[White Aviator]

Having neutral/forward set foot peg seems to be one of the most important priorities for you and so the bikes you've shortlisted seems correct.
I too had this as one of the conditions while replacing my Duke 250 and so I couldn't go for the Adv 390 no matter how much I liked it.

Then I shortlisted the Honda H'ness CB350, New RE Classic 350 and Meteor 350. I test rode all of them and liked the Honda best for its overall refinement, 6 years of warranty, the exhaust note (it's very subjective), extremely light clutch and overall experience at Honda Big Wing Pune. All included the H'ness was also cheaper at 2.47 Lacs on road Pune so it was the perfect choice for me.

I sold my Duke on the 10th of March and immediately booked the H'ness. The Big Wing people understood my inconvenience of not having a bike to commute so they expedited the process and delivered the bike to me on the 12th of March with the number plate. The experience since has been great and just like you I've been using it for commuting ~30-40 kms daily.

The bike has been absolutely spot on for my use case, it's smooth and refined, has enough power, good seat and seating position (I opted for the optional split seat which is longer and has a slightly taller grab rail), the brakes are phenomenal and the headlamp too is good (all the lights on the bike are LED unlike the RE bikes which I felt had inadequate lighting). The fuel economy has also been good as it returned 34 kmpl on the first full tank and 37.7 kmpl on the second full tank, all before the first service which is due shortly. The surprise was the Bluetooth connectivity features which I thought I wouldn't use but have now come in handy in many situations while riding and they do work with wired earphones.

I thoroughly enjoy commuting on this bike everyday and I feel you will too if you stretch your budget a bit. I surely think it'll be worth it and you would want to keep this bike for long. Check my bike in the photo and spot the foot peg position as well.

[Archie_27]

I think, if comfort is your paramount factor to purchase a Motorcycle that can do city commuting as well, you should have a look at the Himalayan. The plush suspension will be a boon for the back and the comfortable riding posture will also aid, although, the weight of the bike could be a little cumbersome even though it rides beautifully once you've taken your foot off the tarmac. Also narrow roads, bad roads, no roads, it doesn't affect the Himalayan as it's purpose built to take a good battering!

Other options that could be considered are Honda CB200X, the Xpulse, FZX (as you said) and the Dominar 250.

I'll recommend test riding each option for a reasonable time and then opting for the one that suits your taste, is comfortable enough and the one that feels like an extension of yourself rather than being a different entity!

I ride a CBR 150R and I feel very comfortable on that riding in the city, albeit it offering an aggressive posture, rear set pegs and not so compact dimensions.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by sreejithkk

My mind is almost set on Unicorn but confusion is, is it still worth buying it in 2022, or will FZ-X provide superior ride quality/refinement? (The best bike that fit my requirement, out of all the bikes that I extensively ridden is Suzuki GS 150R. It has better refinement and ride quality than Unicorn, but sadly it is no longer in production).

In terms of refinement, the Unicorn would be much more superior over the Yamaha.
My brother has a 3-month old FZ, and that engine grumbles like a bear, after 5000rpm. The ride is also hard.

[WhiteRider]

Looking at your requirements - Xpulse 200 4V is a perfect vehicle, period, I can recommend in and around 1.7lpa range.

I had narrowed down to FZ-X and Xpulse but when I test rode, man-o-man Xpulse blew me away. My need was similar to yours, daily office commute and occasional 100-150kms highway in and around Bengaluru. Xpulse ticked every box what I was looking for and moreover with Hero's service network; it makes you worry free.

FZ-X is 149 cc compared to Xpulse (oil cooled engine). Xpulse as per showroom promises mileage of around 45kmpl. I'm loving riding it everyday but relatively am a new owner and similar to you have been driving around and bought a bike after 15 years (I still have my CD-100 FC done, from 1996 - but I use it to just ride around my area).

[anshuman_b]

Originally Posted by aargee

If you're thinking in terms of Unicorn, Shine or basically in the 150cc segment & do not want to exceed 80 Kmph while having comfort as top priority, then I cannot help thinking about CB 200X or Hero xPulse[/url]. Both of them are good vehicles, can maintain 80 Kmph, offers comfortable ride (better than 150cc commuter segment) & also fits to your budget. Main benefit of these 2 being great suspensions to withstand abuse.

I had a Honda hornet 2.0, which is 95% simillar to CB 200X. I can say this with utmost confidence, that if comfort is a priority for you, you should avoid this bike like a plague.
The suspension is so harsh that I used to get severe backpain after riding for anything more than 20 minutes.
So finally, I cut my losses and sold off the bike within one year of buying it.

[tchsvy]

The Unicorn 160 is not the Unicorn of the old any more, and the spiritual successor is the H'ness 350. The aspects that made the Uni a comfortable commuter, like engine refinement, excellent suspension setup, and a comfortable riding triangle have been carried on to the H'ness. Honda is also providing dual channel ABS, traction control on the H'ness, all these make it a perfect commuter. If you want to retain the bike for say 8+ years then H'ness may be the best option for you, the extra money spent is well worth it.

Then there is CB200X, a spiritual successor to the OG Karizma. I would suggest you to check these two bikes out.

[groom]

With out doubt, Highness 350 or 350RS is THE best choice.
Comfortable ride, flawless rev happy engine, the CB DNA is very good in handling even in cities unlike the RE's, easy on maintenance, great sound, chic styling above all for your commute it gives a mileage of 35 consistently. So with out doubt CB is the answer.

[deepclutch]

I'm also in my 40's and sold out my Yamaha FZ25 an year back. The requirements are similar - a comfortable, relaxed ride. My search ended up in used RE Bullet. The second hand prices are very high and that's a reason I'm hesitating to purchase. Hornet 2.0 - I thought it is a well fit. Until many complaints of stiff rear suspension. I will most probably purchase a Standard 350 Bullet. Probably a BS-III STD 350.

