[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by YoungSaint

Coming back to AS200 - all the reviews suggested that it has a free and high revving engine. I want something like that, so, even if the test ride was not satisfactory, I still booked it because at this price range (1.04 Lakhs OTR Pune), I cannot find anything else better than this.

KTM200: I wanted something fast and boy, it was fast than the faster. But again, I am a man nearing 30 and with wife pestering me to invest in real-estate(read: house), it was difficult to make her agree on me spending 1.57 Lakhs for a bike. I told her that we can save the moolah if I trade one of my kidneys for the bike. (Latest Update: We are not on talking terms after my suggestion). I didn't want to a buy a used bike so olx/ quikr websites were not visited.

RTR200: Wanted to do a test ride but it had not reached the Pune showroom yet.

Congrats on the new bike. Was that delivered or awaiting delivery?
We are sailing on the same boat it seems. Only difference being my wife accepted spending upto 1.5L on bikes, but I couldn't convince myself.

Originally Posted by docmoya2007

Go for the used KTM Duke 200. My 2015 KTM Duke 200 nearing 10K on the odo will outrun a brand new Gixxer and the likes anywhere, anytime. Low end torque? Uphill climb? With pillion rider? These 150-160 cc holds no match for the 200 + cc engines. The Karizma somebody mentioned too. That's also not bad for the low end torque and speed limit of 80kmph. And I don't find it too ugly. Do let us know what you end up buying. And feel free to share your experience riding your new(to be) bike. Whichever it is.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm waiting for the launch of new 200NS and RTR200. After having a TD of these 2 bikes decision to be taken if I should go for used Duke.

[fiesta1.6]

Note to Mods: As I am not sure where should I post this topic, please merge as appropriate.

I am in a market for a bike which is under 1.25L OTR. Please suggest. My requirements are:

1) Should be comfortable to ride in city as well as on highway.
2) Mileage should be around 35 to 40 kmpl.
3) Easy to maintain.
4) Niggle free as far as possible. I can live with one issue here and there.
5) Will be used for office commute by me ~ 10kms both ways and mostly for the highway rides with wife.

It will be used by my wife as well. I am open to all brands if those fit in the above criteria. Currently I own TVS Wego which my wife uses for her office commute

Considering all these criteria, I am really inclined towards Bajaj Avenger 220 Street. Any suggestions in this regard would be most welcome.

[The Brutailer]

Get the gixxer. Great mileage, awesome handling and a grunty, full of character engine. Looks good too.

If you want something more powerful, you can go for the Pulsar AS200 or Apache 200.

Also, try the second hand market and get the baby duke (200). Best fun you can have on 2 wheels under 1.5 lacs.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by fiesta1.6

1) Should be comfortable to ride in city as well as on highway.
2) Mileage should be around 35 to 40 kmpl.
3) Easy to maintain.
4) Niggle free as far as possible. I can live with one issue here and there.
5) Will be used for office commute by me ~ 10kms both ways and mostly for the highway rides with wife.

If possible, you can stretch a bit and go for the RE Classic 350/Electra. Fulfills all your criteria and has got very good resale too.

[Aakarsh]

Keeping in mind your budget as well as the requirements, I would suggest you to take a test ride of the Pulsar RS200. It's a decent bike with good handling and looks nice.

Regards
Aakarsh

[ku69rd]

Have a good look at the Honda CB Hornet 160. It packs quite a punch for the tag, looks are quite macho with a decent performance to back. Honda bikes age very well and their quality is any day better than Bajaj or Hero offerings. At this point in time I would say Honda Motorcycles especially in the premium commuter segment.
A proper city lugger then nothing beats Honda Unicorn.

[The Great]

Originally Posted by fiesta1.6

I am in a market for a bike which is under 1.25L OTR.

It will be used by my wife as well.

I am really inclined towards Bajaj Avenger 220 Street. Any suggestions in this regard would be most welcome.

The street is a great value for money bike and it surely does fit your requirements and criteria. Its a great bike with nice seating. Also by no means this is a slow bike. It just requires to be practiced a little bit to adjust to its riding style.

The bike will be way below the given budget and this way you can also invest in some good safety gear (like riding jacket/ protectors etc) for both you and your wife for long rides as well as city traffic.

Also it will be easier for your wife to use it too since you mentioned.

