tubes keep the air in slightly longer than normal ones that blow out/lose air.

Anurag.

[ani_meher]

I will say don't sweat regarding the tubeless tires too much. I have been on tubed tires, then tubeless, switched back to tube as the rim was bent somehow and the air was leaking. Tuff up tube is a better alternative. I am using the same in my GS150R. (so it's a combination of Honda tubes + rest Suzuki bike )

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by ebonho

How long/how many kms have you had it? Any downsides? What about relaibility and quality? Top speed, realistic real life mileage? Does it have 18 inchers or 17 inchers? Tube or tubless? Is the seat bigger than that on the Unicorn? What made you NOT go for the Unicorn?

Sorry for all the questions, but you are a real life user, and this is a bike I am pushing the guy to also consider and try. He is stuck on Honda and Yamaha for now.

Some answers from me:

I am using this bike for past 4 years/25,000 kms

Downsides: Not anything worth mentioning (actually not remembering!)

Reliability: Top notch. My bike did about 1200 kms in 12 months, and one fine day it went to a 18 day 3000 kms journey to Leh Ladakh with me and wife. Now too it is resting, but ready to strike at any long tour I throw at her. Even after rest of a week, she starts (albeit after dry kicking a few times and on choke) but hasn't ever left me stranded - touch wood.

Top speed: two up 107 kmph

Realistic real life mileage: If you/mechanic set the carb setting perfect (many guides available on net, including the other bhp), you will get mileage of 55km. I am getting 50-55km, but haven't checked for a long time as my trips are very short. On tour, IIRC some 60km if driven at 80kmph.

Tires are 18 inchers.

80kmph is a nice speed to settle at when touring two up on this bike.

Why not Unicorn? Frankly I wanted to like Unicorn and hate GS150R when I took test rides, but it was the other way round. You can read that experience on http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/what-bik...-marriage.html

The seat is comfortable, and I haven't yet needed do add any pads or anything on the seat. The rear seat is tall though. It gives a nice view for the pillion, though. Adding some input from my old reply:

Originally Posted by ani_meher

There is no problem of rust/reliability/comfort of pillion etc in GS. For one case reported, there are many no problem bikes rolling around.

In this particular case though, I would not suggest GS if the requirement is flat seat.

Also, if the pillion is majorly one side sitting, maybe he should consider some other bikes with less height of pillion seat.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

I will say don't sweat regarding the tubeless tires too much. I have been on tubed tires, then tubeless, switched back to tube as the rim was bent somehow and the air was leaking. Tuff up tube is a better alternative. I am using the same in my GS150R. (so it's a combination of Honda tubes + rest Suzuki bike )

How much do these tubes cost compared to normal good quality Butyl tubes (approx. Rs. 250)? Wish they made something like this for Bullet 19 inchers as well. Pushing a punctured Bullet is the most energy and strength sapping thing in bikedom. Might as well leave the bike and get help. Or remove the whel and take to a puncture walla (wherever he may be).

[ani_meher]

IIRC some 800rs for one tuff up tube! Honda spares are costly :(

[Fx14]

On going through this thread, identified a similar dilemma posed a few years ago, while wanting to upgrade from a 100 cc to 150 cc with similar objectives as stated in the opening post.

Had refrained from posting my experience, since the final decision arrived at i.e. the model chosen, had been discontined. Now that it has been relaunched in 2 new variants thought of bumping up this thread with that option - since it is apparently not quoted in any of the posts.

To cut a long story short (most points are quoted in other posts in this thread), had tested a number of the 150 cc options mentioned in prior posts, before shortlisting the Unicorn and the Suzuki GS150. Drawbacks noted were :

Unicorn :

• the long waiting period
• Gear lever did not have a heel-toe arrangement

Suzuki GS150

• Lack of adequate authorised servicing points

While deliberating over which of the 2 should be the final choice, Bajaj had launched the Discover 150.

Went to a Multi-manufacturer dealer with my son to have a look at the newly launched model and the dilemma was solved in an instant.

While both the Unicorn and GS 150 had large petrol tanks, the Discover 150 had a normal sized one (design was carried over from the Discover 100 then), which facilitated an easy sitting position for my son (in the rare instances that it would be required) - his choice was crystal clear and the decision was sealed.

The Discover 150 also worked out to approx. Rs. 10K lighter than any of the other models on the wallet.

Over the years following are the points that have been liked about the Discover 150 :

• Handling and frame just like a 100 cc - good for a rider upgrading
• Power of a 150 cc - one of the main reasons for upgrading
• Many Features offered at a price that was VFM - features were on par with the other 150s considered at a price in range of other 100 cc bikes.
• Good gear ratios / torque - allows you to crawl in 5th gear @ low speeds of 30 Kph without any fuss and can pull all the way to 70-75 Kph - i.e. can be ridden almost like an automatic (same gear) on long stretches
• Climbs slopes in 5th gear where most other bikes needed a downshift
• Bajaj authorised SCs more than adequately spread out.

Now that the Discover 150 has been relaunched in 2 variants, with pricing still lower than most competitors, readers having similar dilemmas could well consider it as an option before finalizing their choice.

[The Great]

Originally Posted by Fx14

Unicorn, Suzuki, Discover 150.

Honestly there are no fun bikes for family in this segment yet. The new Discover 150 does look promising, but the dilemma is huge with so many products.

Back in the 90s it was simple, Performance = Yamaha, Economy = Hero Honda, Mixture of both = Suzuki, and Hamara Bajaj Scooter, all these were built to last a lifetime.

[SIMKIM]

Hi,

Have been using a Fiero 2000 version for 14 years and now I am thinking of upgrading it.
I have shortlisted these 4 bikes :

1. Gixxer
2. RTR 160
3. Unicorn
4. GS 150R

I do not want to go for RTR 180 ABS since its mileage is going to be less and I will not be using it much on highways.

Gixxer has better mileage than others and latest engine.
RTR 160 : I think the stance is sporty and has some issues with the TVS tyres (slippery)
Unicorn : Proven bike but a little outdated ?
GS 150R : This bike suits in most of the aspects but I feel it is a bit underrated and Suzuki is not responding to people questioning about the future of this bike.. Not sure if Suzuki is going to bring a commuter version of Gixxer soon and replace 150R but what I heard from dealers - they do not seem to have stock of 150R and are not encouraged by Suzuki to sell 150R.

What do fellow bhpians say ...

Thanks.

[five46]

Want a commuter? Owned a Fiero earlier??
Unicorn it is.