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-   -   Lack of parking space inspired a midlife crisis. What motorcycle should I buy? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/200099-lack-parking-space-inspired-midlife-crisis-what-motorcycle-should-i-buy-5.html)

There is a lot of preconceived stereotypes and opinions in the motorcycling community and society in general and it's good to see it's changing over time and contribution from people like you.

I remember a time even 10 years back when college or office going men would be mocked for riding a scooter even in cities but I now see lot of college boys and professionals riding Dios and Activas and no one cares. People have stopped putting other's opinions on pedestal and that has influenced a sea change.

This statement is worth framing! I couldn't agree more. Many whom I spoke to when I bought a Nano were having a different opinion. I didn't give a damn, and went ahead and bought the vehicle that fit my needs and budget.

Just to set the context right, I don't care if somebody doesn't give me respect for the vehicle I ride. But when they take a chance of cutting into my lane because of the vehicle I ride, that is what can make it a perilous situation which I would like to avoid.

Unless it's a black Scorpio with black-tinted windows, a water tanker, a local bus, or a tempo traveller, there's no avoiding that on our roads!

So which bike won't make a difference in that particular situation. The RE fanboys will tell you 'everyone makes way for a Bullet'. That's just the advertising, doesn't work in reality, especially since everyone and anyone has a Bullet these days. :)

I drive a 2 ton black V-cross with 17 inch wheels, (covered) off road lights, roll bar. Autos and 2 wheelers still cut ahead.

I run over 2-3 of them daily, but that's just my active imagination :uncontrol

I would also recommend waiting until September for the rumoured launch of the Hero Xpulse.

After three years of break from mad two strokes I wanted to have one small run around bike and was considering Honda Navi, Friday post office hours meet with friends next to Triumph showroom transformed the Navi to Tiger and I am happy with it.
One life enjoy it, my suggestion would be Aprilia 150 cc scooter or one of small BMW g310R or g310GS bike, anything above if you can would be more "spoiled" game. Rest of the bikes below 600 cc are more of commuters with zero fun and lack of character. Nothing against them but I hate big plastic body with tiny 150 cc engine.

God! I'm certain that is motorcycle racism! lol:

Jokes apart, character is something which has more to do with the intrinsic attributes than the superficial bling, and only motorcycles that have withstood the test of time can claim that right as per me.

The Hero Splendor or rather the Honda Cub iterations and the Bajaj CT100B or rather Kawasaki Champion iterations, now these motorcycles have character, come hell or high water they will get you places and as the man behind "c90advertures" said, if something breaks it doesn't stop running, it just slows down a bit and keeps going nevertheless. In India we have a rider who completed a couple of IBA certification on the Hero iterations of the Cub and two riders who've completed the Golden Quadrilateral circuit on the CT100.

The Hero Karizma and Bajaj Pulsar 220, each holds its own in the Indian automotive scene, the Karizma has a record of running 2525km in 24 hours during a test run by Overdrive in 2003 and the P220 takes it to the next level by filling in on every aspect that the Karizma could not fulfill, even to this day motorcyclists are in a dilemma when it comes to the question of upgrading from either of these machines all things considered such as riding conditions and cost/km's. For the record I have seen a Kawasaki Ninja 250R struggle on our Indian roads and though the Ninjette's have a lineage of their own they fall short on a few scales taking the whole Indian scenario into consideration.

The Royal Enfield Bullet 350, now I am strongly against what RE as a company does to its customers and the serious lack of quality is alarming. But the motorcycle as such be it Cast Iron or AVL or UCE, the push-rod motor has all the character in the world when it comes to hauling load across borders provided the owner knows how to ride a push-rod, the motorcycle is also extremely DIY friendly, as I recall a fellow enthusiast who frequents Nepal and Bhutan from Kerala say, though the motorcycle falls short on many fronts, the only thing that counts is the only thing that also matters when it comes to hauling miles and that is the ability to keep moving with minimal down time and that is where the Bullet shines, now personally I disagree with him owning a Bajaj CT100B and having ridden a fair bit along with a Bullet 500 but then again I can't deny that it lacks character.

Now as for the baby GS, I do like what I see and it does promise quite a bit but fact be told like the likes of the KTM's and modern Kawasaki's in India the motorcycle is not really put up for serious stuff and rather it is made to be an enthusiasts toy like the likes of most super bikes and some well designed Yamaha's and Suzuki's in the sub 500cc class. They're fun for the short run whether its running circles around a closes circuit or cafe racing from point A to B to C in groups, but only time and miles would prove how well they fare in the long run.

Just my thoughts. :)

Even I had these bikes but it's a question of how it does these record breaking distances, I am sure a guy capable of doing 2400 kms on Karizma can do even better miles without tiring himself much, the difference is how it does 0-100 and how it eats miles, how they take on the potholes and speed barkers, sorry but I think you misunderstood the difference between different classes of bikes with their pricing, I am not talking about sports, naked, super sports, dirt or retro classic's, I am talking about modern adventure bikes, have seen them tackling extreme conditions not just usual day to day run around.
Character of bike is defined by how you like them, I really found Japanese bikes are boring, even though they might be more reliable and cheap to maintain, but I want something which challenges me and same time wont allow me to get bored of it. I don't see any Jap bikes as beautiful as European or American bikes.

Many adv bikes have seen over 100K kms in time span of two years in our group with just usual service intervals.
Trust me once you ride these bikes you'll never touch anything else.

