[DrvSafe]

Hi All, Im in a big confusion regarding motorcycle purchase. I'm an NRI living in Dubai and comes back home to Kerala may be 1 month every year. Now I wanted to purchase a motorcycle and can put aside 12 lack rupees for the same.

But as soon as I thinks of this, head says why to put that much money when I use it only once per year, why not buy an Interceptor 650.
Heart says, anyways will be having only month in home for at least some years to come, by the time I come to home permanently from Dubai, not sure what will be my conditions, so go and buy the bike you like.

Im sure so many member might have faced the same dilemma.
Whats your take on this? What would you have done in this situation?

[AtheK]

If you are home just a month, you obviously can not ride it everyday. Let's say somehow you are still able to ride it for 24 days (80% of the days), it's not worth it, until some one else in family will also be riding it.

Bike not being used for months together will develop niggles, you will need to keep both the tires on paddock always or you will have problems, plus the forks might leak. The battery needs to be kept disconnected and then charged again. This also means when you come back every year you will need to spend considerable time getting it serviced and making it road worthy.

Look at option of maybe renting a bike when you are in India for couple of weeks, rather then doing injustice to a machine. If I was in your shoes I would not have bought a bike for just three weeks.

[ranjitnair77]

Originally Posted by DrvSafe

Whats your take on this? What would you have done in this situation?

I would not buy anything, not even an Intercepter 650. Motorcycles need to run, not sit somewhere for 11 months in a year otherwise things start to degrade. If you absolutely must buy something, get a smaller, cheaper bike that can quickly be revived whenever you are in town.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by DrvSafe

...comes back home to Kerala may be 1 month every year. Now I wanted to purchase a motorcycle and can put aside 12 lack rupees for the same.

Seriously man, as someone who has 2 bikes just sitting at home and falling apart, I'd say don't buy anything! (And those are not even expensive bikes, and I used them well before I stopped using them.) Bikes degrade when they are not being used, unless you take great care to store them properly and even then, it can't be for years together. So definitely don't waste money on something you are going to use for just a month in a year. Not to mention all the time, effort (and additional money) you will spend to get the bike running again each time you return. If you're home for a month in a year, why spend it with a mechanic at a garage instead of with family and friends?!

A friend in a similar situation (merchant navy, used to return home for a month or two a year) went and bought a Harley. Finally his old parents had to take the trouble to sell it off for him. At a considerable loss. Same with another friend who got busy with his business and didn't have time to ride, had to sell.

Rent some awesome bikes in Dubai and enjoy them there, they have the roads!

[krishnaprasadgg]

Originally Posted by DrvSafe

But as soon as I thinks of this, head says why to put that much money when I use it only once per year, why not buy an Interceptor 650.

Whats your take on this? What would you have done in this situation?

100% go with the Interceptor. Even though you will be here for 1 month every year, most of that time you are going to be busy with much more important stuff. Riding a bike to enjoy it thoroughly is not going to happen for maybe a day or two, you will also have to spend some of those days maintaining the bike as well. Moreover, these bikes tend to develop snags when not used regularly, fuel goes bad, plastic and rubber seals start to crack and tyres develop flat spots or go flat. If you are ready to spend a lot of money or assign someone to take care of these things, don't spend that kind of money just for the sake of a few days.

And moreover, handling high powered bikes for a few days every year isn't exactly the best way to be safe on these bikes, do note this is in no way questioning anybody's skill, it's just the hard cold fact, me even with having superbikes accessible 365 days a year, when I get on my R1 after a gap of 2-3 weeks I feel a bit rusty and need to spend a few km before I feel comfortable again on the bike.

Hope this helps

Cheers
Krishna

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by DrvSafe

Hi All, Im in a big confusion regarding motorcycle purchase. I'm an NRI living in Dubai and comes back home to Kerala may be 1 month every year. Now I wanted to purchase a motorcycle and can put aside 12 lack rupees for the same.

But as soon as I thinks of this, head says why to put that much money when I use it only once per year, why not buy an Interceptor 650.
Heart says, anyways will be having only month in home for at least some years to come, by the time I come to home permanently from Dubai, not sure what will be my conditions, so go and buy the bike you like.

Im sure so many member might have faced the same dilemma.
Whats your take on this? What would you have done in this situation?

DrvSafe, with that budget, I would do the really simple thing and just buy myself a tasty motorcycle in Dubai. That way I can enjoy riding for 11 months of the year and would only have to worry about the 1 month when I return to India.

But if you are really keen on buying yourself a nice motorcycle to use in Kerala when you come down, get yourself a motorcycle that will keep you happy. I do know of a firm that provides a babysitting service of sorts for superbikes. It caters to people in your same situation. If you are interested in knowing more about it, drop me a PM and Ill send you their contact details.

However, do keep in mind practical things like the road conditions in Kerala, traffic density, family commitments, limited time availability etc and think about whether you really would enjoy riding your motorcycle for 1 month of the year here or 11 months of the year in Dubai. I hear that the riding community in Dubai is pretty active. To me, its a no brainer. Pick up your motorcycle of choice in Dubai and have fun!