[theredliner]

Should be comfortable to ride in city as well as on highway.

-How often are you planning to ride on highways?
-How long will those highway rides be?
-What kind of highways are you planning to ride on?

These factors should play a major role in narrowing down.

While we often consider how much seating comfort a bike provides to the rider, we tend to forget how comfortable the bike is in terms of highway cruising.

If you are going to spend even a decent amount of time riding on the highway, I'd eliminate all sub 200cc 5-speed bikes without a second thought.

These bikes' engines will be spinning at too high an RPM (near their peak power in 5th gear at 100 km/h) that tires out both the engine and the rider. Forget 4/6 lane long distance cruising on these.

[schitre05]

My 2 cents
In no particular order

Bajaj avenger street 220
CB Unicorn 160
CB Hornet 160
Yamaha Fazer/ Suzuki Gixxer
Vespa 150/ Aprilia 150
RE Electra/Classic 350/Thunderbird 350 (budget will go up)

[shekatkar31]

I think the avenger series would be good for your requirements, considering the ease of maintenance. My experience with Bajaj bikes has been very good in this sense. Also, the fuel economy would suit you, in addition to providing a low seating, comfortable both for you as well as your wife.

[centaur]

My only suggestion when opting for a Bajaj is to check out the service center where you will get the bike serviced. I owned a pulsar for 5 years and then borrowed a friends pulsar for sometime when I did not have a ride. Given the sheer number of Bajaj 2 wheelers on the roads, the service centers are extremely overloaded, more so on the weekends.

I have experienced scratches and dents on my and my friends pulsar and when you ask them for an explanation they just shrug their shoulders and walk off. Its after this experience that I switch to TVS from a loyal bajaj customer and TVS was way way better. While avenger seems the best pick, this something I would like to caution you beforehand to avoid any heart burns later. Again this could be specific to Pune but then there is no harm in checking it out or probably just look at the vehicles on your roads and figure out the vehicles which you see more on the roads

Honda is also getting where Bajaj now is because of their excellent sales with activa and unicorn.

Suzuki, Yamaha is still a safe heaven apart from TVS and I would suggest the Fazer, Gixxer or the Apache to look at

[driverabhi]

Please check Yama FZ FI Ver 2.0. Its one of the best bikes in the segment around 150cc. Also, for all the bikes that are being mentioned, make sure you take a test ride before you decide upon anything. These machines are a matter of subject. You need to like something yourself before going for it.

Happy hunting

[IshaanIan]

Apache RTR 200 is the most fun and practical new bike you can buy in that budget IMO. Don't be afraid to go the TVS route they are surely upping their game these past couple of years

[sajo]

Originally Posted by centaur

My only suggestion when opting for a Bajaj is to check out the service center where you will get the bike serviced.

My experience with Sai Service Bajaj (the one near PMC) is quite good. I only stopped going there after 3-4 years of purchase was because it was too far.
The Street 220 makes sense for the OP , given the combination of its cost, styling, ease of maintenance and low slung.

[Blow Horn Ok]

I had a chance to check out the rtr 200 recently but couldn't ride it as it was almost out of fuel and was being delivered in the evening to a customer. The guys at showroom were offering a test ride but I flatly declined.

It definitely looks macho. The tank is quite wide but the well designed scoops helps to position the legs well in accordance to the footpegs. Seating is forward biased and slightly sporty but not too much. I found it comfortable than my pulsar 150. Seats are comfortable, but one needs to check in real time riding conditions. Couldn't check out the rear seats. The Matt paint job looks fabulous and is well finished. The bike was shod with remora tyres and the tread pattern looked good. It was a carburetor version and the SA had doubts regarding the success and maintainece of FI version. The bike is solidly built and there is no hanging or loose stuff anywhere. The switchgear used is decent and similar to the as/ns pulsar's. The instrument cluster is well lit and good looking, throws out multiple information.

One front where TVS has nailed is the exhaust sound. The silencer isn't the best looking but its definitely sound tuned. The effect is bassy and masculine kind of exhaust note which I loved to core.

Agree that its underpowered for its capacity but I guess it would be a decent performer inside the city and highways. At this age I am not hunting for high speed runs and its definitely unsafe in Indian conditions. All I need is a stable, comfortable, good looking, torqey and refined bike, which the 200 rtr is. Will be booking it after 2 months for sure.