hero hunk

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.

Hero Hunk Vs. Honda CB Dazzler – A Comparison

Hero Hunk and the Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler are two wonderful bikes in the 150cc segment. Although the Hunk has been around for a much longer time, it has not taken the Dazzler much time to catch up to the Hunk in terms of popularity.

To start with, let us start with the comparison of the two bikes on the specs

Spec	Hero Hunk	Honda Dazzler
Displacement	149.2cc	149.1cc
Max Power	10.6 kW	10.44 kW
Max Torque	12.80 Nm @ 6500 rpm	12.74 Nm @ 6500 rpm
Front Brake	240mm Disc Dia	240mm Disc Dia
Rear Brake	220mm Disc Dia	220mm Disc Dia
Ground Clearance	145mm	162mm
Kerb weight	146 kg	138 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity	12.4 liters	12 liters
Reserve	2.2 liters usable	N/A

The difference between the two specs is pretty marginal on most counts. It is only with ground clearance and kerb weight where you find any significant difference between the two.

Mileage Comparison

Both the Hunk and Dazzler have similar engines although the Hunk is expected to pull 8kgs more than the Dazzler at any point due to its inherently higher kerb weight. This could pull the mileage marginally down. Despite that, the official claim on the mileage of the Hunk is higher than Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler. Hero claims the Hunk can draw 65.1 kmpl while Honda says the Dazzler can offer only 60 kmpl of fuel economy. Do note that both these claims are under standard test conditions.

Let’s look at what the neutral reviewers have to say. According to MaxAbout that has reviewed both the bikes, the Hero Hunk is expected to deliver 52-58 kmpl on city roads whereas the Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler can extract a lower 50 kmpl under similar conditions. On Highways though, both the bikes are seen to deliver similar economies at 60 kmpl.

BikeAdvice has an alternate take on this comparison. In their reviews, they report the fuel economy on city roads to be somewhere between 45-50 kmpl on the Hunk while the same has been pegged at 48 kmpl from Dazzler. While the website does not have a number for the highways mileage from Hunk, they say customers can see close to 62 kmpl on highways from Unicorn Dazzler.

On MouthShut, the 210+ reviews for the Hunk rate the bike 4/5 on fuel consumption. A similar rating is offered by the 75+ Dazzler reviewers. However when it comes to putting down a number against the fuel consumption column, Hero Hunk customers have reported varying mileages between 45-55 kmpl on their bike while customers of Honda Dazzler have a more consistent report of the city mileage to be between 48-52 kmpl.

Here is a tabled report of the comparison:

Source	Hero Hunk	Honda Dazzler
Official	65.1	60
MaxAbout	52-58	50
BikeAdvice	45-50	48
MouthShut	45-55	48-52

Launched as the Hero Honda Hunk way back in 2007, this is a bike in the 150cc category that is one of the most masculine and heavy bikes in the category. Weighing 146 kg when dry, the latest variant of Hero Hunk comes with a rear disc brake or a rear drum brake. Both these models are equipped with a 149.2cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that can deliver 14.4 PS power and 12.8 Nm torque.

In comparison, the Hero Achiever – another 150cc bike from Hero can only deliver 13.5 PS of power. Among the bikes we have reviewed, the Hero Hunk is only bettered in power by Apache RTR 160 and Honda CBR 150R that can deliver 15.2 PS and 17.81 PS of power respectively. The Hero Hunk is available at a starting price of Rs. 66,125 ex-showroom from Delhi.

Official Claim

Not too many bikes in the 150cc have a column dedicated to mileage on their brochure. That’s because at this range, people normally stop looking for fuel economy and instead look for power. But with Hero Hunk, the manufacturer has made a special mention of features like low-friction core 2 engine, an advanced microprocessor ignition system fitted with a carburetor controlled variable ignition system that “delivers optimum power, torque and acceleration along with better fuel efficiency”. So what’s the economy like? According to Gaadi.com, Hero Motocorp has claimed a mileage of 65.1 kmpl on the Hunk. Not bad at all considering that the maximum mileage we have come across so far in this category has been 62.4 kmpl offered by the low powered Yamaha SZ-x.

Customer Reviews

Let’s start with the review from IndianDrives. The website compares the Hunk against Yamaha SZ-R and notes that the Hunk may in fact be delivering a lower fuel economy than the Yamaha rival. Unlike official claims, the Hunk is seen to be offering only around 47.2 kmpl mileage on city roads. MaxAbout on the other hand has more positive picture in their review. They report a mileage of between 52-58 kmpl on city roads that can go as high as 60 kmpl on the highways. If this is what you are going to be seeing on your bike, it is seriously good considering we are talking of a 150cc bike here!

WheelMela has a pretty similar report noting an overall mileage of 53 kmpl on the Hunk. IndiaMart quotes the exact same figure. On ProdEase, the Hero Hunk is given an okay rating with respect to fuel consumption although its overall performance is not questioned. They note a fuel efficiency of 49.1 kmpl.

A number of bikers have reviewed the Hunk on BikeAdvice and from their reports, it is evident that the average mileage that one may expect from this 150cc bike is between 45-50 kmpl. There are of course reports of better mileage of even up to 62 kmpl, but they are definitely under extremely favourable conditions and should probably not be considered while looking for city road performance.

To validate this report, let’s also look into user reviews posted on MouthShut. There are over 210 reviews for Hero Hunk (since its Hero Honda days) and the rating from reviewers in the past year has been 4/5 on fuel consumption. Most of these reviewers seem to be insanely in love with their bike. The mileage reported by these users has been consistently between 45-55 kmpl. One user points out that the mileage may not be great in the initial months but should go above the 50 kmpl post the first servicing.

All said and done, this bike appears to be a perfect recommendation for those seeking a combination of good power and good mileage. Should you go for it? Absolutely. Here is a snapshot of mileages reported by the various reviewers.

Source	City Mileage (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	65.1
IndianDrives	47.2	—
MaxAbout	52-58	60
WheelMela	53	—
IndiaMart	53	—
ProdEase	49.1	—
BikeAdvice	45-50	—
MouthShut	45-55	—