[digitalnirvana]

Two of these! For sheer intimidation factor alone!
Imagine a bike with a spoiler!

Don't ban me GTO, pretty please?

[aargee]

Originally Posted by GTO

<3 lakhs preferred per bike, and not a Bullet due to its poor acceleration. The bikes need to keep up with the luxury sedan on Mumbai's open roads.

The bikes will also be abused as the bodyguards are on rotation, so something durable & reliable

When I hear the words, reliable & durable, then I cannot think anything beyond Japanese.

If all the rides are only confined within city limits, then, a 250+CC is sufficient for the job as any motor can catch-up with any car. If it's on highway, then any of these segment can do best upto 120 Kmph all day long. If anything more is required, the budget has to be increased as well. So keeping that in mind...

1. Best bet here will be Ninja 300, but slightly more than 3L, if not a strict budget. Can beat everything else to dust in terms of speed, reliable & durable.
2. CBR 250R costs less than 3L per motorcycle & abuse friendly

Can suggest R15, but not the above ones fair better than R15 especially when the budget per motorcycle is twice

[rajushank84]

Such people exist in real life? Or is this for a movie shoot?

Honestly, it should be chosen per bodyguard, depending on what he can get comfortable on.
Personally I found the handlebar too forward-set on the Interceptor, for example. I would choose the Suzuki 250 or even the KTM over it, or maybe a Jawa. But that is for me, not all of us share the same limb-length to torso-length ratio, each person fits different bikes differently.

The KTM 390 Adventure is another solid option. Adv bikes in general tend to be more comfortable than other bikes, you can keep riding for hours without getting tired.

[nasa_hubble]

The only people who can give a correct opinion are the bodyguards themselves. They will know what they need in terms of acceleration, handling, comfort etc.

Its better if the protectee leaves it upto the security to choose their gear.

[D3A]

Bodyguards on motorcycles sounds like a bad idea. Unless they are professionaly trained riders (which is highly unlikely), they will ride dangerously just to keep up with the protectee, and will endanger their own lives, as well as the lives of others on the roads. It would be a much better idea to have the escort car drivers trained.

[amrisharm]

As a bike rider myself, I would suggest 2 persons per bike. One to solely drive the bike and the pillion bodyguard for fast response to any situations needed. I feel that a single bodyguard on the bike may not be able to react and act swiftly in case the client he is protecting needs help or assistance. So keeping this in mind and with a budget of around 3 lakhs, I would suggest the RE Interceptor. If possible then maybe increasing the budget a bit to buy a reliable Japanese brand might be a good idea if they decide to go with 2 riders per bike.

[superbad]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys,

Have a very unique request from someone I know. He cruises around in a luxury sedan with a bodyguard in the car, and the rest following in a Gypsy. However, the two cars are invariably separated in traffic.

He wants to add two bodyguards to the convoy and on two separate bikes.

<3 lakhs preferred per bike, and not a Bullet due to its poor acceleration. The bikes need to keep up with the luxury sedan on Mumbai's open roads.

The bikes will also be abused as the bodyguards are on rotation, so something durable & reliable.

Thanks much in advance!

If the car with the bodyguard is getting separated from the main car, it is just poor driver drills & co ordination. Keeping a bodyguard on a bike makes no sense, because in the event of an emergency, he can hardly ride & protect his asset (unless he is secret service). If your acquaintance REALLY wants protection, you can suggest him to continue his current arrangement. However if he still insists, a CBR 250, FZ250, Suzuki 250, P220 or Apache 200 would serve the purpose. No KTM due to reliability/heat/higher octane petrol requirement.

[gururajrv]

Thread’s display pic has the answer you’re looking for - but has a grey shade in its 2020 avatar.

D390 is agile, ballistic and has a very bad temper to keep up with big engines

Eyes closed - D390 in grey shade!

[sandeepmdas]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

I don't think the bodyguards should be on the bike. Rather they should be in the car with the VIP. I would suggest to get a bigger Luxury Van.

If the VIP wants privacy in the car; does he drive the car himself?

Anyone who has watched Ronin would immediately notice the futility of having bodyguards in escort vehicles, be it in cars or 2 wheelers.


