A rare opportunity came up recently when I was told about a unique initiative by Suzuki Nine Star showroom (Hosur Road) in association with Bangalore Foodies Club. The initial brief had words like Riding Suzuki Gixxer 250, Food Tasting & going on the adventure trail. These words will inspire anyone to be part of the event. Well, I am glad I decided to get up early in the morning by 5.30am and head to Nine Star Suzuki showroom on Hosur Main Road.

Ground Zero – Suzuki Nine Star Showroom

The place is nearly 40-45kms from my home and it was a journey to reach the showroom. But it was a good one as I was extremely excited and looking forward. The moment I saw the bikes lined up; I was thrilled.

After finishing up the paper formalities and posing for mandatory pics & selfies, we were off. Instead of the Suzuki Gixxer 250, I took up the Suzuki Intruder 150cc. Mr.Dharma & his team suggested that the cruiser bike will suit my bearded look. I was happy with the bike and we were off.

Ride on NH4

A ride National Highly i.e., 3-4 lane is supposed to be smooth. But it’s always a challenge get out of the city limits as there would be many travelers, trucks, buses, fellow bikers on road. But maneuvering capability of the bikes makes it very easy to take the gapes to the left and cross any jams with relative ease. I cruised between speeds of 70-90kmph constantly and sometimes even touched 105-110 kmph with 7000 RPM.

Pitstop1 – Murugan Idli

This place has become various famous for travelers bound to Chennai, Salem & Coimbatore. They have one of the best Ghee Podi Idly, Podi Masala Dosai, Sweet Pongal & Coffee. Nearly 4-5 varieties of chutneys & sambar are served along with food.

Though the place can accommodate around 150 people, one needs to wait for 10-15 minutes on average. But it’s worth the wait as, by end of the meal, one feels like taking a nap instead of continuing with the journey.

Pitstop2 – Panchapalli Dam

A place located nearly 85kms from Bangalore has a small dam located amid a beautiful backdrop of mountains. The drive to the place was not easy and straight forward like on the NH44. After a brief drive to Shoolagiri, the drive was across the Countryside on Town & Village road for the next 30-40kms.

There were multiple meandering turns on a single 30-40ft road. For a brief distance for nearly 3-4kms, we took a road filled with mud, pebbles, a small stone that’s probably a river-route that’s dried up for winter. Bikes held itself well during the journey and were able to reach the dam safely. Spend a brief period looking around, taking pictures and enjoyed the scenic view. After some of the mandatory pictures and posing with the bikes, it was time for our next pitstop for lunch.

Pitstop3 – Junior Kuppana

This restaurant started way back in 1960 and has been popular across Tamil Nadu for this Biryani & Meals. The distance was around 40-50kms and this was covered in nearly 1 hr. Since we are all heading for lunch there was even more enthusiasm and we reached the destination quickly.

I had some of the special Vegetarian Meals & Paneer 65. Enjoyed the options in the meal that had multiple varieties of Sambar, Dal/Poppu, Rasam, Subzi(s), Rice, Sweet, Curds & more. No wonder the place was packed for lunch. After the amazing meal, it was time to head home to Bangalore.

Back to Ground Zero

In the final part of the journey, I wanted to get a feel of the actual Suzuki Gixxer 250 bike. I drove the next 60-70kms back to Nine Start Suzuki outlet in Hosur on the new bike. It was awesome experience riding an extremely powerful Gixxer 250 bike. The vehicle has the power, road grip, braking capability, acceleration that will make one feel like flying on the road. Suzuki Gixxer comes with 6-gears and dual ABS system. It was so easy to just take off to top speeds of 100-110 kmph. The engine hardly felt the strain and bike body was very steady. I also loved the way it was a lot easier to squeeze across the gaps compared to the Suzuki Intruder.

Final Thoughts

This was one of the best riding experiences I have had in a long time. I enjoyed the bike riding across different terrains, food tasting sessions, and scenic surroundings. Thanks to Dharma Goreepati (Nine Star Suzuki Showroom) and Raunak Kundu (BFC) for conceptualizing the event and executing to perfection.

The idea of a select a group of people riding and sharing experience in terms of performance was amazing. I also loved the idea of inviting some of the recent customers to be part of the activity. This gave an opportunity to explore the bike in an unexplored place and better explore the bike.

Without a doubt, I can recommend both Suzuki Gixxer 250 & Suzuki Intruder to anyone. The first one is a new age bike for youngsters <35yrs while the later is a perfect cruiser bike. Looking forward to many engagements with Suzuki bike in the future.

More Information

Suzuki Gixxer 250
https://www.suzukimotorcycle.co.in/product-details/gixxer-sf-250