[Sebring]

There is a proper 'cruiser' coming from Royal Enfield. I suggest you wait for the announcement. This should be soon, as the pics are all over the place. The Honda CB350 is maintenance free but it doesn't offer a laid back riding position

Originally Posted by SID2997

He wants something with a laid back riding position, at least 300cc and no fuss in terms of maintainability. He shall be using this bike for weekend rides in vicinity of NCR. Also, The ride quality needs to be easy on the back as he suffers from slipped disc. Our budget is upto 4 lakhs. Any suggestions guys?

[SID2997]

Originally Posted by Sebring

There is a proper 'cruiser' coming from Royal Enfield. I suggest you wait for the announcement. This should be soon, as the pics are all over the place. The Honda CB350 is maintenance free but it doesn't offer a laid back riding position

Thank you so much for the heads-up, will look into it Sir. True, the jap is a maintenance free bike but has bit of an aggressive stance.

[SID2997]

Originally Posted by aargee

All motorcycles (all automobiles for that matter, discarding lemons) from TVS to Bajaj to RE to Honda to Kawi to BMW to Moto Guzzi to Harley to Indian are made to perfection by any manufacturer & always screwed by their respective ASC.

What ideally you've to see is whichever motorcycle you buy, whether you're going to leverage those functionalities. For instance, buying a Tiger XcX for a pure city & occasional highway is not taking fully advantage of the features of the motorcycle. At the same time, buying a Versys 1000 & always riding on trails is not going to be enjoyable riding as well.

Every manufacturer makes a model for an intended purpose serving specific set of customers. As a customer we're bound to make due diligence on our purpose to find that model meeting our requirement for an enduring, delightful & gratifying ownership.


And we assume here you'll bump up your budget for that (and it indeed weighs over 210 Kilos)

Yes we are ready to bump up our budget for a tiger. I think you have perfectly summed up the mindset of a buyer who maybe perfectly self-aware of her/his biking requirements

[PrasannaDhana]

Interceptor 650 comes to my mind.

He used to ride a legendary motorcycle. Let him enjoy the refinement, laid back position, good ride quality and agile performance of the RE twin.

With any purchase done for dad, show him the pics of the motorcycles and let him choose. Don't go by logic here

[Subby]

I can share my experience. I am 54 and right now ride a scooter, Suzuki Access for errands.

Earlier I had Bajaj 220 Avenger which I sold due to backpain problem as the sitting position was of cruiser style. As BHPian Aaegee suggested in his earlier post, laid back sitting stance with forward pegs, aggravates this issue. So, if one is having problem with back, it is better to avoid cruiser style motorbike.

Following that, I bought RE Himalyan. The bike is excellent for tall rider, good neutral sitting position, rides well and powerful enough for highway cruising. But I sold that too due to

Not practical for everyday use.
Heavy, tall bike, requires effort to manoeuvre.
Spoke wheel, a puncture in remote place, will put in big trouble.

I also experienced my friend KTM Duke 200 for few days, that bike was a hooligan, very aggresive sitting position, more suited to young folks!

Now from your Dad's requirement who is of my age only, I am inclined to recommend only one bike, that is Honda CB 350. The reasons are.

Classic Retro Style - fit for any age.
Jap Mobike - very reliable.
Neutral sitting position.
Easier to handle (information from you tube reviewers only).
Asking price is comfortable.
Brand Honda.

Happy and safe riding !

[neil.jericho]

SID2997, the Tiger 800 with its high center of gravity may not be a good option for your dad considering the height factor, decades away from riding and age.

Logically, go for something light (around 200 kg or less) with say A2 level power at most. I think the Honda CB350, RE Meteor and RE Interceptor, in no particular order, make a lot of sense for your dad to get back to biking at this stage. If your dad enjoys the biking experience and will keep riding, you can think of an upgrade to say a Street Twin or a Bonnie in a year or two.

[buntee90]

Originally Posted by SID2997

Hello Fellow Bhpians, We are looking to buy a cruiser motorcycle for my 55 year old dad, he used to ride a RX100 in his college days. Seeing his friends ride bikes, his passion has been reignited. He wants something with a laid back riding position, at least 300cc and no fuss in terms of maintainability. He shall be using this bike for weekend rides in vicinity of NCR. Also, The ride quality needs to be easy on the back as he suffers from slipped disc. Our budget is up to 4 lakhs. Any suggestions guys?

A RE Thunderbird 500 would have been perfect. It has character, its ultra comfortable and easy on the back too, although reliability is not its forte. Too bad its discontinued. Maybe look for a pre-owned one ?

Further RE Meteor could also be a good choice, going by the reviews on internet, its very smooth and tractable motor, good roll-on times. Going by the 650 twins it should be fairly reliable too.

Man your dad is in a enviable position! rode a RX100 in college, now going for a cruiser in his 50s.

