[sharad_kmc]

Voted for the RE twins, it’s a no brainer really. For once a manufacturer with a desireable product has also kept the price sensible. The Twins with the Interceptor and GT models have tried to cater to different riding styles. The other very interesting options on the list were the Ather scooters with the space age looks and premise to match. Maybe if I was staying in a city with the service and sales options for the same would have gone for it. I guess RE with its attainable price point and wide dealer network just makes it all the more practical.

[chandras1]

Voted for the NTorq - just because it created a new category in the segment *and* has so far managed to stay on top wrt of heavy weight competition like Suzuki and Honda.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Im more stumped than excited.

Thank you for the feedback.

There are a couple of reasons the options were clubbed -

1. The 650 twins especially share almost 90% components, and primary difference is only the riding stance. With zero differences in engine, transmission, suspension components, tyres etc - it doesn't paint an incorrect picture of either bike if you describe the other.

2. Extremely high number of options as compared to COTY poll - if we treat all derivatives as different. As you are aware of within our TBHP biking circle itself - some people don't want to vote because the poll options are too many and not shortlisted down to few - which again some others would have said is unfair as its open an open poll if a panel shortlists as per their decision!

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

To make matters worse, the (clearly!) refreshed Triumph Tiger makes the list! The missing Ducati Multistrada 1260 makes it appear as though the poll is biased against Ducati.

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

BTW it's not that either the Tiger or Multistrada stand a chance in this poll, but not having Multi 1260S is really unfair.

Its not Team Bhp, but my mistake to have missed out the Multistrada 1260S as per discussions with the owners. Will check with the OP if it can be added.

[PrasannaDhana]

Voted for the Royal Enfield 650 twins.

To come out of the delusion of what one thinks he is, is a great feat in itself.

Finally Royal Enfield has come out of the "We are a vintage motorcycle manufacturer and the thump is our USP" delusion and attempted at making a purely modern classic bike.

They have impressed the worst of their critics(I am one). And to price it so competitively that one has to rethink if KTM 390s are the most value for money offering in the low capacity segment.

If not for the pricing fiasco, my vote would have clearly gone to the Ninja 400. Ninja 400 is the perfect allrounder in the segment. And yes, even the R15 v3.0. Only thing against the R15 is that it is too slow to be fun for most experienced riders. But bring in twisties and hills, it still brings a big grin.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Its a blurred line alright - taking a call between a facelift and a new model, incase of bikes like these that only evolve between generations and facelifts....

Thanks a lot for clarifying. It's always nice to share the thought process we undergo.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The much anticipated Team BHP bike awards are finally here and after going through the list of nominations, Im more stumped than excited.

Being the maiden edition, I'm sure that there will be both positives as well as negatives in the thread. However, the 2WOTY was a challenge compared to the COTY we did recently. There are many aspects on a bike + fewer parts making it very difficult to gauge the vehicles, especially in the case of inclusions and exclusion. That said, we have tried to incorporate most of them, which we feel are the most relevant.

- To find out the winner of The Team-BHP Two Wheeled Ride of the Year, isn’t it counter intuitive to have potentially 2 motorcycles win one award? I don’t understand how TBHPians have to vote for motorcycles that are clubbed together.

Yes, this was a choice based on the sheer number candidates. In terms of GT, they share the same underpinnings with same engine outputs. At the same time we didn't want to split up the votes by giving 2 choices. In case of the BMW F 750/850, agree that there are more changes between them, but again it was done to ensure just the right number of voting options.

Even in terms of Ather, the S350 was the first one to come out, but then most people are preferring the higher spec S450. But we still included the S350 as that was the first to come out.

...Now lets look at the conspicuously missing from the TBHP list Ducati Multistrada 1260S.

Keeping things simple, I would call it the 'JTP' of the Multistrada. It has the xDiavel engine, minor change in steering geometer to make it more gentle, higher resolution screen, quick shifter and few more changes.

- To make matters worse, the (clearly!) refreshed Triumph Tiger makes the list! The missing Ducati Multistrada 1260 makes it appear as though the poll is biased against Ducati.

Please refer CrAzY dRiVeR post quoted above.

[Sebring]

The Enfield Twins will win this poll easy (niche product), but I voted for NTORQ. I looked at the segments and people movers especially and the entire scooter market was staid and unimaginative till NTORQ came along. I can imagine the call TVS had to take when this bike was presented as a concept to the management. Could have been akin to committing 'harakiri' to launch a 'super scooter' and create a new 'performance segment' when we were seeing fuel prices surging.

