150cc – Mileage Reviews

Honda CB Trigger

The CB Trigger is one of the latest entrants to the 150cc segment. This bike was unveiled just around April this year and was launched a month later. Positioned by Honda as a premium motorbike, the CB Trigger comes equipped with a 4 stroke 149.1cc engine that cranks up a power of up to 14.2 PS at 8500 RPM and on a curve, can travel at a max torque of 12.5 Nm at 6500 RPM. The bike is built with an advanced design diamond frame with telescopic front suspension and a monosuspension at the rear. The CB Trigger measures 2045mm x 757mm x 1060mm with a wheelbase of 1325mm and ground clearance of 175mm.

In terms of fuel capacity, this 137 kg bike can hold hold up to 12 liters at any given point. The new Honda CB Trigger is available at a starting price of Rs. 67384 ex-showroom, Delhi. The on-road price translates to Rs. 74828. The price mentioned here is for the STD variant – the DLX and CBS (Combi brake sytem) variants are available at an additional cost of a few thousands.

Manufacturer Mileage Claim

The power delivered by the CB Trigger puts this right in the middle of the 150cc bunch which has bikes delivering power of over 17 PS as well as those that are under-powered at around 12 PS. In terms of fuel efficiency too, Honda says that the bike lies somewhere in the middle with a claimed mileage of 60 kmpl. In comparison, one of the highest FE is claimed by Bajaj for the 150cc Discover (72.3 kmpl).

Test Drive Report & Customer Fuel Consumption Feedback

Let us begin with the review on Overdrive. As the author notes, the Trigger is targeted at the younger customers looking for a stylish 150. The CB Unicorn Dazzler was supposed to be targeted at this group but considering its poor traction, the company has replaced it with the new Trigger. While the reviewer himself has not reported a tested mileage, the commenters who have tried the bike report to be seeing around 50-56 kmpl on city roads (if lower, you should see this post the first servicing) and around 63 kmpl on the highways.

Let us take a look at MaxAbout next. In their review of the Trigger, the website calls the bike the ‘advanced version of the outgoing CB Dazzler’ in terms of style and design. That was expected considering both these bikes are targeted at the same segment. The review also notes the ‘slow performance’ although I feel accelerating from 0-60 kmph in 6 seconds is not too bad. Speaking of fuel consumption, MaxAbout reports 45 kmpl on city roads and 60 kmpl on highways.

MotorBeam in their review commend the bike for its aesthetics and dynamics while noting that the absence of DC lighting is a dampener on the coolness factor. The mileage reported by the website is between 50-55 kmpl and most of the commenter agree. The reported FE by Trigger customers commenting on the website ranges between 48-55 kmpl under city road conditions.

Technology Heat is all praise for the power, aesthetics and braking system. On the topic of mileage, the reviewer reports a city road figure of 45 kmpl which can go as high as 60 kmpl on the highways.

Finally, let us talk about what MouthShut has got to say. Considering that this is a new bike, there aren’t too many reviews – just 6 of them to be precise. These reviewers have given the bike an overall 4/5 for fuel consumption. Some of the points mentioned by the reviewers about the bike are “powerful pickup”, “awesome” brakes and a complete value for money. While most reviews are positive with respect to mileage, one reviewer reports to be seeing only around 25 kmpl on his newly purchased Trigger. Other reviewers are reporting somewhere between 45-55 kmpl on city roads which is totally in synch with reports from the other sources we have till now.

Overall, I think the reviews are mostly positive – both about the fuel consumption as well as the bike in general. I have summed up the reported FE from various sources below. Are you planning to get a Trigger? Tell us what you think of the bike in the comments below.

Source	City Mileage (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	60
MaxAbout	45	60
MotorBeam	50-55	—
MouthShut	45-55	—
Overdrive	50-56	63
Technology Heat	45	60

Yamaha SZ R

There is not much of a difference between the Yamaha SZ R that we will be discussing today and the SZ-X that we had discussed a while back; except for a few variations in the looks and accessories. Anyway, we will discuss the SZ R independently to see what customers have got to say about it.

In terms of specs, the SZ-R is very much like the SZ-X. It comes with a 153cc air-cooled 4 stroke engine delivering a max power of around 12.1 PS at 7500 RPM. This effectively gets you a max torque of 12.8 Nm at 4500 RPM. Unlike the SZ X that has drum brakes on both the front and the rear wheels, the SZ R has a disc on the front and a drum on the rear. The bike measures 2050 x 730 x 1100 mm and weighs 134 kg. Equipped with a wheelbase of 1320mm, ground clearance of 165mm and seat height of 802mm, the other specs are mostly the same. The SZ-R can hold 14 liters of fuel at any point. You can purchase the motorcycle at a price of Rs. 57,500 ex-showroom Delhi.

