[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

......And when you talk about suspension first bike that comes to mind is the Xpulse 200. I understand your experience at HERO showroom was horrible but don't let go of the excellent product because of that one showroom experience. Try out a couple more I would say......

+1
Although I have now sold my Xpulse, it has by far the most comfortable motorcycle suspension AND everyday rideability that I have experienced. I just wanted it to have more power, but it is perfectly adequate for all commuting requirements.

[anjan_c2007]

Going through your post as you say you have to do 100-200 kms a day of commuting I believe the machine needs to have a 150 cc plus engine. Yes TWENTY PLUS kmpl is not a comfortable figure with such long distances commuted, even if you are TWENTY PLUS years of age.

The 150 cc plus Honda bike lineup is impressive. The Unicorn, XBlade, Hornet and CB200X are good for your commuting. Please also check the Suzuki and TVS bike ranges here.

The 100 or just 100 plus cc machines of any make could be laggards for such 100 kms plus commutes though lakhs of riders prefer these for covering similar distances. It becomes a bit tiring both for the rider and for the machine.

[shancz]

Valid points have been made regarding the comfort of motorcycles over long distances and the larger wheels with longer travel suspension do make a big difference.

If that's the case then try out the 110-125cc offerings from TVS, Bajaj and Hero(some other dealer if available). Some bikes I can think of are the TVS : Star City+, Raider and RTR 160 4V, Bajaj : Platina, Pulsar N160, Hero : Super Splendor, Xtreme 160R, XPulse 200T 4V.

But, like you mentioned earlier that Ather was "ok" for your usage then I would still bank on it. Just to try other options you can also drop in to TVS to test ride the iQube as well and if you're still thinking of ICE scooters, check out the Jupiter 125(under seat storage is good).

Good Luck and Keep us posted

[ProLearner]

You have good bikes already, and just for commuting with good mileage, all brands have many commuters.
But my main suggestions would be:

TVS Raider- it has great mileage, a 3 valve engine (most others have a 2v engine), looks good, and lightweight.
For some more power, you can also try for the Apache 160 2V. Slightly higher cost than Raider, but with ABS.

The Honda shine, either 125cc or new 100cc which is e20 compliant, so it will give even better mileage. Shine sells in huge numbers and is very reliable. Probably the only E20 compliant bike in this range.

The Bajaj CT125x can also be considered. It looks good on the road, and is newer than the Platina.

The Yamaha FZ is also basically a commuter, and gives ok mileage, but it is expensive for what it offers.

I would not suggest any Hero bikes as there have been some issues since the BS6 for their commuters.

For scooters, you can look at the Suzuki Access 125, or The top selling Activa. But a bike will always give better mileage and ride comfort.

[Mandeep0172]

The best addition to your garage will be an electric two wheeler
1. Hero Vida
2. TVS iqube
3. Ola electric
4. Bmw ce 04

I have stayed in Banglore for 2 years i know the traffic problem there. It really tests your patience. No doubt all these last mile delivery startups are based out of Bangalore.

Originally Posted by Nayra

Okay second time here we go! (I messed up the first time trying to post).

Greetings! a long time lurker here, like 13 years long time. Grew up sitting beside my dad as he browsed the site when I was 9 and now I am the 22 year old browsing as his dad sits and watches beside him.

Well let me start off by giving some context to you all. We have always had a bunch of vehicles numbering close to absurdity, though Covid-19 hit my dad's collection hard and we ended up selling a lot of them off but things have changed and now we need another two-wheeler. Why? well for one our total daily usage between my dad and I is pretty high, almost 100+ km per day minimum and can be as high 200km and the bikes we do possess right now are not really economical. Let me elaborate.
we currently own

• Kawasaki Ninja 300: Exclusively used for highway runs.
• Yamaha RX100: A legacy piece with over 1.5 lakh km on the odo. Not used much owing to old age and has been mostly retired from service
• Aprilia SR150: The daily work horse and honestly the only bike which can be used daily.

As you can see, the less I say about the mileage we get from our vehicles the better and when my dad takes the SR150, I am forced to ride the Ninja around in Bangalore traffic which is about as horrendous as it sounds.

So here is our conundrum. We need a bike, a scooter, anything with two wheels and an engine and the major requirements are that

It has to be robust, reliable and really REALLY good mileage.

This bike is primarily going to be used by me for the daily office commute and occasional luggage lugging during any modelling gigs I get. I am tired of getting a mileage in the 20s and want something different for once.

We have been looking around the entry level commuters for example Splendor, Platina etc and scooters like the Activa and Access but the sheer number of options coupled with the lack of solid reviews regarding the bikes in this space have left us confused.

There you have it! Any thoughts and suggestions?

[gautam109]

Originally Posted by Nayra

Well there you have it! Ather 450x here we come (for now).

Wondering if Tork Motors is present in your city and would it make sense for you to check the out? Tork is a focused electric motorcycle start-up and aims to deliver motorcycle like dynamics. The bikes are made by Bharat Forge, which should make for good build quality. Might be worth checking out before taking delivery of the Ather.

On flip side, Ather has a much longer real-world track record; is more of a known quantity in terms of real-world performance.

