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Small bike (<400cc) | 80 | 22.41% | |
Medium (e.g. 400 - 800cc) | 235 | 65.83% | |
Big (litre class) | 42 | 11.76% | |
Voters: 357. You may not vote on this poll |
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29th November 2018, 03:21 | #76 | |
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| Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes What have you done GTO? I'm sure you're sitting on a couch right now with a bucket of popcorn in your hands and watching us slay each other. Yo! AP, are we brothers? About the Oil Cooler The biggest culprit for overheating oil is the clutch. If it's/you're slipping, then the oil cooler will be a boon. Because a wet multiplate clutch sits in oil and dissipates heat through the fluid. Liquid cooling jacket will certainly help in keeping the engine cool. About Touring on Small Bikes In my opinion, it's more about light and simple bikes. If it's not simple, then it better be reliable. - Is Liquid Cooling better? Yes - Is FI more precise than Carb? Usually, yes. - Would I like to ride more powerful bikes? Hell yes! - Is more power helpful on the highways? Without a doubt. - Is a heavier bike more stable on the highways? Yes. - Is touring more relaxed on a more powerful bike? Maybe. - Will traction control save your ass? Yup! - Can you maintain higher average speeds on a big bike compared to a small bike? Yes, if the terrain allows. But, if there's a good mix of surfaces, or worse, poor roads/traffic/hills all along, then, NO. In fact, the smaller bike may be faster and probably more fun. - Can traction control fail? Yes. - Can FI fail? Yes. - Can liquid cooling get you stranded due to a ruptured line from debris and small sharp stones that the trucks will routinely throw at you? Yes! - Can the big bike overheat if you happen to ride through a city during peak hours? Totally. And it may ask you to take a break. Even if you're game for another day in the saddle. - If the bike gets sick, can you push it to a place where you can get some help? Depends on what you're riding. Where you're riding. And how strong you are, mentally and physically. Also depends on the distance you may have to cover on foot pushing the bike. But a lighter bike will certainly be easier to haul. A simpler bike will be easier to fix by a local mechanic. Both of these options make a strong case in favor of simpler, lighter bikes. The thing is, you can cover a million miles without a problem on a tiger or a GS. Call me paranoid, but when something fails, you're gonna wish your bike weighed less. If you're really looking to explore the unknown on your own, then you should be preparing for the worst. Same goes for the gear you choose. If you think it might rain, carry waterproof layers. If Thar is on your menu for desert, then find a way to store extra water without disturbing the center of gravity. Similarly, if I'm on a D390, and I'm expecting a considerable amount of slush/sand/gravel, then I'll install off-road tires, even if it means sticking to a lower top and cruise speed for 90% of my journey and sacrificing some cornering fun. Even if big bikes are a ton of fun, I'm sure that fun is going to last only as long as the rubber side is down. Let's consider the Africa, which is a big bike by any standard. It comes with tube tyres and flaunts its off-road skills with wire spoke rims. #Respect Imagine having a flat in that 250kg hulk. Now, this is a very real possibility. I can barely bench 20kg. How should I prepare myself for a solo adventure on the Africa? I know how hard it can be coz I've dragged my Navi 200m with a flat rear using part throttle. And it wasn't something I'd like to do again. If I had the tools and the skills, I could have replaced the tube then and there and that would've taken me less time and effort. Dragging the navi was so tiring that I bought tire levers should I experience a flat again. Sure, I'm skinny and can't even lift the Africa if it falls on its side, but I don't mind getting my hands dirty once in a while. Would it be more fun to ride a big bike? Not necessarily true. I've ridden the Himalayan on some trails. I dropped it about 5 times. After a few falls, I was more focused on making sure I don't drop the bike rather than focusing on the line, obstacles, clutch, throttle, and braking. I certainly wasn't having fun after a few falls. I didn't complete the trail. More appropriately, I couldn't complete the trail. But I'm confident that I can do the same patch with my Navi without worrying about dropping it because I can drop it and pick it up 50 times in a day. (The first 20 times, I can even get it upright with just one hand.) A lighter weight means the impact on the pegs, bars, etc. won't be as much when the bike kisses the ground. By the end of the day, the Himalayan had bent