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Old 10th January 2023, 12:56   #1
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Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

My cousin has the need for a motorcycle to be used in and around his city. His requirements are:
1. Comfort (he will travel through a lot of broken roads)
2. Adequate power
3. Stability at highway speeds

The maximum distance that he might cover in a trip will be around 30-40km. His budget is 1.5 lakhs, ex showroom. He can stretch to a maximum of 2 lakhs, ex showroom. What are his best options?
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Old 10th January 2023, 22:19   #2
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re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

The VStrom 250 SX seems like a good choice here, do check it out.
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Old 10th January 2023, 23:37   #3
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re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Does not get any better than the MT-15 by Yamaha or Duke 200 whichever fits the budget
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Old 11th January 2023, 07:18   #4
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re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox View Post
The VStrom 250 SX seems like a good choice here, do check it out.
Will ask him to consider the 250 SX.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IshaanIan View Post
Does not get any better than the MT-15 by Yamaha or Duke 200 whichever fits the budget
He didn't want to opt for bikes that are sporty because he feels they will cause back pain.

He looked at options like the RE Hunter 350 and the Classic 350, and told me that comfort is his first priority.
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Old 11th January 2023, 08:51   #5
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Quote:
Originally Posted by aravindb_0711 View Post
...His requirements are:
1. Comfort (he will travel through a lot of broken roads)
2. Adequate power
3. Stability at highway speeds

The maximum distance that he might cover in a trip will be around 30-40km. His budget is 1.5 lakhs, ex showroom. He can stretch to a maximum of 2 lakhs, ex showroom..
Hero Xpulse (best comfort on broken roads).
TVS Ronin (jack of all trades)
Honda CB300F (adequate on all three, peace of mind)
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Old 11th January 2023, 09:34   #6
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

I may not be qualified enough, but have some more questions/points to be considered, if you may please?
Quote:
Originally Posted by aravindb_0711 View Post
1. Comfort (he will travel through a lot of broken roads)
2. Adequate power
3. Stability at highway speeds

The maximum distance that he might cover in a trip will be around 30-40km. His budget is 1.5 lakhs, ex showroom
1. Can the FE or maintenance cost be quantifiable pls? Reason being, for 1.5L OTR we could suggest xPulse or even Splendour that can match the requirement
2. Can the Adequate Power be quantified pls as xPulse & CB300F are powerful & so is MT03
3. Can the budget be extended to about 20-30K more pls?
4. How many years the motorcycle is to be retained?
5. Nearest availability of ASC? Is that a factor to be considered to be a significant or least importance? (Eg. BigWings/Royal Enfield etc, hope you get the point)
6. Most importantly, how much money has been set aside for maintenance?
7. Vehicle ownership exclusivity to be considered or a mass market vehicle is OK?
8. Scooters? Especially Suzuki Burgman/Yamaha RayZR/Aprilia SR 160 considered & discarded for any reason?


Alternative thought: Not necessarily Ather, but any EV?
Reason: For a distance of an average 35 Km a day & 5 days a week should be ~8500 Km a year. Even if the average FE hoovers around 40 Kmpl (considering the cost of vehicle segment), 8500/40 Kmpl is ~210 liters of Petrol should cost ~Rs 22000 a year excluding the maintenance. All put together should be about 25K a year; suggesting this as the budgeted cost is nearly the same as EV (Ather 450+ should cost about 1.55L OTR) & the running cost should not be over Rs 1300 for the same distance a year. Subscription? Yes, ~Rs 4300 a year which is way too less than running a petrol motorcycle; and with an added convenience of carrying additional luggage under the seat as well as at floor board & missing the visit to ASC, oil & air filter changes.

All put together running a EV scooter should cost no more than 6K a year compared to 25K a year of a Petrol motorcycle

Last edited by aargee : 11th January 2023 at 10:04.
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Old 11th January 2023, 11:21   #7
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajay0612 View Post
Hero Xpulse (best comfort on broken roads).
TVS Ronin (jack of all trades)
Honda CB300F (adequate on all three, peace of mind)
Out of all your suggestions, he like the TVS Ronin the best. He doesn't like ADVs or off-road focussed bikes, hence the Xpulse is out of consideration.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aargee View Post

1. Can the FE or maintenance cost be quantifiable pls?
2. Can the Adequate Power be quantified pls
3. Can the budget be extended to about 20-30K more pls?
4. How many years the motorcycle is to be retained?
5. Nearest availability of ASC? Is that a factor to be considered to be a significant or least importance?
6. Most importantly, how much money has been set aside for maintenance?
7. Vehicle ownership exclusivity to be considered or a mass market vehicle is OK?
8. Scooters? Especially Suzuki Burgman/Yamaha RayZR/Aprilia SR 160 considered & discarded for any reason?
Thank you for such a detailed response!