There are a few Tork Kratos reviews on the Forum - here's one:
https://www.team-bhp.com/news/tork-k...mg-zs-ev-owner

[advstreak]

Originally Posted by gautam109

The bikes are made by Bharat Forge, which should make for good build quality

Sorry to go off-topic but are you sure the new factory has gone live?

https://www.financialexpress.com/exp...bikes/2810900/

As per this article, the new factory was supposed to go live in January.

[gautam109]

Originally Posted by advstreak

Sorry to go off-topic but are you sure the new factory has gone live?

https://www.financialexpress.com/exp...bikes/2810900/

As per this article, the new factory was supposed to go live in January.

I'd come across this article and relied on it for my statement. Thanks for finding and posting it! I don't have any first-hand confirmation or additional insight as such. I will update if I get any.

[GreasyCarb55]

Originally Posted by Nayra

There you have it! Any thoughts and suggestions?

Boy do you have a lot of options so let's go from cheapest to most expensive. (All prices mentioned are on-road Bangalore, source - Bikewale)

Honda Dio/Activa 6G - The Honda Dio and it's more popular brother the Activa 6G are the Honda's quintessential scooter offerings. Both have the same rock solid 7.6bhp 110cc motor. Pick the one which looks best to you.

Prices - Dio (Standard 89,700, Standard Sports edition 90,300, DX 94,300 DX Sports edition 96,600) Activa 6G (Standard 94,800, Premium Edition Deluxe 96,300, Deluxe 97,800, Smart Key Alloy 1,00,500)

TVS Raider 125 - Honestly, this is the only 125cc bike to buy today. Good looks, great handling (for a 125cc commuter) and fun colours. No brainer choice as a pure commuter.

Prices - Drum 1,14,300, Disc 1,19,500, SmartXonnect 1,36,300.

Hero XPulse 200 4V - Honestly the best bike for Bangalore roads on this list, you'll cruise over potholes. 19hp is plenty for a 160kg dual sport. Doubles as a tourer, triples as a dirt bike/offroader.

Price - Standard 1,81,000, Rally Kit (optional add on) 34,000 from Hero e-shop.

Yamaha Aerox 155 - The fastest scooter in the country (if you ignore the 10lakh+ BMW C400GT). Extremely fun scooter, good mileage (especially for what it offers) and you can even tour on it if you want. With this you can replace the SR150. Only real problems being lack of space for cargo near the feet.

Price - Standard 1,86,400, MotoGP Edition 1,88,900

[Axe77]

If you have a surplus two wheeler at home, I’m not sure whether plonking 1.15 - 1.75 L on a fourth two wheeler will add up on the math if the sole reason is to bridge the fuel efficiency. Given your extraordinarily high running perhaps it still makes sense to buy I guess.

Assuming you still want a cheap and cheerful and economical to run 4th vehicle as a point A to point B solution, amongst scooters I’d reckon you can’t go wrong with the Access 125 or the Activa 110 cc offerings. Perhaps you can consider 4-5 year old options to minimise the initial capex outlay since these models are reliable and can easily give 9 - 10+ years of hassle free ownership.

As a curve ball, perhaps consider the Revolt EV motorcycle if it supports the desired range that you need on a daily basis. Will have the comfort of a motorcycle format (including the larger wheels) and will be super efficient, specially if you have your own charging point facility at home.

Most commuter segment ICE two wheelers (bikes and scooters both) from mainstream brands are actually reasonably predicable and reliable to own honestly so I suppose just look out for which are the most fuel efficient to operate, come at a cost that is acceptable and you should have your answer.

EDIT

Just saw you’ve already chosen the Ather. I think if the cost of purchase and its real world range work for you then its an excellent choice. Its easily the most mature EV scooter offering available on the market right now and combined with your home power solution, for your kind of high mileage you’ll practically be running it free, like you rightly said. Great choice and do keep the forum updated on your ownership experience.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by Nayra

Ather

The wild card entry. We passed by the Ather showroom while returning home and figured why not?

In the first 6 posts no one even bothered considering the Ather. And even after this post people continued recommending ICE 2 wheelers.
Finally in Post 20 we see the 2nd mention of EV's.

Well there you have it! Ather 450x here we come (for now).

Congratulations on the wise decision.

Aprilia SR150: The daily work horse and honestly the only bike which can be used daily.

Now that you have the Ather, do you really need the Aprilla? Doesn't the Ather fulfil the above requirement of a daily workhorse?

[Iyencar]

You really should ride the ntorq. It’s nothing like the Activas and Jupiters, only scoot to come with large wheels front and back plus changes direction like no scooter had any business doing. I love mine and have done regular 60 km and longer commutes with no problem.

[jetsetgo08]

As much as people may recommend, doing 100+ kms on daily basis on a 100cc commuter bike/scooter will wear out the body, unless one is really fit. Also, depends on the traffic conditions which the 2wheeler would most likely spend. But, in general any 125cc 2wheeler has the best blend(or rather compromise) of mileage, power and comfort.

One would not go wrong with almost any of SP125 , Shine 125, Glamour, Super Splendour, Raider. All of them have 5 gears and are marginally heavier (leading to better ride quality) as against their 100-110cc siblings.

P.S.: I once ridiculed the existence of the 125cc bikes when 150cc bikes were affordable and the price difference between them was marginal. But, alas, how quickly the days have changed?