[para_7k]

4 wonderful years with the P180 UG3 and I feel it's time for a change.

The P180 has been ever reliable and has bever let me down.

Reason for the change: ?

So many choices in the Market and I have the age. It's now or never.

My preferences:

1. Refined Engine - After driving the i10, I don't like any kind of noisy or vibey engines.

2. Performance- Cruise comfortably at 80-85 kmph. I don't need 3 digit speeds. I don't bother about FE.

3. Ride Quality - No compromise. I'm used to the Plush P180.

4. Handling and Braking - Very Important to me. The P180 is not great in these areas. A corner at 60 kmph makes me nervous and the rear brake is a joke.

5. A.S.C - Another important factor. I'm an extremely dissatisfied customer of Bajaj ASCs.

6. Headlamps/Tubeless tyres - Bright lamps and Tubeless are Mandatory for me.


My views on the choices.

Pulsar 220:

Likes:

Performance: Can smoke out most Indian bikes
Ride: Super Plush
Awesome Headlamp (on the F)

Dislikes:

Engine is not built to last - BIGGEST
Bajaj's poor QC and ASC
The Mirror (on the F) shows only my biceps - Any workaround to this ?
Street Fighter version comes with 35W headlamps.

Avenger:

Likes:

- Excellent Ride quality
- Comfortable seats
- Styling. Still can turn some heads
- 60/55W headlamp.

Dislikes:

- Engine is not built to last - BIGGEST
- Bajaj's poor QC and ASC
- No tubeless tyres

Yamaha FZ/Fazer:

Likes:

- Cries for attention. Excellent styling
- Mid Range Torque
- Handling with Wider tyres
- FZ has a lot of Bolt on OEM Accessories.

Dislikes:

- Where is the Crash guard ? - I need one badly.
- Tail lamp smaller than TVS 50 - Any aleternate for this ?

TVS Apache RTR 180:

Likes:

- Styling
- Awesome brakes and now comes with ABS
- I like the console with the clock.
- Good headlamp output for a 35W setup.

Dislikes:

- Harsh Engine
- Cramped for a guy like me with above average build.
- I have not been so happy with TVS ASCs. Have they improved now ?


Hero Honda:

- The Hunk almost has eveything I need (I can live with that name) and I like the new CBZ-X too.

But the Break up between Hero and Honda is what is setting me off.

- ZMR is too pricey for me.

- Suzuki GS150R has an excellent engine/gearbox but poor headlight and ASC makes me rule it out.

- Honda is ruled out because of the Insane waiting periods.

- I like the RE Classic a lot but I'm a newbie to REs and I heard waiting periods are getting Insane.


I am planning to start the test rides by next week.

I need your expert recommendations

[_raVan_]

Based on your considerations, I would recommend going with the Fazer. Its an excellent bike and the limitations are over-lookable. Besides Fazer, P220 is the best.

[AdrenalinJunkie]

To me the old HH Karizma is still a pretty good option with its excellent ergonomics, butter smooth engine and strong mid range torque. Moreover you have the excellent *** of Hero Honda to give you a tension free ownership. It pretty much ticks all the check boxes in your list. Apart from the fact that its an ageing product, there is almost nothing going against it.

If you want something newer, the Apache RTR 180 with ABS seems a worthwhile option as well.

[Porschefire]

Yamaha's FZ series of bikes have a lot going on for them now but i feel in terms of performance it'll be a downward jump for you from 180cc to 150cc.Don't you think? Not that these bikes are slow.I suggest you have a look at the HH ZMA and if you can stretch your budget then ZMR is a very good option.

[salunkhe.vizz]

Fazer would be my personal favourite based on your requirements of a good 80-85 vibration free speed.

Great looks and handling, VFM performance.

Second choice will be hands down the 220 mill from pulsar, good revving capabilities and just love the headlight. But not a vibration free engine.

[rajanprash]

Note from Mod: There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the board experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[adidac369]

There is something about the RE Classic that is so alluring, well almost everything about it is (I said almost).

Cross winds won't have an effect on the RE and there is a machoness and novelty that you will love.

But if you are from a performance school of biking you might need to make some changes. The RE does not liked to be thrown around, it feels majestic cruising around with its thump thump.

[para_7k]

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Based on your considerations, I would recommend going with the Fazer. Its an excellent bike and the limitations are over-lookable. Besides Fazer, P220 is the best.

Originally Posted by AdrenalinJunkie

To me the old HH Karizma is still a pretty good option with its excellent ergonomics, butter smooth engine and strong mid range torque. Moreover you have the excellent *** of Hero Honda to give you a tension free ownership. It pretty much ticks all the check boxes in your list. Apart from the fact that its an ageing product, there is almost nothing going against it.

If you want something newer, the Apache RTR 180 with ABS seems a worthwhile option as well.

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Yamaha's FZ series of bikes have a lot going on for them now but i feel in terms of performance it'll be a downward jump for you from 180cc to 150cc.Don't you think? Not that these bikes are slow.I suggest you have a look at the HH ZMA and if you can stretch your budget then ZMR is a very good option.

Originally Posted by salunkhe.vizz

Fazer would be my personal favourite based on your requirements of a good 80-85 vibration free speed.

Great looks and handling, VFM performance.

Second choice will be hands down the 220 mill from pulsar, good revving capabilities and just love the headlight. But not a vibration free engine.

Thanks Guys. I'm not worried out the downgrade in displacement as long as the bike can cruise at 80 kmph.