Manufacturer’s Mileage Claim

Given that there is not much to choose between the SZX and the SZR, the manufacturer’s claim has stayed unchanged. As a matter of fact, Yamaha has one standard fuel economy claim for all their SZ variants – 62.4 kmpl. Do note that this is under test conditions and the real world FE would definitely be lower than this. Only a few other bikes like the Pulsar, Xtreme and Achiever have a higher mileage at the 150cc level.

User Reviews & Test Ride Reports

On Indiagarage, a customer reports that his SZR gives an unsatisfactory 43 kmpl on city roads. However there are more than a couple of other users who think the SZR is probably the best in class and they note a much higher FE of between 50-55 kmpl on city roads.

MaxAbout in their review say the SZR is “virtually identical to its younger sibling SZ-X” without any element of surprise when it comes to engine that they say lacks power. In terms of mileage, the SZR is reported to offer 55-60 kmpl on city roads and 65 kmpl on the highways. I feel the author has been too generous in this case. Anyway, let’s go through what the others have to say before jumping in on a conclusion.

In a customer review report back from 2011, BikeAdvice writer Naren calls the bike Sporty and ‘one of the hottest chicks’ in the Indian bike market. The review, which is overall very positive, does not specify the mileage. However, the readers reporting their FE claim it to be somewhere in the 45-49 kmpl mark.

On Motorbeam once again, the reviewer points out that the power delivered by the bike may not be up to the mark. However, there is a lot of thrust at low rev which is good in the city traffic conditions. On the mileage front, the reviewer notes 55+ kmpl overall which is extremely good which makes me rethink what I said about MaxAbout’s review.

Anyway, the final word needs to come from the customers themselves. On MouthShut, there are over 133 reviews for the SZR. The reviewers have together rated the bike 3/5 in fuel consumption which is not really a good figure. However, reading through the latest reviews, it seems like customers are happy with the mileage offered. The reported figure has hovered between 40-52 kmpl which is a pretty wide, yet good number to go with.

The summary of reports from various sources is tabulated below. Overall, the SZR looks like a decent bike to go with. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	62.4
IndiaGarage	43-55	—
MaxAbout	55-60	65
BikeAdvice	45-49	—
MotorBeam	55	—
MouthShut	40-52	—

Yamaha FZ-S Vs. Yamaha FZ-16

The Yamaha FZ-16 was introduced way back in 2008 and has been around for a good 5-6 years now. The FZ-S model on the other hand was introduced less than a year back. This 150cc model is an improvisation upon the older FZ-16 model in that it comes with minor changes like an aerodynamic windshield, a longer pillion seat which is also relatively wider, a chain protector and a wider rear fender. You should know that none of these improvements would impact the mileage of the bike by a great deal since the engine has been kept practically unchanged. In any case, let us first compare the specifications of the two bikes.

Tech Specs Comparison

Both the bikes come with a 153cc displacement engine that offers a max power of around 14PS at 7500RPM that translates to 13.6 Nm torque at 6000 RPM. Everything – right from the seat height to the wheelbase and the kerb weight are the same on both the bikes. It goes without saying that both the FZ-S and the FZ-16 are bikes with the exact same interiors and just minor changes on the exterior. Let me just put down the major specifications side-by-side for your reference.

Specification	Yamaha FZ16	Yamaha FZS
Displacement	153cc	153cc
Max Power	14PS @ 7000	14PS @ 7000
Max Torque	13.6Nm @ 6500	13.6Nm @ 6500
Dimensions	1973mm x 770mm x 1045mm	1973 mm × 770 mm × 1090 mm
Wheelbase	1334mm	1334mm
Kerb Weight	135kg	135kg
Fuel Tank	12L	12L
Price (ex-Delhi)	Rs. 69500	Rs. 71500

So there you go – except for a few millimeters difference in the height of the bike, there is not much change as far as the specs go. The Yamaha FZS is also priced slightly higher at Rs. 71500 (ex-showroom Delhi).

Mileage Comparison

The manufacturer’s claim on fuel efficiency is done via ARAI certified tests that are conducted in standard test conditions. These are usually much different from the riding conditions you experience within the city. Therefore you need to take these numbers with a pinch of salt since the numbers that you will be seeing could be much lower. In any case, according to Yamaha, both the FZS and the FZ16 are expected to deliver 50.81 kmpl under standard test conditions. For a better understanding of how the bikes would perform on city roads, let us take a look at what the various test rides and customer reviews have got to say.

BikeAdvice has official reports as well as usage reviews to put forth their claim. In their review of the FZ16, they report a figure of 40 kmpl on city roads that goes as high as 54 kmpl on highways. The corresponding FE for the newer Yamaha FZ-S is between 35-40. The latter figure has been derived from reports from a couple of real customers, one of whom though commends the bike saying the FZ-S feels like a 180cc bike although it belongs to the 150cc category.

