Sep 04, 2008 10:51 AM
4737 Views
I am a Civil Engineer from Cochin. I bought Gladiator Type SS(Golden) on 22nd July and am writing this review after riding the glady for over a month and 1500 kms( 1st service done). My experience with glady so far has been mixed, some good and some bad. I would like to share them with you
*The Price:(7/10)
I bought my glady for **Rs 51500 on road. Considering the features its loaded with, I think its a fair price. But I am giving only 7/10 for the price due to their poor post sale service.
When I got the bike, number plate was on top, and to bring it down, they charged me Rs 100.
They had a decent collection of helmets with them, but they refused to give me any discount for it in spite of buying the bike with ready cash. The showroom guys claim they cannot ask for a discount from the service center/ Spare Parts store. well. lame excuse I think. I later bought a helmet from another store.
Riding Comfort and Handling:(7/10)*
The riding comfort of the glady is far superior to any other bike currently in the market, when riding in good road conditions. But if you are in a road with soil or sand, expect to slide and skid every now and then. Thankfully, you don't completely lose control of the bike. Glady is extremely stable at high speeds. and on good roads, you would find your self's riding much faster than other bikers. You can also perform maneuvers(like cornering at high speeds) which would be dangerous on most other bikes.
Engine & Pickup:(8/10)
Engine is vibration free and very smooth. Pickup was quite poor early on but improved as time went on. The engine tends to get heated up quite quickly.
Braking:(9/10)
The disk brakes at the front is excellent to say the least. The excellent riding comfort and handling of the glady would have been a waste if not for the excellent braking. For those who are not used to such powerful barking might take some time to get used to it. But once you get the feel of it, you are the king of the road.
Mileage:(7/10)
The initial mileage of the bike was around 51 Kms/Ltr and there was no significant increase in mileage even after 1st service.
Gear Shifting:(8/10)
Gear shifting is unbelievably smooth and is a pleasure to use. But I have experienced a major glitch. at times the gear goes into neutral when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear.(Neutral comes in between 1 and 2 due to the 1 down 4 up gear setup, but it is not supposed to fall into neutral while riding. Presence of 5 gears is a major plus.
Horn:(6/10)
The horn is weak when compared to other bikes. It seems to be saying "please please movet of my way" while the horn of other bikes say "get the f**k out my way". Even women and children doesnt seem move out of the way hearing glady's horn.
Looks:(8/10)
The looks of the glady is surely among the best currently available in the country.
Post Sale sevice:(4/10)
*They fail miserably when it comes to customer service. They do not maintain good communication with customers and do not even ask the questions they are expected to ask a customer.
They did not ask me if I want an extended warranty
They did not ask me if want to keep the number plate below.
They have not till now even once asked me how much mileage at get.
After the first service I didn't experience any change whatsoever in the performance or the mileage of the bike. When I went to get back the bike after the service, it was kept outside in heavy rain.
I don't think they did anything to the bike other than clean it.
The guys at customer service are not at all friendly and behaves as if they are doing me a favor by providing the service. The local bike repair shop has better customer service.
When I went for my first service another customer was arguing with them because he is having to replace the same component twice within a month.
Another customer was also complaining that his problem was not fixed even after the service.
Other Problems:
The tires tend to slash water and clay a bit more than most other bike. So if you are riding on a rainy day on bad roads, expect your shoes and lower pants to be decorated with dirty water.
Overall rating:(7/10)
Glady is a decent bike which is pleasure to ride on highways, but not as much on busy city roads. If not for its low mileage and below par customer service this bike would have swept the 125cc market.
Go for it only if mileage and customer service is not a concern.
