[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by Thatautoguy46

I bought the Gixxer SF250 after a long search of two years

Great answer, I find us agreeing on many aspects. The Gixxer is indeed a good product that is let down by its pricing and small niggles. Not to mention the ASC, which is a mess.

[SnS_12]

It depends on a lot of factors, your age, what you ride, where you ride and with whom you ride.

My first bike a 1999 RX135 was purchased by my dad for me in Nov 2004, with 44k kms on it by the first owner. By early 2005 I had already started fiddling with the engine to get more power out of it as two strokes are easier to work on in that aspect and cheaper than buying a more powerful bike even used. My riding buddies were mostly on RD 350's, with a few exceptions on RZ's, CB 400 and a GPZ 900. So, with the smallest displacement I always used to be left behind

Hence, the engine was mildly ported so that at least on the corners I could keep up and never aimed for straight line speed. The desire to get more power out kept growing over the years and the bike became more powerful yet reliable with added cosmetic modifications to make it more stable and brake effectively.

In between all this I got myself a RD 200 and RD 125 but those were never purchased with the intention of having a more powerful bike even though on paper they made more power than my RX 135.

By mid 2012 the itch for a big bike had grown to a level which couldn't be ignored but the only available bike in my budget was the Ninja 650. That is where lied the problem as I bought this bike because of budget constraints and didn't actually meet my requirements from a big bike and hence I ended parting away with it in 18 months of ownership.

The last bike I picked was the Busa and it is definitely more capable in every aspect than I am and is one bike which will plaster a smile on my face till the time I am able to ride it and even when I cannot I am sure I will be happy to just put a chair next to it and admire this engineering marvel for hours.

But still the itch remains to now have/add something different which will make me feel like a hooligan like when I ride my RX but on a different level

[ramnaresh_2000]

My 1st two wheeler was Pulsar 150 with push button start. It costed exactly 50k on road in 2002. This was the actual year Pulsar was launched. It was not my first choice, I wanted Hero Honda CBZ, but had to drop it due to mileage concerns.

I was the first person to get it fitted with double silencer, split handles and dual headlamps in my town.

When I shifted to UK, I handed over it to my cousin brother. It was not maintained well. After 4 years, I came back and spent 28k on repairs. I later stopped using it due to increased usage of my car and then purchased a Gixxer.

The RC, insurance and pollution expired 4 years back. It was resurrected 2 times from dead. Now collecting dust at my hometown. I gave strict instructions to my parents not to sell it and not to hand over it to our workers. Have been requesting my father to get RC renewed but he is not finding time. When a friend recently visited Delhi, I asked him to procure compatible odo meter as Bajaj has stopped manufacturing original odo meter for 1st gen Pulsar.

Moral of the story - I will never outgrown my two wheeler. Maybe because it was my first ride or maybe because of sentimental reasons that I never had any major accident on it. It just had too many memories which I don't want to let go of. I will be planning to get it resurrected again from dead the 3rd time sometime next year.

[ArTigor]

I have 2 bikes, a 2009 Honda Dio, a 2012 classic 350, ride them both even today, yes there have been atleast 4 new cars that were added in the family(2 of them sold), out of which one is the first car I bought by my own money. Yet I cannot think of parting ways with my Dio and Classic, I am ready for whatever it requires in the future, multiple rebuilds, or body change, whatever it may be. Although in the last four years 95% of my commuting is by my Tigor, yet the remaining 5% when its just about 'me', thats when these two bikes come to my company. After a nasty bike accident I do not have the urge for faster bikes(physical ristriction rather than psychological) nor do I look forward to offroading. I might never get over my classic 350 and the Dio, as they are the best for the intended use, small city rides and once in 6 months quick single day getaways nearby the city.

[PrasannaDhana]

Bajaj Sunny - Hero Honda CD100S - HeroHonda Passion - Royal Enfield STD 350 CI - Hero Honda Karizma R - Hero Honda Karizma ZMR - Bajaj Pulsar 200NS - Honda CBR 250R - KTM Duke 390 - KTM RC 390 Bs4

These are the motorcycles I owned.

I clearly out grew each of them, which means, I could ride them to their limits and still feel bored. Karizma R was again replaced by same engined ZMR as I was in my college at Chennai, and used to regularly do Chennai-Trichy-Chennai on the weekends. Those bikes were capable tourers.

The only pair I didn't out grow was the KTM 390s. It takes good amount of experience and skill to push 390s on their limits regularly. I don't think I will ever need anything more exciting than the 390s.

