[boniver]

I am all for everyone buying a bike, but this is not the time for this young man, no matter how harsh it sounds. If its absolutely needed, maybe a used 2015-ish Splendor or Honda Shine can do the work for the next few years. If it's not needed, that money is best spent in other things (further education, savings, household essentials, etc)

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

The person - let us call him Mr.S - is a 20-year-old male, who has just about finished his diploma and has got himself a job paying about 15K per month (take home). He lives in a B-town in Karnataka. He has aspirations to study further and complete his graduation. His father has passed away and his mother works as a nurse in Bangalore earning about 25K per month (take home).

…
The realistic budget they have is about 2-2.25 lakhs OTR.

At the risk of sounding blunt and voicing an outlier opinion (on an automotive forum, no less), I think for the immediate future, he should take public transport, if thats feasible in his city. If a two wheeler is critical for his job, one that’s cheap and cheerful to acquire, run and maintain for the immediate future is what I’d recommend.

- At 15,000 per month he really shouldn’t be spending 2 lakh on any vehicle.
- I also don’t think he should burden his mother with the load of contributing to a purchase that is within a whisker of her annual income.
- He’s only just started working. Let him focus on holding a steady job for 2 - 3 years, see where his professional trajectory and income growth takes him. Then he can set a suitable budget based on the savings he’s generated during this period and the confidence he has in his sustained income trajectory. God willing maybe he can aim even higher if he waits it out.

If he’s taking this on a part loan, the resulting ongoing liabilities could risk impacting or delaying his further academic aspirations when he’s ready for them. This is a time to remain light on assets and associated liabilties and be as financially nimble as possible to take the best decisions for his own future as well as for his family.

Apologies again for the directness of the opinion but a ‘what bike’ response simply didn’t resonate with me based on the facts you’ve outlined. Wish the young man all the best and hope he can get his dream bike sooner rather than later - albeit when the time is right.

[ajay0612]

First of all, loans should be taken only when it is absolutely necessary and there is foreseeable stability of income for the tenure.
In this case, small salary, plan of completing graduation does not indicate stability of income. So doesn't warrant such high expense on desirables, like a sports bike.
If he must, a second hand CD100 or splendor is the most he should think of.
To realize his dream, he should work hard for a raise in his legal income for as many years as it takes.

IMO spending on desirables should never exceed your 1 year's savings.

[KiloAlpha]

Thank you all very much for your responses.

I spoke with Mr.S's mother earlier today, and impressed upon her the need to educate her son on the fact that realising his sports bike dreams will have to wait until his life is stable after he completes his education.

Originally Posted by bblost

...
My advice is that he only buy a bike if its going to help him in his job and college.
...

Originally Posted by boniver

.... If its absolutely needed, maybe a used 2015-ish Splendor or Honda Shine can do the work for the next few years...

Originally Posted by Axe77

At the risk of sounding blunt and voicing an outlier opinion (on an automotive forum, no less), I think for the immediate future, he should take public transport, if thats feasible in his city. If a two wheeler is critical for his job, one that’s cheap and cheerful to acquire, run and maintain for the immediate future is what I’d recommend.
...

Originally Posted by ajay0612

...
If he must, a second hand CD100 or splendor is the most he should think of.
To realize his dream, he should work hard for a raise in his legal income for as many years as it takes....

Mr.S lives in a B-town which does not have good public transport. To add to this, his work place is a construction site in the boondocks 20km outside of town. So in order for him to be able to get to work, he needs a vehicle. He is adjusting with a combination of auto/bus/lifts for now, but apparently safety is a concern.

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

I would strongly suggest a 150 CC bike for someone who hasnt owned a bike before.
...

Originally Posted by Gordon

Buy a 100-150cc commuter motorcycle or a scooter with good average....

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

Get the Honda Unicorn. It's the cheapest 150CC and offers good mileage as well.
...

Originally Posted by shancz

- Maintenance and running costs need to be economical including FE ...
What I suggest is to go with the 160cc segment as its not too expensive to either buy or run....

Thank you for all your suggestions. I have passed on your recommendations of buying a lower end vehicle. He is looking for a second hand scooter (like Activa/Jupiter) from his side.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Mr.S lives in a B-town which does not have good public transport. To add to this, his work place is a construction site in the boondocks 20km outside of town. So in order for him to be able to get to work, he needs a vehicle. He is adjusting with a combination of auto/bus/lifts for now, but apparently safety is a concern.

He is looking for a second hand scooter (like Activa/Jupiter) from his side.