Sorry, If I sound stupid but the ZMA does not have the crash guard which is vital to me and I hear the ASCs are still not equipped enough to handle the tech in the ZMR.

I'm inclined to the Fazer but just the tiny tail lamp

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by para_7k

I'm inclined to the Fazer but just the tiny tail lamp

Fazer is the bike with the fairing and comes with twin lamps though only one works at a time. It is a simple mod to make both of them work if you are particular about it.

Cruising at 80 is smooth and effortless on the FZ series bikes. But if cruising is important and long highway rides are on the cards, then P220 is the best bet. Not sure what you mean by engine not built to last. But agree that Bajaj has very poor QC and ASC.

Why are you so particular about the crash guard? Due to the mad traffic? And now FZ/Fazer series can be fit with crash guards from the dealer. So you can consider it in your shortlist.

Also could you please elaborate what you mean by harsh engine of the RTR180? Was it the vibes or the engine note or something else altogether.

[bullboy]

Moreover you have the excellent *** of Hero Honda to give you a tension free ownership

In our place Bajaj ASC is far better than HH, Last week i went to service our pleasure and put off with the huge crowd gathered there for service. I went to another ASC, same, finally came back without servicing as i need to leave the scoot there for 2 day. Also in my experience their quality of service is not good .This i believe might be, as number of vehicles serviced per day increases the quality decreases.Going again to the ASC to rectify an issue is a mess and waste of time.I complained twice about issues to service manager and nothing happened.No one in HH will respond to your queries or mails.But bajaj is way better in this.
Because of all these ASC issues our bike hasn't been serviced for 1.5 years.Being a Honda it is holding up.I tried some local workshops and two of them told me that they would not work on scoots as they are in't much aware of it (technically).I need get a service done as there are jerks in our scoot.
I was also looking to replace my near 5.5 yr old P180 but could not find any alternative.
Fazer i believe is priced too high.
Now i settled with the thought that what will i get if i sell my 180 25-30K max.I need to put in extra cash with which i'll be able to buy only a similarly powered bike.My bike hasn't let me down even once.The engine is smooth (not in honda's league) and gives decent mileage(45-48).It has done only 45K.So Why i replace.
My suggestion is buying another pulsar is again loose of huge money.IF you can rejuvenate your 180 that will be good

[ghodlur]

Bajaj's poor QC and ASC
The Mirror (on the F) shows only my biceps - Any workaround to this ?
Street Fighter version comes with 35W headlamps

Could not understand the bicep requirment. Are you serious? what does this mean, is the mirror too small for you?

My colleague owns a TVS apache RTR 180 with ABS and is pretty much satisfied with the performance and service.

I think you better start with the test drives and post your experience of the same.

[para_7k]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Fazer is the bike with the fairing and comes with twin lamps though only one works at a time. It is a simple mod to make both of them work if you are particular about it.

Cruising at 80 is smooth and effortless on the FZ series bikes. But if cruising is important and long highway rides are on the cards, then P220 is the best bet. Not sure what you mean by engine not built to last. But agree that Bajaj has very poor QC and ASC.

Why are you so particular about the crash guard? Due to the mad traffic? And now FZ/Fazer series can be fit with crash guards from the dealer. So you can consider it in your shortlist.

Also could you please elaborate what you mean by harsh engine of the RTR180? Was it the vibes or the engine note or something else altogether.

I do not have a problem with the Fazer's headlamp but the tail lamp.

My P180 engine has lost steam in the 4 years and does not feel as torquey as before and emits white smoke every now and then.

I have had a bad crash once where crash guard saved my leg.

On the RTR, yes, it's the vibes.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Could not understand the bicep requirment. Are you serious? what does this mean, is the mirror too small for you?

My colleague owns a TVS apache RTR 180 with ABS and is pretty much satisfied with the performance and service.

I think you better start with the test drives and post your experience of the same.

The mirrors are not placed wide enough to cover what's happening behind. I having an above average shoulder size, can see only my biceps.

I agree test rides are the best way but I'm looking for expert/onwer comments which also will help me in deciding!

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Could not understand the bicep requirment. Are you serious? what does this mean, is the mirror too small for you?

I own the 220F so I am sure he means the same thing. For 220F, the mirrors are popularly called "Elbow reflectors". Mirrors are way too small to be of much use; Leaves room for a large blind spot on both sides

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Could not understand the bicep requirment. Are you serious? what does this mean, is the mirror too small for you?

The mirror is very small for most riders. It only shows the upper arm and a bit of the road. Fitting the RTR mirrors as people have done on xBHP should resolve the small mirror issue.

Glad to know that the RTR180 ABS is doing good.

@para7k - Sorry did not notice that it was the tail lamp. The tail lamp is good enough and is very bright.

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by para_7k

I do not have a problem with the Fazer's headlamp but the tail lamp.

My P180 engine has lost steam in the 4 years and does not feel as torquey as before and emits white smoke every now and then.

I have had a bad crash once where crash guard saved my leg.

On the RTR, yes, it's the vibes.




The mirrors are not placed wide enough to cover what's happening behind. I having an above average shoulder size, can see only my biceps.

I agree test rides are the best way but I'm looking for expert/onwer comments which also will help me in deciding!

Hey mate you say 1 L otr rite? why not a TBTS(thunderbird, twinspark)? Best headlamps, best tail lamps, best engine, best ride, and finally the best bike with a thump most important its a RE!! That ends the story right?