its handlebar, gear lever (twice), and brake lever. I have little to no experience riding big bikes. I have briefly ridden the Street Twin and the Africa Twin. When the Africa launched, I thought we finally had a big bike that could do it all. Commuting = DCT for ease of riding + 270 crank so usable bottom end torque for city riding + long travel suspension for a comfortable ride on rough roads Touring = ~3-digit horsepower + high-speed stability + comfort over bad roads Off-road = Wire spoke wheels + superb ground clearance Flash = Big bike feel + price tag Reliable = Jap + relatively cheaper maintenance I rode it in late Sep in Gurgaon at about 9AM. I could feel the heat through my (relatively thicker) riding jeans...wait for it...AT 120kph. I felt the weight as soon as I sat on the bike and knew that it certainly wasn't meant to weave through the traffic. Price no bar - I'd pick the Himalayan over the Africa any day, even with all of its problems. It's lighter and there are more RE service centers around with cheaper parts compared to the Africa. It can also do 100-110 easily, which is what I intend to do on the highways during cross-country runs; even if the roads allow me to go faster. It doesn't heat up either. In fact, if I had to pick one bike to do it all, I'd choose the CRF 250 Rally. It shares the engine with the CBR250 and is not that fast. But it can do it all and do it all day long. Speaking of fun, here's what I mentioned on the Longest Traffic Jam thread: Quote:
With the right pressure in my Navi's Ceat Gripp tires, I can do any trail that you can do on a stock Tiger/Africa/GS/wotnot. Even if I have to drag the Navi to the top, I'll do it but I know I can get it to the top. Let ME choose the path and I'll get you stuck in no time. Sure, that will mean I'll have to get stuck too for a few minutes but I can just pull it out. Good luck to you getting your big bike out of a tricky situation...by yourself. That's the beauty of having a light bike. You can actually venture into the unknown without having to wait for your big-bike buddies to align their schedule. We all know how many times that muhurat comes. If going from point A to B and using the smoothest roads you can find is an adventure in your books, then more power to you. Exploring the roads and no roads without worrying about a thing in the world is what I call an ADVenture. And for that, I'll always prefer something that's light and mechanically simple even if it adds a few hours or days to my trip. I'll happily trade the convenience of swiftly covering smooth tarmac to have the ability to get out of the really nasty stuff. Maintaining High Speeds Yes. A big bike will be faster and more stable. But, eventually, it all boils down to 80-120 (depending on your experience) even on the smoothest of highways - IF - you intend to complete your cross-country run. As AP mentioned, mental fatigue will get to you first. If you're riding fast, then you'll have to maintain a safe distance of say 2-3 seconds for the reaction time between you and the potential threat. Drop it to 1-2 seconds and you'll have to stay much more alert. Do that and kiss your chance to even experience physical fatigue. A relaxed pace gives you a better chance to react if, say, a cow or a dog jumps in your way. Or a pothole decides to surprise you. At night, your headlights can only help you see so far. This Thanksgiving, during my ride from Tapukara, Rajasthan to Mandi, Himachal, I just locked the cruise control on my Navi at ~70km/h and modulated the speed by ~2km/h to compensate for the change in inclination. Hence, I covered the flats at an average speed of 50. Not bad for a toy. Not bad at all considering that for bikes, the speed limit on NH1 is 80. Range You should totally take stops but while your ass is feeling fresh, I'd suggest you cover as much ground as possible before the soreness kicks in. (Those who think we should not put our bodies through pain don't know anything about bodybuilding. Correct me if I'm wrong here: some people derive happiness out of lifting weights. I enjoy spending time behind the handlebars.) Your bike's range can seriously limit the number of km you can cover before a fuel stop. If you stop too often, then you'll break the rhythm and you'll want to stop more often. (Plus, you also actually need to stop more often because of limited range. Fueling up is going to cost you time.) A small bike can cover a significant distance before giving up. My Navi is an exception as it only goes 160km on a tank. So, I have to carry a jerry can. But, on my Impulse, I was able to cover 650km (including 1 fuel stop) in 9 hours before giving my ass a break. That's with a cruise speed of under 90. I know for a fact that I couldn't have done it on a big bike. Because there was a traffic jam to get through, which I covered by riding on the