[sukarsan]

Finally bajaj is all set to launch the abs version of Avenger.. Rush lane has posted the pictures from a vehicle with a dealer https://www.rushlane.com/bajaj-pulsa...-12292185.html. So the launch can be expected early this year.

The article says that "the primary function of the rear wheel-mounted encoder is to prevent the rear wheel from lifting". I dont think thats the case. If the front skids, you need to have a reference speed to actuate the ABS and deactivate it when it stops skidding. Normally, both wheels have disc brakes and the sensors get the job done. But, to keep the cost down , I suppose bajaj has struck to a drum brake and added a encoder on the rear. Is this feature seen in any other vehicle? Is disk+drum with ABS existing in the indian/global 2 wheeler market???


The only pending question is about the cost increase for the new feature..

[pandey.jai]

I'm in the same confused state of mind where I'm not sure whether I need a bike and if so, then which bike do I buy? A little bit of a background here:

The only bikes that I have ever driven are by dad's Splendor (back in early 2000's) and followed that up with a Pulsar that I bought around 2008, rode about 30k kms on it and then moved to a Unicorn 150 around 2012, and had to sell that after I moved abroad.

After I've been back here, I've been using a Access for my daily commute which I share with my wife. Now I feel like I want to ride a bike - my daily commute to/from work isn't a lot - only about 15kms in total and I usually drive my Swift. There is now a small urge for a bike developing somewhere.


If I were to go ahead and convince the wife of the bike, the next question becomes what is it that I would like to buy. At the outset, I'm not looking at these "sporty" looking bikes. I'm more inclined towards a bike that fits a "middle aged, middle class uncle". (I'm 34, 5'10 with a bit of noticeable belly fat)

Sometimes I feel I should take the RE route - Classic 350 perhaps. I saw some videos of the Jawa as well but recently heard that the waiting period is around 8months. By then, I might even lose interest in the bike.

So kind members of this forum, can you please suggest if there is any decent looking bike with no teenage color/graphics etc in the 150+ CC segment that I can opt for?
Are there any RE/Bullet "lite" bikes out there? My main priorities would be - comfortable ride for both the rider and the pillion, fuel efficient and decent looks with a budget under Rs 2 lakhs on-road/all inclusive.

[Balaji31582]

Originally Posted by pandey.jai

I'm in the same confused state of mind where I'm not sure whether I need a bike and if so, then which bike do I buy? A little bit of a background here:

The only bikes that I have ever driven are by dad's Splendor (back in early 2000's) and followed that up with a Pulsar that I bought around 2008, rode about 30k kms on it and then moved to a Unicorn 150 around 2012, and had to sell that after I moved abroad.

After I've been back here, I've been using a Access for my daily commute which I share with my wife. Now I feel like I want to ride a bike - my daily commute to/from work isn't a lot - only about 15kms in total and I usually drive my Swift. There is now a small urge for a bike developing somewhere.


If I were to go ahead and convince the wife of the bike, the next question becomes what is it that I would like to buy. At the outset, I'm not looking at these "sporty" looking bikes. I'm more inclined towards a bike that fits a "middle aged, middle class uncle". (I'm 34, 5'10 with a bit of noticeable belly fat)

Sometimes I feel I should take the RE route - Classic 350 perhaps. I saw some videos of the Jawa as well but recently heard that the waiting period is around 8months. By then, I might even lose interest in the bike.

So kind members of this forum, can you please suggest if there is any decent looking bike with no teenage color/graphics etc in the 150+ CC segment that I can opt for?
Are there any RE/Bullet "lite" bikes out there? My main priorities would be - comfortable ride for both the rider and the pillion, fuel efficient and decent looks with a budget under Rs 2 lakhs on-road/all inclusive.

i see you don't have a heavy usage. Based on your priorities you can try the pulsar 180. It has decent looks, comfortable for pillion and rider. Its also fuel efficient compared to other bikes in that price category. The 2019 model as seen in news would be with single channel ABS.
All the 2019 models are supposed to have single channel ABS atleast beyond 125cc. Hence I suggest you to ask for 2019 model when you want to go for the buy. Happy and safe riding!

[//M]

Originally Posted by pandey.jai

I'm in the same confused state of mind where I'm not sure whether I need a bike and if so, then which bike do I buy?

I suggest you wait for the FZ25 ABS, it should be launched around February. It is a versatile motorcycle - both powerful and comfortable - in a quality package. Fuel efficiency may not be very high, but as per reviews it is adequate for a 250cc motorcycle.

You may read bhpian Samba's ownership report here - Yamaha FZ25 : An Owner's Point of View

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by //M

I suggest you wait for the FZ25 ABS, it should be launched around February. It is a versatile motorcycle - both powerful and comfortable - in a quality package. Fuel efficiency may not be very high, but as per reviews it is adequate for a 250cc motorcycle.

