Would the Suzuki Gixxer SF make for a good buy?

The on-road price quoted by my local dealer for the new Suzuki Gixxer SF is Rs 1.34 lakh. I’ve always wanted a fully faired bike for touring. So is this a worthy option at this price point? Please suggest some fully faired bikes for this price band with touring capability.

Dheeraj, Kadapa

AAA - The 2019 Gixxer SF gets revised styling and a few new features like clip-on bars and an LED headlamp, but it is quite an expensive machine. The new Hero Xtreme 200S is a similar machine, but it costs significantly less and packs a more powerful 200cc motor. At the moment, the Xtreme is the only other fully faired bike you’re going to find at this price point, before making a big stretch in your budget for machines like the Bajaj Pulsar RS 200 or the Yamaha Fazer 25.

As touring machines, neither the Hero, nor the Suzuki offers the kind of unstressed highway performance we’d like. A steady 100kph cruise feels stressed on both bikes and while the Hero may be a little quicker, the Suzuki’s engine is more refined. However, we’ve only experienced both these machines on the racetrack so far, so we can’t give you a final verdict until we ride them on the
street – something we’re trying to organise as soon as possible.