[sreepy]

Considering your weight, long drives on the apache would be uncomfortable for you. If you are looking for a combo of a good city bike + a highway tourer, then the Karizma R fits the bill perfectly. My friends Karizma, when driven sanely gives him an city FE of 38 KMPL.

[ashwin.terminat]

I'd agree with everyone else here. The ZM-A seems like your best bet. And yeah, last time I checked onroad price was just inching towards 90,000. That is as of 21 Jan 2011. The one with red alloys costs a tad bit more than the one with the black alloys. IIRC, the one with black alloys was a shade below 90 grand.

[rider60]

may i please know why the avenger is ruled-out? does it get that uncomfortable for a tall person? or are there other reasons?

[udayjani]

finally shortlisted Karizma ZMR, pulsar 220 and RE thunderbird

Some comparison on Bajaj Pulsar 220 F vs. Karizma ZMR vs. Yamaha R15 vs. TVS Apache RTR 180

Please check the attachment.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by udayjani

Some comparison on Bajaj Pulsar 220 F vs. Karizma ZMR vs. Yamaha R15 vs. TVS Apache RTR 180

Please check the attachment.

Just want you to know that the pulsar 220 is not an oil cooled engine. It is strictly an air cooled engine with an oil cool-er.

[Shivank]

Originally Posted by udayjani

finally shortlisted Karizma ZMR, pulsar 220 and RE thunderbird

Some comparison on Bajaj Pulsar 220 F vs. Karizma ZMR vs. Yamaha R15 vs. TVS Apache RTR 180

Please check the attachment.

The prices quoted there seems to be of the last year and are ex-showroom prices.The current OTR prices for these bikes are way to high than the ones quoted by you.

RTR180's OTR price here in Noida is around 79k whereas the Pulsar is for 87k! So you can calculate of the others as well.

And I would suggest you the Karizma as well.It's a fuss-free,refined and wonderful bike to live with.For your kind of fit and physique I would suggest the Karizma only.

Also,referring to your link,neither the ZMR or the R15 that quicker and the RTR that much slower.It might not matter to you much but that was just a correction made.

[fiesta_21]

I heard someone saying avenger is ruled out for a 6'2" Guy.May I know the reason for this.
I'm asking this as I am planning to buy a bike for <80,000 and I've narrowed it down to Pulsar 180 and Avenger 220.I'm 5'11" tall and about 68 kgs.I have a slim complexion.Could anyone suggest a good bike for me.

[SriramEfunds]

@Udayjani - I recently bought (May end 2011) ZMA-R white, and trust it is one of the refined engine you'll experience. Reliable, can take pillion with ease. I recently did 1400km round trip to South KA on this new baby. Abosolutely fine, I did not even carry spares kit. This performed well. Even I weigh around 85kgs and takes me around without much discomfort. It also returned economy 40kmpl average on the highway and around 32 on city conditions. It's good for both city and touring unless you want to a complete sporty and track bike.

Pros:- Riding comfort, excellent tourer, refined engine.
Cons:- Sometimes spares will need waiting time to be available (I'm talking about Chennai).

PM me, we can meet. You can take a look and decide if it apt for your requirement.

[ninjatalli]

@Uday, any particular reason you are ignoring the Honda Unicorn?

Except for the fact that it's 150cc only, else it fits your requirement perfectly.

I have been using a pulsar for the last 6 years, and trust me, I love the Unicorn's drive-ability, extremely low maintenance, and good mileage (my room-mate has this bike)

It'll easily come under your budget, in terms of high speeds it reaches 100-105 (equivalent to the pulsar speeds) & also shock-absorbers are way better than pulsar.

Would suggest you to have a TD.

