[aargee]

Thanks for the correction Abhinav ZMR is the recent launch of FI version.
@MCR - I know you'd a very bad experience at Suzuki, trust me, other than locating their service centres, GS150R is very good & comes with several goodies. You may want to relook, provided you're still not convinced with the quality, smooth & less vibrations ZMA/R.

The P220 & P220-S are good ones too, but expect vibrations & rattlings after couple of years.

So to summarize I would order in terms of
1. ZMA/R
2. R15
3. FZ/Fazer*
4. GS150R
5. P220/P220-S

* Though FZ & Fazer do not perform to the mark of R15/ZMx/P220s, they're still good motorcycles delivering good performance.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by aargee

* Though FZ & Fazer do not perform to the mark of R15/ZMx/P220s, they're still good motorcycles delivering good performance.

+1.. You can have a look at the FZ/Fazer as well since they are also very refined and dont have any vibes. Missed including these 2 in the previous post.

[justROYal]

Originally Posted by Alter_Ego

Hey justROYal,
Can you roughly tell me the FEs of the bullets mentioned above.
I am on the same boat as wanderlust with a different reason though.
Need to travel 40 odd kms to office and back and the safari is burning a hole in my pocket.
And the bullets have always mesmerized me.

I have zeroed down on the following 2 due to personal preference.
1. ThunderBird TwinSpark (TBTS)
2. Electra UCE 350

And I am planning to go for a used one due to my budget constraints

And the more important thing is FE for me now that I am going for a 2 wheeler I want some real drastic improvement of FE so that I can save some money on fuel.I understand that there are a bulk of other brands which give better FE than RE but I am particular about RE.
So can I expect a good FE > 40kmpl from the above mentioned bullet siblings?

Mesmerized by Bullets...hmmm... now where have I heard that one before

Join the Fan Club, Sir!

Sorry for the late reply, but AFAIK all UCE models have 40+ FE. In fact the Electra UCE my friend has is providing a nice 53 in city traffic conditions.

One small detail that I thought you might want to be aware about - If your admiration for Bullets stems from the thump factor or the leisurely 15 kmph rides to turn heads, the UCE machines are going to leave you wanting a lot more. They are really good with FE and Low-end torque, but if you are looking for Mid-range play, I would have to suggest a Cast Iron or a compromisory AVL.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by justROYal

Sorry for the late reply, but AFAIK all UCE models have 40+ FE. In fact the Electra UCE my friend has is providing a nice 53 in city traffic conditions.

But tell me, how about the vibrations? Last weekend I got a chance to ride a C5 that's put on 3.5K odo; everything was smooth until 80 & beyond that its full of vibrations & was barely able to see objects on RVMS.

Originally Posted by justROYal

They are really good with FE and Low-end torque, but if you are looking for Mid-range play, I would have to suggest a Cast Iron or a compromisory AVL.

Right, but I'm under the impression that RE has replaced their UCE in all of their models & CI & AVL's are no longer available in the showrooms. Am I right or wrong?

[justROYal]

Originally Posted by aargee

But tell me, how about the vibrations? Last weekend I got a chance to ride a C5 that's put on 3.5K odo; everything was smooth until 80 & beyond that its full of vibrations & was barely able to see objects on RVMS.


Right, but I'm under the impression that RE has replaced their UCE in all of their models & CI & AVL's are no longer available in the showrooms. Am I right or wrong?

C5 - 3.5k on Odo is supposed to do more than 80. If it is a bike being used, the owner might consider taking it in for a check-up. So far, I have ridden only two C5's and I felt the vibrations are more compared to the CI's of the yesteryears. But then again, it is lesser than other vehicles with such low-end torque. Bullets were never meant to be signal-to-signal draggers. The C5 does that pretty well, But having said that, It is not something I would want to tour the country on.

One more reason for higher vibes can be the shift timing. All said, the C5 is still a single cylinder 500cc. A large cylinder needs a rev-up time before you can shift. The way you would shift to reach 100 kmph on a R15 is very different from that for a C5. You have to keep that in mind when you whack your throttle open on 5th gear on a large cylinder. The best idea is to push her till 80. Hold a little than step up incrementally. You would have to do it on a CI to truly appreciate what I am talking about. If you hold a warmed up CI 350 at 80kmph for 10 mins, you will realize that the bike is pulling you faster even without opening the throttle any more.

It is true that all assembly lines at the Tiruvottiyur RE factory are doling out UCE's nowadays. The only way to get hold of CI's or AVL's is to buy a second hand. You would find posts on various threads here where people have been lucky to get the last of the CI's or AVL's in a particular city.

[iron]

I use a Standard 350 CI version for commuting a daily distance of 40kms.
All riding is done in city traffic.
Very comfortable. Service and maintainence carried on time.
Only down side is FE.
i would suggest the TBTS since its been out for a long time and RE has been improving it since the time of its launch.
Electra UCE and Standard 350 UCE recently launched, even though all 3 have the same engine I would wait for the flaws of Electra and Standard to pop up ( its RE after-all).

