[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by atnyia

Thanks for suggestion. I checked out a used 200 NS (Just 3K KM down).
Considerations:
1) If I purchase a new bike and do a proper run in, should I expect as many vibrations?
2) If pillion ride remains uncomfortable, should I simply buy 150 CC gixxer as longish trips will be done by car only.

Anything below 150cc except for hypothetical free rev Duke (which is 13-14 PS) should not be on for me as I am 6'1 and weigh 85 and my spouse is 5'8 and weigh 65.

TBTD 350/ Avenger 220?

I dont think improper running in can cause vibrations - why don't you do a TD from a show room and compare both bikes?

I am sure Duke twins will not score much in pillion comfort - the guy who rides pillion with me booked himself a Thunder bird after enduring duke for some days - I think NS 200 also will not differ much from this.

Compared to Duke twins and NS, I think Thunder-bird will give much more pillion comfort - but you have to compromise on ABS and mileage. Do a test ride of thunder bird also - it might suite your needs well.

--Anoop

[D4D]

I think 200 NS or Inazuma should be your choice. Given Bajaj's track record, the pulsar 200 NS will be a very reliable bike and should last you miles.

Inazuma will be a comfortable cruiser, but it will consume more fuel than the 200 NS.

I would not whole heartedly suggest duke 200 as the ride quality is very bad(for our conditions.). But it's my personal favourite.

Also check Duke 390. Again, the same negative of the duke 200, but a fantastic machine.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by atnyia

1) Vibrations. Almost mad. My 2006 Pulsar is way way smoother at low speeds.

There is certainly something wrong with the bike. P200NS was supposedly the bike from Bajaj which is smooth all the way till the red line without any vibrations creeping in that are bothersome. On the short test ride, it was smooth through the first 3 gears without any vibes when i tried it out. Maybe the owner was not riding the bike as it should have been. Were you noticing any parts that were vibrating or feeling the vibrations in the handle bar/foot pegs etc?

Edit: @D4D, not sure what you mean the ride quality of the Duke 200 is very bad for our conditions?? If you are comparing it with the Zuma, maybe I would agree to an extent but it is not extreme to be termed very bad. Having used one for 3000kms+ I dont find it bad at all on the pot holed stretches of our city! And it also matter how you are handling those road irregularities as well.. Some get smoothed out higher speeds while you need to take some very slowly.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by D4D

I would not whole heartedly suggest duke 200 as the ride quality is very bad(for our conditions.). But it's my personal favourite.

By bad, if you mean not plush - then I agree. Duke 200 is not plush, but the ride quality (for the rider) is not bad at all. The seats offer good support and the ride is on the firmer side than the softer side, but I wont term it as bad

--Anoop

[D4D]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

By bad, if you mean not plush - then I agree. Duke 200 is not plush, but the ride quality (for the rider) is not bad at all. The seats offer good support and the ride is on the firmer side than the softer side, but I wont term it as bad

--Anoop

OK sorry. Yes, point taken.

Duke transfers a lot of jolts to you. It's not a good thing when riding.

[atnyia]

Abhinav,

Thanks for pointing out. I did not feel any vibrations while riding it. But while sitting pillion and grabbing hand-grabs, it was a nightmare. The guy was riding around 5000 RPM. How is that possible?

To both Anoop/Abhinav,
I am into a sort of quandary between Gixxer & 200 NS. The later seems to be a painful in bumper to bumper. While the former is going to miss out top end of 200 NS which is too good. 200 NS is like whiskey, it takes it time but gives incredible and controlled high. Gixxer is like beer, for casual fun.

I also expect Gixxer to be relatively fuss free during ownership relative to Pulsars.

[Silverflash]

Originally Posted by D4D

OK sorry. Yes, point taken.

Duke transfers a lot of jolts to you. It's not a good thing when riding.

I see where you are coming from, but there's a huge plus to this. On bad roads it can be a pain, but when roads are good and you are pushing the bike, it is very helpful to be able to feel the small changes in surface being transmitted to you. Often it can mean the difference between straightening up or easing off the brakes just in time and dropping the bike.

The Dukes are built to facilitate riding further towards the edges of the envelope. The tradeoff is always going to involve a slightly less comfortable ride on consistently bad roads.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by atnyia

Abhinav,
Thanks for pointing out. I did not feel any vibrations while riding it. But while sitting pillion and grabbing hand-grabs, it was a nightmare. The guy was riding around 5000 RPM. How is that possible?

5000 RPM in the top gear? That should still be doable without the vibes being nightmarish!! So you should certainly try out a test ride bike at the showroom to see if its the same. Also note the number of kms that the showroom test ride bike has done. Just as a reference.

Originally Posted by atnyia

200 NS is like whiskey, it takes it time but gives incredible and controlled high. Gixxer is like beer, for casual fun.

You have put it up very well yourself. But I would tend to agree with your last statement that Suzuki might be less bothersome compared to Pulsars. This is based on the fact that Bajaj Service Centers are most of the time over crowded and the technicians or Service Advisers are ill informed in diagnosing & resolving niggles/issues. Have not had any experience with Suzuki SVC's so far but they should be tad better since they don't have too many commuters on road and their sales are not too high to warrant an over crowded SVC. Of course there are the scooters that are selling like hot cakes that might be a consideration point.

