[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.

I currently have a Honda Activa. I'm looking to buy a bike because

• The suspension of the Activa is very bad. I get back pain if I need to go more than 2 km. It is also very short, so I need to bend which leads to more pain.
• Activa has no power. It is happy at 40 kmph. People travel at 60 kmph with occasional jaunts to 80 on the roads here. It is scary on the Activa when people whizz by.

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).

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?

[AtheK]

My vote for city riding will be very much towards Hunter 350, it's a great bike and very nimble too. One other bike that is missing in your list is Apache RTR and Ronin, great city bikes again.

[the_joker]

Originally Posted by AtheK

... One other bike that is missing in your list is Apache RTR and Ronin, great city bikes again.

Thanks!! I had ridden the RTR a few years back. Then I loved the sportiness of it. But now, I think it'll not have that good of a ride quality that I'm looking for. It also feels a little small. I didn't like the Ronin's back half. The front half has a great design, but it sort of cuts off towards the back. No offence meant to any owners. So, I didn't consider them.

[neil.jericho]

the_joker, purely from a ride quality perspective, you should be strongly looking at the Himalayan / Scram 411 and the BMW GS310.

Also, with your requirements, I would say skip the lower capacity motorcycles and look at the 200 to 400 cc options.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by the_joker

• 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?
• 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?

A 125cc will do what you need it to do but strictly so. I would suggest to get something in the 150-200 range considering your weight. Plus the bike has to be large enough to comfortably accomodate you with room to spare.

Inputs :
- CB Shine : not enough power
- Unicorn : suits your needs but quite old to buy in 2023
- 350s : why waste fuel on extra cc if you don't intend to use them ? But if you like any, by all means go ahead.


Suggestions : grouped by brands, to be test ridden :
- Bajaj P150 : lacks dual channel ABS, comfortable and better FE expected.
- Hero XPulse 200T 4V : lacks dual channel ABS but has tubeless-alloys over the tubed-spokes the 200 4V
- VStrom SX : seems like an overkill for your needs but you might end up liking it due to the higher seat and its benefits in traffic. Watch out for suspension stiffness.
- KTM 250 Adventure : since you're looking at the VStrom. Watch out for suspension stiffness.

[the_joker]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

the_joker, purely from a ride quality perspective, you should be strongly looking at the Himalayan / Scram 411 and the BMW GS310. ...

Thanks, I will test ride both (RE and BMW) and see if they suit me.

Originally Posted by shancz

Suggestions : grouped by brands, to be test ridden :
- Bajaj P150 : lacks dual channel ABS, comfortable and better FE expected.
- Hero XPulse 200T 4V : lacks dual channel ABS but has tubeless-alloys over the tubed-spokes the 200 4V
- VStrom SX : seems like an overkill for your needs but you might end up liking it due to the higher seat and its benefits in traffic. Watch out for suspension stiffness.
- KTM 250 Adventure : since you're looking at the VStrom. Watch out for suspension stiffness.

Thanks for the suggestions. I initially didn't consider the KTM 250 adventure because of the additional power which I don't need. I will watch for stiffness when I test ride them. I will check out the 200T. I didn't consider the Pulsar because somehow it didn't feel right for me.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by the_joker

I initially didn't consider the KTM 250 adventure because of the additional power which I don't need.

On the plus it has liquid cooling and is a large bike for its class. On the minus it would give you slightly lesser FE.

On the power and optimally meeting your requirements also test ride the Glamour/Super Splendor when you drop by at Hero. I haven't ridden them of late but IIRC they were impressive bikes for city commuting when launched.

There's the Honda CB200X too but IMO you should either stick with the Unicorn/XBlade or move to the likes of VStrom SX/250 Adventure.

Keep us posted of your test rides, that will be quite useful info.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by the_joker

Should I add any other motorcyles to my shortlist?

Please do test ride the Yamaha FZ25 and Gixxer 250 too. Both are quite decent (IMO very under rated) bikes and should be good enough to fulfil your requirements in the given budget.

[dkaile]

Classic 350, eyes closed. Go for Chrome or Halcyon Green variant with company fitted alloys and tubeless tyres.

Cheers...

[BatmanTDK]

For your use case of pure city riding, eyes closed go ahead with the TVS Ronin. You don't need the extra cc's of the bigger bikes from the RE or Honda line-up.

[Bullfrog]

Originally Posted by BatmanTDK

For your use case of pure city riding, eyes closed go ahead with the TVS Ronin. You don't need the extra cc's of the bigger bikes from the RE or Honda line-up.

Bang on. About 4 months ago I was looking for a relatively powerful bike for just city use changing from FZ25. Test rode Hunter, Honda H'ness and Ronin. Found Ronin to be best suited for my needs, though the looks are subjective. Completed 4000 Km recently. Superbly sorted ride, great handling, smooth engine, great exhaust note with fantastic mileage of 45 (Bangalore city traffic)

[Bluengel180]

For your Height and weight class and the emphasis on comfort look no further than a Himalayan. I was in the same boat and none of the cruisers came close.

[RaghavEvoX]

Considering you are 6' tall and weigh 100 kgs, you should go for Himalayan or RE Scram. I recently rode the bike in Manali and the tall posture and the seat comfort are the USP of this vehicle. It is nowhere fast but for your requirements, I think this should be a perfect fit.

[anilupadhya]

From a personal experience I would recommend the Ola S1 Pro since from your post it looked like the usage is limited to city limits.

1. Ride - The suspension is pliant. Initial design flaws with the suspension arm have been corrected to an extent by strengthening it. The engine is smooth and aids calmness that is required on Bengaluru roads.

2. Luggage - Since you will be travelling long distances it will not be comfortable having a back pack at all times. The huge under seat storage space on the S1 Pro can accommodate most of the luggage.

3. Economy - The distance travelled per day justifies having an electric bike. The cost of operation is going to be less.

4. Speed/pickup - The sport mode on the scooter can easily take you upto 90 kmph (on the odo). They also have the cruise mode in case you want to free one arm.

Drawback - With your kind of usage, you will always have range anxiety. The charger may occupy some of the boot space at all times. However you will still have space for a backpack with a 15 inch laptop in it.

Even the latest Ather 450x makes a good case. They have increased the true range, modified the seat to make it comfortable for tall riders to move around, have chargers almost everywhere. Most important of all - Google Maps on the dash. However, cant comment on long distance comfort as I havent ridden the bike for longer distances.

[KPR]

Originally Posted by the_joker

Should I add any other motorcyles to my shortlist?[/list]

W175 should be added.

Hunter is an obvious choice but I will suggest you to look at W175 if you've service support in Bangalore. It is just perfect bike for city and it is a Kawasaki! Try it out in long test drives.

Why I say no to Hunter (or other REs for city)?
1. Bike is heavy to handle it in parking spaces. 2. Heavy clutch in city traffic use. 3. Rear set foot peg. (I found it uncomfortable for my weak knee ligaments). These 3 troubled me a lot. Who knows you may find it different! So TD every possible bike.