Please suggest a Comfortable City bike for me

Proxima · 5th March 2010, 00:20

Hi Guys,

After seeing a friend who has been advised rest and physiotherapy after constant bike riding, I have started to think that I need a comfortable bike. I'm getting a bit worried that my P180 is not very good at tackling bumps and rough roads.

I'm 6'2 and a little over 100kg, which is the most comfortable bike that I can get under 70-80k? (Other than bullets which I feel just don't make sense in the city, having owned one till about 3 years back)

I'm looking for a CITY bike, don't plan to do long distance on it.

Suzuki G150?
Honda Unicorn?
HH Hunk/CBZ extreme?
Any other?

Thanks a ton!

Ripper · 5th March 2010, 01:28

I would recommend the Suzuki GS150. Its a good bike, like the seating posture, The speedo console is superb, heard from many owners that its pretty fuel efficient too. The only concerns that i have with suzuki is their crappy service network. If you have good amount of service stations in your area then this should be the one for you. Your next and safe bet is the Unicorn.

rock18 · 5th March 2010, 01:46

Both GS150 and Unicorn are very good bikes in terms of ride quality and comfort.
I would rate unicorn a tad more comfortable as i find GS150R gearshift bit uncomfortable to use in city.
Both the bikes are very comfortable to use in city.

para_7k · 5th March 2010, 06:32

Proxima,

I'm a bit surprised that your P180 is not comfortable. I ride a P180 and never felt it has a bad ride quality.

How old is your bike ? You can try a suspension overhaul which is recommended once in 25k kms. What is the air pressure that you normally have ?

BTW, among the ones you listed, the Hunk will have a good ride quality. It's seat is also really good.

Unicorn's ride quality is also good but the stiff seats give you ache in your back after a long ride - From an Unicorn owner.

Good luck

Proxima · 5th March 2010, 09:25

Ripper and Rock - I heard that the gs150 has some rusting issues in the tank and some other niggles, is it true?

Para- there is a new Unicorn on the way per another thread here....... Even my friends pulsars suspension is not great.. The unicorns in wayyyy better

shishir_bn · 5th March 2010, 09:42

+1 to what @para says. I am driving my Pulsar fro past 6 years and till date I have not complained a single time. I have driven almost 61K kms. I have done long drives upto 350 kms(8 hours) in one day many times to Jog falls.
But if you are looking for change then Unicorn would be best IMO

gods-envy · 5th March 2010, 09:53

Proxima, all the bikes you have mentioned above belong to the slightly sporty category. You would have figured that out by your seating posture.
In fact driving long distance in such a posture will cause pain for your hands (area around your wrist) and your back (the upper back portion near your shoulders).

what I would recommend is either a Tourer or a cruiser.
Both these categories of bikes ensure the rider sits straight and is more comfortable.
The Hero Honda Karizma can be vaguely classified as a tourer, but still take a test drive of one tos ee your confort level.
The Bajaj Avenger is a nice city cruiser. Its neither too heavy nor uncomfortable like the Bullet.

Shishir - Your pulsar 180 is the earliest model and the seating posture on it was good. For comparison, I would recommend you test drive any of the latest pulsars and you will immediately see the change.

Mr. Nobody · 5th March 2010, 10:20

Be careful of the the Suzuki Gsr , there are widespread rusting in tanks and other parts even for few week old vehicles . Owners also complain of poor breaks and headlights . i would recommend the Unicorn or CBZ for comfort for your height .

shishir_bn · 5th March 2010, 10:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by gods-envy

Shishir - Your pulsar 180 is the earliest model and the seating posture on it was good. For comparison, I would recommend you test drive any of the latest pulsars and you will immediately see the change.

Just forgot to mention. Mine was P150 DTSi(the Mag wheel one)

akas_chauhan · 5th March 2010, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proxima

I'm 6'2 and a little over 100kg, which is the most comfortable bike that I can get under 70-80k? (Other than bullets which I feel just don't make sense in the city, having owned one till about 3 years back)

I'm looking for a CITY bike, don't plan to do long distance on it.

Thanks a ton!

And why not a bullet? I'm using a thunderbird since last 3 years and that also i use in BannerGhatta Road. Never had any problem, rather i feel good to ride that bike.

Unless you want to ride a bike like those maniacs who cuts lane and zip through, bullet will be a good bet for seating posture.