1. He feels that FE and maintenance costs are not an issue as long as it is close to that of its competitors. He doesn't have the experience of owning bikes before, hence, he isn't clear with numbers in this area.

2. He mostly drives cars and hence was disappointed when their new car, an XL6, didn't have enough power. He wants to avoid that this time.

3. He can extend the budget by 30k.

4. The motorcycle will be retained till the end of its life. So, good reliability is also important.

5. Since all major brands have showrooms in his town, he is open to all of them. Though, small brands like Benelli and electric brands like Ather and Ola don't have showrooms in his town. Hence, they are not in consideration.

6. Explained in question 1.

7. Exclusivity is a bonus!

8. He has not considered any scooter; he told me he needs a motorcycle
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Old 11th January 2023, 11:42   #8
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Fz 150 or Fz 250
- Super comfortable / reliable easy to maintain
- Blend of good looks, adequate performance and peace of mind
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Old 11th January 2023, 12:22   #9
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Let him buy whatever offers dual channel ABS this side of two lakh rupees. I was doing some resesearch for my son recently and could find only the Pulsar NS 160, Apache RTR 200 and Yamaha Fz 250. He went for the RTR 200.
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Old 11th January 2023, 16:29   #10
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Quote:
Originally Posted by aravindb_0711 View Post
1. He feels that FE and maintenance costs are not an issue as long as it is close to that of its competitors. He doesn't have the experience of owning bikes before, hence, he isn't clear with numbers in this area.

2. He mostly drives cars and hence was disappointed when their new car, an XL6, didn't have enough power. He wants to avoid that this time.
Ok, so now we have response for:
Money, FE, Service cost - no barrier
Life - 15 years
Comfort - top priority
Power - must
Riding experience - Nil

So, for 2L OTR, all the middle weights cane be eliminated safely. Since reliability takes priority for longer duration, the Japs are to be more inclined towards; which leaves us with Honda, Yamaha & Suzuki (Kawasaki retails nothing in 2L OTR, atleast comfortably)

I would've suggested ADV KTM 250/390 or GS310(owing to comfort factor), however the ex showroom should be over 2.5L for all of them

Since money is no bar, would suggest CB300R (owing to 7 step rear suspension) or CB300F from Honda
Next choice is 250cc from Suzuki in the order of VStorm or Gixxer 250; the second choice is made because of some minor niggling issues reported here.
Last choice of mine would be Yamaha FZS 25; although the price, 154 Kg & adjustable suspensions sounds tempting, I'm not a fan of 5 gears (My 30+ year old Rx has 5 gears & this is 2022 a performance oriented motorcycle ought to have 6 gears)

Last but not the least, CB350 can be suggested as the concerned person is getting into riding & over 30; if he's young enough, then its strongly suggested taking the rides slow along with a very reliable helmet if the riding gears are ignored.
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Old 11th January 2023, 20:25   #11
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Quote:
Originally Posted by aravindb_0711 View Post
He didn't want to opt for bikes that are sporty because he feels they will cause back pain.
He looked at options like the RE Hunter 350 and the Classic 350, and told me that comfort is his first priority.
An RE prevents you from standing up on the pegs as easily to absorb bumps and imperfections in the road. If he finds the MT-15 too sporty due to his back hurting then I am sorry to have to point it out but he is on his way to severe back pain issues regardless of whether he buys an RE or an ADV or a Duke. Riding comfort is more down to whether the bike fits you and whether you are fit enough to ride. If you are not then it is a slow but painful slope towards a bad back and maybe even a slip disc regardless of what you opt for.

