[Tejas Ingle]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Good news after all Tejas, am sure with time it should heal up better. Suggest you to consult the doctor or a physiotherapist who can suggest some exercises to strengthen it for you. From your description it appears that it might be an occupational hazard.

For riding suggest you to explore different seating postures and am sure you will find a sweet spot which might work better for you instead of an ideal posture.

Point taken. Will experiment with the postures and will also try different bikes on long rides to get an idea about the setups.
Yes this is an occupational hazard. The best I can do about it is strengthen myself and be more careful at work in the future. I am having a hard time being not able to ride. So wont like to repeat this.

[hellmet]

Ok, digging up this thread once more. My plan of buying a new bike kept being postponed as I worked hard to repay all my loans. My Victor is at a place where no mechanic is able to fix it so I've decided to go for a new one, and my choices still remain the same from 2 years ago, just what members here suggested the most - Unicorn and the Hunk.

It is amazing that in 2 years nothing has changed in this category apart from a slew of silly launches from Bajaj. Also, I notice that there are a huge number of Hunks being sold off as compared to a very tiny number of highly used Unicorns on sale. Does anybody know why?

Btw, Unicorns are available on a week's notice. Now that has changed in 2 years. Remember how one had to wait 6 months for one?

[finneyp]

Another bike to be considered - Yamaha FZ

[VW2010]

My piece of advice is irrespective of the bike you chose the handle bar position matters more. Pick the bike that suits your posture and modify the handle bars such that you are sitting straight and your hands are bent at right angles and you legs are almost parallel to your hands. This helps in minimal impact on the back.

All in all a low revving high torque engine adds to the comfort, like a bullet.

[Satshan]

I own a Suzuki GS-150R. Its been 4 years now and have been doing long distance travelling on this one. Seating position is very good and comfortable on long rides. Also HH Karizma-R, Honda Dazzler, Yamaha FZ also have a nice seating position. My pick for the most comfortable one will be Karizma-R.

[aravinrd]

Hi, why not you try a Avenger, I can vouch for its comfort, have done 34K in 4 years with a daily commute of 40KM, mileage 43KMPL

[Abhi_abarth]

Hi Hellmet,
My two cents :

I own a Honda unicorn 2007 model and have done 55 thousand Km approx till date. I was one of those luckiest guys to get it within a day. However, coming to your point the unicorn is a perfect bike for city commute but I don't think it has the best seating comfort. The ride starts to get stressful to your back after a continuous 20-25 km run. Pillion riders feel the pinch pretty early. The bike is an excellent package otherwise.

I am also eager to know which one provides the best back support.

[amit_purohit20]

So again we are back to the same discussion.
I own a victor still and I know how much comfort it gives. I still feel more comfortable and sometimes more stable on it in city roads.

A 100 cc bike is the best bet for your if you really ride on congested roads. If your drive consists of open city spaces then only you should go for 125-150cc bikes. Bikes above 150cc are better put to use on highways.

What contributes to comfort:
1) A proper riding position is the minimal required before the word comfort starts. So no bent forward riding positions,no CBR's Apache etc etc
2) Minimal weight. Increased weight takes its toll on manueverability so no to bullets especially because you ride in city and not highways.
3) Good bike shock absorbers and suspension setup:
I am still to yet like the Honda stable for its Monoshock setup suspension. They have not yet got the act right. Unicorn is a real pain in terms of suspension for both pillion and rider. It has a hard harsh suspension set up. In terms of monoshock Yamaha has done well. Well infact I have come to learn by experience that motorbikes with twinshock suspension setup are more comfortable than the monoshock setup.
4) Seat: A soft seat doesnot mean good comfort for long hours riding. I am yet to find a seat better than Stock Apache RTR180's seat. Its firm but one fits into its contour perfectly and one can ride all day for sure without any butt pinching problems. This is a big problem in the Victor for sure.

I would have suggested you a Unicorn because it fits nearly perfect for your requirements but due to its hard and harsh suspension would not recommend it to you.
Try the Honda Shine 125 cc. Check its suspension out.
Otherwise go for a Apache RTR 160 and modify its handle bar (which I am going to do soon with my RTR180) to suit your taste. But I really dont know how you will feel at the lower end because of set back foot rests might be they will also need changes to be done.So I cannot suggest it with full power.
The advantages of RTR:
1) Light weight.
2) Excellent pickup.
3) Good suspension.
4) Ok Fuel efficiency.
5) Excellent brakes.
Will surely make a efficient traffic cutter. But thats only my taste!

