[mpp1]

Just get a DNA/K&N air filter and maybe play around with the sprockets.
The only real replacement would be Vstrom SX, all the other bikes are not that big an improvement over the FZ IMHO.

[Legal_Eagle]

Out of the two bikes you have shortlisted, I have owned 1st gen Duke 390, 1st gen Dominar 400 previously and currently own Int650. This is not to disappoint or discourage you, but please do not buy Dominar or Int650 if you own FZ25.

Reasons:

Dominar 400
1. Awkwardly balanced weight
2. Top heavy
3. Poor resale
4. Build quality is not what you expect in a flagship product
5. The area around the engine is so cramped that you would need to de-skin your two fingers to even insert inside
6. Dated design at the rear
7. If you are married, taking your better half as pillion would soon ruin your relationship
8. Engine though reliable would turn gruff after few thousand kilometres
9. Not so good turning radius
10. Awkwardly placed rider foot pegs

Interceptor 650
1. For the money you pay, what you get is a fantastic engine. That’s about it.
2. Braking is not adequate at highway speeds and if you have not mastered the art of engine braking, alas!
3. Riding ergonomics- you must be one among the 47 Ronins to feel comfortable in stock settings
4. Foot pegs foul with your ankles whenever you put your feet to the ground
5. The rear foot pegs are placed so high that you can punish people you don’t like by taking them pillion on your bike or the pillion has to be a contortionist
6. The weight, around 210kgs. If you have parked in a tight space that has forward incline, book RSA and take a cab back home!
7. Suspension or rather the lack of it. Ride CB350 and Int650 back to back, you would know what I am talking about. The suspension on Int650 is soft at the front, the weight would have compressed it to an extent, you sit on it - it’s fully compressed with little or no travel left whatsoever. You would feel nostalgic, like riding old Hero Atlas cycle. Rear suspension is a punishment for whoever has wronged you.
8. Seat - unforgiving like the Vikings, all you have to do is go for one long drive to reach Valhalla
9. Kms per litre - in Bangalore city, 17-18kmpl, highways - 22kmpl. Diesel swift gives you much better efficiency
10. For 3.86lakh on road, you get a sublime parallel twin engine, everything else is a blank canvas, you really need the patience of Dalai Lama and a passionate flair like Rembrandt to truly make it yours. Do you have it in you!?

Remember, the above two are not for you if you are coming from FZ25, and well if you ask me, yes, may be I am Frank Castle, taking punishment before I turn 😉

[Fastdriver]

Originally Posted by RenuKumar

5000 kms is definitely not worth the change and FZ25 is a perfect bike with very low maintenance costs, excellent fuel efficiency, good handling, comfort and is confidence inspiring!

You ride non-stop for 1000 kms and you will not be tired. The low end torque is very good

I am only disappointed with the headlamp and the sixth gear.

Have completed about 40k kms on the Fazer 250 and I do not want to go for the KTM Adventure or the Himalayan. Suzuki 250 is not an upgrade for me

FZ 25 can still be your city bike

You should keep the FZ25 for longer-term (for city use, moderate tours etc.). I had a BS4 Moto GP Edition FZ25 which got stolen just after one year/4000+ km of ownership but I again purchased the BS6 version of the same. It is simply an all rounder. BS6 version gives much better fuel average and the headlight just works at night in comparison to the useless headlight of the BS4. BS4 was noticeably quicker though. I wish it had the sixth gear. I feel you don't have that proper upgradation that makes sense in the mass market currently (like me). You will find that bike in Kawasaki, Triumph, ..... etc.

[Mandeep0172]

Good thread but you forgot to mention your upgrade budget . If you have a an upgrade like you selling their would be other people selling bikes at 5000 kms you can buy a second hand too.Ninja 650 , Harley Street rod 750 etc

Originally Posted by SiLxNcE

So the upgrade bug has slowly started to bite me too, and I am keenly looking forward towards something bigger than what I ride now.

[SiLxNcE]

Originally Posted by RenuKumar

5000 kms is definitely not worth the change and FZ25 is a perfect bike with very low maintenance costs, excellent fuel efficiency, good handling, comfort and is confidence inspiring!

You ride non-stop for 1000 kms and you will not be tired. The low end torque is very good

I am only disappointed with the headlamp and the sixth gear.