Last edited by IshaanIan : 11th January 2023 at 20:26.
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Old 13th January 2023, 15:34   #12
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gansan View Post
Let him buy whatever offers dual channel ABS this side of two lakh rupees.
Thanks, will ask him to look into that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by aargee View Post
Since money is no bar, would suggest CB300R (owing to 7 step rear suspension) or CB300F from Honda
Next choice is 250cc from Suzuki in the order of VStorm or Gixxer 250; the second choice is made because of some minor niggling issues reported here.
Last choice of mine would be Yamaha FZS 25; although the price, 154 Kg & adjustable suspensions sounds tempting, I'm not a fan of 5 gears

Last but not the least, CB350 can be suggested.
Thank you, will ask him to look at the options you have suggested.
Will the Honda bikes have a spare parts availability issue in the future due to their low sales?

Quote:
Originally Posted by IshaanIan View Post
Riding comfort is more down to whether the bike fits you and whether you are fit enough to ride. If you are not then it is a slow but painful slope towards a bad back and maybe even a slip disc regardless of what you opt for.
As we both do not have any experience riding motorcycles, we were of the impression that the ones with a sporty stance will cause back pain when travelling over long distances or through bad roads.
Thank you for the suggestion!
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Old 13th January 2023, 16:45   #13
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Quote:
Originally Posted by aravindb_0711 View Post
Will the Honda bikes have a spare parts availability issue in the future due to their low sales?
I'll give you different perspective that occurred few years ago & might be pertinent even today.

Bajaj Pulsar had immense success in Indian market that almost every 2-3 years there were minor engineering changes from RVMs to cables (atleast I know for sure on these 2 parts). Now as a new buyer its good because to own an improvised version; now the existing owners had a peculiar problem; when they visit ASC, either ASC had to order the parts for older models which may or may not be available eventually or the independent garages had to scourge finding a part that fits that specific model. And these are the Customers who cannot afford to leave the vehicle at ASC waiting for parts as those are their primary commute to ride anywhere, everywhere & almost everyday. Pls note that the problem here is not the availability, but befitting.

Point I'm trying to say is, spares are catch 22 situation with the worst & best selling models.

So far, I know only one manufacturer who sells the spares for 20+ year model vehicles & your cousin already has a model from that manufacturer - XL6

PS - 5 years from now, things would've taken a drastic change & in 10 years from now, spares might really become a rare for any fossil fueled vehicle. Hope you're getting what I'm trying to convey
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Old 20th January 2023, 16:44   #14
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Quote:
Originally Posted by aravindb_0711 View Post
My cousin has the need for a motorcycle to be used in and around his city. His requirements are:
1. Comfort (he will travel through a lot of broken roads)
2. Adequate power
3. Stability at highway speeds
Looking at your cousin's requirements, scramblers would offer the best of both worlds in terms of comfort and stability (relatively). On the marginally higher side of 2L ex showroom, your cousin can give a shot at RE Scram (slightly more than the set budget). And if you are checking Scram, then why not Yezdi scrambler. Both have their own unique takes on the concept, specially with their engine philosophies.

Under 2L, may I suggest Xpulse 200T 4V. Engine has run for quite some time in the market (X pulse 200), so spares and service networks should not be an issue. Though, compared to the above 2, it may seem a bit underpowered.
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Old 20th January 2023, 21:33   #15
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Re: Motorcycle purchase advice | 1.5 - 2 lakh budget

Quote:
Originally Posted by aravindb_0711 View Post
My cousin has the need for a motorcycle to be used in and around his city. His requirements are:
1. Comfort (he will travel through a lot of broken roads)
2. Adequate power
3. Stability at highway speeds

The maximum distance that he might cover in a trip will be around 30-40km. His budget is 1.5 lakhs, ex showroom. He can stretch to a maximum of 2 lakhs, ex showroom. What are his best options?

He has to test ride a lot bikes. That price range has some good offerings

1. Tvs apache 160 and 200 is a good consideration. Also Ronin seems to be pretty good.

2. Hero xpulse and xpulse scrambler is worth taking a look.

3. Honda hornet , cb200x .

4. Yamaha fz 250 cc and 150 cc

5. Suzuki gixxer 150 and the 200cc ,vstorm

6. Bajaj Pulsar product line up.

7. RE has the new scrambler .

It all boils down to which bike he finds most comfortable for a 30-40 km trip and the bike that's suits his pocket. Most importantly the bike he likes the most.

Take your time, visit all showrooms, test ride everything and check which one you can handle easily on an everyday basis.

Do let us know which one you bought.

Last edited by girimajiananth : 20th January 2023 at 21:35.
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