Agreed, I loved every bit of the riding time on Yamaha FZ 01 & Kawasaki Z900. But honestly, I wouldn't last a month or more on them, given my terrible lack of self control and extremely WOT riding style.

KTM 390 is a gift to every middle class experienced rider who craves excitement.

[SkylineGTR]

I own a Honda Unicorn which was a hand me down from an older brother. I have, at this point outgrown it, and am in the market for a new, bigger bike. Not sure which one to go with, but it'll most probably be either the Gixxer SF 250 or the H'ness. All I am waiting for is January to arrive so I can get a 2022 model.

[turbowhistle]

Originally Posted by aargee

The general automotive scene is (I mean generic & we all have to remember exceptions in every scenario), graduate -> find a job -> buy a motorcycle, become biker -> tour for sometime -> get married -> bike for some more -> buy a car, become an auto enthusiast -> graduate. Only difference is that the second graduation happens with a child.

Interesting and there's a lot of truth in this statement as I have seen a lot of friends slowly selling their bikes ( even commuter bikes) after getting married and settling down with car/activa.

My case was slightly different, I was handed down a HeroHonda Passion Plus when I turned 18 by my father and got Apache RTR 160 when I was 20-21. That was a lot of bike for my age back then and I had few close calls in the initial ownership. I got scared of my own driving ( I couldn't stop driving like a hoonigan) and decided to stop riding the bike altogether. Used the bike around 13000 km in first two years and maybe 2000-3000 km in next five years. The condition deteriorated over the time and my friends started using/abusing the bike as I wasn't using it at all. Sold it for just 15k to a fellow in my complex and closed the chapter.

I don't think I will go back to biking ( too invested in cars at this point) but might get a BMW G310 for the occasional riding at some point in future. Maybe if the midlife crisis hits hard

[GoBlue]

Bike 1: Pulsar 150 - 8 years | 7k km

Had an Activa (1st Gen with metal body panels) as an alternate vehicle which was primarily used as the Pulsar had some or the kind of problem which Bajaj SVC folks could not fix.

Sold it off and considered it as good riddance.

Bike 2: Suzuki GSX S750 - 2 years | 6k km

2 years and 6k km later, realized that I was not riding the bike as much as I should've been. Some introspection followed and there were 3 primary aspects that I did not like about the bike/genre (roadster):

1. Power band higher-up in the RPM range:
It's only after 7k RPM that this bike delivered proper thrust, which was not enjoyable as by the time one reached around 6k the speedometer showed silly speeds already. To be able to enjoy the top-end of this bike either an easily-accessible track or testicles-of-vibranium (no pun intended) seemed necessary. Both of which were unavailable.

2. Lack of comfort when riding on MH roads:
This is a genre-specific problem and not really specific to the Suzuki S750. I began to feel that maintaining consistently high average speeds on pothole ridden MH roads was getting difficult. The constant scouting to spot a pothole/rough patch, subsequent braking/evasive maneuvering and the accelerating to catch up was proving to be immensely annoying.

3. Windblast:
Add to it the windblast that is imminent at higher speeds. Riding these roadster bikes slow is no fun, riding at higher speeds is sheer torture due to the windblast. An after market screen helped to an extent, but it wasn't sufficient to feel comfortable.

Bike 3: Africa Twin Adventure Sports MT - 7 months | 2.7k km

This bike solves all the problems faced with Bike 2 and feels like it's destined to be a keeper.

Most importantly, I feel like wanting to ride the bike all the time - which is an important indicator of whether there's a connection with the bike.

Bike 4: Want an I4 engine experience, search is on for the position of 2nd bike in garage.
Of the liter-class sports-tourer genre though (decided not to buy roadsters ever - not enjoyable on MH roads).

[DDIS_RE650]

Bajaj Caliber Croma : 2002 to 2006 -(18,000KM) - First bike during college in Manipal, had good fun. Post college got it to Bangalore and within 1st year of Job exchanged to Pulsar 150.

Pulsar 150cc : 2006 to 2010 ( 27,000KM) - First powerful bike when compared to Caliber, did numerous ride and extracted most of it on Nice road. Exchanged to Karizma ZMR.

Karizma ZMR : 20010 to 2015 (35,000KM) - First super refined and better motorcycle when compared with prior Bajaj siblings. Thoroughly enjoyed but by 2013, Bangalore was crowded with Royal Enfield and I was blown by beauty of TB500. Sold it on OLX and upgraded to TB500.

RE TB 500 : 2015 to 2020 (20,000 KM) - First cruiser and most unreliable motorcycle, never got to understand why RE cannot even get a working fuel gauge. Always get it serviced at 2000 KM to ensure it should be always in prime condition. Sold it to one of car workshop owner and gifted myself RE-INT 650.

