[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by shifu

But does it have dual-channel ABS? !

It doesn't get ABS.

How about Dominar 400?

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by shifu

I am a very sedate and safe driver, but the fear of somebody hitting me is always on my mind. So the first thing I thought when I decided to buy a bike was safety. It has to have ABS (dual channel OR single channel). I don't want to compromise on this requirement.

Would like to understand how having ABS on your bike will prevent others from hitting you/your bike.

Originally Posted by shifu

I would really like to have ABS in my bike.

Why don't you wait till April 2019? By that time, every new bike will have to have ABS.

[NTO]

Originally Posted by shifu

But does it have dual-channel ABS? Their website is probably down (!!), and the ownership reviews on t-bhp don't seem to suggest so. Will check it out nevertheless!

Yes their website is down. However, found this on zigwheels. It does have dual channel ABS according to this.

[shifu]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Would like to understand how having ABS on your bike will prevent others from hitting you/your bike.

LOL. No, it doesn't. I should have framed the sentence correctly. I meant to say that I will probably always have that fear of somebody hitting me, and my safety is of paramount concern to me. Having ABS will give me the confidence that I can brake confidently because the probability of me locking the wheels and skidding will be very low.

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Why don't you wait till April 2019? By that time, every new bike will have to have ABS.

Yes, that is what I realized yesterday night while researching. This is one option, but will mean delaying my purchase by 1 year.

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Would like to understand how having ABS on your bike will prevent others from hitting you/your bike.

LOL!

OP: Don't keep ABS as a deciding factor. It is good safety, but it is not a deciding factor to reject good bikes.


I think keep your height in mind too (as you are already doing). I think cruiser bikes are perfect for 5'4" people and both feet can be firmly put on the ground.I would say try the Intruder 150 before dismissing it.


If you are interested in scooter, you can think of Suzuki Bergman 125 which is launching very soon (today, IIRC).

[2000rpm]

Get a scooter! Your will not be unhappy.

A scooter is much more safe for legs in case of an accident or a side crash. Saves your knees. A bike fall will always hurt your knees.

Scooters with height adjustment are available in the market. Dont remember the product but remember seeing an AD.

Scooters are much lower priced and much more practical. Some come with mobile charging etc now.

Also just as a wild card, why dont you try the Ather escooter since your budget is upto one lakh!

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by shifu

Thanks, but no thanks. I don't want anything that has less than 15 to 17 inch wheels. I feel that because of small wheels, its easier to skid in sand. Just a feeling, didn't verify scientifically.

I demoted myself from a large bike to a puny 110cc scooter.

Trust me, in nasty situations, handling a 100Kg scooter (with low ride height) is much more easier than a 150Kg bike.

You can try out the SR125/150 as well from Aprilia. It is a true hybrid of a bike and a scooter.

Regardless, it looks like your heart wants a bike (and a large one at that). So, go for it!

[am1m]

Someone suggested an Enfield, well, having used one to commute, it's certainly not a great commuter bike. I believe your requirement was for a commuter, so would definitely not recommend any of the Bullets. They can certainly be used for a commute, but once the initial excitement of owning one wears off, the 'Royal' stands for a Royal pain in the...

NVH is also an issue with most REs, old or modern. Service is hit-or-miss. I use mine only for long rides. I would never take it out in the city. Have a Pulsar for the daily commute and it does the job.

[Tapish]

Originally Posted by shifu

LOL. No, it doesn't. I should have framed the sentence correctly. I meant to say that I will probably always have that fear of somebody hitting me, and my safety is of paramount concern to me. Having ABS will give me the confidence that I can brake confidently because the probability of me locking the wheels and skidding will be very low.

That's one line of reasoning but may not really be a deciding factor if you are on well paved roads and within speed limits. IMHO a nice protective gear and control on the bike are sufficient. Control on the bike is directly related to the feet on the ground. I'm the same height and find it difficult to be confident on a bigger bike.

Get the avenger, (and a nice jacket/ boots)!

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by shifu

Hello guys, Any other suggestions?

My suggestion is two step process,

As a first step, My choice would be to go with either new or pre-owned lighter bikes. If the bike is heavy for a light weight person with relatively shorter height(No offense meant) who has not driven the bike for ages, possibility of controlling the heavy bike is bleak. Even if you fall once with your new bike, your wife will end your bike life (I am saying, you need to defeat the apprehensions of your wife about two wheelers by gaining the confidence. This can be done by going with lighter vehicle and showing early WIN)

Hence, lighter bike will help you to maintain the balance + gain confidence. In my opinion, having ABS or NO ABS is a second priority if at first place, you are not able to maintain the balance of the bike.
So, first step, for 2 years, go with a new or used Honda Shine bike. This meets all your requirements except ABS.

As the confidence grows, you can go with heavier bikes as suggested by others. This would be second step. May be after 2-3 years

[ani_meher]

There are so many mid-life premium two wheeler buyers (aged 35-50), looking at bikes costing 1-1.5L just to get on two wheelers after a long hiatus. I think a premium automatic scooter costing 1L can sell in good volumes. If Vespa with its tiny size and 125-150CC engines can sell at 1L, surely Honda/Suzuki/TVS 150CC motoscooters can sell.