You may read bhpian Samba's ownership report here - Yamaha FZ25 : An Owner's Point of View

FZ25 is a great option. Another option is Dominar 400 - well proven package with power, comfort, features & modern tech. Please stay away from RE 350/500 series.

[pandey.jai]

Thanks //m and Balaji - I will check your suggestions out.

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Please stay away from RE 350/500 series.

This is probably a dumb question but why do you suggest staying away from the RE series? Anecdotal evidence but there are a lot of these RE bikes around in my city/area. So I had a thought that those might be good too.

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by pandey.jai

This is probably a dumb question but why do you suggest staying away from the RE series? Anecdotal evidence but there are a lot of these RE bikes around in my city/area. So I had a thought that those might be good too.

They are good/not so good based on what you want. If you want a dependable, fast, sporty bike, any of the pulsars/fzs are good. If you want a less dependable but more lovable bike, that is comfortable, but not zippy, mature but not sporty, then RE it is.
Do have a test drive and decide.

PS: I own an RE.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by pandey.jai

Anecdotal evidence but there are a lot of these RE bikes around in my city/area. So I had a thought that those might be good too.

The number of motorcycles on the road indicates consumers buying preference, the number on the odo indicates usability.

You'll see many commuters and Pulsars in the 100k club but extremely few UCE's in comparison, which at least for me is good reason enough to think twice before committing.

Speaking of which, I guess we need a thread in the MC section to celebrate those who've completed the 100k benchmark, would be a fair indicator of which models would fare better in the long run.

[highlander]

Originally Posted by pandey.jai

I'm in the same confused state of mind where I'm not sure whether I need a bike and if so, then which bike do I buy?

.......

Sometimes I feel I should take the RE route - Classic 350 perhaps. I saw some videos of the Jawa as well but recently heard that the waiting period is around 8months. By then, I might even lose interest in the bike.

FZ25 with ABS is the best bet. It is very light vehicle with descent power and very refined. Perfect city bike and a very forgiving 250cc one.

RE 350 is not meant for someone contemplating weather to go for a bike or not. This will be appreciated better by someone moving up from 150cc segment.

Jawa would also be a good pick; 8-10 months wait may not cause you to lose interest, rather it may result in lost productivity till you get your hands on it.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by highlander

RE 350 is not meant for someone contemplating weather to go for a bike or not. This will be appreciated better by someone moving up from 150cc segment.

Wouldn't it be the other way round? You stand out amongst the commuters, it is relatively comfortable in the bad roads, and most importantly, commands good resale value if one feels he/she made a poor choice.

I am in my mid 30's and nearly 10 years being without a two wheeler, recenty picked up a Thunderbird 350X on impulse after randomly stopping by at an RE store to check out the Himalayan. Is it practical? Absolutely not. But if I wanted practicality, I should have bought an Activa.

[//M]

Originally Posted by pandey.jai

My main priorities would be - comfortable ride for both the rider and the pillion, fuel efficient and decent looks with a budget under Rs 2 lakhs on-road/all inclusive.

Originally Posted by //M

I suggest you wait for the FZ25 ABS, it should be launched around February. It is a versatile motorcycle - both powerful and comfortable - in a quality package. Fuel efficiency may not be very high, but as per reviews it is adequate for a 250cc motorcycle.

FZ25 ABS launched at 1.33 Lakhs ex-showroom Delhi.

Makes for a strong case considering all your requirements.

[pandey.jai]

Originally Posted by //M

FZ25 ABS launched at 1.33 Lakhs ex-showroom Delhi.

Makes for a strong case considering all your requirements.

Thanks for actually coming back to this thread to quote the post and letting me know!

(Mods, I could have used the thanks button but I wanted to personally appreciate the effort taken by //M. Hope I'm not breaking any rule about post quality)

[shifu]

Finally, I bought a bike. Thanks to all those who helped along the way. This thread started way back in 2018, and the itch to buy a bike started much before that. So it has been a long time coming.

And it was finally Covid that made wife give the approval - she also dramatically said - "Ja Simran ja, jeele apni zindagi".

It was an impulsive buy. If not for Senior BHPian ecosport rules, I would have not given the BMW another TD. I was fairly disappointed with the BS4 version (both pricing and the bike), but he persisted and asked me to take another look. And when I rode the BS6 version, I was sold. It was way over my budget, but once wife approved there was no looking back. Also thanks to BHPian SuhasManjunath and Varun_HexaGuy, the dealer experience was super with only couple of days as wait time. The dealer still charged for the Handling Charges (Rs.10k) and I couldn't wriggle that out .



PC: ecosport rules


There have been many other more sensible options in this thread. But as I mentioned, this was an impulsive buy and once I made up my mind I didn't post anything much here. However, wanted to provide an update for closure.