Hi All,
It has been a long time since I started the thread and I am very happy to share the latest updates on my search and it's results.
So addressing the big bear first I had my job change in December and fortunately the way things have panned out so far the move to Bangalore if it even happens will not be a permanent move so the Bangalore-Bhopal round trips are scoped out of equation now.
The second concern which is related to a possibility of riding-driving gap of 2 years is still there however there are certain options which I am getting that can serve as a workaround of keeping the bike active at bare minimum level over this duration.
With these two concerns kind of sorted wife and I decide to reframe our search and explore all sorts of options available in the market. Let's first see the options that were ruled out in initial phase -
1. TVS stable - For some weird reason the TVS showrooms in my city (Bhopal) wanted to sell me Apache 180 only and they were adamant that other models of Apache are on manufacturing hold currently. Rejected whole stable since I didn't really like the driving posture on Apache, it was too aggressive for my liking.
2. Suzuki Stable - Didn't really like anything below V-Strom 650 and that one is out of my current budget.
3. Honda Stable (Regular bikes) - None of the regular Honda bikes felt special to us.
4. Bajaj Stable - Only Dominar 400 made sense to me however my preference was a bike with simpler mechanicals.
With these options strike out mainly I was looking into something from Hero, Honda Bigwing, Royal Enfield, Yamaha or Classic Legends.
5. Yamaha Stable - I really liked the driving ergonomics and overall behaviour of FZ-25 and FZ-X, however none of them really stroke that chord with us. Very good allrounder bikes, it's just they didn't feel special to us.
6. Hero Stable - I was mainly looking towards XPulse twins and Xtreme 200S, according to the Hero dealerships Xtreme 200S BS6 is launched however not yet dispatched, I cannot ascertain the validity of this statement but there was no choice. For XPulse 200 according to dealerships I need to book it and they will deliver but no test drives. Only XPulse 200T display unit was available but again no test drive. I personally felt the dealerships are too occupied with their bread butter models. Coming to XPulse 200T it's a tall bike, I liked it and may have given it a serious thought if I had to purchase a bike only for solo rides.
So ultimately the contest boiled down to Honda Bigwing vs Royal Enfield vs Classic Legends, funnily enough all these three showrooms are located almost adjacent to each other in my city
Wife and I gave a lot of thought and ultimately decided to go ahead and purchase something out of CB350/Himalayan/Meteor and gang which as I said in initial post was our original choice.
And so with spring in our steps we launched the final phase of selections, and this was our experience -
Royal Enfield - The dealership guys were extremely busy and adamant on giving test drive of Classic only, According to them Himalayan is on order only basis they don't even have display unit, Meteor they have a display unit but no test drives. I can only sit and check. I was never a fan of Classic anyways, Wife and I sat on Meteor, the immediate plus point was the comfortable seat and I must admit Meteor probably had the best pillion comfort of all bikes I have sat on. However I felt as if there is a dinosaur egg in my lap (the fuel tank) and when trying to move the bike around a bit the balance felt a bit off. Nevertheless I asked the dealership to contact me if and when they get a Meteor or Himalayan for test drive. This was more than a month ago and I am yet to hear back from them. Same story with other RE dealerships.
Classic Legends - The launch of Yezdi brought an exciting option into the mix, the dealership (only one in my city) was extremely prompt and had all bikes available for test drive (although the distance of test drive was very less, but it's better than no test drive), I took test drives of Jawa 42 2.1 and Yezdi triplets. (Roadster i test drove twice). Jawa was rejected first because it felt small and unusually wide and just not ergonomically pleasant. Yezdi Scrambler is probably the best bike out of Classic Legends stable ergonomically however the seat cannot accommodate two of us. Roadster is very elegant and comfortable.
Honda Bigwing - Finally there is a Bigwing dealership in my city and I took two test drives of CB350, one at dealership and second at my home. A total of approximately 10-12 km covered over the two test drives with roads ranging from State highway to non-tarmac. I must say the bike mighty impressed me.
So ultimately the choice came to one out of CB350 or Roadster, Below are the comparison points in purely my personal view -
Looks - Both bikes are elegant however Roadster just has the better looks especially in that Blue shade.
Ergonomics - Both bikes have similar ergonomics with CB350 a tad better for rider and Roadster tad better for pillion.
Handling - CB350 has excellent weight distribution and for not a single moment I felt like riding a 180kg machine even when I was moving it around by my legs There is just something about this mean machine which cannot be explained in words. It felt as nimble as my Splendor Plus. Roadster is really good but CB350 just hits the ball out of park in this area.
Comfort - Comfort wise both bikes are excellent but the ride quality has big impact on this aspect
Ride quality - This is where the decision was ultimately made with CB350 being butter smooth on both test drives. Roadster has a long way to go as far as ride is concerned, it is power hungry and the moment you drop the throttle Roadster starts feeling agitated. Whereas CB350 has this kind of Jekyll and Hide nature, with minimum throttle I was essentially cruising as if I was on my Splendor or Wego whereas the moment you twist open the throttle the roar of the beast is loud and clear and bike urges you to essentially go as wild as you can, in short a true allrounder bike.
Gear shifts - The slipper clutch and Honda's velvet smooth gearbox leave the roadster in smoke. No false neutrals, no missed gear shifts, no jerkiness, no stalling, no unnecessary throttle input required, whereas Roadster and all Yezdi/Jawa for that matter just give too many false gearshifts, jerkiness.
Other pointers - CB350 has better features than Roadster and then there is the reliability of Honda. Roadster is a really good motorcycle it just does not have enough going it's way currently to compete with CB350.
So finally after loads of thoughts and considerations
We have finally booked our CB350 Anniversary Edition (Matte Marshal Green) today with delivery date of 2nd April (our choice, the bike is ready in stock with dealership).
I will post my dealership experience and other bits about purchasing soon