Meanwhile OP, why don't you hire different motorcycles / scooters for some days to get a taste of living with one such vehicle? Spend 5000-7000 in this process and finalize a perfect bike, rather than saving this rental amount and risking a guess.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by shifu

First things first, some facts about me -

- I am not a biker. 2006 is when I last rode a bike.
...
- I am 5'4". Relatively short. 63Kgs. Relatively underweight. BMI is normal though .

Points to a light two wheeler which you can flatfoot:- ie a scooter, or a small cruiser.

Regards
Sutripta

[ashwinprakas]

I would not side with opting for a scooter unless it is the likes of the TVS XL100, reason being scooters are anything but safe when it comes to going the extra mile, I've previously owned and ridden a TVS Wego until the day I totalled it when it was over 18,000 km's on the odo.

Having attended the 2016 ISG2G on my Wego at Ooty doing a round trip of a little over 750 km's riding among the motorcycles I was seriously ill equipped as far as useable torque went when climbing uphill and this is with the Wego's advanced CDI which switches map depending on load as well as throttle position. The braking was anything but adequate, even when trailing motorcycles with drums on both ends. The handling on corners is suprisingly better than on a motorcycle due to the lower center of gravity but that is where the good things end. The wreck that cracked my chassis was caused due to me having to swerve aggressively to avoid an idiot who took off the shoulder without turning his blinkers 'on', though I was at speeds of over 90kmph I managed to swerve off onto the service road with both my wheels locked but then there was a massive speed breaker that I went through with the front tyre a bit offset, the result of which was me being thrown off the motorcycle(proper highside) one way and the motorcycle flying off into a paddy field of sorts. Though this might seem to be something that happened by chance I know for a fact that I would've not wrecked on a motorcycle simple because even with the front tyre a bit off set a motorcycle due to its larger tyres are able to absorb the blow and maintain a straight line even inspite of being momentarily airborne whereas a scooters front wheen tends to lock and go under when climbing sharp undulations at an angle. Lesson learnt the hard way in spite of my father advising against opting for a scooter for the exact same reason as he had a similar accident at speed around the same age as I am now.

Plus engine braking at least for me is over 90% of the braking unless panic braking or coming to an absolute halt and since a scooter lacks the same I believe it to be a little less safer than an actual motorcycle. The lack of ABS could be overcome to an extent by using sticky tires and by that I dont mean the ones that would cost you under the 5k total, rather the ones that would cost you over 10k, such as the Pirelli's or import quality Michellin's, plus dual channel ABS that cannot be switched off is not such a good idea in the long run, those who've tried descending offroad trails would know why, though single channel is manageable.

Irrespective of the what the manufacturers say any so called feature that improves braking other than ABS(to a fair extent) is just not as good as it is claimed to be and is mainly meant to improve braking of the less informed motorcycle rider.

There are a lot of false notions about motorcycling and motorcycles in the country and sales figures dont exactly always tell the truth due to Indians being predomimantly driven by notion rather than facts, so do watch out.

If you're even considering a Honda, then stay away from anything that has anything to do witht eh CB Unicorn, even its 160cc iterations. The Honda Shine is a better buy any day consdering on-road(not paper) performance and reliability. The Honda CBR 250R is a good motorcycle and it comes with ABS, though as I always say "If you cant afford to drop it, you just cant afford to ride it" so do go through ownership costs before giving some serious thought in that direction.

As for height being a matter of concern, it is not. Dani Pedrosa weighs only 50 kg's and is only a little over 5ft tall, if he can hold his own in MotoGP then you definitely can commute better on the streets. As long as one foot reaches the floor as is well, I've ridden with an acquaintance who is an amputee on a 500 km's round trip ride and he held his own on the corners of Wayanad and that too on a Royal Enfield, all the while when I have a friend who is 6ft and physically well endowed who drops his Yamaha Fazer every now and then, so as far motorcycling goes it is more mind over matter or at least that what I've learned so far.

Cheers, Ride Safe,
A.P.

[condor]

Like Shifu shared, I am thinking on similar lines. But my usage is far less. I incidentally got a Dio couple of years back, but it's going back in some time. And when fellow member @Harikrishna.te put up his KB100 for sale, I wanted one - I wanted that one ! ( I had two KB's in the 90's). But that one doesnt seem to be working out.

So now, looking at a bike. My usage on the scooter has averaged 4 km a day. So am looking for something that will be nice to ride even on the short runs I do. Dont mind an old one too, but not many KB's around in the market. Cousin says the old CBZ was good. Wasnt an RX fan in those days, but may be ..

[hserus]

If you're ok with 125cc scooters as others have suggested, the Ntorq 125 will surely fit your bill.

Of course, front disc and rear drum brakes instead of any sort of ABS, but they are adequate.