The reports on MouthShut have been pretty positive for both the bikes. According to these reviewers, the FZ-16 can be expected to deliver anywhere between 38-47 kmpl on city roads. This is an extremely good figure considering that this is very close to the official manufacturer claim. The FZ-S does a notch better on MouthShut. Aggregating the reports from various customers, the FZ-S is expected to deliver somewhere between 38-53 kmpl. I doubt all this testing was done on city roads though.

Various other reviewers report the mileage on Yamaha FZ-16 to hover around 40. According to MotorBeam, you should count yourself lucky if you get 40 kmpl on the bike. BikeDekho says the figure on city roads should be around 35 kmpl while on the highways, this can go up to 46 kmpl.

Things are not looking very different for the FZ-S either. Users on xBHP note that the average fuel consumption should be in the range of 35-40 kmpl on city roads. On IndiaMart, customers have reported around 38 kmpl on city roads and 48 kmpl on highways. While MaxAbout is in love with the bike exteriors and the silent engine, the reported fuel consumption is not very different from other reviewers. They report 35-40 kmpl inside the city and 45 kmpl on highways.

Here is a summary of mileage reports from various sources. If you are someone who would love a more judicious use of fuel, neither of these bikes are for you. Check out our report on the best 150cc bikes – there are over half a dozen bikes that offer over 50 kmpl. Maybe you could take a pick from there.

Source, Yamaha FZ16, Yamaha FZS
Manufacturer, 50.81, 50.81
BikeAdvice, 40, 35-40
BikeDekho, 35, —
IndiaMart, –, 38
MaxAbout, –, 35-40
MotorBeam, <40, -- MouthShut, 38-47, 38-53 xBHP, --, 35-40 [/table]

Yamaha FZ-S

The Yamaha FZ-16 was one of the earliest bikes reviewed on MileageInfo. The FZ-S that we are discussing today is an improvisation upon the same bike and comes with distinct features like a front visor. I was not too impressed with the FZ-16 when I first reviewed it. The bike offers a city mileage of just around 38-42 kmpl on most counts. We have had 180cc bikes that offer a better economy. While the FZ-S is not too different from the FZ-16 on many aspects relating to the engine, let us look at it independently and see if it is worth the buck.

First, the tech specs. The Yamaha FZ-S is built with a 153cc single cylinder 4 stroke engine that delivers a maximum power output of 14PS @7500 RPM. The torque delivered can go up to 13.6Nm at 6000RPM. There are both electric and kick start options The wheelbase measures a standard 1334mm and the bike has a ground clearance of 160mm. This 135kg bike has a total fuel capacity of 12 liters. The bike is priced at around Rs. 67,000 ex-showroom at Delhi.

Manufacturer’s Claim

The official claim on the fuel front is not too different on the FZS when you compare it with the FZ-16. If you remember, the claim from Yamaha was 50.81kmpl on the FZ16. This has not changed and Yamaha maintains the same figure for the Yamaha FZS as well.

Test Ride & Customer Feedback

MaxAbout calls the bike exteriors “strikingly different” from the FZ-16 despite both the bikes built over the same platform. The review commends the bike on its ease of navigation without any turbo lag and also for the nearly silent engine. The fuel consumption reported on city roads is around 35-40kmpl with the number jumping up to 45kmpl on the highways.

Although there are quite a few proud customers of the FZS on IndiaMart, there aren’t too many reports on the fuel consumption. One user though notes the mileage to be around 38kmpl on busy city roads which rises to 48kmpl on highway roads.

On xBHP, there was a discussion initiated by a customer who reports a pretty low mileage of 25kmpl on the FZS. However, as reported by various other forum members who happen to own the bike, this appears to be a one-off case since the average fuel consumption seems to be in the range of 35-40 kmpl on city roads. So in case you are experiencing bad economy, do take it to the service station and get the bike checked.

A reader on BikeAdvice has reviewed his FZS after owning it for around six months. While he commends the bike on the style and ‘eye catching features’, the reviewer does note that the mileage is on the wrong side of 40. It just delivers around 35kmpl on city roads. Another reader who in his review says the FZS gives a feel of a 180cc despite being a 150cc bike says the fuel consumption on his bike was just between 38-40 kmpl.

There are close to 107 reviews for the Yamaha FZS on MouthShut and these reviewers have rated the bike 3/5 for fuel. Do note that most bikes, including those in the higher power range have got 4/5 if they seem to be on par with the industry standard. A 3 rating probably means there are more users who are not happy with the fuel economy than those who do.

