Please suggest a new Bike for me!!

bivin · 2nd February 2010, 18:11

Heyy all!!
my 18th birthday is fast approaching and im planning to get myself a new bike for everyday college use. The budget is about Rs 80k and these are few of the bikes ive shortlisted with the reasons:

Bajaj Pulsar 220 F/S: i just love the power of the thing.

Yamaha FZ16/Fazer: its very smooth to ride, and is decently powerful.

TVS Apache RTR 180: have not ridden it yet, but ive heard quite some good things about it, including its pulsar rivaling performance.

Royal Enfield Electra: i just love thumpers, but unfortunately the classic 350/500 are wayy over-budget and the thunderbird doesnt apeal to me, so this is the only one which fits the bill for now.

gurus, please help me out, by pointing out the different pros and cons of each bike. im about 6'2 and ride comfort is on top of my list. ileage isnt really an issue. also educate me in the running costs of each bike, aswell as their overall performance. any other suggestions are also welcome!!
Please help guys!!

HammerHead · 2nd February 2010, 18:23

From the list, I would suggest you Bajaj Pulser 220 as it can do everything better then the rest all in the list!! The only problem that I see in any pulser is its handling specially on corners or else no match to Pulser 220.

bivin · 2nd February 2010, 18:31

i totally agree with you on that point brother, but the thing is, im worried if they are reliable. ive used a friends 3 month old p220 for about 2 weeks, a found that it already started having probs with the gears and the fairing was shaking like crazy!! and after about a week after i handed over the bike to my friend, he said there were some probs with the carb aswell and he had to replace it. and keep in mind this was a 3 month old bike. could you tell me if such problems are common among p220s??

if its reliability was a bit better , id pick the p220 with a blindfold!!

abhinav.s · 2nd February 2010, 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by bivin

i totally agree with you on that point brother, but the thing is, im worried if they are reliable. ive used a friends 3 month old p220 for about 2 weeks, a found that it already started having probs with the gears and the fairing was shaking like crazy!! and after about a week after i handed over the bike to my friend, he said there were some probs with the carb aswell and he had to replace it. and keep in mind this was a 3 month old bike. could you tell me if such problems are common among p220s??

if its reliability was a bit better , id pick the p220 with a blindfold!!

Reliability will be based on your stars and the kind of pro biking service center in your vicinity.

For the fairing vibes, Bajaj have now got the P220 "S" with the normal bikini fairing. You can go for that if you are wanting a pulsar. Comfort is pretty good but the bike is quite front heavy in terms of balance of the bike. Riding the bike is quite comfortable though.

Since you are 6'2, not sure if the FZ16 will be comfy for you as its a short bike. If you are comfy on it then ride comfort is really very good and power delivery in the city will be more than adequate. Only when you stretch its legs on the highways that you will feel the lack of power.

Though RTR180 has an aggressively sporty seating position, if you dont mind getting used to it which you will eventually, it is a capable bike with power enough to beat a P220 in its initial acceleration.

So if its mainly for city usage and very few highway runs, then FZ16 or RTR180 would be best suited.

In case you want just raw power, then the P220 "S" with the bikini fairing is the best bet.

I dont know much about bulls hence refraining to comment about the bulls.

HammerHead · 2nd February 2010, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by bivin

i totally agree with you on that point brother, but the thing is, im worried if they are reliable. ive used a friends 3 month old p220 for about 2 weeks, a found that it already started having probs with the gears and the fairing was shaking like crazy!! and after about a week after i handed over the bike to my friend, he said there were some probs with the carb aswell and he had to replace it. and keep in mind this was a 3 month old bike. could you tell me if such problems are common among p220s??

if its reliability was a bit better , id pick the p220 with a blindfold!!

Well there are some quality problems with Pulsers rather most of the Bajaj bikes. But having said that no bike is perfect!

My bro owns a pulser 150 DTSi with s.s spokes. This march its going to complete 6 years!! He maintained it very well and its as good as a new one. Bajaj has definitely done some cost cutting on the plastic parts which are in body colour. Some parts had be replaced over a period of time e.g. chain, silencer and some minor ones.

Here are my 2 cents. Buy
HH Karizma for handling, well put together, HH A.S.S if you like it!!
P 200 for the punch it provides. No other bike will bring a big smile on your face as this one does.

. Quality is not worst either.
FZ16/Fazer, even this one is well put together and handles well but not for anyone above 5feet 10"

Technocrat · 2nd February 2010, 19:47

Given your height I would rule out the RTR & may be the FZ too.

