[Amey Kulkarni]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Do you own one or have you ridden one for over 700 kms each day consecutively for a few days?

That would be one hell of a ride report. Lets see it!

Was going through my archives and located one of the rides of last year.

Ride : Pune - Belgaum - Pune (Total - 700Kms)

Agenda - Brunch and back

Riders - Red Street Triple 675 - Monaro CV 8
BMW S1000RR - Friend from the riding group
White Street Triple 675 - Myself

This actually was a ride to Harley Davidson, Kolhapur for Kheema Pav but we reached so early that we thought of pushing ahead till Belgaum.

We were back home by 3pm while this was not even for the record. It was one hell of a ride though.

Milestone of 20,000 Kms















Cheers,
Amey

[Red Liner]

Get the S1000RR, if you have the funds for it. Doesn’t make sense to overthink this too much. Looks like you like the open highways with the throttle pinned. Should keep you happy for a long time.

[Amey Kulkarni]

Originally Posted by vignesh.cv

The point I'm trying to highlight is that as you go down this path, the operating window also becomes that much narrower - especially if you are using it on the track. Which implies more frequent of everything - oil changes, brake pads, chain & sprockets, tyres, brake fluids, suspension fluids, valve clearance checks etc

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

I voted for a superbike

Originally Posted by pganapathy

Sadly, the risk of riding in India isn't worth it, as much as the thrill is better. I voted for premium car for that reason only.

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

It is quite comfortable for a super sport. The seat is nice and soft.

Originally Posted by 46TheDoctor

I bought my 14 in 2016 for 18.6 L OTR which was relatively a very good deal compared to the prices we need to pay today for 200 bhp club.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Somehow, with each post after the opening one - I get the feeling that the thread is to convince the family.

Originally Posted by Ricci

TLDR answer : Go for the S1000RR

Originally Posted by Vasuki

I say, why don't you try Ducati V4S or Aprilla RSV4? S1000RR in the new avtar is pretty mild compared to above two.

Originally Posted by sunilch

This is a no brainer for me and should be the same for you. The answer is the SBK - S1000RR is on your mind right now so take test rides and make the payment if everything is great. If not, pick another SBK and repeat the process.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Get the S1000RR, if you have the funds for it. Doesn’t make sense to overthink this too much. Looks like you like the open highways with the throttle pinned

Thank you all for your valuable comments. At the end of the day whatever I choose, my family is just going to say that it's your decision, they will just back it up but does that mean I take the advantage of the freedom that I have or utilize some maturity being a Father and son in the family and share the wishes.

Why S1000RR? Its not mean like the other Litre classes out there like - Panigale V4S, RSV4. The low end is pretty subtle which can balance out on the street riding, ergonomically not too crouched too. Its got heated grips for god sake which means BMW never intended it to be just a track tool.

But the fact of the matter stays, the operational cost would be 2x, I wouldn't be able to enough time on track to utilize the full potential. A good pre-owned deal might just be worth it rather than going in full throttle for the new one which will enable me to save bucks for the running cost. Its more of a life goal which means that I shall ride whenever I can but I want to see her in my garage at the same time I don't want to overshadow all the budgets in the bike and start compromising on the other side. YES! I want to have a balanced garage and enjoy both the worlds.

Cheers,
Amey

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Amey Kulkarni

But she's a fanatic for both bikes and cars. How? Just as one of the example, every Sunday morning she would say, was that an in-line 4?

Cheers,
Amey

This is BRAND NEW INFORMATION and changes EVERYTHING. Lol.

But on a serious note:

Honestly, I am a bike as well as car enthusiast. As much as I like driving, riding a bike is a truly visceral experience. I know its a cliche, but 2 wheels genuinely move the soul in a way that's hard to describe.

The reason for my earlier opinion is that you can get some seriously powerful bikes which can get you enough of a rush without plonking on an S 1000 RR. If you lived in Chennai (with access to MMRT) or Delhi (with access to BIC) my response may have been different - or at the very least I could understand the alternate view more easily. But I am assuming your use and enjoyment of this bike will be on public highways. And given that reality, I think a track tool like an S 1000 RR is pointless. You could easily buy a bike that gets you much more thrills than a 675 (a low used ZX 10R can be had for 12 - 13 lakh), a used RS for less than 9.5 lakh and so on and ALSO buy a luxury car, with just a little more cash out of pocket. That was my reasoning.

