[BunnyPunia]

stay away from the p200. The bike has oil leak problems (with many bikers complaining about it) and a new prob came up. A member on xbhp had the fork oil come out completely when he applied the front brakes suddenly on his barely a week old p200
As for the p220, bajaj sold a second lot of the p220 some days back. But the bike is yet to arrive all over india.
As for comet : i know many bikers who are using it without much complain. It has the looks and the power to match it. Ofcourse you can get its spares as easily as say of a pulsar/zma but as you mentioned you even had a sbk in mind, the comet is far easier to maintain than a sbk. If you have around 1.4, go for it.

[Rtech]

the comet is far easier to maintain than a sbk.

From what I know, its far easier to maintain a mainstream Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki/Suzuki than it is a Comet. Simply because:-
1. There are more sbk's in India than there are comets
2. Consumables like brake pads, cables, filters, etc are far easier to get in metro's, in fact available off the shelf out here, for extremely competitive prices.
3. Easier to find performance parts for the sbks.

[yogesh sarkar]

Originally Posted by Rtech

From what I know, its far easier to maintain a mainstream Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki/Suzuki than it is a Comet. Simply because:-
1. There are more sbk's in India than there are comets
2. Consumables like brake pads, cables, filters, etc are far easier to get in metro's, in fact available off the shelf out here, for extremely competitive prices.
3. Easier to find performance parts for the sbks.

Absolutely correct, most of the SBK dealers have consumables available for the popular models of imported bikes. While this isn’t the case with Comet, it is simply a bike that has little more power than the 220 and Karizma, yet is tougher to get parts for than the Fireblade’s and R1’s.

[BunnyPunia]

Originally Posted by Rtech

From what I know, its far easier to maintain a mainstream Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki/Suzuki than it is a Comet. Simply because:-
1. There are more sbk's in India than there are comets
2. Consumables like brake pads, cables, filters, etc are far easier to get in metro's, in fact available off the shelf out here, for extremely competitive prices.
3. Easier to find performance parts for the sbks.

Rtech , according to what i know from my comet friends, some parts like disc pad, filters, cables for the comet can be picked up directly from other indian motorcycles. They are a direct fit and work well. Eg : the karizma brake pads last twice as much as the original comet pads.

Whatever, coz the author asked about the comet, the details were given by me. obviously, if he wishes to use a comet for more than a 1000kms a month, it aint a feasible option.

@yogesh: the comet has a 4 second lead to 100 as compared to the karizma, ie , 10secs as compared to 14 for the karizma and has 64% more power than the Karizma. you call this 'little more power' than the Karizma! Its like saying the Palio 1.6 has a lil more power than the likes of the spark/estilo.

@i would advise the author of this topic to write down his riding styles and requirements. As of now, if he is to ride a lot, the Karizma fits the bill

[yogesh sarkar]

4 second lead at 0-100 for the additional expenditure of 60+k more, that’s almost double the cost of Karizma and that too for a second hand bike, not bad not bad at all.

As for the OP, I guess these are enough facts for you to make a decision. What ever you do, just be happy with the bike you get and take care of it.

[BunnyPunia]

Originally Posted by yogesh sarkar

4 second lead at 0-100 for the additional expenditure of 60+k more, that’s almost double the cost of Karizma and that too for a second hand bike, not bad not bad at all.

.

ok, then according to you , are superbikes useless,?. coz for a 6 second lead over the likes of the comet to 100km/h, spending 8 lakhs more is just not justified. right?

[yogesh sarkar]

Originally Posted by BunnyPunia

ok, then according to you , are superbikes useless,?. coz for a 6 second lead over the likes of the comet to 100km/h, spending 8 lakhs more is just not justified. right?

No, because it’s not only a matter of 6 seconds lead over 100, you also get 100-150kmph more in the top end add to that the bling factor which lets face it isn’t there in Comet.

A Comet is neither here nor there, had Kinetic provided proper service backup it would have been a good choice as a tourer or a regular motorcycle for most. But today it’s like a white elephant, more headache to maintain than an Indian motorcycle and yet nowhere in comparison to an import.