[sharanvenu]

+1 to that. I think the unicorn will suit your requirements perfectly. Is a good city bike. Can do 80kmph all day on the highway without smoking the engine. Has got broad seats and it wont look puny with a 6 and odd foot guy sitting on it. It will give you 50+ kmpl every time you take her out. I've never been able to register a consumption figure below 50kmpl in 5 years. After all its the ZMA's younger sister!! I would generally have recommended the Thunder Bird, but under 90k, a bike is yet to come into production which can beat Unicorn in terms of refinement, comfort, ease of maintenance, reliability and fuel economy figures. Please note that I've not stated performance or looks(this one is just a matter of personal preference) but I can assure you that you wont be left far behind in terms of out right acceleration. It handles sweeter than the P150 which is the bench mark for the segment. You get good low end torque(though FZ/Fazer is the uncrowned king in this). I'm using a 2006 Unicorn and I'm proud to tell you that I have kick started my bike only twice in 5 years. The electric starter is still strong and I'm still running with the factory fitted battery. What more do you need to prove its reliability? This is honda's attempt to hit a balance between all the required parameters and I believe that they have managed to hit the sweet spot. Its a perfect commutator bike.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by sharanvenu

+1 to that. I think the unicorn will suit your requirements perfectly. Is a good city bike. Can do 80kmph all day on the highway without smoking the engine. Has got broad seats and it wont look puny with a 6 and odd foot guy sitting on it. It will give you 50+ kmpl every time you take her out. I've never been able to register a consumption figure below 50kmpl in 5 years. After all its the ZMA's younger sister!! I would generally have recommended the Thunder Bird, but under 90k, a bike is yet to come into production which can beat Unicorn in terms of refinement, comfort, ease of maintenance, reliability and fuel economy figures. Please note that I've not stated performance or looks(this one is just a matter of personal preference) but I can assure you that you wont be left far behind in terms of out right acceleration. It handles sweeter than the P150 which is the bench mark for the segment. You get good low end torque(though FZ/Fazer is the uncrowned king in this). I'm using a 2006 Unicorn and I'm proud to tell you that I have kick started my bike only twice in 5 years. The electric starter is still strong and I'm still running with the factory fitted battery. What more do you need to prove its reliability? This is honda's attempt to hit a balance between all the required parameters and I believe that they have managed to hit the sweet spot. Its a perfect commutator bike.

To add to it, the only fault with this bike is Honda has never really advertised it properly. Even now, the only ads they do is for the 125 cc bike.

When I say low maintenance - let me illustrate. We have taken my bike & the unicorn on several outdoor trips crossing 400kms (to&fro). After every such trip, I always have had to show my pulsar to a mechanic (small niggles - chain box is viberating, brake needs to be tightened, etc). My room-mate has never had to till date. IMO, for a pillion rider, Unicorn has one of the better seats (if not the best).

Even during the regular servicing trips, the average bills for the unicorn have always been lesser than that of mine. And unicorn has an excellent resale value too.

[bullboy]

I'm using a 2006 Unicorn and I'm proud to tell you that I have kick started my bike only twice in 5 years. The electric starter is still strong and I'm still running with the factory fitted battery. What more do you need to prove its reliability?

I haven't kick started my P-180 (2005 dec) till last month when the original battery gave up.
But i have to admit that the quality of bike is not the excellent.Original exhaust got rusted and now the fork handles started to rust. But this bike has run on the worst roads among any indian city (may be) and the worst monsoons and parked in rain and sun mostly.
This bike still gives me 52 kpl on my daily commute and sure it needs regular attention .
Unicorn is not as plush to ride as a pulsar.

[sharanvenu]

Originally Posted by bullboy

Unicorn is not as plush to ride as a pulsar.

Pulsar is one bike which revolutionized an ordinary Indian's concept of a bike. It was when the Pulsar was launched that the Indian realized the fact that he could hit a balance between Fuel Economy and Performance. With all due respect to pulsar, I wonder why Unicorn's ride is not as plush. It has got a better front suspension, broader seats and feedback adjustable gas charged mono suspension. Of course you wont get the feel of going fast when you ride a Unicorn when compared to riding a pulsar. But that is only because, the engine doesn't make noise and whine when revved. And the refinement level of the unicorn is quite evident from the hollow handle bar weights which are strictly for aesthetics. The reason...it doesn't need any weights to overcome the vibrations. The engine is already vibe-free. They was added just to make the masses happy. I am yet to see a bit of rust on my 5 year old bike even after using it in Chennai for almost a year.

[bullboy]

Sorry if i hurt your feelings .I have friend with a unicorn and once we exchanged our bikes .This was sometime in 2006 and Unicorn's ride is not plush as pulsar on my view. My friend also admitted the same and he also mentioned the lower handle bar which was quiet nice at that time.

[sharanvenu]

Originally Posted by bullboy

Sorry if i hurt your feelings .

No hard feelings here. But the word plush surprised me...