Surprisingly though, the mileages reported on MouthShut seems to be actually higher than what a lot of reviewers from other sources have put. Except for one reviewer who says he gets 25kmpl, almost every other review has noted a fuel economy on city roads to be between 38-53kmpl which is extremely good. Even here, the average reported mileage appears to be around 45kmpl which is not bad at all.

I’ve put all these figures from various sources in the table below. The report from MouthShut appears to be some sort of an anti-climax since this user-reviews site is the only place where the fuel economy appears to be good. And I would personally believe in these numbers than those that were reported on test rides simply because these are from real customers. Overall, truth be told, I’m confused. Have a look at these numbers – does this make you want the bike or not want it? Tell me in the comments.

Source	City Roads (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Source	–	50.81
MaxAbout	35-40	45
IndiaMart	38	48
xBHP	35-40	—
BikeAdvice	35-40	—
MouthShut	38-53	—

Hero Hunk Vs. Suzuki GS150R

It’s been a while since we discussed 150cc bikes. So let’s get back to where the heart is. Today we will compare two bikes that have both been around for a good 4-5 years now and are both popular among people seeking 150cc motorcycles.

The Hero Hunk was first launched back in 2007 and is one of the most masculine bikes around. Weighing 146kgs, this is heavier than most bikes in the market. Of course, a reason this is the case is also because the Indian market is full of entry level 100cc+ bikes. The GS150R on the other hand, is more of a traditional variety and focuses on the functionality aspects – it gives you mileage and power at the same time. NDTV conferred the GS150R with the ‘Motorcycle of the year award’ in the year after its launch. So without mnuch ado, let’s look up the tech specs of both the bikes.

Tech Specs Comparison

Both the Hunk and GS150R are known for their power. The Hunk delivers a max power of 14.4PS while the GS150R offers a slightly lower power of 14PS which is nothing to scoff at either. The torque is good to from both bikes. The Hunk delivers 12.8 Nm @6500 rpm while the GS150R can deliver 13.4Nm @6000 rpm. Let’s look at the other specs as well in a side-by-side comparison chart.

Specification	Hero Hunk	Suzuki GS150R
Displacement	149.2cc	149.5cc
Max Power	14.4PS @8500	14PS @8500
Max Torque	12.8Nm @6500	13.4Nm @6000
Wheelbase	1325mm	1335mm
Ground Clearance	145mm	160mm
Kerb mass	146kg	149kg
Fuel tank	12.4 liters	15.5 liters
Price (ex-Delhi)	Rs. 66125	Rs. 72457

Most of the specs are comparable among the two bikes. However, the GS150R has slightly higher power and weighs slightly more than the Hunk. So gut feel tells me that the Hunk could deliver a slightly higher mileage than the GS150R given similar engines. However, like many times in the past, I could be wrong on this. Let’s look compare the mileages from both these bikes to see how it goes.

Fuel Consumption Reviews

The Hero Hunk is built with a low friction core-2 engine and the ignitition system is microprocessor controlled that effectively helps optimize fuel usage. According to the manufacturers, the Hunk will deliver 65.1 kmpl under standard testing conditions. Suzuki does not have similar tall claims on its 150cc bike though. They say the GS150R could offer a mileage of around 55.7kmpl under standard conditions. Do note that standard testing conditions are vastly different from regular city roads and so you should be seeing much lower fuel efficiency in your everyday commute.

The city performance of bikes are pretty different from official claims. So before we conclude the Hunk as the winner in this fuel economy contest, let us look deeper into what the reviewers have got to say about the two bikes in their city road tests.

First up, the Hunk. We looked at seven different sources. Both Wheelmela and IndiaMart report an economy of around 53kmpl on city roads. Three of the reviewers claim a figure of under 50. While IndianDrives claims 47.2kmpl from their test ride, ProdEase report 49.1 kmpl. We looked at the claims from actual customers on the BikeAdvice forum and the reported numbers consistently falls in the 45-50 kmpl range. This is also matched by customer reviews on MouthShut where the reported number falls in the 45-55kmpl range. The best review is offered by MaxAbout who report a city road economy of between 52-58kmpl on the Hero Hunk.

Let’s now look at the Suzuki GS150R. There are again seven sources we looked at. Both IndiAuto and MotorBeam report a fuel consumption of between 45-50 kmpl. The xBHP forum has a much wider base of reported numbers with the figure lying between 40-56 kmpl. MaxAbout which reported a 52+ kmpl figure on the Hunk reports only around 48kmpl on the GS150R. The reviewers on MouthShut have been more consistent with this bike reporting between 48-52kmpl on their bikes. The highest reported figure comes from Olx customers who report a number between 50-65kmpl. This is however a number that I will take with a pinch of salt considering that Olx is a classifieds site where customers will put up a pretty rosy picture for their bikes just so they elicit more response from potential buyers.

