[VW2010]

RE might give a comfy ride, but manouevring a RE in B2B traffic is a pain. Considering you are a small built, the ride might save your discs, but expect your shoulder bone to wear out quickly.

The wearing of shoulders will be same in any bike. Bulls are far easier to manouever due to the torque available at such low RPM. IMHO bulls are very easy to move. The neutral lever in the old bulls are such a boon to slow down and move in the second.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

RE might give a comfy ride, but manouevring a RE in B2B traffic is a pain.

I would not recommend RE if you are going to use it in city traffic.

[CliffHanger]

The wearing of shoulders will be same in any bike. Bulls are far easier to manouever due to the torque available at such low RPM. IMHO bulls are very easy to move. The neutral lever in the old bulls are such a boon to slow down and move in the second.

Ok let me be a bit more clear. With manuoverability I didn't mean driveability. I just meant the amount of literal weight his body has to handle. Every time when the bike has to be stopped, the body has to handle the weight. The more heavier the bike the more the toll on the body. Try putting a RE on its stand and a Pulsar on its stand. Hope you got the drift.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

Ok let me be a bit more clear. With manuoverability I didn't mean driveability. I just meant the amount of literal weight his body has to handle. Every time when the bike has to be stopped, the body has to handle the weight. The more heavier the bike the more the toll on the body. Try putting a RE on its stand and a Pulsar on its stand. Hope you got the drift.

I beg to disagree. Bullet is the easiest bike to put on its main stand, at least compared to Pulsar and my FZ-16. I wouldn't say it is the most maneuverable bike, but it is least stressful to ride mainly because of all that weight and torque. It is not top-heavy unlike other bikes, so you can lean and swerve with confidence once it becomes familiar.

The only negative point I found with the Bull's dynamics is that it seems to be too front-heavy. Not sure if I am correct, but I think so. But it is not a big factor when riding, more when the bike has to be pushed .

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by architect

the GS150R has been on my radar because of the 6th cog always, just that I was never in the market for a new bike. I have ridden the FZ150 / Fazer. While I like the bike, I don't find much difference from my current bike in terms of performance. I am happy with what I ride, but If I buy new, I would like a performance upgrade, more in terms of low-end torque than abject power.

Oops! I forgot about going for a more powerful ride. I thought the main grouse was the seating and hence the suggestion of GS & FZ. I think the bulletteers will be able to help you better with the choice of the bullet that you need

[jeeva]

To be very frank, I think you would be well-off modifying the Pulsar according to your needs or getting yourself an Avenger.

About reliability: Certain preset notions about the CI bullets that you have mentioned are'nt true. Any machine would require periodic maintenance, be it Japanese, American or Korean. Its the same with the Bullet too.

I own a 68 and a 90 model CI 350 and have logged some respectable kilometers in both. Understanding your machine makes a whole world of difference to the ownership experience, especially when it comes to British engineering. They are built to last.

[Baburajs]

Let me put my 2 cents here. I am a electra rider for the last 5 years and these comments are based on my experience

- If maintained regularly Bullet is very reliable ( Regularly means once in 3 months (

- Electra with disc brake and gas shocks are very good option .

- I have changed the handle bar to that of Yamaha RD 350 . This has given me great driving pleasure.

- In city drives Bullet is a little difficult to drive in the initial periods but you get used to it fairly quick.

- It is a open bike so get ready for your pants to get dirty some times if you are not careful

- It gives a good FE of 32 - 35

- It is heaven to drive for long drives

- It is a great asset to have now a days (even an investment if I can dare say that if you have a CI bullet)

So go enjoy your drive and be happy . Service it regularly and she will serve you well for long time

Babu

[VW2010]

Ok let me be a bit more clear. With manuoverability I didn't mean driveability. I just meant the amount of literal weight his body has to handle. Every time when the bike has to be stopped, the body has to handle the weight. The more heavier the bike the more the toll on the body. Try putting a RE on its stand and a Pulsar on its stand. Hope you got the drift

.
Bullet 350 - 163KGS
Pulsar 150 -143kgs
Karizma - 159kgs
Avenger - 155kgs
Pulsar 220 - 152KG
Unicorn - 142kgs

Only Yamaha bikes are lighter that the above set.
The weight is not an issue with Bullet unless you need to push to a near by puncture shop.
I owned a Valkyrie which weighed close to 350kgs (when i was in the US). I never had an issue manouvering the bike though one cant compare the traffic scenes with our country.

[ashokrajagopal]

Bullet is not all that difficult to maneuver from my experience of riding for two years. In fact it stays very stable when stationary with one foot on the ground. Additionally, everytime I jump over an unseen hump or really bad gutter, I get the feeling I will fall down, but the bike never gives in. I think it has got to do with the low centre of gravity.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

I beg to disagree. Bullet is the easiest bike to put on its main stand, at least compared to Pulsar and my FZ-16. I wouldn't say it is the most maneuverable bike, but it is least stressful to ride mainly because of all that weight and torque. It is not top-heavy unlike other bikes, so you can lean and swerve with confidence once it becomes familiar.