Interceptor Baker Express ( 2020 to Till Date, 1200 KM ) - Not planned purchased but thanks to Crazy Driver and Zigwheel (Karthik-coffee mug) review and of course most affordable twin cylinder. Wonderful machine but awfully ergonomics, this should be with for longer period. The poor baby is sitting ideally at home and weekly run is just 2 KM. My son is too young to be pillion and offices are closed.

Honda Activa : 2010 to 2014 (14,000 KM) - Our Nano car with two wheels, used it for grocery shopping and wife primary commute. Got real bore of this and felt on of the most boring to ride, sold on OLX and got Vespa S.

Vespa S: 2014 to till date - Most fun, comfortable, reliable, sturdy and nibble scooter which can put shame on 150cc bike in city condition. Only issue was MRF tyre which was very slippery hence upgraded to Ceat. Will keep this forever or will upgrade with OLA or Ather.

[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

But still the itch remains to now have/add something different which will make me feel like a hooligan like when I ride my RX but on a different level

Does this have anything to do with the new Hypermotard RVE/SP which was launched recently?

[sukhbirST]

Wow ! what a thread. Refreshes memories down the lane.
First Bike - RX 100 (1990 to 2002)- lived my dreams on it. Parted after 12 years and got back the original price. Never enjoyed riding so much. Did many long drives in Kerala.
Second bike - Boxer CT 100 Dx (2001 to 2009 ) - Bike in waiting for my new car. Did its job well and that was to save money.
Third Bike and still going on - XCD 135 (from 2009 till date) - Weekend basic needs only.

[Blacktop]

Used to own a Hero Honda Karizma between 2007-2012. Loved it. Got it serviced every 1800 kms without fail. Despite the extreme care, the engine failed at just 34,000 kms in 2010. It was out of warranty at 30,000 kms - good folks at HH authorized service center took care of it as though its still under warranty- had to pay only about a thousand bucks out of pocket.

The rebuilt engine lasted about a month - enroute to HH service station people at traffic lights pointed out the clouds of thick white smoke coming out from the exhaust :(

More experiments by the HH service station(tiny out of pocket charge for me) and the Karizma was back on the road. Come 2011 and the gear started to fail. It would not engage the second gear! Had to flip from 1st to 3rd - mastered it and rode it that way for months.
Around this time I started hating the bike. Took it to a different service station - the guy opened up the gear box, showed me broken bits from inside and told me that he has no idea how the gear box was working at all. Got the gear box replaced and continued hating the bike. Hard acceleration and I would see white specks from the exhaust. Got myself a car and a week later got rid of the Karizma - next buyer told me he'll heavily mod the engine and doesnt care about what happened to it - good for him!

I will never buy a motorcycle again.

[amartyasg]

Its funny, I think bikes just tug at hearstrings differently to cars. My father bought a Corolla back in 2004. I still drive it, and have been exclusively using it for the last 4 years. I don't feel like I've outgrown that car at all, but with bikes its a different story entirely!

I bought my first bike, a 2019 Yamaha R15 V3.0 in March 2019. My riding partners and colleagues at the time had a 2016 Duke 390, a 2019 RC390, a 2018 Dominar D400 and a 2019 TVS RR310.

And I entirely blame them for spoiling me by letting me ride their bikes, or just pulling away from me like I was stationary!

So fast forward another year, and while I was in awe of what this little 155cc bike could achieve and how fun it was on a small twisty road, I was growing a bit tired of always having to downshift and rev high to make any progress. Especially out on the highways. So early 2020, my colleague with the Duke 390 decided that he had enough of "Ready to Race" and switched to an interceptor, and I jumped in and picked up the Duke 390!

Been riding both my bikes for the past 20 months. I try to do equal mileage, but somehow the Duke has done 8000 km with me, and the R15 has done 5000 in the same time. So I think the favorite is clear. I feel I appreciate the R15 more, and its breadth of capabilities more, now that I have the Duke to satisfy my speed/acceleration urges.

So yeah, in conclusion, I outgrew my R15 in about 10 months, but after getting my second bike (for less than I bought the R15 new) I like it more. I had considered selling it to fund the Duke, but that never happened. I want to keep both now!

[shravansp24]

No

I learnt in a Fazer(v1) and bought a duke 200 bs3 in 2015.
As my riding is 75-25(city-outskirts of chennai), I thoroughly enjoyed the superb in-gear acceleration of the motorcycle and never needed more power

I have never been to the track and for the city ride, I doubt if I've ever maxed out its handling potential.