Coming to the bike, trust me, just ride both and you will know which one to go for. The one you can connect with will be the one for which you will go for. Also understand your usage and priorities well. Where will the bike spend most of its time? City - Gixxer should do well. Highways mostly - P200NS will be preferred to Gixxer. Mix of city+highway with mostly city and less of highway - Again Gixxer or vice versa if its more of highway and less of city. Get all these points sorted out and you can arrive at your decision pretty soon.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by D4D

OK sorry. Yes, point taken.

Duke transfers a lot of jolts to you. It's not a good thing when riding.

Ok, got your point. As Silverflash pointed out, this helps in better understanding of the road and suitably altering your ride inputs. This is more apt for a bike like duke than for a lazy cruiser bike. Personally, I would any day take a bike which transfers the road conditions to me than a bike which feels disconnected from the road.

Originally Posted by atnyia

Abhinav,

Thanks for pointing out. I did not feel any vibrations while riding it. But while sitting pillion and grabbing hand-grabs, it was a nightmare. The guy was riding around 5000 RPM. How is that possible?

To both Anoop/Abhinav,
I am into a sort of quandary between Gixxer & 200 NS. The later seems to be a painful in bumper to bumper. While the former is going to miss out top end of 200 NS which is too good. 200 NS is like whiskey, it takes it time but gives incredible and controlled high. Gixxer is like beer, for casual fun.

I also expect Gixxer to be relatively fuss free during ownership relative to Pulsars.

NS should be able to do 5K RPM without sweating even a drop. There is something definitely wrong with the bike. Do take a test ride from the show room.

Do you plan to ride with your wife? If you plan to have her as pillion for even 30% of your rides, take her to both test rides (Gixxer and NS). NS will do good for both city and highway rides, Gixxer will not be as good as NS for highway runs, but it will not be too slow. In my opinion, pillion comfort will be better in Gixxer but rider comfort will be more in NS. So, there it is. Now, line out your priorities, take couple of test rides and then make that choice

--Anoop

[D4D]

Originally Posted by Silverflash

I see where you are coming from, but there's a huge plus to this. On bad roads it can be a pain, but when roads are good and you are pushing the bike, it is very helpful to be able to feel the small changes in surface being transmitted to you.

I'm not all against KTM Duke's dynamics. It's a wonderful bike to ride and you can have a lot of fun.
But my choice would be purely on my needs.

1.For mainly city use and highway trips, I would prefer a bike like he 200 NS which has a better ride quality in the city.

2.If highway use was the going to major, then it's the KTM Duke 200 anyday.

[atnyia]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

5000 RPM in the top gear? That should still be doable without the vibes being nightmarish!!

5000 RPM in nearly bumper to bumper. The speed was at max 50-60. I would have had driven at 30ish. He was aggressive. I pulled it in sixth only on an open stretch.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

NS should be able to do 5K RPM without sweating even a drop. There is something definitely wrong with the bike.
--Anoop

Pillion experience was the deal breaker for me. Did not feel vibrations at all while riding it. At any RPM. I touched 75ish and ride was into its own. I did not revv further as it was enough for the idea.

The primary purpose of bike is office commute which is 70 % highway (NH8) in Gurgaon.

I'll check out Gixxer and let you guys know of my decision.

Gixxer has got a smallish seat than NS200 IMO.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by atnyia

The primary purpose of bike is office commute which is 70 % highway (NH8) in Gurgaon..

70% highway - Well you might even be better off with a D390 then!! But again, given this usage you better look at 200cc & above as your city usage is lesser compared to highway. A 150cc will have you looking for an upgrade sooner rather than later.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by atnyia

5

The primary purpose of bike is office commute which is 70 % highway (NH8) in Gurgaon.

I'll check out Gixxer and let you guys know of my decision.

Gixxer has got a smallish seat than NS200 IMO.

If 70% of your ride is on highways, may I recommend you the Honda CBR 150 R?
It is not as fast as its twin or Duke, but the bike can definitely hold its own in highways and can manage triple digit speeds easily. Though it looks like a sports bike, the seating position is not that committed - I have not much idea about the pillion comfort though I think it might be better than Duke 200.

--Anoop

[atnyia]

my job includes frequent relocation and city ride quality is of utmost important.

In Gurgaon, I stay on one side of highway, travel in a straight line for 20 KM without a single red light and stop at my office which is also adjacent to NH8 itself. Where else do I get these roads except for Delhi NCR where Autos overtake my aged Pulsar?

[atnyia]

Originally Posted by atnyia

my job includes frequent relocation and city ride quality is of utmost important.

Took a small ride of Gixxer today. It ticked a lot of boxes. Non sporty sitting position, impressive suspension over pot holes, good FE ( Above 50 reported by the guy, 45ish will do anyway), good pillion comfort, good control, enough space for pillion and NO vibrations at all. Suzuki as a motorcycle brand offers reliability too. I have to compromise on ABS but there is no option except 2 Lac bike which is not feasible/doesn't offer enough incremental value.
I know I am going to miss top end of 200 NS and Gixxer doesn't feel like an upgrade after 8 years with pulsars. But let it be for now.
Hopefully after 8 years again, I'll buy Bonnie.