wide, grassy divider. Even if a big bike has the ability to climb on a divider, its weight would've made me nervous. One of my friends once said to me, "the confidence a vehicle gives you is worth its weight in gold." So, even if I'm the bottleneck, the big bike loses points. Because I can clearly do the same stuff on my 150cc. But I digress. The point is, you'll stop more on a big bike, and hence you'll stop even more on a big bike. So, on a multi-day tour, the average speed won't be much faster than, say, a 150-200cc bike even if your top speed readouts are twice as high. My Impulse, can go 400km before switching to reserve. My SF FI does about 425 before throwing the low fuel warning. That's why the garage of my *dreams* houses a CRF250, a Navi, a Svartpilen 401, a classic bike (maybe 42,) and a Ninja 300. I just don't think it makes sense for me to buy something that I can't use every day. And a big bike will be more pain and less gain during commutes. Low-Speed Risk on Highway Well, you just have to get used to keeping an eye on the mirrors and you learn to give way to faster vehicles. Even on my Navi at 70km/h, I'm never the slowest on NH8. That award goes to the overloaded trucks. So, anyone overtaking will have to figure out how to overtake you just as they're figuring out how to overtake the big rigs. Even at 70, I have a buffer of 10-12km/h to safely overtake slower vehicles. After checking my mirrors, of course. So, Can you tour on a small bike? Yes. Would you be more physically relaxed on a big bike? Yes to that too if you chose a purpose-built machine. Can you complete the cross-country tour in half the time on a big bike after spending 10-20 times more money on the purchase and twice as much on fuel, and several times more on maintenance? NOPE. Certainly not without risking your life and the life of others. Can you justify spending so much on a big bike to go on crazy adventures and long tours? That's for you to answer. But I sure as hell can't justify the overall per km cost (depreciation + maintenance + fuel.) During my road trip on the Navi, with saddlebags, jerry can and all, I caught an impossible number of eyeballs during my recent road trip. Sure, a monkey on a trampoline will also catch just as many eyeballs if not more. But ask that monkey if he's having fun. And ask him if he cares about what the world thinks of him. This is the only pic I took after spending ~8 hours straight in the saddle. | |
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29th November 2018, 08:10 | #77 | |
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| Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes Quote:
Honda Navi being bare bones scooter, I am wondering if it's possible to tour on TVS XL 100, it has bigger tires and can carry more luggage. Has anyone tried? They should have made Navi with a collapsible seat and handle bar, so that it can be almost flat-packed and carried in another vehicle while touring. | |
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29th November 2018, 09:43 | #78 |
Team-BHP Support | Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes Mod Note: Based on your Reported Posts, a new poll has been added! |
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29th November 2018, 09:54 | #79 |
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| Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes I have a 29 BHP Royal Enfield and a 106 BHP Triumph and Ive toured on both. With a bigger bike, I reach faster and much less fatigued. But I enjoy touring on both. Your mileage may vary. Ultimately the best bike for touring is the one that is parked in your garage. |
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29th November 2018, 09:57 | #80 | |
Team-BHP Support | Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes Quote:
FI's are on Indian bikes since decades, you are free to show multiple issues with FI's on any Jap bike. __________________________________________________ ___________________________________ Poll Coming to the poll, if I have to tour in India, I will prefer something based on where I am touring. GQ - That would be best done in a Multistrada or an Explorer or the GS Touring + exploring - Versys 650/Tiger 800 My vote goes to the mid segment as they offer almost the best of both worlds, are relatively cheap to buy/maintain and easier to pick in case of a fall. They offer decent cruising speed and can take the occasional trail riding well. Of course in a perfect world and with a perfect body, I would love to tour on the HP4 . Last edited by Sheel : 29th November 2018 at 10:03. | |
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29th November 2018, 10:24 | #81 | |