[drift87]

Surprised to see no one has mentioned the interceptor 650. Its ticks most of the boxes that you are looking at. Please make sure your dad takes ride of all the suggested models for at least a 100 kms under various conditions before finalizing on something.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by drift87

Surprised to see no one has mentioned the interceptor 650. Its ticks most of the boxes that you are looking at. Please make sure your dad takes ride of all the suggested models for at least a 100 kms under various conditions before finalizing on something.

Based on the number of suggestions here, his dad will be test riding bikes for the next 1000 Kms over the next 2-3 months, around his day job.

Cheers, Doc

[handsofsteel]

Surprised why isn't anyone recommending the avenger? My choices for a 55 year old with a budget of 4lakh
1. Avenger
2. Vulcan 650 (even a new one is not that far off)
3. Xpulse (not really a cruiser but has a great upright posture with the advantage of a great ground clearance)
4. Versys 300 (same as above)
5. Used versys 650

Tiger-new as well as old would be beyond the stated budget.

[ykamesh]

Originally Posted by SID2997

Hello Fellow Bhpians, We are looking to buy a cruiser motorcycle for my 55 year old dad, he used to ride a RX100 in his college days. Seeing his friends ride bikes, his passion has been reignited. He wants something with a laid back riding position, at least 300cc and no fuss in terms of maintainability. He shall be using this bike for weekend rides in vicinity of NCR. Also, The ride quality needs to be easy on the back as he suffers from slipped disc. Our budget is upto 4 lakhs. Any suggestions guys?

@SID2997 Thanks for posting an interesting question. Myself(64) and my son (34) share many cars and bikes for daily use and week-end use etc., Our garage has S350, ML250, SLK 350 & 220, apart from a Nissan President and Indian cars. Coming to bikes, my old Bullet (RE350), Yezdi, my Son's exquisitely restored RX100 and others.

I met with the first road accident in my 50 years of driving life and broke my thighbone in April, 2019. This is refusing to heal and I am not yet fully recovered. Just to restore my confidence, I have brought an Interceptor 650 - believe me, for a person of my age and weight it is superb - including the balance, riding stance, float-on-the-water suspension, balance. I have driven about 200 Km in this one month, in and around Hyderabad and I donot regret my decision. No doubt, it is a tad heavy when compared to other cruisers or similar class - but its balance and smooth power delivery along with riding comfort outweigh any other issues, including that of my leg. Note: This bike is a no-no for pillion rider ..Drive Safe!

[urban legend]

Having used a Bullet 350 followed by a Hero Honda Splendour in my younger days, I started riding bikes again after a gap of almost 20 years. I ride a Classic 350 only on Sunday mornings. When I purchased it, the Honda Highness and Interceptor 650 were not yet launched. A neutral riding position is much better than either a forward or laid back position as the spine, shoulders and wrists remain relaxed and the jerks are not transmitted to the back. I find the classic 350 maintenance is not an issue, its a very uncomplicated and reliable machine. My father had more problems in his TB350. I have also changed the rims to alloys and tyres to tubeless. The main grouch is the vibrations and the weight, both of which are quite inconvenient. Its sweet spot on highways is 60-80 kph then the vibrations are not that prominent. And I have lowered the seat to fit my height so parking and moving the bike is easier.
Amongst the current bikes my suggestion would be the Honda Highness.
Happy biking to your dad!

[SID2997]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Interceptor 650 comes to my mind.

He used to ride a legendary motorcycle. Let him enjoy the refinement, laid back position, good ride quality and agile performance of the RE twin.

With any purchase done for dad, show him the pics of the motorcycles and let him choose. Don't go by logic here

Yes, the RE Twin shall be a marked departure from the bone jarring ride quality of yesteryears. Surely, it is a decision of heart over the mind.

[SID2997]

Originally Posted by ykamesh

@SID2997 Thanks for posting an interesting question. Myself(64) and my son (34) share many cars and bikes for daily use and week-end use etc., Our garage has S350, ML250, SLK 350 & 220, apart from a Nissan President and Indian cars. Coming to bikes, my old Bullet (RE350), Yezdi, my Son's exquisitely restored RX100 and others.

I met with the first road accident in my 50 years of driving life and broke my thighbone in April, 2019. This is refusing to heal and I am not yet fully recovered. Just to restore my confidence, I have brought an Interceptor 650 - believe me, for a person of my age and weight it is superb - including the balance, riding stance, float-on-the-water suspension, balance. I have driven about 200 Km in this one month, in and around Hyderabad and I donot regret my decision. No doubt, it is a tad heavy when compared to other cruisers or similar class - but its balance and smooth power delivery along with riding comfort outweigh any other issues, including that of my leg. Note: This bike is a no-no for pillion rider ..Drive Safe!

Sir, what a tasteful garage you have there. Hope you are doing well now; what an inspirational and confidence inspiring comeback as a biker. I really need to show this to your counterpart over here.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by SID2997

Yes, the RE Twin shall be a marked departure from the bone jarring ride quality of yesteryears. Surely, it is a decision of heart over the mind.

Huh?

The Bullet is called Raja Gaadi for a reason.

Cheers, Doc