Team-BHP - Advice required for buying a bike - EDIT: Booked FZ limited edition

Hello all ,

I looking to buy a new bike in a week or 2. Been riding bajaj avenger for the past 4 years(sold it for the reason it is hard to manage in traffic and i need a change :D). My height is 164cms.

I need a bike which will be equal or faster than my previous one. My budget is 75k (can stretch it to 80k). Usage is purely in the city, sometimes will take it to the ECR.

I really don't want bajaj, my experience with their service center has always been bad sadly.

I am looking at the following bikes and took the TD for all. Here are my opinion

1.Yamaha FZ-S Limited Edition (Rs.76,600)

+Fits my height
+Easy to ride in the traffic (actually all the bikes are easy for me compared to the Avenger)
+Good quality
+Good low end i feel, little better than the GS150R in the performance part

-Low FE
-Too common :P, makes me look like a poser

2.Suzuki GS150R (Rs.68,000)

+Little taller than the FZ-S, i can still manage
+Good FE
+Comfy ride
+6 speed
+Very refined and very good quality

-Have a ok performance
-I feel that it'll make me look like a old guy hehe

3.Rtr 180 (Rs74,500)

+Same height as the Suzuki GS150R
+Very good performance
+Good handling
+Dual Disc and tubeless tyres
+Good looking :P

-Vibrates & Not refined
-Worried about the quality and not confident about it being reliable on a long term basis

I am still not able to make up my mind :P Would like hear the opinion and advice from the bhpians :)

Thank you all.

Hi Saiyan,

I havent ridden the others in your list but own the RTR. I agree its a little coarse (atleast in the first few hundred kms) but I havent really felt the vibrations are too much.

Do take a TD before you make your mind up. I think its a great bike.

Regarding reliability, well all the bikes mentioned are under a year old so no one can really comment on them.
Unless its a Skoda bike I wouldnt worry about reliability too much :D

All the bikes you have short listed are capable city bikes.
Though RTR 180 does have vibrations, i guess its not all that bad. The owners here can comment more about it. But its fun to ride in traffic due to not very long dimensions and sporty riding position. You will love to weave thru traffic with his bike.

FZ-S again is a very good bike with good quality. Looks are, well, different compared to the current lot of bikes and again a very good ride for the city.

GS-150R though I have heard about it being very good etc, personally, it would be my last choice from your list if i were in the market for a city bike. Somehow the looks dont appeal to me.

So at the end of the day, test ride all the bikes, see which one of the 3 you are most comfortable in and go for it. Happy shopping and do keep the thread updated on your decision.

Hmm for that budget why are you not looking at ZMA?

As for the bikes that you have shortlisted -

The RTR 160 has lots of vibrations but not sure how it is on the 180 but yes it has great pickup & speed.

The FZ is a good bike but I feel its too expensive for its performance. The style & handling is good & power is sufficient for use in city

I have heard good reviews about the GS150R not sure why it doesnt sell.

Thanks for the reply guys.

I did check out the rtr 180 twice. Even though i really love the bike but the refinement is not upto my liking when compared to the yamahas. the TD bikes were horrible imo :( (took TD from two different dealer network) guess they were handled really rough. I rode the rtr 160 from coimbatore to ooty, to and fro roughly around 180kms. Wasn't really impressed with its performance after 70kmph, the owner is having tough time with its quality seemingly and TVS service is of no help over there. Most of the owners i have talked to are giving the similar story. Otherwise this bike has got it all.

I went for the TD of suzuki again an hour back, i don't think it'll suit me again, didn't really like it apart from its refinement.

So guess it leaves me with the FZ-S. I was trying to get the R15, but 35k more will be really hard on my non existent pocket (a fresher & unemployed atm :D, will be mostly joing a job this month).

Well, yeah I understand, each of us has a different dip stick for bikes guess the RTR doesnt measure in yours :) . Tell you what, wait for a few days. With the launch of the new Ninja you might see a few R15's in the market so you can pick a pre owned one, especially when you plan to use it for a year only.

edit: Not a Pulsar fan are you? Cos i coudnt see it in your shortlist.

If you have fuel Economy, refinement, long term ownership plans head for the GS. Trust me its one of the refined 150 i have ever ridden. The tall gearing helps u drive in top gear even at speeds as less as 35KM

If you love looks, styling and want to be the centre of attraction coupled with legendary Yamaha quality go for the FZ-s or Fazer. But u ll need compromise on the mileage front. However 0-60 is a dream; very good low end torque.

If want to blast the day lights outta other riders, get the RTR180. its a mean mean machine. Yes, it has lower top end than the R15, ZMA, 220, 200..but when it comes to zipping the city guess it come second only to R15(that is when considering handling, cornering abilties, braking and acceleration). you get better mileage than the FZ too. all this if you can live with unrefined raw power

1) FZ,FAZER is only show-sha,the same performance is given by many other bikes which cost quite less as compared to it.Then why spend extra money unless u are much interested in show-sha.
2) Karizma is a good bike but u have problems with height so ruled out.
3) 150 cc bikes i dont recommend to you because they wont match the performance needs after driving a 180 cc bike.
4) Suzuki after sales service is doubtful and the bike has not been a success again its only 150 cc.
5) RTR 180 has all what u need,light weight good for flicking in city-exceptional handling,good average,looks quite good in its present avataar,and pickup oh god no one beats it the way it responds to throttle movement.
6) Personally I feel there is a lot of bad mouthing about TVS products about quality and what not.I myself personally own a TVS Victor and have not had a single brake,clutch cable failure in the last 6 years and 30k + of hard driving in mountains.Trust me they are not bad at all.Very less maintenance and spares are at reasonable rates too.
Regarding problems with bikes who has not heard about problems with Bajaj or even Honda bikes? Only thing I agree is that the engines are not butter smooth as Honda engines but the throttle repsonse of the bike and handling more than compensates for it. Any way you will be driving in city so there will be very few roads where u can go above 70+ speeds for long.But the acceleration and low end torque is what u want for in city traffic.GO for RTR the adrenaline rush will more than satisfy you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20 (Post 1515138)

1) FZ,FAZER is only show-sha,the same performance is given by many other bikes which cost quite less as compared to it.Then why spend extra money unless u are much interested in show-sha.

I hate to say this (especially after checking your profile) - but FZ & FAZER are NOT DEFINITELY show-sha. Yes, there is a premium on them - but these bikes certainly deserve the premium. And, long term reliability of Yamaha is a fact

Saiyan - did you try Unicorn. Compared to the other bikes it is plain jane, but it has the perfect combination of a smooth engine, precise gear shift, good FE and nice top end (I have touched 98 kmph). And, it would be easier to dispose off - which is in another thing in its favour.