GreenmachinE · 5th March 2010, 11:13

I am assuming by comfort you would like to have a soft jerk free ride with a easy driving posture.

I happen to own a unicorn am surprised to see others recommend it to you. The unicorns monoshock is setup for good handling and road feedback. Thats why it surprised many auto jornos with its quick times in the test track.

The downside is the ride is quite hard at lower commuting speeds. Your back will feel all the small bumps and dips on the road. I found much smaller bikes like platina and star city to be more comfortable as they have soft suspensions. Since I am a feather weight ( 58 kg) the problem is accentuated. The ride improves marginally with a pillion.

My suggestion would be that you test ride the bikes on the market other then the sporty ones ( apache, recent pulsars ) and decide for you self. Ideally the avenger would be a good choice , provided it has a soft suspension setup.

rahulsingh007 · 5th March 2010, 11:14

You can also consider the Apache RTR160/ 180 , its a bike to flick in the city's heavy traffic.
Besides that FZ16/FZS/Fazer is excellent too, considering the handling part.

If you have some extra moolah to spend you can go in for the Karizma R or even better the ZMR.

Ill suggest you to stay away from the Pulsar family. the build quality is very poor now , and the bike wont even hold up well for 10k kms.

As for the a good VFM aspect you can also look at the Gladiator Range on offer by Yamaha.

Suzuki GS150 is owned by a close friend of mine , but he is not entirely happy with the quality and engineering .

ani_meher · 5th March 2010, 11:28

GS150 is good, and has a great road presence.

Forged_Piston · 5th March 2010, 11:37

I used an old gen pulsar 180 for 2 years, a 84 RE for a year and a half,the avenger for about 9 months and a karizma for roughly 5 years in bombay's traffic.

Out of these, i would say that the karizma is the most comfortable and flickable but high on fuel consumption.

The avenger, again very comfortable front seat, good milage but the long wheel base and high footrests make it a little uncomfortable in stop and go traffic conditions.

The pulsar(apart from quality issues) is a good city ride.But i would rate it after the above two as far as outright comfort and ease of riding is concerned.

And then theres the bullet.Good for long leisure rides.Not much of a ciy ride unless you're really used to it and nothing else will do (read bulleteer).

Considering ur height and weight (I am similarly built), i would suggest either the karizma or the avenger.A smaller bike can get a little cramped.

absynthguzzler · 5th March 2010, 11:40

How about Scooters, wouldn't they be more comfy ?

