[Bhupesh_2628]

Considering your 6 feet height, I'll suggest to test drive Pulsar N250, F250 and NS200. Good bikes, not heavy and can easily ride at 60 - 80 kmph at lower RPMs.

[GeeTee TSI]

As a scooter rider all my life, I was looking for similar characteristics for the urban trails that one encounters!
The V Strom 250 was my pick, perhaps you should checkout all the ADVs in the 200+cc segment

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by the_joker

So, the questions I have are:

• Will a 125 cc bike (not counting KTM 125) be sufficiently powerful?
• Will a 150 cc class bike (not counting Yamaha R15) be sufficiently powerful or will I need to look at 200 cc and above?
• tI shortlisted Shine, Unicorn, Xpulse, CB350/RS, Hunter 350, Classic 350, V-Storm SX for now. Any opinions on these? Should I add any other motorcyles to my shortlist?
  

I'll keep this as simple a reply as possible XD

Recommendations:

1. RE Himalayan/Scram

Pros

1. Supremely Comfortable
2. Powerful enough for your needs
3. Great Luggage Mounting Capability (Strapping a bag to the rear rack/ Attaching a Top Box for daily items etc.)
4. Decent Fuel Efficiency (I get 30kmpl in the city, vill vary depending on trafic)
5. Cheap Maintenance
6. Low End Torque, Tractable Engine. helps in city traffic

Cons

1. You may find it heavy
2. Not as nimble as other contenders
3. Heats up in heavy traffic
4. Slightly Heavy Clutch, but in my experience, you get used to it quickly


2. Hero Xpulse

Pros

1. Very Comfortable
2. Pretty Light and Numble
3. Good Fuel Efficiency
4. Cheap Maintenance

Cons

1. Questionable Service Centres
2. Mxed Opinions on Reliability of the Vehicle


3. Suzuki Vstrom SX

Pros

1. Good Features
2. Good Comfort (Not as much as the previously mentioned bikes, but from what members on the forum have said, good enough for city roads)
3. Good Riding Ergonomics
4. Good Fuel Efficiency
5. Pretty Refined

Cons:

1. Questionable Service Quality
2. Mixed opinions on reliability (Great for most people, bad for some - As per the various Vstrom SX Threads on this forum)
3. Lack of conclusive Long term reports

4. TVS Ronin

Pros

1. Very Refined
2. Loaded with Features
3. Decent Service Quality
4. Good Suspension, plush ride
5. Nice Exhaust Note
6. Very Light and Nimble
7. Ridiculously good Fuel Efficiency

Cons

1. Lack of conclusive Long term reports
2. You may find it a little small.
3. Riding Triangle not as comfortable as the previous contenders, bar risers may solve this issue


5. Royal Enfield Hunter

Pros

1. Great Engine characteristics, Fun to ride
2. Good Exhaust Note Again
3. Huge Service Network
4. Pretty Light and Nimble

Cons

1. Not as good fuel Efficiency as the Ronin
2. Stiff Suspension
3. Again, pretty small


Of Course, the members here have already talked about the BMW GS 310 and the KTM ADV Twins, which you should check out as well. Overall, please test ride all the vehicles you are considering and use both you mind as well as you heart before taking that decision xD

Cheers!

[the_joker]

Thank you all for all the suggestions. I have a big list of bikes to test ride over the next few weekends.

Originally Posted by shancz

...Glamour/Super Splendor when you drop by at Hero....

Honda CB200X...

Thanks.. I will check the other Hero products also. Regarding CB200X, I was told I may as well go with a Hornet/Xblade.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

...Yamaha FZ25 and Gixxer 250 too....

I felt these were sportier than what I needed, especially the Gixxer. I will see if the FZ25 fits me.

Originally Posted by anilupadhya

...Ola S1 Pro since from your post it looked like the usage is limited to city limits. ...

We do have a plan of replacing our Activa with Ola S1 or Ather in a few years. I've ridden most scooters, I feel some offer better ride quality, but a bike is always better.

Originally Posted by KPR

W175...

That is an unique suggestion, I don't see many W175s around. It would be a good unique bike to get. I will check it out.

Originally Posted by Bhupesh_2628

... Pulsar N250, F250 and NS200...

I want to keep the bike for a longer term. 10 years back I had a Discover 135, the bike was good, but I felt it became not so refined after 5 years or so. I generally see 1st gen Pulsars which are well maintained around, but not many later generation, but older Pulsars. Is the reputation still valid?

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

...

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply.. I will probably not go for the Ronin purely based on looks, and felt it was a little short for me. Others I will test ride and find out.

[Bhupesh_2628]

Originally Posted by the_joker

I generally see 1st gen Pulsars which are well maintained around, but not many later generation, but older Pulsars. Is the reputation still valid?

Hi the_joker,

Apologies as I’m not aware of the reputation of new generation Pulsars. I hope Team-BHPians can chime in and share their feedback/experiences regarding this for more clarity.

[sagarpadaki]

The new Pulsar 150 standard variant, the base model with single seat fulfills all your requirements to the T. Have a look. Adjust the preload of the rear suspension for your higher weight and you should be good to go.

[AulusGabinius]

Exactly the same situation here, 6'2" and 110 kgs. My knees are nearly touching the front grill of the Himalayan, which is why it's out, but the Scram felt really nice. The Highness was also pretty good, but the Hunter and the CB350RS were a tad cramped. None of these have the power I was looking for either, but the Scram had the torque. My second choice, which my pocket disagrees with, is the Super Meteor, considering that the 2013 Thunderbird 500 was nearly perfect for me. So I'm not in a hurry, and I'll be waiting for the 450 version of the Scram to see if that solves my problem. I think that's going to be a really great, VFM do-it-all bike, since I do go for highway rides now and then. But for the moment my brother, who's and inch taller and a bit bigger, is using his 2018 FZ 25 and he's quite happy with it.

