Honda CB150F vs Suzuki GR150
Lets just be fair and honest, there is not much motorcycles available in 150cc segment in Pakistan if we talk about “JAPANESE Branded Bikes”. Mostly sporty and stylish 150cc bikes in Pakistan are from local or Chinese manufacturers. The bikes which we get are bit boring! But that’s not exactly right to say because the Suzuki GR150 and CB150F may look simple in front of Derbi or Benelli Tnt150 but they’re definitely not boring.
Suzuki GR150 is a global model which is being offered, earlier Suzuki had GS150 and GS150SE which have a very strong and powerful engine but had quality issues, the paint and chrome quality was not up to the mark. They had rust issues and wiring issues.
On the other hand, Honda is the market leader of 2 wheeler in Pakistan. CB150F was their 1st offering to Youth or young buyer and people welcomed it. Because 1st of all it’s a Honda and it has a repute. Its much easier to maintain as compared to Chinese ones and spare parts availability is also much better. The bike its self is a huge change from Honda’s product range back in the day.
After the increase in traveling and adventure now many people are shifting towards 150cc motorcycles which brings us to the question that which motorcycle is the better among these two? Let’s find out.
GR150 is a premium 150cc from Suzuki, its quality speaks of its self no matter you compare its fit n finish, paint quality and chrome quality it always stands out. The 1st thing which will grab your attention is the styling which is way more enhanced than its elder brother GS150. The GR150 has a very beautiful front end, a headlamp incorporated in cowling with a nicely designed front fender. The instrumental panel is easy to read and has plenty of information to share. The handle bars and switch gear assembly feels sturdy and well-built but it misses engine kill switch which was always present in every Suzuki bike.
The CB150F is a solid motorcycle as well. Its fit n finish and paint quality is also very premium. Its front end has crystal head lamp with cowling and a smoked visor. It also has LED’s which look like DRL’S but they aren’t. Motorcycle has a muscular look due to chiseled fuel tank and sporty seat. The instrumental panel and switch gear assembly feels nice. While CB150F also misses on kill switch, it has a safety key system for ignition which has not be seen before in Pakistan.
The looks are subjective to every one’s taste but let’s talk about the heart of the matter, The engine. Both of these motorcycles are 150cc and use OHC engine type. They also have the same slide carbs and equipped with 5speed gear transmission. Both have electric start and kick start options and both produce around 11hp but GR weighs 133kgs while CBF weighs 124kgs. This means on paper CBF is quicker than GR so let’s find out how do they compete in real world.
Well despite the difference in weight the results show that CBF is much quicker than due to less weight but its ride quality isn’t as plush as GR. Even though these bikes use diamond type frame and 18-inch rims setup, GR is smoother and feels more planted on the road. That’s because of more suspension travel on GR 120/100 as compared to 107/91 on CBF.
I am astonished on the similarities among these two motorcycles, they are very close and have small differences. The CBF is little compact and feels sportier while GR feels more commuter based and that’s true to a fact that GR can reside a Pakistani family but CBF can’t do that easily. Similarly, CBF tank can hold 13L fuel tank while GR can hold 12.5L. Both of these have a luggage rack but I personally like Honda’s better.
That’s a tough comparison for me, I like the riding pleasure offered by GR but at the same time I love the looks of CBF and to me CBF is prettier among these two. The LED tail lamp and eye brows, the muscular fuel tank and curving seat. Not to mention its speedo cluster also looks cool with silver highlights and blue illumination. CBF also has one very solid card in its hand, the price.GR can be yours for 259k while you can save 50k if you buy CBF (it’s for 209.5k).
I agree to the fact that these bikes do not have that easy availability of spare parts and trained mechanics but its not as bad as DERBI or Benelli. One can maintain these bikes more easily than the later and enjoy a good resale (at least better than Chinese bikes).Thank you very much for reading this review. You can also watch it at our You Tube Channel.
