There are two ways of going about your city commute on your motorcycle: either you briskly slalom through traffic in a swift and agile manner or you take it easy and cruise through traffic leisurely. If you fancy the latter, the Suzuki Intruder 150 might pique your interest. Equipped with a 150cc engine, Suzuki has brought forth its laidback approach to city riding. Here is our take on the Intruder. Exterior

 

Never has a motorcycle left us as befuddled as the Intruder 150. Not only does this look remarkably large but also roly-poly. Billed as a modern sporty cruiser, the Intruder shares an almost identical silhouette to the Intruder M1800. But the long and flowing profile gets a chubby physi­ognomy rather than a handsome out­line. The front-heavy styling gets a turning headlamp with LED position lamps and an out-of-the-box placed ignition key setup. The 11-liter fuel tank gets an enormous extension that tapers down to a faux air duct and a large Intruder logo. Above the fuel tank sits the same instrument panel from the Gixxer.

 

The rear is a little disproportion­ate as compared to the front, as it gets horizontally laid out LED tail lamp housed within an extended, chunky plastic panel. The rounded grab rail does serve a purpose of imi­tating the bigger Intruder. Another unpleasant design element has to be the twin exhausts that look over­done rather than functional. Frankly, the motorcycle does look like an upper-body obsessed bodybuilder. The quirky design language can be a hit or a miss.

 

Engine & performance

 

Switch on the ignition and thumb the starter button to bring the Intruder to life. The Intruder shares the same engine, chassis and sus­pension as the Gixxer. However, it gets a larger airbox and a differently tuned exhaust system. Because it has the same mechanicals as its elder sibling, peak power and torque are identical at 14.60 bhp and 14Nm.

 

Swing your leg over the bike and you’ll find yourself extending to reach the feet-front riding position. Although the stretched-out rid­ing position is relaxed and easy, you will need some time to adjust your feet on the forward pushed foot pegs.

 

The Intruder is a fun motorcycle to ride with a stronger mid-range punch suitable enough for city cruising. The bike does run out of breath at the top end. A bigger engine capacity would have been much appreciated. But we are not complaining if the aim is daily city commuting.

 

Ride & handling

 

For a motorcycle to fit the ‘cruiser’ bill, it should prove itself competent on the ride and handling front. So, even though the Intruder has a lon­ger wheelbase and a slightly raked out front- end, it does possess a dis­ciplined road manner.

 

The relaxed seating geometry pro­vides a comfortable ride irrespective of the riding conditions. Coupled with a ground clearance of 170mm, the motorcycle easily conquers bro­ken roads and potholes with mini­mum hassle. Maneuverability is sur­prisingly good with no complaints in heavy traffic or open roads. Pil­lion space is cushy enough to com­fortably accommodate a heavily built adult.

 

The other department where the motorcycle excels is the braking department. Braking is excellent and the Intruder also comes loaded with a single-channel ABS system (i.e. applicable only on the front wheel) as standard.

 

The verdict

 

Frankly, the Intruder 150 falls slightly short in terms of aesthet­ics. The design of the Intruder works both for and against it. Some may find it very attractive, and others may find it a little too overboard.

 

However, in terms of a sincere, satisfying commuting experience, the Intruder does provide an accept­able experience. It does everything a commuter motorcycle is supposed to do without any drama