Here’s a comparison chart of mileages as reported by various sources

Source	Hero Hunk	Suzuki GS150R
Official	65.1	55.7
IndianDrives	47.2	—
MaxAbout	52-58	48
WheelMela	53	—
IndiaMart	53	—
ProdEase	49.1	52
BikeAdvice	45-50	—
MouthShut	45-55	48-52
IndiAuto	–	45-50
MotorBeam	–	45-50
xBHP	–	40-56
Olx	–	50-65

Both bikes fare almost equally in the comparison. However, the Hunk appears to have a slightly better mileage compared to the GS150R. Also, considering the fact that it is more macho-looking at a lower price, my choise in this comparison would be the Hunk. Is your choice different? Tell me why it is so in the comments below.

Best 150cc Bike In India 2012/2013

We have already reviewed most of the popular 150cc bikes in India. It’s now time for us to consolidate them all and put them up in one piece where you can know which of the bikes stands where in terms of performance, mileage and price. If you want to read the reviews of each of these bikes separately, you can view them by clicking here.

Specifications

Let us compare the most important specifications to get a feel of where things are going. The bikes are ranked in order of power.

Rank	Bike	Power	Torque	Official Mileage
1.	Honda CBR 150R	17.8 PS	12.66 Nm	—
2.	Yamaha YZF-R15	17 PS	15 Nm	46.93 kmpl
3.	TVS Apache RTR 160	15.2 PS	13.1 Nm	54 kmpl
4.	Bajaj Pulsar	15.06 PS	12.5 Nm	64 kmpl
5.	Hero Xtreme	14.4 PS	12.80 Nm	65.1 kmpl
6.	Hero Hunk	14.4 PS	12.80 Nm	65.1 kmpl
7.	Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler	14 PS	12.8 Nm	60 kmpl
8.	Yamaha FZ 16	14 PS	13.6 Nm	50.81 kmpl
9.	Suzuki GS150R	13.8 PS	13.4 Nm	55.7 kmpl
10.	Hero Achiever	13.5 PS	12.8 Nm	68 kmpl
11.	Bajaj Discover	13 PS	12.75 Nm	72.3 kmpl
12.	Yamaha SZ-X	12.1 PS	12.8 Nm	62.4 kmpl

So from the list of bikes that we have compared, the Honda CBR150R has the highest power. However, if you are also looking at a bike in the budget range, you should pick one that offers great mileage and comes available at a decent price. In that case, Bajaj Discover has the highest official claim for mileage among all the bikes that we have compared.

City Mileage Comparison

If there is one thing that I have learned since I started the blog, it is that the real world mileages are hardly anywhere close to those claimed by the company. Bikes that claim amazing mileages sometimes are pretty par if not worse than competition when it comes to real world mileages. So keeping that in mind, let us do a side-by-side comparison of the city mileages based on the average numbers reported by the various automobile blogs and customers.

Rank	Bike	Average City Mileage (kmpl)
1.	Bajaj Discover 150	54.0
2.	Hero Achiever	52.7
3.	Yamaha SZ-x	50.7
4.	Hero Hunk	50.7
5.	Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler	50.3
6.	Suzuki GS 150R	50
7.	Bajaj Pulsar 150	49.3
8.	TVS Apache RTR 160	48.4
9.	Hero Xtreme	47.8
10.	Honda CBR 150R	42.8
11.	Yamaha FZ16	39.6
12.	Yamaha YZF-R15	38.2

The above averages were calculated based on reports from some of the most popular online automobile destinations like BikeAdvice.in, MaxAbout, IndiaGarage, MotorBeam, Overdrive, BikeDekho and Gaadi.com. Besides, we also considered the customer reports from websites like MouthShut and Olx.

So if you look at this, the Bajaj Discover 150 is a clear winner with an average reported mileage of 54 kmpl – that’s an additional 2.3 kilometers for every liter of petrol as delivered by the second best that’s Hero Achiever. You will also notice that bikes that hog the bottom rung of the ladder in terms of power offered are also the ones that deliver the maximum mileage.

Here are some take-aways from the analysis of the two tables:

1. Bajaj Discover is THE bike for the budget conscious. It is not great from a power perspective, but is really the best in class for mileage.

2. Hero Hunk is a decent deal to go for. It ranks 6 out of 12 bikes on power (a couple of those ranking above are in the 1 lakh rupees price range!) while it ranks 4th in terms of mileage.

3. Bajaj Pulsar is in a similar position as the Hunk, except a bit lower. It ranks 4th in terms of power (again two bikes higher up are in the 1 lakh rupees price range) and 7th in terms of mileage.

So here’s the bottomline: If you are looking for power over mileage, it is Pulsar. If you are looking for power and mileage, it is Hunk. And if you are looking simply for mileage, it is Bajaj Discover 150.

Is there some other inference you could make from the tables above? Please do mention them in the comments. I would be glad to add them to the pointers above.