Team-BHP Support | Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes Could the engine fail? Yes. Could the world run out of fuel? Yes. Could it be easier to fit a flat tyre on a cycle instead of a 100cc? Yes. Can it do better offroad than a motorcycle? Yes. Does it justify spending more money on fuel + depreciation + maintenance on a motorcycle than a cycle? May be not. Can it be faster and heat up less in a traffic jam? Yes. Less things to fail? Yes. No liquid cooling, no traction control, no FI, no engine itself! Less chance of breaking something if it falls? Yes. More chances of fixing it easily too. Can we put our bodies in pain like people who know weight training does? Yes, even much more than a small motorcycle. Have people travelled the country / world etc on a cycle? Yes. All those points in favour of a 100cc motorcycle above can be slammed around on its head if a cyclist decides to join in on the fun. These arguments are not fresh in the Indian motorcycling scene either. Many similar arguments have been beaten to death when proud Bullet owners refused to accept modern vehicles in the Indian scene. Its just a notch above now - in this thread, thats all. Men used to ride Bullets, now it's the turn of real men? Legends ride cycles though (and absolute respect to them!) In short, people might have discussed every single argument on this thread over and over again, starting from when the first man put a motor on his cycle - and then the second did - and then they started racing to have fun and make the motorcycles better. But they did put a motor, then an even bigger fun, then even bigger - just because fun was to be had. From 1hp motorcycles of yore to even upto 310hp motorcycles of today - every single machine was developed to push the boundaries of fun. Infact, a couple of days back I had this discussion with GTO about how it was not possible to create a '2018 Enthusiasts Motorcycle' thread like we did for cars - just because every single motorcycle above the commuter segment is engineered for the enthusiast - one way or the other - be it onroad, offroad, dual purpose, touring, track and what not! Sure if you view the whole journey as a commute, if the destination is everything - get a commuter that will get you there in as less fuss as possible. Modern day commuters are much more powerful than the Jawas and Yezdi's the previous generations used to tour on - and is backed up by decade old reliable technology - so yes - It will certainly get the job done. You ride interstate and back with as much ease and fun as some others ride to office, and thats totally fine as long as you are enjoying it. But then - if the ride is as important as the destination - you know why its not a popular choice anymore. Sure the big bikes are 'big' (obviously) as all arguments say, but may be, just may be consider the aspect that taming a big beast could also be one of the aspects that make it fun. Quote:
One of the reasons why I had initially thought of staying away from this sensitive thread. Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 29th November 2018 at 10:51. | |
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29th November 2018, 10:34 | #82 |
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| Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes Voted for Medium although I consider Versys 650 and Tiger to be big bike. Had an option I would select both Medium and Litre class. I am not a big guy so, yeah that is relative. I am with Sheel on this EFIs are just as reliable. My mechanic friend do not suggest buying any RE with EFI while he himself is happily riding an EFI Yamaha R15. |
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29th November 2018, 11:00 | #83 |
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| Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes I would stick to bikes less 400cc at this point. Most of my life, I have a driven a discover 125cc and then switched to a car. Other bikes were generally the pulsar 150s, 180s, 200s and FZs. I have driven KTM only once and the sudden rush of power frightened me. Since I never got a chance to ride any higher capacity motorcycles, I will start with something humble like a FZ25/Dominar and now I got a soft corner for the Jawa. I hate the REs and I can't stand that vibrations. P.S. I have been pestering my home minister for motorcycle riding class here in US for more than a year. But permission is not granted till this time. Only reasoning given is safety and she has lot of supports from parents/sister/in-laws and all. Buy/Rent whatever car you want. But no motorcycle strictly. Things will cool down the moment I land in India. Will definitely take the riding lesson here before I come for good to home. |
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29th November 2018, 11:15 | #84 |
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| Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes Voted medium. My personal criteria for a touring bike.
