[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by v12

If you have backpain, get a motorcycle. Period. Scooters are as good (or you can say worse) as auto rickshaw's. On our kind of roads where the potholes are deep and the speed bumps are tall, a scooter is not an ideal 2 wheeler. You can pretty much feel every pothole on your shoulder and back. And the worst part is that if you encounter a surprise pothole, you cannot brace yourself and stand to minimise the impact.

I ride a Suzuki Access and a Hero Xpulse - and I really hate getting onto the Access. Agreed its a very practical 2 wheeler and can carry 2 people with decent amount of luggage. But if you are going to be riding solo for the most part of it, get a motorcycle.

Do try out the Hero xPulse... it's a damn good motorcycle. Cheap, reliable, comfortable, light. It will not cure your back pain, but it will make damn sure that you wont feel it.

You should try the Ather... You mighty change your mind. Suspension is superb.

[chaosengine]

Bikes are generally designed to handle roads of different kinds and their suspensions are inherently more equipped than a scooter. Being on the shorter side and not very strong either, I own a nimble FZ25 for the city and have loved commuting in the thick of Bangalore traffic for 45km on a daily basis for the last 4 years and have never once faced any issues with respect to pains. On days when the bike is given to service, I pick up my dad's Active for errands and find the suspension to be as capable as that on my bicycle from my school days. The amount of cushioning and also confidence I get from a bike has pampered me to an extent that riding the Active gives me a backache if I have to go over 20km in one stretch. While the ride on my bike feels like a breeze, the same over an Activa and I am all tired and cranky by the time I am home. For reference, I am 29 years and 25 months of age.

PS: Of course, I prefer the car for dependability reasons, but with time, I will probably move more towards the Yamaha Aerox/Aprilia SR kind of motoscooters with age, because for Bangalore roads, it's all about the ride comfort (and grip as a rider) for me.

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Hello All!

As you may or may not know, I currently have an Ather 450 Plus that I use for my daily commute and I have been suffering from back pain, not because of fatigue, that you normally get due to seating position, but due to the suspension being so stiff (and for my height I sit a little further behind for better control of the scooter) that I feel every single undulation on the road. I had the seat changed but that hasn't completely solved the issue. I still am a student and am staying with my parents and am requesting them to maybe sell the Ather and maybe look at a few used motorcycle options. When I say this, I mean nothing very sporty like a Duke, but moreso on ADV/Cruiser/ Touring oriented motorcycles. I primarily think these motorcycles because of their large tyres, long suspension travel and straight seating positions will be much more comfortable. However my father (the last motorcycle that he rode was a Suzuki Samurai, 16 years ago and hasn't ridden any motorcycle since) thinks that it will not make a difference. Although I will get my back checked out by a doctor, I know for a fact that my back ache is caused by the bumps and undulations that cause my scooter to send small shocks up my back that finally result in pain.

I would love to get your opinion on the same. Thanks!

[kvamshi04]

Motorcycles for sure, provided you don't have to get groceries regularly.
Motorcycles have a better riding posture, I have a Dominar and a Burgmann. Dominar is very comfortable for office runs and highway runs, the only place it fails is grocery runs !!! Burgmann on the other hand is comfortable due to better leg space compared to other scooters. but on longer runs can give some backache and is not very engaging to ride.

[p__t]

Went from 2004 Honda Dio to a 2021 Yamaha Aerox and the suspension on both feel just a smidge better than a bicycle. So no, scooters are not comfortable. It's fine for short distances on decent roads especially the Aerox with its upright stance.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Thank you all for your responses and for your concern! I did get my back checked out by the doctor who has said that there is no problem with it per se and it was just the result of the terribly stiff suspension coupled with the bumps and undulations of Indian roads.

I do apologise for not mentioning the distance earlier. The average daily distance I cover is 25 - 30kms totally and the highest I've covered is around 82 kms.

Hey!
I used to go to college by scooter which was 50km two way. Did it in an old Aviator and later in an Access.

I also used to have this back pain but I started doing some planks, push-ups and other back strengthening exercises which eliminated my back pain.

If you're having a relatively sedate lifestyle, this can be a good workaround until you get a bike and is a great way to get into an active lifestyle.

Take care!

[saion666]

I always found scooters a lot more comfortable/convenient than bikes. They are easier to ride and have a very comfortable seating postion compared to bikes.
I have a suzuki access and a Hero electric Atria.
Bikes I have rode are honda unicorn,pulsar, RE thunderbird, yamaha SZR,splendour,cd100,hero passion.

I would choose a scooter anyday over the above mentioned bikes. Also a disclaimer I never use two wheelers for more than 10kms travel.

[VijayAnand1]

Being a biker myself, I'd love to take the role of devil's advocate here and summarize my thoughts. Yet still, I've voted for a scooter.

A motorcycle is comfortable, depending on the motorcycle one rides.
A scooter is any day comfortable for ease of use and carrying luggage, if that counts as creature comfort. The variables for both differ on their intended use and the genre it's aimed at. A guy who's been with bikes all his life, like me, would swear by a motorcycle any day, be it comfort or daily errands, yet there were many days where my derriere would have liked otherwise.

On the contrary, a scooter rider's perspective would be practicality, ease of ingress and egress, the comfort he expects when trundling his luggage and a wide and spacious seat. I would vouch for a scooter's seat for better comfort than a motorcycle's seat any day.

A even more finer point to keep in mind is, the seat firmness, the seat comfort, suspension, foot placement are all variables that are unique to each scooter and motorcycle, and hence the variables are inversely proportional.

I've known folks who ride bikes like Versys, Ninja 1000 and the high spec gamut, still prefer scooters for city commutes practicality and trundling around. In India, practicality is considered a big part of rider comfort, as opposed to creature comforts that motorcycles offer. There is a reason why Activa sells more than Hero Splendor in most cases, even though both are regarded as benchmark in their categories.

Partly to be blamed that most bikers turn to scoot-kers after their nuptial vows, which most can relate to.

Comfort is a variable and not a constant, be it with scooters or motorcycles.

Cheers!
VJ

[vijaythacker]

I have always been a motorcycle guy and thats what it is. But for the sheer comfort of utilities and luggage carrying ease plus within the city rides you cant beat scooter.I bought my first scooter 8 years back, tvs jupiter and rode 80k without any back pains that i did felt on activa that i used a few weeks.
If you are looking for your father a vehicle, TD tvs jupiter and then decide.
I am currently driving activa 125 new lot as i wanted a more powerful ride then 110cc but i feel it still doesnt match the comfort of jupiter.

[DDIS_RE650]

Scooter for short distance, tight parking area and grocery shopping.
I feel Vespa is perfect for crowded city and very nimble while Interceptor is meant for long empty stretch. Interceptor is very uncomfortable in traffic and difficult to park/move across narrow lanes of Patna.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Thank you all for your inputs!, Just to clarify, I do workout regularly and now after a lot of consideration and test riding, I have sold the Ather and booked a BS6 Himalayan. Thank you all! Cheers

[Neo18]

If we are clear on what purpose the scooter/motorbike has to serve, the picture becomes much more clear. A maximum of 10 kilometers with pillion and/or small luggage which can go on the floor board or helmet compartment is the sweet spot for a scooter. Anything that does not fall in the above category either in terms of distance and/or luggage, a bike wins hands down. Of Course there is the category of maxi scooters like Aerox which tries to bridge this gap between a traditional CVT Scooter and a bike.