[freewheelburnin]

Here are my suggestions. .
1) Bullet thunderbird :Relaxed posture and heavier bikes carry you rather than you carrying the bike.
2) Karizma: Regarded by many as a good tourer for covering good distances.
3) Harley: There is a harley for anyone.If price is not a constraint ..
4) Finally... adding comfort shocks... handle etc can help improve easy riding ergonomics of the bike

[VW2010]

3) Harley: There is a harley for anyone.If price is not a constraint ..

Let me be very honest , Harley is not comfortable if you are not built big enough to ride one. For average indian riders, Harley set up is so bad that you will end up hurting your upper shoulders, upper back and lower back as well. Even the soft tail and Fatboy are not greatest on rider comfort.

HD is more of cult value than comfort value. Road king is fairly good and even that requires a good build as a person.

Best riding posture i have seen is on a standard hero honda splendor . If only the engine can be a little more powerful and generates better torque at lower RPM.

[amit_purohit20]

Originally Posted by freewheelburnin

Here are my suggestions. .
1) Bullet thunderbird :Relaxed posture and heavier bikes carry you rather than you carrying the bike.
2) Karizma: Regarded by many as a good tourer for covering good distances.
3) Harley: There is a harley for anyone.If price is not a constraint ..
4) Finally... adding comfort shocks... handle etc can help improve easy riding ergonomics of the bike

He needs a commute for city roads congested with traffic, where he will want a bike which can wriggle through it, sometimes depending on the necessity even ride over footpaths to get out of a mess.

Are you trying to say that heavy weights like Harley, Enfield are good in such things especially when the rider is 5'6"?

I myself am 5'7" and dont find both my feet touching properly to the ground in an Apache. And I know how big a hurdle that is when you want to go over some obstacles.

Here people want to wriggle between two cars then take a 90 degree turn left behind a Waste dump truck and again climb over the footh path to get rid of a big pothole or a open drainage cover and what not. These are real life scenarios in city and not rare scenes.
So Ideally a bike for a city should be as light as possible and better part would be if it had a auto tranny too.
Someone suggested the Jive and I totally agree to him.

Enfields, Karizma's are all good tourers and their power can only be utilised on open roads not in congested city roads.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by hellmet

Ok, digging up this thread once more. My plan of buying a new bike kept being postponed as I worked hard to repay all my loans. My Victor is at a place where no mechanic is able to fix it so I've decided to go for a new one, and my choices still remain the same from 2 years ago, just what members here suggested the most - Unicorn and the Hunk.

Hi buddy,

I would recommend you to either look at Honda Unicorn or a Hero Karizma.

Both these bikes are super comfortable and no problem on your back or arms.

I have owned both these and don't regret owning them.

For the Unicorn I had to wait for 1 day and for the Karizma it was 7 days.

Cheers,
Anurag.

[hellmet]

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

So Ideally a bike for a city should be as light as possible and better part would be if it had a auto tranny too.
Someone suggested the Jive and I totally agree to him.

Aah, an auto transmission motorcycle would be a blessing. The reason for not choosing a scooter is the size of the tires which make me feel very unsafe even in the tiniest of maneuvers.

I don't want to be choosing a TVS again, so the Jive is out.

It will most probably be a Hunk or a Unicorn. Looks like the prices of both bikes have increased by around Rs3-4K in the the last 2 years.

Will keep you posted guys. Thanks a lot!

[amit_purohit20]

Hunk has a bent forward riding position but with good plastics and I think rear disk too.

Unicorn has a more refined and fuel efficient engine than hunk and better seating ergonomics too, but poor plastics.

A true competitor to Unicorn would be the CBZ extreme which I think is a good vehicle with good ergonomics (need to again check the new models for it) and styling of my taste.

But I did still buy a Unicorn over others unless CBZ extreme has a better suspension over Uni.

Well I agree its high time we move over TVS. TVS make very poor engines in terms of refinement and NVH especially the higher cc ones.

[null]

Well. I took a test ride of Mahindra Centuro & was impressed with its ergonomics & city use capabilities. May be you should take a glance (rather more than a glance - a short test ride) at it before you conclude.

PS: I am inclining towards buying it. Only worry is the new model niggles which I dont want to have. Plus, folks at home don't want me to buy it during this month!