Understandable. Basis the above, if the dominant commute is not in inner city roads but on faster highway like conditions, he may opt to stretch and go for a basic fuel efficient and easy to maintain used motorcycle instead of a scooter. Motorbikes with their larger wheels tend to be a bit safer than scooters is what I've always felt, more so if he's going on B highways or roads exiting the town which could have larger vehicles or faster traffic.

He should also invest in a decent full face helmet would be my only other suggestion, and not a half face (or worse still, no helmet).

Someone in my known circle just last month had an accident in Mumbai outskirts on a scooter (a truck changed lane and came into him - perhaps he was in a blind spot not sure). He badly injured his face as well in addition to his feet. Face would have been better protected if he was in a full face instead of a half face that he was wearing.

[hikozaru]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

He is adjusting with a combination of auto/bus/lifts for now, but apparently safety is a concern.

Bikes are less safe than buses and autos and they will be personally liable in case of an accident (whether its their fault or not). I am going to spout yet another controversial opinion but helmets are super expensive for their income. You are not going to get an actual safe helmet for under 4k and you need to bin it if you crashed it even once. I am not sure how kind construction sites and macho trades people attitudes are towards babying helmets but I imagine it is certainly less kind than how I care for mine. I would also argue a cheap full face (and half face) helmet is sometimes worse than no helmet because cheap helmets come with terrible field of vision, they have blindspots comparable to car blindspots.

Buy a used beater laptop like thinkpads (around 25k) which have spares and upskill on the bus ride. They can use their walks to the bus stops to think of their next big idea instead of focusing on traffic and road conditions and apexes.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

He is looking for a second hand scooter (like Activa/Jupiter) from his side.

Good call on postponing the sports bike plan.

I would still suggest to go with a economy motorcycle even if used like the Hero Splendor or TVS Star City/Sport as they're more comfortable over bad roads and economical to run and maintain. Scooters on the other hand tend to start costing more in maintenance as they age.

FE :
Something like the Star City/ Splendor would give you 60-65 kmpl typically while the scooters will typically do 40-45 kmpl. That's an extra day of riding.

Maintenance:
A 40-50k kms run scooter would most likely need an engine repair if not done already as the parts just wear out by that time even if the maintenance schedule is followed to the T. I faced it with our Activa at 55k kms and these days its quite common to see scooters come in for engine repairs in the 25-35k kms range as the maintenance isn't followed that often.

Bikes to look at : they retail around 75k new so used shouldn't be that expensive to get.
- Hero HF Deluxe
- TVS Sport
- Bajaj Platina

[RD410]

Here are my suggestions according to the bikes I've used/ridden -

New options -

Sporty, strong performance, comfortable - Apache RTR200 4v, NS200

Fun and extreme comfort- Hero Xpulse 200 4v

A little less sporty, but all rounders - Pulsar 250, FZ25

Fuel efficient & fun for daily use- Apache 160 4v, Pulsar N160, Yamaha FZ-S, CB200X, Hornet 2.0

Best used options from ₹30k - ₹ 1 lakh -

Fuel efficient with some fun - used Honda Shine SP (5 speed)

Blissful comfort - used Honda Unicorn 150

Slightly sporty - used Yamaha FZ v1, FZ v2, BS4 Apache 160 4v, BS4 Gixxer / Gixxer SF, BS4 Hornet 160R, BS3/BS4 Pulsar 220F, BS4 FZ25

Sporty - used BS4 Apache 200, BS4 NS200/RS200, BS3 R15 v2, R15S, BS3/BS4 Duke 200, MT15

Something different, but lot of fun- Xpulse 2v BS6

If you ask me, buying a used bike under ₹1 lakh is the best option. For your current age and income, if you buy a brand new bike on finance, it will become a huge liability for you. You will have to pay ₹5-7k EMI per month whether you use the bike or not. The interest rates on finance are crazy high. This is apart from considerable fuel and maintenance expenses. Ultimately all this causes a lot of frustration and you may not fully enjoy the bike you bought.

Originally Posted by bblost

The ONLY bike he must be considering is a Hero Splendour.

I completely agree with you. Just that a Splendor today costs almost ₹ 1 lakh on road Although good, it's still a plain commuter bike, a workhorse. It will get very boring, very quickly. In that respect, for slightly more price, the current crop of 125cc bikes viz. Raider 125, NS125 & SP125 offer a good mix of sportiness, features, fuel efficiency and low maintenance.