5th March 2010, 00:20	#31
Proxima BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 910 Thanked: 302 Times	The most comfortable bike for the city Hi Guys, After seeing a friend who has been advised rest and physiotherapy after constant bike riding, I have started to think that I need a comfortable bike. I'm getting a bit worried that my P180 is not very good at tackling bumps and rough roads. I'm 6'2 and a little over 100kg, which is the most comfortable bike that I can get under 70-80k? (Other than bullets which I feel just don't make sense in the city, having owned one till about 3 years back) I'm looking for a CITY bike, don't plan to do long distance on it. Suzuki G150? Honda Unicorn? HH Hunk/CBZ extreme? Any other? Thanks a ton!
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 01:28	#32
Ripper BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 260 Thanked: 35 Times View My Garage	I would recommend the Suzuki GS150. Its a good bike, like the seating posture, The speedo console is superb, heard from many owners that its pretty fuel efficient too. The only concerns that i have with suzuki is their crappy service network. If you have good amount of service stations in your area then this should be the one for you. Your next and safe bet is the Unicorn.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 01:46	#33
rock18 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 310 Thanked: 55 Times View My Garage	Both GS150 and Unicorn are very good bikes in terms of ride quality and comfort. I would rate unicorn a tad more comfortable as i find GS150R gearshift bit uncomfortable to use in city. Both the bikes are very comfortable to use in city.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 06:32	#34
para_7k BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: chennai Posts: 469 Thanked: 112 Times	Proxima, I'm a bit surprised that your P180 is not comfortable. I ride a P180 and never felt it has a bad ride quality. How old is your bike ? You can try a suspension overhaul which is recommended once in 25k kms. What is the air pressure that you normally have ? BTW, among the ones you listed, the Hunk will have a good ride quality. It's seat is also really good. Unicorn's ride quality is also good but the stiff seats give you ache in your back after a long ride - From an Unicorn owner. Good luck
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 09:25	#35
Proxima BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 910 Thanked: 302 Times	Ripper and Rock - I heard that the gs150 has some rusting issues in the tank and some other niggles, is it true? Para- there is a new Unicorn on the way per another thread here....... Even my friends pulsars suspension is not great.. The unicorns in wayyyy better Last edited by Proxima : 5th March 2010 at 09:27.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 09:42	#36
shishir_bn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,195 Thanked: 120 Times	+1 to what @para says. I am driving my Pulsar fro past 6 years and till date I have not complained a single time. I have driven almost 61K kms. I have done long drives upto 350 kms(8 hours) in one day many times to Jog falls. But if you are looking for change then Unicorn would be best IMO
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 09:53	#37
gods-envy BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 474 Thanked: 38 Times View My Garage	Proxima, all the bikes you have mentioned above belong to the slightly sporty category. You would have figured that out by your seating posture. In fact driving long distance in such a posture will cause pain for your hands (area around your wrist) and your back (the upper back portion near your shoulders). what I would recommend is either a Tourer or a cruiser. Both these categories of bikes ensure the rider sits straight and is more comfortable. The Hero Honda Karizma can be vaguely classified as a tourer, but still take a test drive of one tos ee your confort level. The Bajaj Avenger is a nice city cruiser. Its neither too heavy nor uncomfortable like the Bullet. Shishir - Your pulsar 180 is the earliest model and the seating posture on it was good. For comparison, I would recommend you test drive any of the latest pulsars and you will immediately see the change. Last edited by gods-envy : 5th March 2010 at 09:54.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 10:20	#38
Mr. Nobody BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 517 Thanked: 614 Times	Be careful of the the Suzuki Gsr , there are widespread rusting in tanks and other parts even for few week old vehicles . Owners also complain of poor breaks and headlights . i would recommend the Unicorn or CBZ for comfort for your height .
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 11:13	#41
GreenmachinE BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Salem Posts: 89 Thanked: 35 Times	I am assuming by comfort you would like to have a soft jerk free ride with a easy driving posture. I happen to own a unicorn am surprised to see others recommend it to you. The unicorns monoshock is setup for good handling and road feedback. Thats why it surprised many auto jornos with its quick times in the test track. The downside is the ride is quite hard at lower commuting speeds. Your back will feel all the small bumps and dips on the road. I found much smaller bikes like platina and star city to be more comfortable as they have soft suspensions. Since I am a feather weight ( 58 kg) the problem is accentuated. The ride improves marginally with a pillion. My suggestion would be that you test ride the bikes on the market other then the sporty ones ( apache, recent pulsars ) and decide for you self. Ideally the avenger would be a good choice , provided it has a soft suspension setup.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 11:14	#42
rahulsingh007 BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Amritsar Posts: 164 Thanked: 44 Times	You can also consider the Apache RTR160/ 180 , its a bike to flick in the city's heavy traffic. Besides that FZ16/FZS/Fazer is excellent too, considering the handling part. If you have some extra moolah to spend you can go in for the Karizma R or even better the ZMR. Ill suggest you to stay away from the Pulsar family. the build quality is very poor now , and the bike wont even hold up well for 10k kms. As for the a good VFM aspect you can also look at the Gladiator Range on offer by Yamaha. Suzuki GS150 is owned by a close friend of mine , but he is not entirely happy with the quality and engineering .
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 11:28	#43
ani_meher Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 1,931 Thanked: 3,825 Times	GS150 is good, and has a great road presence.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 11:37	#44
Forged_Piston BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 63 Thanked: 4 Times	I used an old gen pulsar 180 for 2 years, a 84 RE for a year and a half,the avenger for about 9 months and a karizma for roughly 5 years in bombay's traffic. Out of these, i would say that the karizma is the most comfortable and flickable but high on fuel consumption. The avenger, again very comfortable front seat, good milage but the long wheel base and high footrests make it a little uncomfortable in stop and go traffic conditions. The pulsar(apart from quality issues) is a good city ride.But i would rate it after the above two as far as outright comfort and ease of riding is concerned. And then theres the bullet.Good for long leisure rides.Not much of a ciy ride unless you're really used to it and nothing else will do (read bulleteer). Considering ur height and weight (I am similarly built), i would suggest either the karizma or the avenger.A smaller bike can get a little cramped.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 11:40	#45
absynthguzzler BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: hyderabad Posts: 651 Thanked: 245 Times	How about Scooters, wouldn't they be more comfy ?
	() Thanks