[GTO]

DrvSafe, moving your query & replies to a new thread

[aneesh2M]

Hello. IMO don't buy any bike here in India as it will be sitting idle for 11months and will be giving lot of troubles. Buy a bike in Dubai and have fun with it.


If you have to buy anything in any case then don't buy an interceptor or any big bike, Instead buy a smaller bike like Honda highness or a Duke. A smaller bike will be reliable and cost effective standing for 11 Months and whenever you realize that you need to get rid of it for not being used you will be loosing a lot less money at resale.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by DrvSafe

Im sure so many member might have faced the same dilemma.
Whats your take on this? What would you have done in this situation?

Don't think of this purchase from money perspective. Do not do that mistake, please.

Your requirement is purely pleasure oriented so it won't matter how much you spend on it. Choose the right bike under 12 L that you enjoy. Take a TD of all possible bikes that you may want to and then decide the right Bike. Not the right figure to spend on it.

Regarding riding - 1 month in India every year will mean that you will ride it for 1 week at max on average. You won't ride it all 30 days here.

So only if you connect to the bike and want to ride your own bike in India - buy it. Otherwise you will be doing a disrespect to the bike. It will degrade if not taken care of. You will dispose it after 3-4 years at a ridiculous price. Check OLX, there are already such examples available at dirt cheap prices and still no one will buy them. Chain, Disc Brakes, Suspension, battery, tyres - all of these will rot and go for a toss soon.

You will have to have someone who can take care of it here. Who may ride it occasionally and also disconnect the batter, cover and clean the bike regularly. You can do this for sure. But are you sure you want to do that? This is applicable even for a commuter bike such as Unicorn or Splendor.

For better bang for your buck, get a license in UAE and enjoy the bikes there for 11 months in a year. Rent a different bike here in India for 1-2 weeks when you are here. You will enjoy that more.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by DrvSafe

.
Whats your take on this? What would you have done in this situation?

You have decent options of renting a bike in any major city across India. Most easy of them all are renting Royal Enfield bikes as well as other options. Rental for a month would cost you around 20k - 40k depending on the vehicle you choose (ballpark figures). Easily the best option to go for. This way you can try both super bikes as well as cruiser bikes like Interceptor over time.

[iamahunter]

Originally Posted by DrvSafe

Whats your take on this? What would you have done in this situation?

As you're in Dubai, and keen on biking, I would suggest you look for a biking scene in Dubai. I am sure there you will get to ride many more exotics.

Coming back to India, of that one month you will be here, I believe you would get to ride for a certain period of time. Considering its probably a couple of tours, or may be a track day. You can rent out a bike and enjoy a different bike every time.

[androdev]

I can't speak about bikes but I know few NRI friends who are very particular about making their India trip worthwhile, something to look forward to, etc. They hate the hassle of renting a car and they feel quality of life is much better if they have their own car and total freedom to travel. Most of them are close friends and I am a caretaker for one such cars and it works out really well as I also know their days of renting before buying own car.

My suggestion is to buy a mid range bike (can be 2nd hand also) that is exciting enough for you to look forward to riding in India. Nothing too expensive that you constantly worry about it and yet not something so basic that you have no emotions for it.

To be honest, as long as the bike is parked/stored in a safe place (I mean really safe) and having a smart battery charger, you will do just fine. There are many people with exotic bikes and cars that rarely see the road - just by having a proper parking/storage facility. If anything, limited and occasional use makes a strong case for an exotic bike where as regular use warrants a more pragmatic bike. The logic that one must not buy something expensive unless it gets used regularly (paisa vasool) has very limited application in life.

It would be a bonus if you have a trustworthy friend or family member to ride it (or just fire up the engine) occasionally and just look after it for you. In the worst case, you can request the authorised service centre to send a technician home to just keep the bike in good shape.

If it looks like a fair weather, why not follow you heart.

[corvus corax]

When my cousin went to Bangalore for studies he entrusted me with the upkeep and maintemance of his cast iron Bullet. I would go to his home daily, which is near, and would start the bike, warm it up and would take her for short spins. Oil changes and service were done at the FNG regardless of the kilometers run. The bike is now sold but was bought by his friend and is still in this neighbourhood, runs like a charm.

If you can make a similar arrangement with someone you could trust your bike with then go ahead and buy the machine you want by all means.

[DrvSafe]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Originally Posted by am1m

...

Rent some awesome bikes in Dubai and enjoy them there, they have the roads!

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

...
I hear that the riding community in Dubai is pretty active. To me, its a no brainer. Pick up your motorcycle of choice in Dubai and have fun!

Originally Posted by sunilch

For better bang for your buck, get a license in UAE and enjoy the bikes there for 11 months in a year. Rent a different bike here in India for 1-2 weeks when you are here. You will enjoy that more.

It makes perfect sense to not buy a big bike in India since Im there only few weeks in a year. So I will continue search for a little while and may be will go with Interceptor. Will let you guys know once I finally decides.

Also I will get a two wheeler license in Dubai soon like you all suggested.

Thanks.

[DrvSafe]

Meanwhile I was simply going to multiple Superbikes showrooms here in Dubai.
Attaching some pics. Enjoy.