[raksrules]

I no longer ride bike but back in 2008/9 or so, I bought my bike (sold now) and it was a unicorn. I liked Unicorn better than Pulsar due to it refined engine and planted ride. This was when the pulsar was considered "hot bike" and everyone (including my roommate) had this as first choice.
I loved this bike and probably will buy the same today if I wanted to. Had served me very well over several years without any hiccups. One very important reason for me to consider this bike was that it has the gear lever on both sides (as in we could operate with back of the foot for gear down and front for gear up). Pulsar had the single stick in front and for going down, we had to put foot below the stick and click our leg up. I didn't like this method and hence bought unicorn.

[RGK]

When I was in your dilemma four years ago, I chose Bullet Electra (I am 6.2" tall). The ride is a little tight, but it provides terrific grip and confidence.

Classic is great, but for tall individuals like us, the handle position may be different. There are three options to select from: Unicorn, Classic and Electra.

[mikeautherton]

I was in a similar dilemma. Have a 2006 Unicorn and 2008 R15. While R15 has its charm, Unicorn is the one that touches the heart. It is smooth and knows when to rise. It still appears to be the most practical commuting bike in my opinion for middle aged office goers. Should also be good for your height.

When I briefly started looking for the new bike given the age of my two bikes, the choices still narrowed down to Unicorn and the R15s, simply because of the practicality and simple design. Also remember, Unicorn was brought back to market after discontinuing it, such is its effect. I find no other bikes on which you can go with family or kids easily. As parking with car is an issue at most localities, Having a bike to go to nearby by location with kids or family, it will be useful to have a longer single seat.

Did I miss any other bike.

[ani_meher]

Any reason you are not considering scooters? Riding any motorcycle in traffic filled 16kms one way is going to be a big bother with constant gear changes and clutch engagement. A scooter such as Access, Burgman or even latest Aerox 155 will be far more comfortable. In traffic, the time difference between a motorcycle and a scooter with be hardly significant.

[Sebring]

Problem is with Honda Service. Activa and Unicorn get the worst treatment. They had spoilt my brother's bike completely after he had reported a lacklustre acceleration. I caught hold of the head mechanic at Silicon Honda and told him that the bike needs to be as good as the TD vehicle. Threw him a challenge. He himself worked on it and the bike was back to former glory. Post that we stay with the vehicle when it gets serviced, and insist that only the mechanic we know touch the vehicle. Touch-wood, its been great so far

Originally Posted by sai_ace

For those going nostalgic with their 2005 era Unicorn - it would be a folly to compare that with the current gen. The original unicorn was of a different breed - no features but that engine was divine. Mechanicals were very sorted out. The new unicorns as experienced by a few friends are quite poor in terms of quality or refinement - with frequent issues and niggles

[yatesh.92]

I've owned the Unicorn Dazzler for close to 8 years and done little bit over 36k kms before selling it off. It's the same engine as the Unicorn 150 and that motor was a gem in terms of refinement. Overall the ownership experience was quite amazing. It did have it's fair share of niggles but Honda's after sales service never disappointed me. The bike still had a lot of life left but sadly had to sell it off as it wasn't being used much after I purchased a brand new Ignis in 2018 to replace my ageing Santro Xing.
The bike will surely serve you well as a city commuter if maintained properly. However, for your height you may feel a bit discomfort when riding it. Do take a test drive. If it's all good then you can go ahead and book it. But yes do get some details on the service quality of Honda workshops around you before booking the bike. If the Unicorn doesn't suit you because of the height then I'd suggest you test drive CB200X/Xpulse 200/RE Himalayan given their high seat height.

[Jakku]

I am not sure if OP had decided the bike and booked it; if not, I would suggest seriously to look at Dominor (even if it will overshoot budget, it would be worth; my experience says, Bajaj can be trusted, it will hold together well). Last month, after almost 7-8 months, I started my bike for the first time. First cleaned it, then got a bottle of petrol added and then pumped for 5-6 times, then put choke and kick - in first kick it started. I now decided to keep it for another 2 more years and then scrap it by 20th year; might buy a bike just for small errands or will buy a Maxi Scooter (actual one, not Burgman type).

I was in the same dilemma of buying as I had completed 15 years of my Bajaj Discover 125 in 2020 amidst the pandemic and never got chance to sell well in time. Hence, only shortlistings happened, not buying.

My shortlist was Meteor 350: reasons -
a) I liked it better than the Classic when driven
b) It's snob value (for me); always wanted an RE, but could not afford when I bought my Discover.
c) Highness was not tested as Honda Big Wing is not near my home.
d) FZ-S was tested and I liked it. Might have settle with this, if I do not want to spend 2.5L for a bike (now, the finance consideration is "why to spend over a lac for a bike which will be seldom used").
Reason for not buying any bike - pandemic kicked in and dropped the idea of bike purchase.

A bit funny part of my bike purchase "reasoning".
When I bought Discover in 2005, original choice from shortlist was Unicorn and I was heading to their Domlur showroom, but while I was at the Domlur signal (now there is a flyover), I took a right turn at TGIF and booked Discover; reason - Discover had a trip meter whereas Unicorn didn't have one.
I could not afford RE and hence skipped it and decided my "upgrade in 5 years" would be to a bullet. But in 2010, bought a second hand car and bike up-gradation never happened, or never ever I thought of a reason to upgrade. Whenever I want a 2-wheeler, Discover served me well (for <3KM and interior routes) and for bit longer or "townside" rides, I use my wife's Duet.