Suzuki GSX-R150: Chasing sunsets for 40,000 km

The GSX-R received its first facelift after the 15000km period with aftermarket body kits, headlight cowl and a midnight purple paint job.

The GSX-R has been a successful series for Suzuki since the late 80s, but the 2017 (Non-ABS ) and 2018 (ABS) set new standards in performance in the industry. Owning and living with one of these sports bikes is an enthralling experience.

Initial impressions

I began riding the GSXR-150 for the past three years. The bike has a kerb weight of only 134 kg, the light weight makes the bike very nimble and easy to manoeuvre throughout the city.

This little tomahawk is equipped with a 149cc fuel injected DOHC, liquid cooled single cylinder engine – mated with a six-speed manual transmission – and produces a whopping 19 bhp at 10500 rpm with a maximum torque of 14Nm at 9000rpm. 

The power of the bike can be felt almost instantaneously.These quickness of it all made me want to travel with this a lot more, initially after my purchase I took it on a trip to the Chittagong Hill tracts and the Marine drive road in Cox's Bazar. 

In the beginning the bike does not feel very smooth when revving it high, however after using it for over 10,000-12,000 kms , the engine becomes very playful in the higher rev range. You also get better highway mileage at higher speeds after the engine breaks in. 

The bike also feels oddly light in the beginning, but once you get used to it, this becomes a gem of a feature. The power to weight ratio starts to make a lot more sense. 

Riding after 15,000 km to 30,000 km

The engine by this time feels crisp with raw power, the torque now kicks in earlier then before. The bike maxes out to a top speed of 159-164 km/h.

The air filter has to be changed every 2500 km, since there is a lot of dust in dhaka. Failing to do so results in power loss.

The bike also often demands a throttle body service due to the low quality octane in Bangladesh. However, it is very time consuming if you want to take off the body-kit. Fairing components like clips, holding bars and plastic channels are prone to breaking. The smaller parts of the kit also break over time when you are taking it off. 

The fancy bodykits soon had to be removed as it made taking off the bodykit very time consuming during Sahil's tours.

During this time, I installed a tuned ECU, and aftermarket exhaust and Air filter (stage 1), which resulted in the bike performing even better.  

I chased numerous sunsets, redlining my rev range in the Chittagong, Marine drive road, sweeped corners in the Khagrachari Hill tracts, travelled to Sreemangal many times, and made amazing memories. 

The bike never broke down on the highway, and with each highway ride completion, the engine tends to feel even more relaxed.

Riding in higher gears now, the motorcycle had a mileage of 35-38 kmpl in the city, after the 30,000 km mark. 

Delivering power through a set of rather thin tyres – 90 section in the front and the 130 section in the rear –  the bike still manages to feel stable in high speed turns and low end braking. 

I later switched to the Aspira Premio Sportivo tyres, which made my turns even smoother. The stock tyres by this time were out of grip and almost unusable. The bike performs best with soft compound tyres setups, which enables you to make sharp corners.

The GSX-R has a conventional telescopic suspension in the front which, and for its price, it dampens quite well. However, I installed a SARP aftermarket handlebar on my bike during this phase. The lowered ride height made it even more fun and steady.

The 40,000 km mark

Travelling with this bike after three years of use, you start to feel very confident with the handling, particularly the responses from the discs, suspension, etc. 

I experienced a few unfortunate crashes with my unit. But I have always used new replacement parts every time and the bike felt new. 

I modified the front with a locally made fibreglass module with a twin headlight setup and DRLs and also remodelled it with higher handlebar weight for more cornering momentum. 

I also opted for a bigger tank for more leg grip, and flared the tail end to make the bike look a bit bigger. This compromised the aerodynamics to a certain extent, but never made the bike feel less powered. In fact the performance stayed relatively consistent after the 10,000 km mark.

After 30,000km, the GSX-R received its third visual change with a fibreglass module and locally made twin headlight setup.

A few mechanical parts needed changing during this time, but after swapping out the OEM transmission gives new life to the bike after the 40,000 km mark, and you just keep enjoying the delivery of raw power. The bike also demands replacing the handle ball racers every now and then, which wears out over time.

During this time, the mountain roads felt the most pleasant to ride on, since you have a lot more experience with cornering. The moderate rev outputs also become more stable.

 The GSX-R150 truly lives up to the GSX franchise value – a sport bike through and through, save for the smaller displacement engine and diminutive dimensions. This bike is a racing machine designed to carve the corners of your favourite track or mountain road. If you are in the market for something small, light and agile, the GSX-R150 may be the best bike for you.