TVS Apache RTR 160 Vs. Hero Xtreme

This is our third article in the bike comparison series we started late last month. We are yet again pitting two popular 150cc bikes against one another – the TVS Apache against Hero Xtreme.

The Apache is TVS’ marquee bike in the power bikes segment. The 160cc bike was launched in 2007 and is as popular among bike enthusiasts as the the Hero Xtreme which you may also know as the Hero Honda CBZ Xtreme of the yore! Here is a tabled comparison of the core specifications of the two bikes.

Specification	Apache RTR 160	Hero Xtreme
Displacement	159.7cc	149.2cc
Max. Power	11.19 kW	10.6 kW
Max. Torque	13.1 Nm	12.80 Nm
Ground Clearance	180mm	145mm
Fuel Tank	16 liters	12.1 liters
Usable researve	1.7 liters	1.5 liters

The Apache RTR 160 is available at a price of Rs. 71,340 ex-showroom Delhi while the Hero Xtreme is available at a commensurate price of Rs. 65,975.

Mileage Comparison

A quote I often put up on this blog is that with great power comes a lower mileage. Considering that the RTR 160 has a higher power and a larger engine cylinder displacement compared to the Xtreme 150, the mileage you can expect with the RTR could be lower than what the Hero Xtreme could offer. That is in fact true by a mile according to the company claims. TVS says the Apache RTR 160 can draw around 54.1 kmpl under standard test conditions while the Xtreme, according to Hero, can draw 65.1 kmpl. That’s a huge difference in the official claims from both the companies. Let’s see if the real world tests also derive similar results.

Let us start with BikeAdvice. In our earlier report on the Apache, this was one report that was hugely positive on the bike as far as mileage was concerned. In their article, the website claimed to have seen 56 kmpl fuel efficiency on the Apache RTR 160 in the long term. In comparison, the website had a slightly worse mileage report for the Xtreme. In an aggregated report of reviews from over 70 customers, we had noted last time that BikeAdvice readers saw a mileage of between 45-51 kmpl on the Hero Xtreme. That’s pretty low compared to Apache.

To have a more real world feel of customer feedback, let us next jump on to the MouthShut forums. There are over 200 reviews for the Apache 160 on this site as compared to 187 reviews for the Hero Xtreme. Both these bikes have received an overall rating of 4/5 from the reviewers as far as fuel consumption was concerned. When it comes to the real numbers though, the race is a dead heat. The average mileage reported on city roads for both the bikes range between 40-50 kmpl which does not give any great insights into which of the two bikes is better.

What’s amusing is that we do not seem to get a better clarity on the winner even when we check the classifieds postings on Olx from people who own the bike. The average mileage reported for both bikes again range between 40-50 kmpl.

Source	Apache RTR 160	Hero Xtreme
Official	54.1 kmpl	65.1 kmpl
BikeAdvice	56	45-51
MouthShut	40-50	40-50
Olx	40-50	40-50

So what’s the verdict? Although Hero Xtreme has an obviously better mileage officially claimed, things seem to be different as far as the reviews from blogs and real customers are concerned. The mileages as seen by customers on real world are more or less the same on both bikes. That being the case, I would prefer to go with the Apache RTR over the Hero Xtreme. Why? Because Apache gives you a better power, torque along with much better looks at only a slightly higher price. Getting the same mileage as the Apache on the Hero Xtreme only means the mileage offered by the lower powered bike is not ideal. Apache is the winner in this race.

Bajaj Pulsar 150 Vs. Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler

Here we are to compare the Honda Unicorn Dazzler with one another impressive bike in the 150cc segment. If you are looking for more comparisons, please check our earlier review of the Dazzler against Hero Hunk.

Right, so this is one comparison that is so often made by potential customers becausae both these bikes are priced at a pretty similar range. The Pulsar 150 is available at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 67,110 while the CB Unicorn Dazzler is available at Rs. 66,738. Here is a comparison of the important specifications in tabular format.

Specification	Bajaj Pulsar 150	Honda Unicorn Dazzler
Displacement	149.01cc	149.1cc
Max. Power	15.06PS	14.19PS
Max. Torque	12.5 Nm	12.74 Nm
Kerb weight	143 kg	138 kg
Fuel tank	15 liters	12 liters

The above table gives you loads of information on some inherent advantages of the Unicorn Dazzler over Pulsar 150 with respect to mileage. Not only does the Dazzler come lighter by around 5 kgs, it also has a smaller fuel tank which means the weight pulled by the engine is higher on the Pulsar compared to the Dazzler for any given rider and hence the mileage “may” possibly be lower on the Pulsar. We will however test the same. The Pulsar however has a marginally smaller displacement which means the fuel consumed at any particular time is lower than the Dazzler and so the mileage delivered could be theoretically higher than, not considering the other parameters of course.