After a gap of almost 4 months, I took my Yamaha R15 to office since the rains took a break. I reached my office 30 minutes early and back home 20 minutes early ! I used the time I saved constructively: played with my baby for an hour more :) Ahh, the benefits of a bike cannot be explained until you use one. I can totally understand what you are going through.

If your riding time is not more than 30-40 minutes per trip, I would recommend you to get the Yamaha R15 or any bike which uses a deltabox (or similar) frame, like Pulsar 200NS/RS. They are the safest in terms of handling and even without ABS, you can handle them well in uncalled situations. Not to mention the second looks women (and men) will be giving you :D . I have used the following bikes/scooters and arranged them is descending order of handling

Yamaha R15 > Yamaha FZ16 > Hero Honda Passion > Bajaj Pulsar 150 > Activa > Dio > Hero Honda Pleasure

The FZ16 was like Fiat Linea of bikes under 80k when I bought it back in 2012 in Bengaluru. It was the most comfortable and had the most assuring ride quality. That bike still comes in my dreams. The fat tyres do help in bad roads as it does not lose its line. Pulsar 150 feels front heavy and I had slipped off twice in rains on that bike, so migrating from Pulsar to FZ16 was a different experience altogether.
For sport bikes like Yamaha R15, you will have to make sure that you are fit as being overweight will put lot of stress on your palms. The bike has hard suspension as well, something you have to agree before you accept her services.

If your only aim is to simplify commute, you can get any 125cc scooter as they have telescopic suspension in the front and also sport a disc brake (TVS Jupiter is the best option IMO). Be assured though that you will outgrow your riding experience in one year as they are the most boring things to ride, and not that safe as well.

I have read through most of the thread, and have a suggestion I request you to seriously consider:
The Bajaj V15.

It's short, yet looks and sounds macho. I am five feet and seven inches tall. I am able to ride, mount and dismount very easily. You shouldn't have a problem either. My wife is able to get on and off the pillion seat easily too.

The low end torque is good, and hence the bike is smooth and easy to handle at city commute speeds. I commute 10 km to office every day. The bike rolls along nicely at 30 kmph in 5th gear, quickly climbs to 70 if in need to overtake someone, and goes fast when the red light turns green. And all this with an average fuel economy of 50 kmpl! (I switch off the engine at signals, and ease off the throttle and use engine braking for anticipated stops).

I had problems with vibrations at high speeds, but Bajaj fixed it to a certain extent. Hopefully they have incorporated the solutions into subsequent units. But the bike is quite usable for a short run outside the city; just don't think of riding to Leh with it.

My review thread:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ip-review.html

As for ABS- you won't need it in the city, especially if you are a sedate driver. This should not be a constraining criterion.

And please tell us about your test ride experiences.

Just a quick update -

I met with a very minor accident couple of weeks back (related post). It was absolutely nothing, but my wife's fear of 2 wheeler is back. She is insisting that I drop the bike plan for now.

Can't argue against that. Waiting for the right moment to strike :D.

In the meantime, I have test driven Ninja 300 and Dominar. My heart is set at N300, but don't have the dough. Either I find a way save $$ to buy a new one, or buy something else that fits my pocket.

Will try out the RTR200 this coming weekend.

Lets see..."Picture abhi bakki hai"...

Aaargh! Get the motorcycle already!

Jokes apart, the RTR200 Carburetor Variant is a keeper, the base motor from Suzuki, first seen on the Fiero holds its own and has more street cred than most of the CKD/Indigenous performance players in the market.

And since you're a believer of ABS, the package offered would seem the best bet in this particular price range. Not to mention that TVS hits the home run as far as product quality goes, the Honda CBR's and the KTM Duke's come nowhere close to what TVS offers.

The only downside of owning a TVS motorcycle is the "quality" of aftersales support, which for me was a determinant factor in deciding to let go of my beloved Wego after I totaled her, because I knew for a fact that I could not depend on the SVC to rebuild her to stock, and I was told that I would not be able to claim insurance if I take the DIY route, hence the decision to cut my losses and go with a total loss claim. :Frustrati

How did you total a two wheeler and live to tell the tale?

Regards
Sutripta

Safety gear, the wreck reinforced the notion, hence why now you see me riding a 30k motorcycle wearing a 10k helmet.

I'd rather be alive and well or dead and done rather than be stuck in between having breakfast through an incision made in my throat which is what happens when a compromise is made on basic safety equipment. :)

An update -

Finally wife is again OK with me being on 2-wheels. So have sneaked out of office couple of times to TD bikes.

Being a novice rider, I find it very difficult to give an opinion. They all seem quite similar. But the RTR200 is kind of "hitting the right note" (quite literally - the sound is very unique and N-I-C-E).

Kind of zero'ed down on this for now. The Dominar is a close second, but way out of my budget (around 1.8L on-road at Hyd). If I don't take the RTR for any reason, will probably shop around for a minimally used Dominar.

Coming to RTR, I liked it for 2 reasons -
a) very well balanced vibrations - almost NIL.
b) slipper clutch - this one is an overkill for my usage. But it does make the clutch slightly light. So why not.

It fits my needs to the T, except that it is not like a cruiser (read, slightly high for me but embarrassed to admit), and it costs 30% more than my budget at 1.3L. Coming to the price, it is strange that the ex-showroom the dealer quoted to me is about Rs 1,300 more than the price on the website. Plus, he seems to have a calculation mistake of taking 9% for the RTO. Anyway, this is my first quote. So will visit couple of more dealers.

I have also started looking for gear, and it looks like this mid-life crisis is going to get expensive :D.

Is this Rs 1,300 difference in online vs dealer price expected?