[BunnyPunia]

Originally Posted by yogesh sarkar

No, because it’s not only a matter of 6 seconds lead over 100, you also get 100-150kmph more in the top end add to that the bling factor which lets face it isn’t there in Comet.

A Comet is neither here nor there, had Kinetic provided proper service backup it would have been a good choice as a tourer or a regular motorcycle for most. But today it’s like a white elephant, more headache to maintain than an Indian motorcycle and yet nowhere in comparison to an import.

well, its a personal opinion. There are happy satisfied comet owners out there, and having ridden a comet around india, i know the bling factor it comes with.

Peace and Pizza...

[Rtech]

I only wish they had launched the 650cc version here. I'm sure that would have sold far better.

[shyn]

NOTE: posting on behalf of my friend
my friend, a non-PetrolHead, is planning to buy a bike.he's got a budget of 90 grand.his daily commute won't be anything more than 20 kms(city only.the bike will never see a highway) so fuel-efficiency isn't really a priority.he wants a Good(i don't fully understand his definition of good) bike.here are the options i gave him and this is what he had to say:
1. Fazer: he doesn't like the bike.
2. FZ: his friend, who owns an FZ, told him that the spares are pretty expensive.plus he doesn't really like the bike from up-front.
3. Avenger: not to his liking.
4. Dazzler: doesn't love it, but doesn't hate it either.could be an option.
5. P220: haven't really heard good things about it(read cold start problems).could be an option.
6. RTR180: doesn't love it, but doesn't hate it either.could be an option.
7. ZMA-R: he quiet loves the bike but the showrooms here in HYD are really reluctant on getting the bike.he already booked one 20 days back but now they're telling him to wait for another 2-3 months.he's getting really impatient! is the waiting period so long for ZMA-R everywhere else?

so fellow t-bhpians, what do i suggest him to do now? wait for the ZMA-R or cancel the booking and go for a P220 or RTR180?

[Ripper]

With that budget i would definitely go in for the 220 for the VFM package it offers. The ZMA-R and the Unicorn too are good bikes. Why not ask him to take a test ride of all and then decide, will help him make a decision.

[praful]

If I'm getting the psyche of your friend right... He'd be more than happy with a ZMA-R!

But considering it being a city bike only. I'd suggest looking for a relatively greener bike like the Dazzler. Best buy for him!

[sam_sant2005]

I have not faced any cold start problems in my P220 DTSi July 2009 model in the last 12 months (after my 'Carb' issue was corrected for free by Bajaj which was present ONLY in the first batch of the new P220 Dtsi's in 2009 post launch). I had suffered that for hardly 1-2 months of use. And then only later I realised that P220 DTSi, for cold start, she needs to be started WITHOUT twisting the accelerator. And that was the real issue and should be the real issue for many. May be due to its auto choke feature.

Now I have a Swift Diesel and seldom use the P220. In fact in the last two months I have used the bike once twice. Even after 10-15 days of non-usage my P220 starts with a touch at the start button (in Blore). Cold start problems is by far rubbish.
And mind you I dont have any major issues with my bike till date. ODO reads 11000kms. Have done non-stop 280kms trip with full throttle, no over heating wat so ever.

Mileage I get was around 38-40 relaxed driving and 32 max ripping possible. Top speed ODO read 147kmph. Bike since heavy, feels very solid at high speeds.
Minor issues => chain sound, dirt getting into rear discs and making noise, fairing vibes. THATS IT.
Bajaj as such I dont promote, but P220 is a good bike incl its good gearbox unlike old pulsars.

[shyn]

what about the ZMA-R booking issue? has anyone else faced the same problem? and is there any specific HH dealer in HYD who can get me a ZMA-R in a month?

[bivin]

Originally Posted by shyn

what about the ZMA-R booking issue? has anyone else faced the same problem? and is there any specific HH dealer in HYD who can get me a ZMA-R in a month?

not sure about other dealers, but one dealer here in chennai (the one near chintamani signal, annanagar) told me a waiting period of about 3 months for the ZMR. they didnt even have a test ride vehicle..