Team-BHP - Bikes for my office operations team. Budget <50K

Hi,

I am exploring options of facilitating my office operations team with bikes. My guys / gals would need these bikes for city use. They would each be clocking 30-45 kms per day and would be carrying backpacks or i would look at an option of fixing custom made small storage units on the back of the bikes. I am looking for something in the budget range of below 50k.

Would appreciate some guidance on selecting a good bike.

Thanks

Novella

^^ Since there will be females too, you could look at Honda Activa. With a bulk order, I'm sure you could get it with the storage unit below 50k. Hotel Nandhini uses Honda Eternos.

In bikes, there are the ultra-efficient Hero Honda CT100 etc. that are used by Pizza Hut, Dominos etc.

Look for ungeared options for the better so that any one from your team can use them.
Also look for more metal on the body of the scooter (Activa has a mostly metallic body i guess) for more ruggedness. Also, don't go for metallic colors which will cost you more while getting a patch work.
Bikes are a good option but I don't think many of your lady team members will be able to take them for a ride. If this is not a concern, then look for simple bikes like Hero Honda Dawn, TVS Star etc which has comparatively less complicated body work for squeezing under your budget.

If if your staffers are comfortable with motorcycles, the cheapest 100 CC Hero Honda there is (CD-Deluxe?) with side storage compartments will be your best bet , they will be cheap, super reliable, low maintenance, very fuel efficient.
Otherwise the Honda Activa. Not exactly cheap or particularly fuel efficient, but will suit the purpose.
Have you considered Electric bikes ?

If Speed is not an issue then would suggest the electric bikes. Not quite sure on their maintenance costs. What would be their luggage that you are looking for your team to carry? Have seen lot of cigarrette vendors use it. Also you might have to consider multiple charging solutions and believe commercial charges are higher than domestic charges

For your purpose best will be a combination of bike and gearless scooters. Bikes for the guys and scooters for the female employes. Bikes for the guys, as they would be more rugged and would call for less maintenance and more mileage. Gearless scooters for females for their ease of use.

To get better deal from the dealer, try to get the combination of bikes and scooters from the same manufacturer like HH, honda, tvs so that you can place a bulk order.

Combinations can be like 1) HH CD 100/splendor + HH Pleasure
2) TVS Star/Jive + Scooty Pep/Wego
3) Honda CB shine/Twister + Activa/Dio
4) Bajaj Platina, but no scooters from bajaj

Good way to go about it is to divide it into geared and ungeared bikes based on the guys:gals ratio. You will have best of both worlds. An if its 30-45kms round trip for an entire day, electric scoots make sense but depends on the type of load that it needs to haul as well.

Options would be HHCD100, TVS Star, Bajaj Platina. And for gearless, you can look at HH Pleasure/Scooty Pep.

EDIT: Just noticed Ravi has posted the same as well.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the suggestions. I am looking at geared and ungeared options for the guys and girls. For guys I have kinda shortlisted the Bajaj Platina and HH Splendor Plus / Pro. For the ladies it would definitely be the Scooty Pep. Its way lighter than the Activa and easier for the vertically challenged people to manage. Any idea on the performance of Suzuki Access?

Would look into the electric bikes as well.

All depends on the financing schemes available with the dealers/ banks.

Would keep this post updated on my decision :)

Good choice by going with Scooty Pep. It returns much much better mileage than Activa. But I find Honda Activa to be more comfortable if you have to drive 30+ kms a day. It also offers storage space which might come in handy with your daily operations and your people can always put a helmet and a rain-coat under the seat.

I suggest you get Activa for men and Scooty Pep for women. Gearless vehicles are less strenuous at the end of the day.

P.S.: You get more space to do your business branding on scooters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novella (Post 2414273)

For the ladies it would definitely be the Scooty Pep. Its way lighter than the Activa and easier for the vertically challenged people to manage. Any idea on the performance of Suzuki Access?

Would look into the electric bikes as well.

Since you're looking at Pep, you should look at Mahindra Dura too (the electric scooter) and other electric ones. It'll be a nice mix of savings and being eco-friendly.

B'lore has a obsession with the tiny Lunas for delivery operations but I'd strongly not recommend those!

Forget the electric scooters - they are painfully slow, can be anuisance in the middle of traffic (if they cut lanes) and make life for your staff hell. They are meant for the grocery run - not a 45km run in Mumbai!

Activa etc is good but slightly lower mileage though you'll get good space + no clutch maintenance.

For men - the 100cc discovers/HH bikes are pretty neat & cheap - speak with a dealer - they will be able to supply a fibreglass carrier like all the pizza houses have done. costs 3-4k max.

Don't scrounge on the helmets - esp if you are giving them the vehicles - Bravo helmets with SR visors for the occasional evening usage.

I'd recommend CD Dawn over Platina/Splendor as it works out much cheaper than the other two. The onroad price works out at 40987/- at Mumbai (thats what the website says) and for bulk booking (say 6-8 bikes at least) you can bargain for a heavy discount.

Also Dawn will be more fuel efficient (100cc) whereas Platina is 125cc, though FE depends upon the way the bike is rode.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkaile (Post 2415147)

I think a Honda Twister would be the best bet with high fuel efficiency and latest technology bundled in one. Would put a smile on their faces too.

Wouldnt that go beyond 50k ?

TVS Jive is also a good option, if the commute is to be done on crowded city streets. Its got gears but no clutch, super easy to ride therefore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by libranof1987 (Post 2415102)

Since you're looking at Pep, you should look at Mahindra Dura too (the electric scooter) and other electric ones. It'll be a nice mix of savings and being eco-friendly.

Thanks. Will check the electric scooters. The eco-friendly aspect sounds good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman (Post 2415106)

Don't scrounge on the helmets - esp if you are giving them the vehicles - Bravo helmets with SR visors for the occasional evening usage.

Thanks for the pointers. Didnt intend to scrounge on helmets :) Its mandatory and good for branding too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajo (Post 2415226)

Wouldnt that go beyond 50k ?

TVS Jive is also a good option, if the commute is to be done on crowded city streets. Its got gears but no clutch, super easy to ride therefore.

Thanks. Would look at the Jive too. In terms of after sales service and maintenance, how would you rank TVS, Bajaj and HH?

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