Three bikes fit this criteria for me in India. The Tiger 800, the Versys 650 and the V-Strom 650. I find the bigger bikes too big for my build and my riding skills. I personally find the lower capacity bikes unexciting to ride. Having said that you can tour on anything. A few guys went on a 18,000 kms tour in 1982 on 50cc mopeds. https://bit.ly/2BCLGr9 A guy and his mom are on a 7month pilgrimage on a scooter https://bit.ly/2N2thed And a guy who toured the world on a Honda C90 https://bit.ly/2E1G2kR But we should not confuse two very different things. Can you tour on mopeds, scooters and commuters like the venerable CT100B ? : Yes Are these the best machines to tour on ? : No Last edited by ranjitnair77 : 29th November 2018 at 11:17. |
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29th November 2018, 11:16 | #85 |
Team-BHP Support | Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes I voted for "Medium". Have ridden beloved Moderator Rtech's ZZR400 several times and enjoyed it more than the liter-class bikes, simply because there is no road for liter-class bikes in India. With the ZZR400, I could actually redline it & enjoy it. Not the case with Manson's 954RR which is s-c-a-r-y fast and a widow-maker in the wrong hands. Similar to how I'd have more fun with a Cayman than an Aventador on Indian highways. I also thoroughly enjoyed riding the Ninja 650 on the Mumbai-Lonavla highway. Took to it like a fish does to water. |
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29th November 2018, 11:58 | #86 |
BHPian | Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes Having owned bikes from all the three categories here, i would like to chip in my opinion! Bikes owned till date: 1. First generation CBZ - 150 cc - did 45k kilometers before i sold it. 2. Ninja 650 - 650 cc - did 3k kilometers before I sold it. 3. Ninja ZX 14R - 1441 cc - my current bike, have done 20k km in 2.5 years now. With my experience i would like to say that if you have budget constraints to buy and maintain a big bike, medium bikes like versys 650, v-strome 650 are the best bet as they provide everything you NEED for the touring. But, the thing with the biking is that you are never in a NEED to ride bike to far away destinations as you can always use a car or other modes of transportation which are far more comfortable and safer. The riding is all about your DESIRES and this is where the big bikes step in! Nowadays big bikes come with all the adjustments needed to adapt to various terrains and riding conditions with variable settings for Power, Traction, Suspension, etc. which can turn them into medium capacity bikes on the fly, whenever needed. But, big bikes typically come with higher specifications for Brakes, Suspension, etc. which make them a lot more safer and comfortable for long rides and the additional dose of power makes them a lot more thrilling whenever the opportunities present themselves. Isnt this what the biking is all about? I will illustrate my point with the experience of a ride that we did in February this year with all the big bikes (my 14 R, 2 multistrada 1200s, 1 tiger 1200, 1 goldwing, 1 ninja 1000, 1 bmw gtl). We started from Pune at 6 am and we were at Rann of Kutch at 9 pm including all the required food, fuel and comfort breaks. Total 1100 km in a days riding through all kinds of roads including fast highways, congested cities, small B roads, etc.! Now can you imagine doing that on a small bike? Medium capacity bike would have certainly kept up with us but i am sure it wont provide as much thrills whenever the opportunities open up. We did 2500 km trip Pune- Rann- Gir- Pune in 5 days and on the last day when we reached pune from baroda in the afternoon, i was back in the gym in the evening like any other normal day! Such is the staggering performance and comfort provided by the big bikes! And i would like to add up here that the Jap big bikes are extremely reliable; i never had any unscheduled visit to the workshop in my 20k km ownership of my bike till now which is supposed to be a hyper sports tourer! Last edited by 46TheDoctor : 29th November 2018 at 12:01. |
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29th November 2018, 12:10 | #87 | |
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| Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes Quote:
