[shishya]

My 25 years son desires to buy a new bike with a petrol engine range of 150-200 cc. (His earlier bike is a 100cc bike). The price needs to be less than Rs 90k total. Usage daily PUNE single rider office commute of about 30 km and approximately once a month about 200 km for picnics usually semi-country roads with pillion. There are so many options as of October 2009. Gone through various suggestions and user experiences on Team-BHP and other websites. Basic ride comfort, vehicle stability, good quality with availability of spares and service is a necessity. This has caused a confusion to zero in to a suitable bike. Your suggestion would be most dearly appreciated.
= Shishya =

[amtak]

Just wanted to check what are his preferences and daily ride time?

I am using a Hero Honda Hunk for over a year now and can vouch for its ride quality and mileage and power. Other options are:

1. Honda Unicorn
2. Yamaha FZ-16/FZ-S or Fazer
3. Hero Honda Karizma ZMR
4. Suzuki GSR

[parimal_g]

Originally Posted by shishya

My 25 years son desires to buy a new bike with a petrol engine range of 150-200 cc. (His earlier bike is a 100cc bike). The price needs to be less than Rs 90k total. Usage daily PUNE single rider office commute of about 30 km and approximately once a month about 200 km for picnics usually semi-country roads with pillion. There are so many options as of October 2009. Gone through various suggestions and user experiences on Team-BHP and other websites. Basic ride comfort, vehicle stability, good quality with availability of spares and service is a necessity. This has caused a confusion to zero in to a suitable bike. Your suggestion would be most dearly appreciated.
= Shishya =

Hi,
You can go for Apache 160/180 RTR both are with in budget.
1>Best handling bikes.
2>Good Looks.
3>Good quality.Fit and finish/brighter headlight with good spread nice instrumentation
4>Century service in pune is really very good.
5>Cheaper Spares.
6> Very good engine/power delivery
7>Equipment levels are also great.
8>Best Brakes.
9>Even Millage is also good for the CC and power

[Technocrat]

. Basic ride comfort, vehicle stability, good quality with availability of spares and service is a necessity

Hmm with the budget that you have mentioned & no specific stress on mileage and Also from what you have mentioned as your expectation, I suggest following bikes

Bajaj Pulsar 220 (~78k On road)
HH karizma R (not ZMR) (~78k on road)

In a lower price segment

Yamaha FZ 16 (~73.5k on road)
Apache RTR FI (~73k On Road)
Apache RTR 180 (~72k-75k on road)

Last segment

HH Hunk 150 (~63k On road)
HH CBZ Xtreme (~64k on road0
Bajaj Pulsar 180 (~68-71k on Road)

Please let us know if you need more details on a specific bike.

[shishya]

Thanks for the kind guidance and reply :- amtak, parimal_g, Technocrat

I will discuss with my son and revert for more specific details.

= Shishya =

[kuttapan]

IMO, you cannot go wrong with a Yamaha R15. Good handling and more reliable than the Pulsars. Spare prices may not be as cheap, though. And you ruin lots of plastic if dropped.

Karizma/HH Hulk(?) would be the other option.

[Technocrat]

R15 is beyond his budget.

[yzfrj]

approximately once a month about 200 km for picnics usually semi-country roads with pillion

So, I'd say Yamaha Fazer at around 78k.
I agree the price is on the high side, but considering the fact that its a good long distance as per may reviews in various magazines.

Also it will not be dime a dozen like RTR's and the Pulsars.
I'm not saying Pulsars and RTR's are bad, but fazer will help make a statement considering the age of the chap.

[Sawyer]

One way to decide would be to first fix on the manufacturer. I believe that in terms of fit/finish/build quality/reliability, Honda is still distinctly better than the rest, HH included.

[extreme_torque]

Bajaj Pulsar 220 would be his best bet according to be. The bike is priced brilliantly.

[Bhargava_sr]

I would suggest
1) HONDA Unicorn
2) HH Karizma or ZMR

Both these bikes have proved themselves in every aspect since years
Unicorn - Great handling, breaking, FE-45-50Kmpl, Tourer & Commuter/, 150cc and falls within the budget
ZMA - Great handling, breaking, FE-40-45Kmpl, Tourer & Commuter/, 223cc and falls within the budget

[Progamersparsh]

Simple Answer = Bajaj Pulsar 220 Best bang for the Buck and spares are fairly cheap + great A.S.S + Great performer as well and i heard the new DTS-i returns 40kmpl.

@Bhargava_sr
I would suggest
1) HONDA Unicorn
2) HH Karizma or ZMR

Both these bikes have proved themselves in every aspect since years
Unicorn - Great handling, breaking, FE-45-50Kmpl, Tourer & Commuter/, 150cc and falls within the budget
ZMA - Great handling, breaking, FE-40-45Kmpl, Tourer & Commuter/, 223cc and falls within the budget

Yup Unicorn and ZMA are great at breaking because something or the other makes them breakdown lol

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Progamersparsh

Simple Answer = Bajaj Pulsar 220 Best bang for the Buck and spares are fairly cheap + great A.S.S + Great performer as well and i heard the new DTS-i returns 40kmpl.





Yup Unicorn and ZMA are great at breaking because something or the other makes them breakdown lol

I believe that Bajaj has lost the plot somewhat on manufactured quality and their bikes tend not work as good as they look over time. I would rate HH and therefore Karizma as one grade above Bajaj in longer term reliability, with Honda India on the top rung, again distinctly ahead of the rest.
I haven't heard of Karizmas and Unicorns being prone to breakdowns.

[aaggoswami]

1) Avoid Bajaj. I dont know about Pune or other city, but in my city I had very bad experiences with Bajaj. We had three bajaj vehicles, and although technically they were sound, the problem of A.S & S. was very high. Service center visit = day spoiled. Just to show you a hint of how bad the things can get, there was a physical fight between me and service center manager.

2) About the bikes that are being discussed, IMHO, if the bike is just meant to be used in city, there is no point in getting above 200cc bike/s. Yamaha FZ16 is good option as it strikes a good balance. Good good ride and handling and can take on some high speed driving too ( I mean cruising at around 60-65 kmph ).

Next is Suzuki GS150. This bike is nicely build and quite torquey. A nice option as a commuter bike.
Rather than Karizma, I would say, options like Hunk and Apache are better. In bumper to bumper traffic, Karizma is not a light handler.

[Technocrat]

Well one can safely go for Bajaj in Pune, there are enough good service centers.

The pulsar's have come long way & are far less trouble prone as they were a few years back. I too would recommend the P220