Strong but more importantly enjoyable

Will come to the enjoyable aspect later, first lets go through the raw data from the Performance testing. On the acceleration runs, the GF170 turned in very strong times, 60kmph coming up in 6.43s while 80kmph came up in 11.77s. The top speed attained was 114.8kmph in fifth gear, the tacho right up at the 9000rpm redline. The quickest quarter mile run took 21.01s, the VBOX Racelogic II GOS timing gear registering 97.43kmph on the LCD readout.

Putting the figures into perspective sees the GF170 dicing with 150cc bikes but not in the class of the 180cc Pulsar. Head to head with the Pulsar 150, the Bajaj bike is 0.1s quicker to 60kmph though by 80kmph the GF is quicker by 0.63s. Compared to the Fiero F2, she is nearly 2s quicker to 80kmph while both are comprehensively beaten in the top speed stakes. Still don’t forget the 18 to 22cc advantage that the GF170 boasts of.

Like I said earlier, the GF develops most of its power at the upper reaches of the rev range. This doesn’t mean that she doesn’t pull at low revs. In fact at low revs she is as docile and compliant as you would expect a bike to be. Once the revs swing past 5500rpm though, there is a noticeable step up in the power delivery and from there on she screams right up to the 9000rpm redline, en route producing the finest exhaust soundtrack this side of a Bullet. The GF has to be the ultimate hooligan bike (the forthcoming GF170 Sport would be even more so) encouraging you to rev its pants off just for the heck of it. The thrill of pulling the bike in each gear, shifting at the redline and keeping the revs in the 7000-9000rpm power band is among the biggest in the country.

This comes at an expense, that of the dreaded vibrations all GFs were notorious for. No doubt vibrations have been controlled to a great degree but after a 100km flat out ride, with Bertie on my tail on our long-term GF170, our feet (and to a lesser degree palms) were tingling for over an hour. Honestly though, neither of us noticed it while we were on the bikes, so intoxicated were we by the power delivery and constantly banging up and down the ’box to keep her in the 7000-9000rpm band.

The brakes are up to the task but in the present scenario the 220mm front disc can’t match the Performance of the 240mm disc her rivals sport. She took 2.45s to come to a halt from 60kmph traversing 23.41m. Under heavy braking the front tended to lock and pull to the right while feel through the levers was lacking.