Someone who likes Bullet would not consider other options so just see if your heart goes out for a bullet. Also its not that you wont get any trouble with Electra, the running is extremely crucial with bullets i.e. needs to be done much more carefully than in these new bikes

P220 is an absolute VFM deal, yes there might be niggles but nothing that the service center wont be able to iron out.

The Bullet & P220 have the most comfy rides amongst the options that you have mentioned.

So decide accordingly

akshay4587 · 2nd February 2010, 19:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by HammerHead

Well there are some quality problems with Pulsers rather most of the Bajaj bikes. But having said that no bike is perfect!

My bro owns a pulser 150 DTSi with s.s spokes. This march its going to complete 6 years!! He maintained it very well and its as good as a new one. Bajaj has definitely done some cost cutting on the plastic parts which are in body colour. Some parts had be replaced over a period of time e.g. chain, silencer and some minor ones.

Here are my 2 cents. Buy
HH Karizma for handling, well put together, HH A.S.S if you like it!!
P 200 for the punch it provides. No other bike will bring a big smile on your face as this one does.

. Quality is not worst either.
FZ16/Fazer, even this one is well put together and handles well but not for anyone above 5feet 10"

P200 is not being sold anymore
i would recommend RTR 180 or a P220

georgev · 2nd February 2010, 19:50

well...my take is

FZ
+looks,smooth engine,decent power,looks,quality,seating position
-mileage,pillion comfort/ride
PULSAR220
+looks,tech,power/top end,mileage
-service,quality,durability,seating/stance(for some)
RTR180
+looks,quality,power,exhaust sound,mileage
_service,seating/stance(for some)

bivin · 2nd February 2010, 19:51

thanks guys..
well i rode the fz last week and found it quite satisfactory. the seating positing seemed alright. but the best part was the feel of the thing. it was very easy to ride and not vary demanding on the rider, unlike the pulsar IMO.
anyways will look into the p220 once again for old times sake. will test ride the RTR 180 within this week or so. any comments on the bull guys??

P.S: is the seating position of the fazer and the fz16 the same?? are the handlebars of the fazer a bit higher??

akshay4587 · 2nd February 2010, 19:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by bivin

thanks guys..
well i rode the fz last week and found it quite satisfactory. the seating positing seemed alright. but the best part was the feel of the thing. it was very easy to ride and not vary demanding on the rider, unlike the pulsar IMO.
anyways will look into the p220 once again for old times sake. will test ride the RTR 180 within this week or so. any comments on the bull guys??

P.S: is the seating position of the fazer and the fz16 the same?? are the handlebars of the fazer a bit higher??

if its going to be used for daily commute try the RTR 180 its an amazing city slicker and mid range is better than 220.
and stay away from bulls unless you plan to go touring on it

SamuraiJack · 2nd February 2010, 20:07

Try the Karizma out, maybe not the new one "ZMA" I guess but the old one.

considering your height I think this bike is the best, its great for highway as well and power and pick up is i'm pretty sure best in class.

Apache is a lean bike and if you consider yourself a big guy this thing is going to look puny when you sit on it.

Test ride.. is the only way to know if the bike feels good.

georgev · 2nd February 2010, 20:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by bivin

thanks guys..
well i rode the fz last week and found it quite satisfactory. the seating positing seemed alright. but the best part was the feel of the thing. it was very easy to ride and not vary demanding on the rider, unlike the pulsar IMO.
anyways will look into the p220 once again for old times sake. will test ride the RTR 180 within this week or so. any comments on the bull guys??

P.S: is the seating position of the fazer and the fz16 the same?? are the handlebars of the fazer a bit higher??

Yes...fazer handle bar is higher and wider, more relaxed than the FZ

except the new C500 i can'nt see anything good in the RE range

HammerHead · 2nd February 2010, 20:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay4587

P200 is not being sold anymore
i would recommend RTR 180 or a P220

Hey I apologize for the typo. Please read P200 as P220!!

Beast_of_Burden · 2nd February 2010, 22:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay4587

and stay away from bulls unless you plan to go touring on it

Agree 100%. Bulls are utterly out of their element in the city.

JayPrashanth · 2nd February 2010, 22:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by bivin

Heyy all!!
my 18th birthday is fast approaching and im planning to get myself a new bike for everyday college use. The budget is about Rs 80k and these are few of the bikes ive shortlisted with the reasons:

Bajaj Pulsar 220 F/S: i just love the power of the thing.

Yamaha FZ16/Fazer: its very smooth to ride, and is decently powerful.

TVS Apache RTR 180: have not ridden it yet, but ive heard quite some good things about it, including its pulsar rivaling performance.

