[Stribog]

Hello All,

A relative of mine is looking for a bike, and knows I frequent (haunt, according to my wife) these forums and he wanted some advice from enthusiasts like yourself. I am a Luddite in this area and I am directing all his queries to you.

He is 26, is 6'1, seeing someone (important because pillion comfort is apparently a must), and has the following requirements,

(1) Daily commute of 25 km 1 way in Chennai's bumper to bumper traffic - he travels from Anna Nagar to OMR daily - Easy handling in city is a must

(2) Medium level highway trips (mostly solo with a backpack) - He is looking at 500 kms one way trips for now

(3) Mileage is not very important, but can't be too low, so anything in the 25kmpl to 30 kmpl is good enough.

(4) Reliability is a must because he takes his vehicle to remote / rural parts of TN and South India on work, and can't be hunting for service centres.

Tourer type vehicles are ruled out on account of personal preference.

Vehicles I have suggested,

Yamaha Fz25 (though height could be a problem), Dominar, the RR310 (but seems pricey). Also considering Mt 15 (height again), Gixer sf 250 and R15 (mostly rejected).

Your thoughts would help here.

[ku69rd]

If he can hike the budget, then the Interceptor will make a very good choice. If he is hard on budget then a pre-owned Interceptor should be available.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by Stribog

Your thoughts would help here.

My vote goes to Apache 200 (also available in BS6 avatar) or Gixxer 250 (naked, not SF).

What with the tiny rear seat on all these bikes, pillion comfort (or lack of it) can only be judged by a test ride along with the significant other.

Cheers,
Vikram

[drt_rdr]

1. Dominar. Checks almost all boxes the best. Not sure about pillion comfort.

2. Fz25. Excellent in its own right. And probably cheapest to buy and run.

3. Gixxer250. Unknown reliability and pillion comfort, but checks all other boxes nicely

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

If he can hike the budget, then the Interceptor will make a very good choice. If he is hard on budget then a pre-owned Interceptor should be available.

Poor chap came up to me with a plan to buy an NTORQ, I then gave him gyaan on planning and how to forecast and took him up a couple of notches. If I now suggest another budget upgrade.....

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

My vote goes to Apache 200 (also available in BS6 avatar) or Gixxer 250 (naked, not SF).

What with the tiny rear seat on all these bikes, pillion comfort (or lack of it) can only be judged by a test ride along with the significant other.

Cheers,
Vikram

The 200, interesting, we didn't list it at all, will give that one also a TD and I personally am for the Dominar or Gixxer though DRT seems to think reliability might be a question mark, will ask him to do some due diligence on this now.

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

1. Dominar. Checks almost all boxes the best. Not sure about pillion comfort.

2. Fz25. Excellent in its own right. And probably cheapest to buy and run.

3. Gixxer250. Unknown reliability and pillion comfort, but checks all other boxes nicely

Dominar is where my heart also leans for, it is the perfect VFM beast.

[Bismaya]

FZ25 hands down. Cheap, comfortable, reliable and fulfills all the requirements that you mentioned.

Also, Dominar is not a commuter. You want a bike that will do 25kms without any issue in bumper traffic. A 4-valve engine will Dominar will keep on heating up and needs to be revved more. All of this and not to mention the heavy weight of the bike makes it less than a boon in city traffic. I would advise against it if the requirement doesn't call for it.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Stribog

(1) Daily commute of 25 km 1 way in Chennai's bumper to bumper traffic - he travels from Anna Nagar to OMR daily - Easy handling in city is a must

For predominant bumper to bumper use, you need solid low end oomph.

This means a Long/Square(Leaning more towards Square since you mentioned 500km's of highway use) Stroke SOHC is the way to go.

(4) Reliability is a must because he takes his vehicle to remote / rural parts of TN and South India on work, and can't be hunting for service centres.

Reliability is a relative term.

For me its a carburetor and spare availability, for some its service network, for someone else its a 'Japanese' brand name.

So do put some thought into concerned suggestions before confirming.

Regards,
A.P.