[Karthik.guru]

Like many other members have opined, I suggest Mr.S have another look at his priorities. He's been dealt bad cards no doubt, but he is very young and has the rest of his life to fulfil his aspirations. Right now he needs to really think about whether he needs a bike or not, and if he does, he needs to consider the used market or commuter/ premium commuters at most. Premium bikes are not only expensive to buy outright, but running costs and service costs add up very quickly (bhpian aargee has even done the math for him).

I can understand that it must be difficult to see his peers buy these cool motorcycles and flaunt, and its only natural to feel envy and immediately buy something similar to boot, but please tell Mr. S that he will only curse himself in the long run. The money would be much better spent (or rather not spent) on savings for the future or for a rainy day. Statistically, most Indian families are just 1 medical emergency away from slipping into poverty.

Lastly, if Mr. S does absolutely need a motorcycle, I would sincerely suggest expanding his perspective from sportsbikes and consider something left field like a used Xpulse. Its fun, affordable, comfortable, running costs are low, moderately FE, and as a bonus, is considered very cool by most people (even his peers).

Best,
G

[FocusAssist]

With respect to the 'financially sensible' posts made by forum members, I have a different outlook.

1) Lets get Mr. S the bike. A personal transport unlocks many opportunities especially in a city like BLR. Ex. Rapido in off hours, part time Jio, Airtel deliveries, part time Swiggy Zepto and the works
2) A 2L bike (including interest), yes I am talking about EMI, will cost him 3k-4.5K for 5 years. Add fuel of 1.5K. So that still gives him 9K in pocket. As he can do part time jobs, (I'll take rapido as an example) he can earn 5-6K as additional income using the bike 'he shouldn't buy'. Good part about EMI is - it keeps you on your toes.
3) Now, what bike?
I assume it should be a sporty but a friendly bike. Comfortable + Fun = TVS. I would suggest to get himself a RTR 1604V. Looks smashing, feels premium and loads of fun. Should be 2L on Road including loan interest.

OR he can get a TVS Raider, a Hero Xtreme 160 4V, or TVS NTorq to save a few bucks in EMI.

The only sad thing about TVS is that the service is a hit or a miss. But should be fine in BLR.

All the best to Mr. S. Chin up. And fly high. Happy motoring.

[t3rm1n80r]

I strongly agree with the opinion of few members that focussing on education/upskilling should be the topmost priority. So, a splendor should get the job done. More powerful motorcycles can wait. This might also act as a strong motivation to work harder to pursue the set milestone.

For reference, I got into motorcycling as a hobby about 9 months ago when I bought my first own vehicle (CB350 H'Ness). 16,000kms in and I've spent close to 4L on the hobby (everything included), and it's not even the end of the FY yet. I strongly feel this phrase is very true in case of motorcycles: "If you can buy it twice, you can truly afford it." That way you can enjoy the machine without thinking once about it.

[Unicorn202]

I would strongly recommend Mr. S to focus more on the formative years of his career which is much more important than owning a sports bike.

[surjaonwheelz]

Did anyone suggest the Suzuki Gixxer SF 150?


Used bike demands one time payment and savings. Consider if he keeps the bike for long, say 4 to 5 years then the cost of ownership will be balanced out. I just don't want to kill someone's dream!

We all think practically, logically and save the best for the last (later) but who has seen the future?

Sportsbike (small capacity) is a state of mind. He can enjoy any bike if he loves motorcycling. I disagree if you sit in a particular orientation then it's a sportier bike and you're a biker. To start with any bike would be enjoyable if he wants to.

It's like all those who wear sports shoes to office. They're not considering other options and themselves are missing out!

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

[kaak009]

Being someone who just passed this guys ago a couple of years ago, I will suggest him my 2 cent. Don’t buy anything if your salary can’t buy it twice. And with the situation at your home how can you even think of anything that spends your mums 12 month income. I mean I might be rude but how can you sleep on this?

Do the woman a favour and leave her money alone. Buy when you personally can. It is the time you should step up rather than putting her down

All the best for your career and buy a bus pass preferably

[Karthik1100]

Based on his age, Least riding experience and ownership, Financial status i would recommend
Suzuki Gixxer 150 SF or Honda CBR 150R
As he wants it's Sport bike, Reliable engine
Suzuki and Honda has least maintenance compared Yamaha R15 and KTM RC,
CBR 150 R comes with dual channel ABS.
Gixxer 150 SF comes with Single channel ABS.
On road price is less than 2L.
He can pay EMI with his own salary.
Easy to handle.
Hardly people mention this bike as it is very under rated.