Royal Enfield Electra: i just love thumpers, but unfortunately the classic 350/500 are wayy over-budget and the thunderbird doesnt apeal to me, so this is the only one which fits the bill for now.

gurus, please help me out, by pointing out the different pros and cons of each bike. im about 6'2 and ride comfort is on top of my list. ileage isnt really an issue. also educate me in the running costs of each bike, aswell as their overall performance. any other suggestions are also welcome!!
Please help guys!!

I suggest the P220S if you want a fast, easy on the pocket motorcycle. Terrific VFM and great availability of spares.

Electra is also a great bet, but you must know what you're getting into as it is a CI engined bullet. It will be slow compared to the P220 but it has a charm of it's own that just can't be matched. The other plus point is that you will have a brand new classic.

Cheers,

Jay

2nd February 2010, 18:11	#1
bivin BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: India Posts: 982 Thanked: 232 Times	Please suggest a new Bike for me!! Heyy all!! my 18th birthday is fast approaching and im planning to get myself a new bike for everyday college use. The budget is about Rs 80k and these are few of the bikes ive shortlisted with the reasons: Bajaj Pulsar 220 F/S: i just love the power of the thing. Yamaha FZ16/Fazer: its very smooth to ride, and is decently powerful. TVS Apache RTR 180: have not ridden it yet, but ive heard quite some good things about it, including its pulsar rivaling performance. Royal Enfield Electra: i just love thumpers, but unfortunately the classic 350/500 are wayy over-budget and the thunderbird doesnt apeal to me, so this is the only one which fits the bill for now. gurus, please help me out, by pointing out the different pros and cons of each bike. im about 6'2 and ride comfort is on top of my list. ileage isnt really an issue. also educate me in the running costs of each bike, aswell as their overall performance. any other suggestions are also welcome!! Please help guys!!
	() Thanks

2nd February 2010, 18:23	#2
HammerHead Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Goan in Pune Posts: 1,254 Thanked: 653 Times View My Garage	From the list, I would suggest you Bajaj Pulser 220 as it can do everything better then the rest all in the list!! The only problem that I see in any pulser is its handling specially on corners or else no match to Pulser 220.
	() Thanks

2nd February 2010, 18:31	#3
bivin BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: India Posts: 982 Thanked: 232 Times	i totally agree with you on that point brother, but the thing is, im worried if they are reliable. ive used a friends 3 month old p220 for about 2 weeks, a found that it already started having probs with the gears and the fairing was shaking like crazy!! and after about a week after i handed over the bike to my friend, he said there were some probs with the carb aswell and he had to replace it. and keep in mind this was a 3 month old bike. could you tell me if such problems are common among p220s?? if its reliability was a bit better , id pick the p220 with a blindfold!!
	() Thanks

2nd February 2010, 19:47	#6
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,765 Thanked: 2,705 Times	Given your height I would rule out the RTR & may be the FZ too. Someone who likes Bullet would not consider other options so just see if your heart goes out for a bullet. Also its not that you wont get any trouble with Electra, the running is extremely crucial with bullets i.e. needs to be done much more carefully than in these new bikes P220 is an absolute VFM deal, yes there might be niggles but nothing that the service center wont be able to iron out. The Bullet & P220 have the most comfy rides amongst the options that you have mentioned. So decide accordingly
	() Thanks

2nd February 2010, 19:50	#8
georgev BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: KL-05 Posts: 233 Thanked: 7 Times	well...my take is FZ +looks,smooth engine,decent power,looks,quality,seating position -mileage,pillion comfort/ride PULSAR220 +looks,tech,power/top end,mileage -service,quality,durability,seating/stance(for some) RTR180 +looks,quality,power,exhaust sound,mileage _service,seating/stance(for some)
	() Thanks

2nd February 2010, 19:51	#9
bivin BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: India Posts: 982 Thanked: 232 Times	thanks guys.. well i rode the fz last week and found it quite satisfactory. the seating positing seemed alright. but the best part was the feel of the thing. it was very easy to ride and not vary demanding on the rider, unlike the pulsar IMO. anyways will look into the p220 once again for old times sake. will test ride the RTR 180 within this week or so. any comments on the bull guys?? P.S: is the seating position of the fazer and the fz16 the same?? are the handlebars of the fazer a bit higher??
	() Thanks

2nd February 2010, 20:07	#11
SamuraiJack BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 175 Thanked: 145 Times	Try the Karizma out, maybe not the new one "ZMA" I guess but the old one. considering your height I think this bike is the best, its great for highway as well and power and pick up is i'm pretty sure best in class. Apache is a lean bike and if you consider yourself a big guy this thing is going to look puny when you sit on it. Test ride.. is the only way to know if the bike feels good.
	() Thanks