[GypsyKing_775]

Hi,

I would also suggest FZ25 as it satisfies most of your requirements.
I would also suggest to have a look at hero Xpulse 200T. I know its not a very popular bike, but having one in the family, can say that its a cheap to run and maintain bike.
The looks will surely grow on gradually!

[amrutmhatre90]

Originally Posted by Bismaya

You want a bike that will do 25kms without any issue in bumper traffic. A 4-valve engine will Dominar will keep on heating up and needs to be revved more. All of this and not to mention the heavy weight of the bike makes it less than a boon in city traffic. I would advise against it if the requirement doesn't call for it.

Dominar is a good choice. Decent mileage, mile muncher, comfortable, good high speed stability. Never heard about heating issues in a Dominar, I do bumper to bumper in Mumbai traffic on INT650, I have zero issues with the heat. One needs to be sure how much he can handle
My friend owns a Dominar, but after riding one, yes it looks bulky but is very light to handle and manageable.

[Bismaya]

Originally Posted by amrutmhatre90

Dominar is a good choice. Decent mileage, mile muncher, comfortable, good high speed stability. Never heard about heating issues in a Dominar, I do bumper to bumper in Mumbai traffic on INT650, I have zero issues with the heat. One needs to be sure how much he can handle
My friend owns a Dominar, but after riding one, yes it looks bulky but is very light to handle and manageable.

There's a huge difference between Mumbai and Chennai traffic. You'll need a good low end. Enfields have good amount of torque that make them good commuters compared to Dominar is more concentrated on touring usage, than heavy density city commute. Besides, the Interceptor has 2 valves per cylinder compared to the Dominar which has 4. Peak power and torque is concentrated at higher rev ranges which is useless in city traffic and thus resulting in a poor low end. Dominar has a mileage of 25-27kmpl in city incase you didn't know this. The current gen shares most of it's underpinnings with the D390 (DOHC too).

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by Stribog

I personally am for the Dominar or Gixxer though DRT seems to think reliability might be a question mark, will ask him to do some due diligence on this now.

Disclaimer: I don't follow the ownership threads on the bike and do not know how reliable or unreliable they have been so far. I'm just making a general statement of caution based on the fact that the bike was released not even 6 months ago. So, we don't have much information on how things would go in the long run, especially since it's an oil cooled 250 engine making an appreciable amount of power compared to the competition, and doesn't have cooling fins.

I'm not saying there's going to be quality related issues. But if I was worried about reliability, I'd go with a product that's been in the market for a while, and whose quirks, niggles and troubles are known.

[Waspune]

FZ25 is a sensible choice. MT-15 would be more fun with it's dynamic handling and leaner frame. Also redlining it will bring more pleasure. The slipper clutch would enable aggressive downshifts without any worries. The top speed would also be higher than the FZ25 because of the 6th gear. The pillion seat isn't comfortable but, specially for long rides.
If you want more power get the Gixxer 250.
Won't recommend the Dominar as it's bulky and is made for touring.
Do look at the Duke 250 as well! It's pretty balanced on all accounts.
The last but not the least - CBR250R. Yes it's not a naked but checks all the boxes. The pillion comfort would be the best in this bike, has decent power and an excellent reliability too!

[IshaanIan]

I know this ought to have been considered but whatever it is, it cannot go unmentioned; DUKE! 390 would be nice. Test ride a 250 atleast?

If that's simply not his style then maybe look at the CB300R from Honda or the Leoncino 250 by Benelli

[highlander]

My suggestion would be to try the Xpulse200 with an open mind. It may not have the performance of some of the other bikes mentioned here, but does almost everything better for him.

Daily Commute - Better than others mentioned here

Highway Trip - Will be slower, but still good on the back.

Mileage - Trumps everything else.

Reliability - Should be similar to other vehicles mentioned here.

Budget - Less than everything else; enough money to buy an additional NTORQ

[Swap_Abarth]

I would suggest to take a test ride of Duke 250. It will cover almost all his requirements. Yes, this will be expensive than FZ25 and Gixxer 250. But it has more power and better handling than those two. It is the most refined engine in current KTM portfolio in India. Duke 250 is fun to ride in city and peppy on highways. KTM service cost is reasonable.