[Funny]

Although it's great to finally see a poll for Bike of the Year award on Team-BHP. But without even checking the poll results I can say which bike has the maximum votes and will eventually get the award. There is only one thread which has created a lot of buzz this year and has got the highest number of views and replies. They are the most VFM offerings of this year no doubt and they have opened up a new segment altogether for us. Affordable 650cc twin cylinders which are Made-In-India at a mouth-watering price tag. Kudos to the brand for keeping up their promise of bringing us enthusiasts what we deserve.
In short, I vote for the RE Twins!

[gatsby_great]

RE twins are great bikes but my vote goes to Jawa and Jawa 42. The effort on the part of Mahindra to resurrect the brand and to preserve the character/stance/exhaust note of the bike has been very sincere. Pricing is just perfect and it has not missed out on ABS.

[Sheel]

I am confused between the BMW F850/750 GS, Tiger 800, V-Storm, GSX-S750 and maybe the Ninja 400.

Can't I vote for all of them? I am yet to vote for COTY as I just don't feel like voting there because I don't find any car which I can practically buy and use and here, I am [literally] spoilt for choice/s.

Thanks BlackWasp for this thread .

[Miel]

I voted for the RE 650 Twins. Though, I must admit that I had half a mind to vote for the Jawa/Jawa 40, 'coz personally I'm a little put off by the fact that the RE didn't give the Twins a proper tubeless tires setup. They have put tubes inside the tubeless tires, effectively making them tube-type.

Now why does that bother me? In Bangalore, I constantly encounter tire punctures, both on my car and on my Pulsar. My Pulsar has tube-type tires and a puncture means that some dusty roadside puncture wallah gets to wrestle with the whole process of fixing it, without zero finesse or care for the fit and finish of the work. I cannot imagine putting a RE 650, if I were to buy one, through that horror. Am I nitpicking?

Anyhow, the Jawas seem a tad more designed to be put through the dust and grime of the battlefield. Not that the RE Twins cannot do the same, but my heart will want the RE to be kept polished and blemish free at all times, while something about the Jawas makes me want to chop off unnecessary bits and use it as a dirt bike.
Hey, the Jawas are cheaper too!! Retro fun at a lower price.

[BigBrad]

Voted for the RE twins, although I'm neither a classic bike guy nor an RE fan. Despite that, the RE twins impressed a lot through the reviews, I'm yet to see it in person due to some unforeseen personal issues.

I have a small suggestion on the thread title, why not keep it simple as "Team-BHP 2-Wheeler of the Year, 2018" instead of the current one which looks a bit unusual?

[Iyencar]

Voted for the Ntorq with enthusiasm. TVS went and created a new, desirable, practical and affordable scooter. They did this while loading it with features I never thought I would see on a vehicle in this price range or category. While the competition kept churning out different versions of their 'Gs' and touted an LED headlamp as a modern feature, TVS went ahead and gave a scooter with turn by turn navigation, a display which connects to your phone and lets you know who is calling, meaty 12 inch tires front and back, superbly calibrated suspension, and an app with features such as last parked location. You can rev the nuts of the engine without any vibes creeping through. The looks are sporty like nothing else on the streets yet does not offend anyone while the display is a joy to look at and use. The scooter is versatile enough to go shopping for groceries and do those long breakfast rides without any fatigue. Long story short, the interceptor twins were an incremental progression for a company already making large displacement bikes. The Ntorq was TVS putting their thinking hats on and coming up with a stunning looking product that was also far ahead technologically. This out-of-the-box thinking wins my vote.

[iabhishekkumar]

Voted for Ather Electric Scooters since I believe that electric is the way to go in future and it is a great to have a home grown company coming out with this. Features of this scooter along with promised mileage per charge is what is going to make this standout very soon.

Cheers!

[OrangeCar]

This year's choice was a piece of cake for me (unlike the car of the year choice, where I haven't voted yet because nothing has been exciting).

RE - 650 twins. Value. Low Vibrations. City + Highway. Its like an affordable candy bar. You will love it. And you could probably save up and get one, without burning a hole in the pocket.

Wait.. almost 60% votes to it. I am not surprised at all.

Cheers!

[NPV]

Voted for the TVS Ntorq 125. A very refreshing scooter model in the market and found it to be good when I took an informal "test" ride on a friend's new acquisition.
Posted about the experience on @nkrishnap's superb ownership thread here (TVS Ntorq 125 - Ownership Review)