In 2019, after 46000+ kms of pleasure, due to problems with its gearbox and the need for ABS due to safety concerns, I exchanged it with a R15v3 dual channel ABS as I felt the power was adequate for my usage. Both motorcycles can cruise comfortably at 80-95kmph in the outskirts and had tonnes of power for city accelerations.

Though I miss the spirited engine of the KTM which is ready to fly in any gear any speed any time, the R15 excels in its top end power within city limits and outskirts��.

The only drawback I feel with my current ride is the lack of torque when riding with a pillion(my father).

P.S. I have done test rides on a duke 390, dominar 400, ninja 300 and a RE classic 350 before getting the R15 and apart from classic 350, rest all felt overpowered for my needs and I had more joy with frequent shifts and full throttles on my tiny little engines

[nav75]

Back in 1998 when I was about to start my first job, bought my first two-wheeler - LML Nv Spl. For a few years until now, I would move around on my friends Kinetic Honda or Dad's Vijay Super or Cousins Nv Spl.

The primary use was for commuting but ended up doing short rides around Pune. In around 1.5 years, after ~35,000kms, I was looking for a replacement (as Dad wanted it for his use). Decided to opt for a motorcycle this time as my commute was around 50kms daily and roads were getting worse due to construction work going on.

In 2000 Suzuki Fiero becomes my first motorcycle. In last 21 years we have done around 1,50,000km's of riding, including a few multi-days ride and has been my first choice of motorcycle (out of the others I had at that point of time) to take to Ladakh/Spiti between 2007 to 2010. Our last long ride together has been to Himachal and Pangi Valley, including riding to Shinku La in 2016, on the same day as it was inaugurated a year back.

After my first multi-day ride in 2003, followed by another ride to Chennai - Pondicherry and back to Pune, I felt I need a better bike for trips as I found the Fiero to be not so comfortable to sit on (but later it was confirmed that it was the rider who was the issue and not bike, confirmed by many more rides we went on together, without any issues).

In 2004 bought my second motorcycle, Bullet Electra 4speed. Over the past 17 years covered over 60,000kms of mainly non-commuting riding. Until the highways started to get 4/6 lanes, it was fun riding the bike. In the winter of 2004, did my longest solo ride on the bike, Pune - Himachal - Marhi (had to turn back as the road ahead was snowed out) - Pune, one of the few multi-days ride I did on Bullet.

Soon after I got Bullet, in comes my friend's CBZ, as he moved out of the country and didn't want to sell the bike. Sparingly used the bike in 12 years, covering around 30,000kms, including my first track day in 2007, at Coimbatore while I was on a tour of South India.

After a couple of more years, wanted a faster motorcycle and came across a good deal on a used Karizma. In 2009, another motorcycle gets added to my garage. Over the last 12 years did around 72,000kms, went on a few road trips. It was Karizma on which I started my rallying journey. In 2011 I directly took part in Raid de Himalaya, thinking how hard it could be and since then, it has been a never-ending process of trying to get better at off-road riding.

After my first track day on CBZ, I got to ride a couple more times at Coimbatore on borrowed Apache and RTR, track day bug has also bitten me. In 2011, a friend was selling his almost new R15 and decided to pick it up. Soon after attended CSS at Chennai and experienced firsthand as why R15 was praised so much. During the past decade, we rode some 50,000kms and I never thought R15 will be as fun to tour on and ride off-road as it is on-road and track.

As age is catching up, finally I decided that I must also experience riding a bigger motorcycle, so in 2020, bought my first multi-cylinder motorcycle - Triumph Street Triple RS. The plan was to use it more for track riding but due to Covid, plans have got spoiled. Still in just less than 2 years and just over 3,000kms, have had some fun riding the bike.

After struggling to tweak my Karizma for rallies, this year (2021), I decided to spare Karizma the torture and get a more purpose-built motorcycle and come home XPulse. Just after 1st servicing, rode the bike from Pune, to take part in the Rally of Chamba and with an all-new motorcycle, still managed to do a lot better than what I have been able to do over the years in rallies.

During this time, road a few other bikes for 1,000 to 12,000kms on each of the motorcycles - Victor Edge, Unicorn, Pulsar 220, Pulsar 200NS, CBR 250, RTR 160, Dominar 400, Duke 390.
For a short while, owned a modified RX (165cc - 135cc) that I could ride on street.

Till now, haven't felt the need to sell any of my motorcycles as I still love riding them.
Outgrown them? May be not me but the highways have surely outgrown a few of them.