Have completed about 40k kms on the Fazer 250 and I do not want to go for the KTM Adventure or the Himalayan. Suzuki 250 is not an upgrade for me

I would recommend you to wait for the Hero Xpulse 400 or buy a used Versys. FZ 25 can still be your city bike

Thanks. I have never ridden it for more than 500kms a day. So, I haven't really explored all day touring on it. I felt it would lead to some fatigue and the bike may feel strained. But it would probably hit my limits in the initial days before I hit the bike's limit. The headlamp is a miss. Its still better than BS4 but yes, not bright enough for night highways. I try to avoid riding at night on highways though.

A Versys would be a huge bike. Have seen it in person and it makes a 390 Adv look like a kid. And that's already such a big bike. I want something more manageable. Yes, the Xpulse 400 can be worth a wait, but it would be more dirt-bike style (not a fan).

Originally Posted by mpp1

Just get a DNA/K&N air filter and maybe play around with the sprockets.
The only real replacement would be Vstrom SX, all the other bikes are not that big an improvement over the FZ IMHO.

This looks like a great suggestion. I will try it out. How does it play along with company warranties though?
Also, I think the Vstrom is more like a slightly horizontally inclined move from the FZ, rather than a proper upgrade. I mean, from a power perspective, it feels pretty closely matched. Except for the top end. Thats higher on the Vstrom. I probably want something that's a little more.

Originally Posted by Legal_Eagle

Out of the two bikes you have shortlisted, I have owned 1st gen Duke 390, 1st gen Dominar 400 previously and currently own Int650. This is not to disappoint or discourage you, but please do not buy Dominar or Int650 if you own FZ25.

Really appreciate your answer! And whatever you have written from your experience is whatever I have read/heard about in other forums, but never had an actual chance to ride any of these, well, till today.

So, a friend recently got the Dominar 400 Touring edition, and I got to ride it today for around 80kms on a 3 lane highway. Great road presence. The bike is like a train. On tracks. In a straight line, it pulls and just pulls. Easily sits at 120kmph with a lot of juice left. That too with pillion. Can cruise all day on it. And here are the few things I noticed, that matches with you too (and one that doesn't):

1) Weight distribution is a miss. I could understand how well my FZ25 is balanced after riding this. The front of the bike has a strange awkward weight. On a highway it wasn't very evident, but at places where the highways bent, and I had to lean in, I could feel the balance, or lack of it.

2) Engine has vibrations. And most of it is transmitted to pillion footpegs, and some to the handlebar. The mirrors don't get blurry though. Maybe because of the heavy bar-end weights and premium mirrors. But this bike was just 3000kms old and vibrations are not a good sign.

3) Pillion comfort was suprisingly good. That tiny little backrest integrated neatly into the toprack is just a god-send. Every bike should have it. It saves the pillion from any acceleration jerks and with saddle stays and a top box, I reckon a pillion can comfortably fall asleep in there. The pillion footpegs were a little high. But the rider footpegs were well placed. Not as sporty as my FZ, but good enough.

The Interceptor, I have no idea how it is to ride though. But I will take your word for it and skip test riding it altogether. The new blacked out alloy wheel version looks tempting, but then, everything else in the bike is the same as before, and that isn't a good thing. Also, mileage would be important to me as I will use it daily. So, high 20s is good.

What about your Duke 390? Well, a lot has changed in KTM since then. And in some recent ADV 390 ownership videos on youtube, people are claiming to have received 36kmpl+ and are mentioning how the new ones are not stalling in traffic and has some amount of usable torque in the low RPMs. Looks like KTM is making necessary changes under the table and not bragging about it. I will still go ahead and test ride an ADV 390 to make up my mind. And will hold on to my FZ25 for some time longer.

And about the Frank Castle part, the way I see it, it has given you a clear picture of what you want and what you want to avoid. Thats a win-win and something I wish I get to understand too.

[mpp1]

This looks like a great suggestion. I will try it out. How does it play along with company warranties though?
Also, I think the Vstrom is more like a slightly horizontally inclined move from the FZ, rather than a proper upgrade. I mean, from a power perspective, it feels pretty closely matched. Except for the top end. Thats higher on the Vstrom. I probably want something that's a little more.

Yamaha could have made the bike a bit more potent but I guess the kitna deti hai side of things forced them to restrict the bike to 20HP and 5 gears. Powerwise I guess the only upgrade would be Adventure 390 or wait and see what RE's been cooking with its new 450 platform.