Mileage Comparison

The official fuel economy as reported by the company officials is under standard test conditions. These are primarily highway-type roads with favourable wind conditions and minimum load. Consequently, the economy reported here are always on the higher side. According to Bajaj, the Pulsar 150 can draw 64 kilometers for every liter of petrol under standard conditions whereas Honda claims their Unicorn Dazzler can only reach up to 60 kmpl. Fret not however, since real-world conditions are much different and there is always a possibility of a different winner here.

We will first look at what MaxAbout has to say. In their review of the Pulsar 150, they note that the bike was not great during their city road test. Pulsar 150 could only offer 45 kmpl whereas in a similar test on the Unicorn Dazzler, they were able to see 50 kmpl. On highways though, the Pulsar returned 62 kmpl while the Dazzler was stuck around 60 kmpl.

BikeAdvice in their review though give a thumbs-up to the Pulsar 150. They report a fuel consumption of between 50-52 kmpl on the Pulsar whereas a similar road test on the Dazzler returned just 48 kmpl.

MouthShut is a website that I often refer to considering the plethora of real-customer reviews available there. We had close to 46 reviews for the Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTS-i and the customers have rated the product 4/5 in terms of fuel efficiency. The reported mileage from these customers though varied quite a bit between 40-53 kmpl. So you have happy as well as not-so-happy customers here. In comparison, there were close to 76 reviews for the Unicorn Dazzler on MouthShut. Although the ratings was still a 4/5, the reported mileage figures are more consistet between 48-52 kmpl.

So there you have it. Pulsar seems to be a good bike on the highways. But when it comes to a road test on inner city conditions, the Dazzler appears to win the race in a photo-finish. Although BikeAdvice gives the Pulsar a higher rating, in terms of the sheer number of reported figures, the Dazzler seems to have a more consistent mileage that seems to better the Pulsar 150.

Source	Bajaj Pulsar 150	Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler
Official	64	60
MaxAbout (city)	45	50
MaxAbout (Highways)	62	60
BikeAdvice	50-52	48
MouthShut	40-53	48-52

Bajaj Discover 150

The 150cc variant of the Bajaj Discover was launched in 2010. The bike comes equipped with a 144.8cc displacement engine that is naturally air-cooled and has a 4-stroke DTS-i feature. This engine can deliver a maximum power of 13 PS (9.56 KW or 12.8 BHP) and a max torque of 12.75 Nm. If you compare this with the other bikes in the segment, you shall notice that 13PS is in fact one of the lowest power among 150cc bikes. Only Yamaha SZ-x has a lower max power than this at 12.1 PS

Other features of this bike are pretty standard. The bike has a telescopic suspension on the front wheel and a nitrox suspension on the rear. The fuel tank has a max capacity of 8 liters which does not include the 2.3 liters reserve of which only 1.5 liters is usable. At Gaadi.com, the Bajaj Discover 150 is priced at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 47,030 at New Delhi.

Official Mileage Claim

With bikes, an oft-repeated quote is that with lower power comes higher mileage. With the Discover 150, it is no different. In fact, the Bajaj Discover offers the highest possible mileage claim from any 150cc bikes we have discussed so far. According to the company, you can draw 72.3 kmpl under standard test conditions which is by far the best we have in this segment. The second best is at 68 kmpl as claimed by Hero Achiever. That’s a 4.2 additional kilometers for every liter of petrol!

Customer reviews

The official claim on fuel efficiency means squat if the on-road performance does not equally deliver. MaxAbout calls the manufacturer’s claim on mileage generally test-worthy. From their tests, they report an average fuel consumption of 55-60 kmpl on inner city roads while on highways, this increased to around 65 kmpl.

On TopSpeed, the reported city mileage on the Bajaj Discover 150 is around 49.7 kmpl while the corresponding number for highways is 54.8 kmpl. But it is not clear if these are numbers sourced from a third party or if they were test in-house. There is no word on that.

BikeAdvice calls the Discover 150 as the most efficient bike in the segment beating the GS150 and Unicorn. They note a mileage of between 58-60 kmpl which is again not clear if it is an internally tested figure.

Let’s look at some real world customers for feedback now. On MouthShut, there are close to 27 reviews for the Bajaj Discover 150 DTS-i. The reviewers here have given the bike a 4/5 rating on fuel efficiency. According to one customer who has rode 400 kilometers, the mileage they are noticing is over 45 kmpl which they say can rise up to 55 kmpl with time. That could actually be true. Another customer who has clocked over 10,000 kilometers on their Discover 150 say they have been able to report over 55 kmpl mileage with their bike. Another customer who claims the Discover 150 to be the ‘best economy 150 cc bike’ says their average reported mileage was 50-55 kmpl that went as high as 60-70 kmpl on the highways. On an average, you can say the reviewers on MouthShut report a fuel consumption of between 45-55 kmpl on city roads and 60-70 kmpl on highways. The Discover 150cc, as MaxAbout had claimed, is in fact a very reliable bike as far as the official claim on fuel goes.