A totally different off beat suggestion would be to retain the 675 for use here, get a reasonably well used litre class / smaller capacity inline 4 like an R6 / ZX6R / daytona or something old like that - and permanently park it at an MMRT, and travel once a month or couple of months for pure track day experiences. The fact that its an old used superbike may make it easier to leave it away from you full time. I have no idea what this would cost but maybe worth considering.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Amey Kulkarni

Why S1000RR? Its not mean like the other Litre classes out there like - Panigale V4S, RSV4. The low end is pretty subtle which can balance out on the street riding, ergonomically not too crouched too. Its got heated grips for god sake which means BMW never intended it to be just a track tool

Honestly Amey from your writing; you are doing your best to sell yourself the S1000RR

Since you seem to carry a certain amount of guilt regarding the bike, why don’t you look at it slightly differently.

Instead of the long term like we were talking about earlier (like maybe 7 or till you are 45 years) why don’t you buy a good pre-owned one and keep a target time of ownership which is relatively short like say 3 years from the beginning itself.

After 3 years, sell off the bike with a relatively small hit financially as opposed to a new one and use the funds to get yourself the luxury car you want.

This way you are just taking a small holiday from your luxury car plans, postponing it by only three years and still achieving your S1000RR and luxury car dream. What’s 3 years in the grand scheme of things? Then according to your position and thinking at the end of three years adjust accordingly.

What say

Cheers

[Amey Kulkarni]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

I say, why don't you try Ducati V4S or Aprilla RSV4? S1000RR in the new avtar is pretty mild compared to above two.

An interesting review by MCN guys below -

Outcome - BMW S1000RR as an overall bike for the On/Off transitions between road and track riding.

https://youtu.be/5q3sbhq9dcs

Cheers
Amey

[1.2TSI7DSG]

I am a car person, so voted car. I do love Cruizer bikes and have often joked around buying a Goldwing in India. I like a good sedate driving position but cruizers are heavy and often become tedious to handle in the city.

Coming to your condition, I would pick up a vRS no doubt about it. Or I might be in the market looking for a sparingly used 3 series

[r.K]

Voted for the S100RR. If all the above reasons stated don't convince you, maybe this commercial will push you to the dark side

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSkg-wxS0jI

On a serious note, you are 35 now and physically able to handle the motorcycle, and of course the car. 5 years down the line you might be (let's say you will be) able to handle the motorcycle; you will still be able to handle the car. Another 2 years, maybe not the motorcycle, but the car, yes. My point is, these 7 years, you will never get back. Imagine the amount of satisfaction and riding nirvana you will be giving yourself over the next 7 years IF you get the S1000RR NOW. On the contrary If you get the car NOW, 7 years down the line you will keep kicking yourself why you didn't listen to your heart when it mattered the most

You can always buy a premium car 7 years later. So go for the S1000RR, albeit a good used one (so your head agrees, though grudgingly). Please post pics when you bring her home. Ride safe!

[2000rpm]

I voted for the Car.

A few months back, I may have voted for the bike.

The reason for the change, I had my first fall off a bike in Late January. At 33, I realized that at this age, the body heals a lot slower than it used to in my early-mid twenties.

A super bike is a thrill which should have been done before 30 (I have the same views about Bungee Jumping).

Also, lets be honest, unless you are in shape, a big tummy never looks good on a sporty superbike. Looks very wanna be and screams mid-life crisis.

Its goes very well with the Endeavour or a Fortuner though.

[RohanDheman]

Voted for the car

I am the same age and ride the same bike as you (although its the 765RS) and same middle class upbringing and background so understand the predicament well.

If i had to spend 30-35 lac right now, i would get a nice premium car (either new or pre-owned) and use it with my family. More than anything else, i think i would like to enjoy this purchase more with my family (it is a milestone purchase). A car would be far more usable and hopefully you would be able to create a lot of memories with more members of your family.

Yes, a bike has its own special place, but the Striple is a special and capable machine. A nice premium car now gives you the pleasure of owning two special machines.

Cheers!
Rohan

[krishsreedharan]

This thread has been a very interesting read.