I have a versys 650 and g310GS to go to and depending on the type/terrain/duration,nature of the ride, i pick the bike. For daily commuting, short breakfast rides through B & C class roads, or even single day outings, baby GS works best, while for longer multi-day rides the V650 is the goto bike. However, Would like to share a comparative experience here. A few months back, we did a short half day ride on Versys 650 starting from Bangalore > denkanikottai > Panchpalli reservoir > bettamugilalam >denkanikottai>bangalore. The ride was fun but enroute, we encountered some offroad trails on hilly region with loose stones and gravel and maneuvering the versys for that stretch was "heart in mouth" situation where we could drop the bike anytime. Dual sport tyres would have helped, but the weight of the bike is too much for an average built person. A few weeks later, we did the exact same route on the baby GS and that offroad section felt like a walk in the park. Not just that, the entire ride felt much more pleasant, in control and if i was to really choose the ride i enjoyed most, it would be with the baby GS. So, size does matter in touring (for or against is your pick and may not get a conclusion).Most manufacturers across the world have realised this are in the processes of targetting this new segment which is 300 to 500cc light weight touring bike. We already have Versys 300X, G310 Gs, Crf 250, Benalli Trk 251 proposed ktm 390 adv, and more will follow. Mods: for the poll, 400 to 800 is vast. Could it be broken in to 300 to 500 and 500 to 800cc? | |
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29th November 2018, 12:24 | #88 |
Distinguished - BHPian | Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes I am not much into touring on motorcycles, but I have ridden Chennai-Trichy round trips (700 km) in a day, more than a dozen times on my Karizma R and ZMR. I came out of the rides pretty fresh, or to be honest not exhausted at all. I can say the same about the CBR 250R too. While Karizmas were comfortable at 95-105 kmph all day, CBR could do 120 all day. Both the 390 twins I owned can do 120 kmph all day, with more rush for overtakes if needed. Now the category that I am talking about is <400cc. But my vote is for the big bikes (Liter class especially) But if you ask me if I craved for more performance on highways in all the above said bikes, I would definitely say yes! My experience with big bikes is very limited\ 1. FZ1 for a couple of hours 2. Benelli 600i (if you can call it a big bike) for half an hour 3. 2006 R1 briefly My pick for touring would definitely be the Yamaha FZ1 (of course with a visor). 150 BHP of excitement that 120 kmph is babying it around in 3rd gear. Excellent refinement and good ergonomics for longer saddle times. I totally disagree that small bikes(<250cc) can be comfortable over long journeys. It might be suitable if you like torturing yourselves with unnecessarily longer saddle times or your definition of long ride is a bit different from the actual. After experiencing big bikes, will I be able to do 700 km a day rides on a Karizma again? Hell no! That would be a punishment to hear the engine stressfully screaming at a measly 115 kmph. Leave the physical aspect of the ride, I am more into the mental aspect. How would you feel driving a nano on the highway for hours together? That constant reminder that you are driving something that cannot comfortably do the legal speeds that you want to do. That feeling is intolerable, atleast to me. I somehow dont like the ADV bikes. Although they are very comfortable for touring and can tackle off roads, they look hideous IMO. No offense to owners. Just an opinion from a guy who isnt into touring on bikes. For someone who is budget conscious but also wants to do touring on bikes, I cant think of a better bike than the Honda CBR 250R. If you have the moolah, big bikes anyday, or else, the baby CBR would just do fine. Last edited by PrasannaDhana : 29th November 2018 at 12:31. |
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29th November 2018, 12:24 | #89 | |
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| Hilarious Post - But Quite Logical Too! Quote:
Very detailed and insightful post Mahesh. And reading through it, one can make out that it is voice of reason/experience & comes straight from the heart. You have a way with words and your post, without taking sides, quite succinctly sums up the spirit of this whole debate. You hit the nail on the head, and were absolutely hilarious while going about it ! Kudos Cheers ! Last edited by Ironhide : 29th November 2018 at 12:26. | |
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29th November 2018, 13:01 | #90 |
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| Re: Big vs Small Touring Bikes Based on Indian roads, my choice would be small (<400 cc). Although if given, I'd go for a twin cylinder config anyday over a single one. Having ridden CBR250R for 7 years, I can say that this is the perfect tourer for India. Here are the reasons behind this :-
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