Here is a snapshot of what the various reviewers have written about the bike. This is easily the most economical bike in the 150cc segment. So if other features on the bike are okay with you, this is definitely a must-buy.

Source	City roads (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	72.3
MaxAbout	55-60	65
TopSpeed	49.7	54.8
BikeAdvice	58-60	—
MouthShut	45-55	60-70

Hero Xtreme

This is the bike that you can currently find being advertised on TV by Hero Motocorp. The Hero Xtreme is not a new bike. It was first launched as Hero Honda CBZ which was later revamped and relaunched as Hero Honda CBZ Xtreme. After the split up between Hero Motocorp and Honda India, the bike has now been launched as Hero Xtreme.

Like the CBZ Xtreme, the new Hero Xtreme is a 149.2cc bike that is powered by a single cylinder 4 stroke engine that can deliver a max power of 14.4 PS and torque of 12.80 Nm. This places the Xtreme somewhere in the middle in terms of power delivered by 150cc bikes. Here is a table of all the bikes in the segment we have reviewed so far and the average max power claimed by these bikes.

Bike	Max Power
Suzuki GS150R	14 PS
Apache RTR 160	15.2 PS
Honda CBR 150R	17.81 PS
Yamaha SZ-x	12.1 PS
Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler	14.2 PS
Yamaha FZ16	14 PS
Hero Achiever	13.5 PS
Yamaha YZF R15	17 PS
Hero Hunk	14.4 PS

The Hero Xtreme is priced at around Rs. 65,975 ex-showroom Delhi.

Officially Claimed Mileage

According to Gaadi.com, the official claim on the fuel consumption is around 65.1 kmpl. This is better than the claim from most motorbikes in this segment. Here is what the various 150cc bikes delivered under standard test conditions:

Bike	Official Claim
Suzuki GS150R	55.7 kmpl
TVS Apache RTR 160	54 kmpl
Yamaha SZ-x	62.4 kmpl
Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler	60 kmpl
Yamaha FZ16	50.81 kmpl
Yamaha YZF R15	46.93 kmpl
Hero Achiever	68 kmpl
Hero Hunk	65.1 kmpl

Customer Reviews

Let’s start with BikeDekho. The website doesn’t seem to have had a hands-on test drive. But according to them, you can expect a mileage of close to 50 kmpl on city roads. I’m not sure if this is an official number or anything, but even WheelMela appears to concur. Even they note that the standard city mileage with the Xtreme is likely to be 50 kmpl. Again, MaxAbout too notes the fuel economy in city to be 50 kmpl that can go up to 60 kmpl on highways.

To get a realistic figure, let’s jump into user discussions. First off, on Yahoo Answers, there are a lot of people discussing the mileage on their Xtreme and the consensus seems to be between 45-48 kmpl. However, this is if you keep your bike well serviced. If the bike has had its run, then the mileage could drop down to 40 kmpl at which point it is time for yet another servicing.

On the BikeAdvice reviews section, there are over 70 reviews for the bike since the time it was CBZ Xtreme. The numbers floated by the various customers reviewing their bike falls in the range 45-51 kmpl. There are of course a few people who claim top mileage of as high as 55-58 kmpl but they are few and far between.

Checking out MouthShut, there are close to 187 reviews for the Xtreme since the earlier Hero Honda days. The average customer has rated the bike 4/5 on bike consumption which is a pretty good thing for a 150cc bike because not too many people are happy with the fuel consumption on this range. The average fuel consumption reported by the reviewers here is around 40-50 kmpl on city and around 63 kmpl on highways although there is more than one occasion where people have complained of low mileage of not more than 35-40 kmpl. But looking at the average numbers, I would take a guess that these are not the norm and it could also be because of other issues with the specific bike in question.

Things are not very different on Olx where various customers have put their bikes up for sale. The average fuel efficiency one can observe on the Hero Xtreme is between 40-50 kmpl.

So there you go. It is very difficult to see a reliably good mileage delivered on a bike in the 150+cc range. But in this case, the Hero Xtreme delivers. There could be other things that you may want to look at before putting in the money. But as far as the fuel consumption goes, the Hero Xtreme should give you extreme satisfaction. Go for it.

Here’s the summary, as always:

Source	City Mileage (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	65.1
BikeDekho	50	—
WheelMela	50	—
MaxAbout	50	60
Yahoo Answers	45-48	—
BikeAdvice	45-51	—
MouthShut	40-50	63
Olx	40-50	—