I bought my first big bike - a Z900, which incidentally, is referred to by the same name as your Striple - about 7 months ago. This was a purchase for which I had waited 31 years - my father was a die hard supporter of the "4 Wheels are safer than 2" club.

Ever since I got the bike, its been my daily driver and I only take my cars out when the family needs to go someplace or I need to ferry my tech team with me to meet clients.

On the four wheeled front, I have 2 very capable 4x4s - the Scorpio S10 4x4 AT and the Ford Endeavour 3.2 Titanium. I have an ICBM for long distances (a 2016 Skoda Superb L&K) and a Pocket Rocket (a VW Ameo DSG). Both my 4x4s and the Ameo are remapped by Code6.

None of these however, can compare to the rush I get knowing that I have a 125 Bhp in-line 4 humming away, ready to catapult me into silly speeds at the twist of the left wrist. That being said, I am one who like to remain under the radar and you will hardly find me opening the throttle when I ride within the city to work and back. The overall feeling is extremely hard to put in words. My only condition that I put to myself was that I need to use the bike well and not make it another garage queen - and so far, I believe I have been true to that bit.

My personal opinion - Age is just a number. You don't get back the time that's already past. So go with the bike. You can always buy a premium 4wheeler later. Needless to say, I voted SBK

[RMN]

My humble suggestion would be the save an additional ~5L and get that car and motorcycle! You will have to sacrifice a bit on the motorcycle though. Like many have suggested, go for a used 10R instead of a spanking new S1K. This will even give you room to upgrade your SBK in future!

[PrasannaDhana]

Voted for car

Reasons :

1. A premium car will find 100% practical use when compared to the superbike. In our climate, riding superbikes over extensive periods of time just doesn't seem comfortably possible, unless you travel alone all the time. Think about b2b traffic and a superbike, you will not like the experience at all.

2. Unwanted attention and potential for vandalism- a nice car doesn't get as much attention as a superbike gets. You don't see people trying to pull the door levers of a 3 series or a Q3, but whenever you see a superbike parked in public, there are a few people trying to sit on the saddle / take selfies and so on.

3. Reliability and spare part issues - a luxe car is definitely more reliable than a superbike in India, as far as what I have heard from the people who own superbikes.

4. Indian roads and traffic awareness - 200 bhp on 2 wheels? Do we really have the infrastructure/sense among motorists to actually utilise the power of a superbike?
Even if you ride on expressways, you never know when a dog will be on your path or when the local village rider would ride in the wrong lane of the highway opposite to you.

5. Safety - The probability of not getting killed inside a premium car is much much larger than being on the saddle of a super bike.

If I had 40 lakhs to spare, I would buy a nice 35 lakh car and pick a preowned liter class at 5 lakhs. You get to have a practical premium mode of transportation while also being able to enjoy the adrenalin rush of the superbike during weekends

[sujay bhandare]

Hey Amey,

Amazing thread you have put up. It is pretty much a dilemma of every biker. We are really a different kind of species, probably selfish, unnecessary risk takers and spending lots on hard earned cash on the useless machines which give us the break free attitude. Astride the saddle of our beloveds we are free minds. Now all the car guys would say go for a premium car, care for the family, the amount of safety it offers and what not. And on the other hand we bikers are going to point you towards the one decision which will make you content. And this is that happiness, a feeling of pride which apart from your family only the bikers will understand. Being ridden with you I know how good you are at riding. A true maniac on that STP and a very safe rider too.
Now me being a sbk owner too, obviously going to point you towards S1000RR But I know your love towards that machine. 35 is the age where you'll enjoy the bike most. If you invest in for a Premium car you'll still be craving for the S1000RR the very next day of your premium car purchase. So I would rather insist you to go for the S1000RR buddy. Premium cars can happen after this bike.

Eager to see you astride the S1000RR soon

Sorry to take the pic from your profile

[coriollis]

Amey,
My two cents. Enjoy your STP for now, maybe do some mods and make it RS spec. This will set you back not more than two lakhs IMO.

After that, get a pre-owned 530d.... And then ..
All the stakeholders will be immensely contended... And we would enjoy the perks too
Knowing you, I am picturing you in a nice beemer... Black with //M specs to be precise

Cheers,
AB