[nandans2005]

hey guys,

i am looking our for a bike to commute about 60 kms everyday. i did own an RX 100 few years back. i need to get the same thrill in the bikes that are around these days.

I have thought of FZ, But i see that few guys here say that it dies out after 100kmph.

which is the bike to go for?

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by nandans2005

hey guys,

i am looking our for a bike to commute about 60 kms everyday. i did own an RX 100 few years back. i need to get the same thrill in the bikes that are around these days.

I have thought of FZ, But i see that few guys here say that it dies out after 100kmph.

which is the bike to go for?

If the 60kms is going to be in the city, then FZ is the best as it gives you a good balance of power and refinement. I dont think you can go beyond 100kmph on the city streets anyways. In addition it has a good posture as well.

If you are not very particular of the seating position, then you can choose from P220 S/F, RTR180/160, R-15 etc.

If its purely highway or atleast majority in the highways, the above listed bikes would serve you well, specially P220 S/F or ZMA-R as they are meant to be tourer bikes.

[nandans2005]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

If the 60kms is going to be in the city, then FZ is the best as it gives you a good balance of power and refinement. I dont think you can go beyond 100kmph on the city streets anyways. In addition it has a good posture as well.

abhinav,

glad to tell you that i have booked the FZ Black. Most probably i may get my bike tomorrow.

I did TDs of P220, Karisma, and also TBTS.

my long wait to have a bike again is over. Finally, i am looking for a break from my cars and longing to get some wind onto my face and hair.

thanks a lot for you and Grafin for the advise.

[raghutk]

So far I have been using bikes of different sorts and last one I used was Avenger before switching on to cars. I always felt happy riding my bikes.

Last week I took RTR-160 for a ride in Bangalore borrowed from one of my friend. I was majorly dissappointed as the Gar lever doesn't have rear side pedal as in normal commuter bikes so that I do not have put pressure to pull the gear in feet. This was way too annoying and I was feeling loads of pain in the feets from region after the travel.

I personally feel if our fellow BHPians are looking for a good commuter bike please make sure you use it before you zero in. Once you buy it becomes difficult to change and forcibly you have to get used to living with.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by nandans2005

abhinav,

glad to tell you that i have booked the FZ Black. Most probably i may get my bike tomorrow.

Great Nandan!! Congrats on the bike. Glad we could be of help.

Originally Posted by raghutk

So far I have been using bikes of different sorts and last one I used was Avenger before switching on to cars. I always felt happy riding my bikes.

Last week I took RTR-160 for a ride in Bangalore borrowed from one of my friend. I was majorly dissappointed as the Gar lever doesn't have rear side pedal as in normal commuter bikes so that I do not have put pressure to pull the gear in feet. This was way too annoying and I was feeling loads of pain in the feets from region after the travel.

I personally feel if our fellow BHPians are looking for a good commuter bike please make sure you use it before you zero in. Once you buy it becomes difficult to change and forcibly you have to get used to living with.

Raghu, bikes like RTR-160, R-15, P220, P180, P135 etc have a toe shifter only. Only commuter bikes like Splendor, Passion, Victor, Flame etc have a toe n heel shifter. So based on one's preference they can choose either bike.

If you are riding with sandals on the bikes with toe shifter, you will have a slight discomfort due to gear changes. But if you are wearing shoes, then you wont have any aches/pains.

[raghutk]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Great Nandan!! Congrats on the bike. Glad we could be of help.



Raghu, bikes like RTR-160, R-15, P220, P180, P135 etc have a toe shifter only. Only commuter bikes like Splendor, Passion, Victor, Flame etc have a toe n heel shifter. So based on one's preference they can choose either bike.

If you are riding with sandals on the bikes with toe shifter, you will have a slight discomfort due to gear changes. But if you are wearing shoes, then you wont have any aches/pains.

Yes you are correct Abhinav. But for all local trips around the home I guess to wear shoes everytime would be hard which is why I was wondering why don't good bikes like the ones you have mentioned won't come with toe n heel shifter ? Its more of an added comfort factor to the user than a harm.
My2C to companies manufacturing the same.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by raghutk

Yes you are correct Abhinav. But for all local trips around the home I guess to wear shoes everytime would be hard which is why I was wondering why don't good bikes like the ones you have mentioned won't come with toe n heel shifter ? Its more of an added comfort factor to the user than a harm.
My2C to companies manufacturing the same.

Agree with you on the local trips. I too use sandals for the short trips. And yes it does ache at times when changing gears. So the solution i have adopted is to get slip ons which are covered in the front to aid in gear shifting

Somehow though its practical, i dont find toe n heel shifter comfortable at all. Specially the ones that come on the hero honda bikes. I always prefer a toe only shifter. But that's just me!!

[sportz_kruzer]

true! I have never used the heel shifter in the 4 years of ownership of my P200 ug2. As it is the gear shift is really soft and ofcourse it gives me a sbk feel lol.