The only negative point I found with the Bull's dynamics is that it seems to be too front-heavy. Not sure if I am correct, but I think so. But it is not a big factor when riding, more when the bike has to be pushed .

RE difficult to put on main stand???????????? It is the easiest bike to put on the stand perhaps!!!!!!!
You do not even have to get off from the seat to do that. Just wedge your left heel on the main stand grip and pull the handlebars back slightly. That's it! Do try it out sometime.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

RE difficult to put on main stand???????????? It is the easiest bike to put on the stand perhaps!!!!!!!
You do not even have to get off from the seat to do that. Just wedge your left heel on the main stand grip and pull the handlebars back slightly. That's it! Do try it out sometime.

Er... I think we're both trying to say the same thing .

@jeeva, I don't think RE requiring more maintenance than other bikes is just a preset notion, it is a fact. Not to say it doesn't have its virtues or that it isn't heavenly to ride, but it is also true that other brands like Honda and Yamaha don't really require the rider to "understand" the bike... isn't it? I think the analogy of marrying a beauty pageant winner (as someone mentioned) is very much applicable. Each person has to decide whether that is what he wants .

[VW2010]

The only negative point I found with the Bull's dynamics is that it seems to be too front-heavy

This happens when your seating position is not quite right. You are mostly reaching out for the handle bar in such cases. The best approach would be have atleast a 40-60Deg bend at your elbows. A 90Deg bend is the best which means your are sitting well relaxed and you are using the best posture to ride any bike.

[drrajasaravanan]

Hi
I dont own a pulsar but do own a avenger for the last 5 years. I had put some decent miles into the vehicle and i like to contradict the statement its a comfortable bike to drive. Because of its low seating it really strains your back. For me i have to get up and stretch if i have driven for more than 2 hours. I dont know whether this would help but your thread has helped me stay convinced and wait for the 500cc Classic i have booked earlier. Like another bhpian has pointed out "All the other bikes tries to be but bullet is already there". Cheers.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Er... I think we're both trying to say the same thing

Oops! Sorry, I quoted the wrong comment. I wanted to quote the comment above.

All in all, RE is not as intimidating an experience as it is made out to be. More than that, the degree of pleasure it brings into the ownership cannot be rivaled by any other bike that easily (at least paisa to paisa).
This is what made me restore my TB, even when I nowadays don't even exceed 100 kms a week. I just wanted to continue having the pleasure of riding one. Moreover, I do it mostly in Gurgaon nowadays, and Gurgaon is not the best place for either Road quality nor traffic. But, that ain't pose no problems.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by VW2010

This happens when your seating position is not quite right. You are mostly reaching out for the handle bar in such cases. The best approach would be have atleast a 40-60Deg bend at your elbows. A 90Deg bend is the best which means your are sitting well relaxed and you are using the best posture to ride any bike.

Well I actually felt that way only when pushing the bike, not when riding it. Not sure if that is an issue at all. But I did get the opportunity to push the Bull a couple of times in 1 year of ownership

Originally Posted by drrajasaravanan

Hi
I dont own a pulsar but do own a avenger for the last 5 years. I had put some decent miles into the vehicle and i like to contradict the statement its a comfortable bike to drive. Because of its low seating it really strains your back. For me i have to get up and stretch if i have driven for more than 2 hours. I dont know whether this would help but your thread has helped me stay convinced and wait for the 500cc Classic i have booked earlier. Like another bhpian has pointed out "All the other bikes tries to be but bullet is already there". Cheers.

@Dr Raja: I agree with you on the comfort part! But, other bikes try to be Bullet? I don't think so . I think the Jap- and Jap-derived bikes have a different kind of role model (the R1 perhaps?). I don't think they try to be Bullet at all. Anyway, perceptions vary I guess...

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Oops! Sorry, I quoted the wrong comment. I wanted to quote the comment above.

All in all, RE is not as intimidating an experience as it is made out to be. More than that, the degree of pleasure it brings into the ownership cannot be rivaled by any other bike that easily (at least paisa to paisa).
This is what made me restore my TB, even when I nowadays don't even exceed 100 kms a week. I just wanted to continue having the pleasure of riding one. Moreover, I do it mostly in Gurgaon nowadays, and Gurgaon is not the best place for either Road quality nor traffic. But, that ain't pose no problems.

No problem buddy! I think it varies from person to person, and it is important for a person to know what he is getting into. For someone for whom 1 hour to spend on a bike on a regular weekday is scarce, priorities may be different. Dont you agree? I found out the hard way, and sometimes I used to feel that I should have looked at both pros and cons before going for one. That's why I want to present both sides of the coin.