[NSK123]

Try Honda CB350 Highnss / RS, RE Meteor. It would be extremely comfortable.

[Laidbackakki]

Based on my recent purchase (my review coming soon) I would definitely suggest you take a test ride of Honda CB350RS. Considering your height it will be perfect, I myself am 5ft 11.5" and weighing at about 87kgs. Go test ride the bike and If you want absolutely relaxed riding posture 2" handle bar raiser will solve your problem if the need arises. Rest of speed and comfort requirements will be effortlessly taken care by it.

I was seriously considering the hunter, but the was not sold on the riding position. Add to it the firm ride and heavy clutch just took it out of contention when I did multiple test ride of the CB350 RS.

[sainathgoud504]

I would recommend Apache RTR 200 4v. I bought the same in Feb'20 but couldn't drive it much with covid lockdowns until recently. I have done 20k kms till now and I can tell you the engine is built to last. The power delivery is very linear unlike jumpy KTMs and the build quality is sturdy giving you confidence on roads. I have injury in my wrists and hence wanted a bike with upright seating position and this ticked all the boxes. Was a new launch at that but my gut said I can trust TVS. Early bike to come with bells and whistles like Bluetooth connectivity, slipper clutch, adjustable levers and ride modes. The only two issues I faced till now are with finding the service centre with skilled labour and availability of spare parts. First one you can find after trying different authorised TVS places near to you. The one service centre which does good job is 13 kms from my place but I prefer driving there everytime than the one which is 1 km from my home. I just know that spending 30 mins to drive once in two months is better than resenting continuously for two months. The second issue is still prevalent almost with all manufacturers now. Everyone launched new bikes left and right but forgot about the after sales support.

Originally Posted by the_joker

I'm 6' tall and weigh 100 kgs. So, I'm big and fat.

I will be using the bike for 20 km a day on weekdays in the city, plus 50km once or twice in a week. Currently, I use a car for these activities, but car is proving cumbersome because it takes a long time to park and walk at all my destinations. I plan to get the bike at the end of May.

So, the questions I have are:

• Will a 125 cc bike (not counting KTM 125) be sufficiently powerful?
• Will a 150 cc class bike (not counting Yamaha R15) be sufficiently powerful or will I need to look at 200 cc and above?
• tI shortlisted Shine, Unicorn, Xpulse, CB350/RS, Hunter 350, Classic 350, V-Storm SX for now. Any opinions on these? Should I add any other motorcyles to my shortlist?

[nitro.1000bhp]

Originally Posted by the_joker

I'm 6' tall and weigh 100 kgs. So, I'm big and fat.

I will be using the bike for 20 km a day on weekdays in the city, plus 50km once or twice in a week. Currently, I use a car for these activities, but car is proving cumbersome because it takes a long time to park and walk at all my destinations. I plan to get the bike at the end of May.

So, the questions I have are:

• Will a 125 cc bike (not counting KTM 125) be sufficiently powerful?
• Will a 150 cc class bike (not counting Yamaha R15) be sufficiently powerful or will I need to look at 200 cc and above?
• tI shortlisted Shine, Unicorn, Xpulse, CB350/RS, Hunter 350, Classic 350, V-Storm SX for now. Any opinions on these? Should I add any other motorcyles to my shortlist?

Hi ,

For your height and weight i think the choices are very limited. And seeing you're in Bangalore you need something that has good suspension travel and damping.

Test ride the Himalayan and scram or the scrambler/adv variants of the yezdi. These are in the 3-400cc category and can handle your weight no issues. Anything lower cc will feel anaemic and will feel worse with a pillion. There is no such thing as wasted cc or power. You can only use as much as the road allows and your fuel efficiency totally depends on your right wrist alone. Cc of the bike doesn't matter. In fact, i would say a low cc bike under a heavier person will give lesser mileage than a higher cc bike as you will have to ring it's neck at high rpms to do the same speeds as a high cc bike at lower rpms. More cc equals more torque which is better for hauling heavier loads.

Another thing to look for is rider triangle, a big cc bike usually has bigger dimensions and will suit a taller rider better.

Cheers and all the best choosing.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by the_joker

I'm looking for (in order of preference):

• Good ride quality.
• Must be powerful enough to ride at 60 - 80 kmph all day.
• Upright riding stance, non sporty bikes.
• Refined and vibe free at the above speeds.
• Nimble to ride in the city and not unnecessarily heavy.
• Budget up to 3 lakhs (Can relax 50k for very good bikes).

For your budget, use case and considering you’re based in a city with fairly bad roads, if you can wait it out till later this year, I feel the new Himalayan 450 will serve you really well. Based on the current Himalayan’s set up, I expect this to have a great suspension and it should be nimble to handle as well. It should ideally be in the ballpark of your budget.

I would suggest you don’t buy something too underpowered considering your size and weight. Also, with a bigger engine, the bike will be much less strained to cruise even at the high double digit numbers. So stay in the 300 cc segment if you can, specially since your budget does allow for it.

[AulusGabinius]

Originally Posted by Axe77

For your budget, use case and considering you’re based in a city with fairly bad roads, if you can wait it out till later this year, I feel the new Himalayan 450 will serve you really well. Based on the current Himalayan’s set up, I expect this to have a great suspension and it should be nimble to handle as well. It should ideally be in the ballpark of your budget.

I would suggest you don’t buy something too underpowered considering your size and weight. Also, with a bigger engine, the bike will be much less strained to cruise even at the high double digit numbers. So stay in the 300 cc segment if you can, specially since your budget does allow for it.

I swear, the current gen Scram has me crying with joy, and this will almost certainly be perfect for me. Thanks!