Based on the OP, I assume the Gypsy is the problem, which obviously cannot keep up with the luxury sedan. Replacing the Suzuki with an agile and better-spirited car might meet the goal. Polo GT?


The second option is as said by iamahunter, I'd say a custom-built Traveler. If that's a bit overkill, a V-class/Vellfire/Carnival would serve the purpose, albeit with the lack of privacy.

[ShivrajG]

Firstly: Bodyguards should be in the vehicle (atleast one) body guards on bike will only be a show-off as practically they can't do much protection. They will be flying ducks in case of any incident.
Secondly: Considering Mumbai traffic and the requirement Duke 390/200 are better suited. Duke will give the guards the reaction time in case of any emergency. Duke bikes are good in handling and reliability is proven.
Thirdly: Almost all the VIP take their best guards with them in the same car, treat them well and at the moment of need such acts can very well save your life after all they are also human.

[revvharder]

Originally Posted by GTO

Have a very unique request from someone I know. He cruises around in a luxury sedan with a bodyguard in the car, and the rest following in a Gypsy. However, the two cars are invariably separated in traffic.

The bodyguard or the driver in the gypsy has poor skills if they are getting separated, as other have pointed out.

Seeing and experiencing the VIP culture in UP I would suggest to get a Bolero or a pre-owned fortuner so that other road users do not keep cutting in front of the vehicle and get them all trained for driving like an expert or hire a driver for that particular vehicle and if bike is the only option CBR 250 will be the best option.

[McLaren Rulez]

Competent security teams don't rely on the advice of strangers on the internet for vehicle recommendations. Do you think they're on gun enthusiast forums asking whether they should choose an AK-47 or an Uzi as well? And if this is le boss making the request, that's even more bizarre.

This sounds like some local tin-pot politician whose ego vastly exceeds his genuine security requirements.

[rulerofsun]

This might sound stupid. But if you are looking for private guards on two wheels in Mumbai suburban areas I think you should forget bikes( If not venturing to Navi Mumbai) and only from Colaba to Mulund, Then you should look at fast scooters. The Ntroq ,Aprilla with disc brakes . Should be good.

Also depends on the security if they are with handheld arms then the New Bullet 600 CC bikes are perfect.If with rifles the scooters are best.

Regards
RoS

[Starfire]

Won't really give my opinion on this cause I'm against VIP culture, but I had a quick question. So the bodyguard protects the VIP, well, who protects the bodyguard? Especially when the thug chasing the VIP knocks the bodyguard's bike down and runs him over? Whoever thought this would be a smart idea? Also, the last thing people want is two buff guys buzzing around luxury sedans and cutting cars off rashly like no tomorrow only to keep up with the VIP and ending up killing themselves and others too.

This is doing nothing but indirectly promoting rash riding. We already know how bad these "bodyguards" drive, once they get on these "fast unlike slow Royal Enfield" bikes, God help us all and them as well.

[Turbojc]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys, Have a very unique request from someone I know...

Hi GTO, here are my suggestions, in no particular order:

1. Yamaha MT-15

Pros: Fast, extremely nimble, and reliable.

Cons: Very small for riders on the larger side.


2. Yamaha FZ25

Pros: Quick, light and fleet-footed, and of course, reliable.

Cons: None that I can think of, considering the requirement.


3. Hero Xpulse 200

Pros: Go anywhere capability, sufficiently fast, reasonably reliable

Cons: Tube-type tyres, which are prone to rapid loss of air in punctures. Definitely a big no-no when it comes to guarding someone’s life.


4. Honda CB 300R

Pros: Really fast, very agile, and reliable.

Cons: BS6 variant is a long time away, so he may need to hurry to snag the remaining BS4 examples.


5. TVS Apache RTR 200

Pros: Sufficiently quick, reliable, nimble, and easy on the pocket.

Cons: As with the FZ25, I can’t think of any negatives in this context.


6. Bajaj Pulsar NS200

Pros: Fast, nimble, and inexpensive.

Cons: Longevity


7. Royal Enfield Interceptor 650

Pros: Really fast, solid look and feel, stability.

Cons: Not the most agile or flickable, tube-type tyres.


8. Bajaj Dominar 400

Pros: Again, really fast, excellent stability, and a great headlight - useful for night drives.

Cons: Not a nimble motorcycle, longevity.


Cheers!