Which bike to buy?

[iaudio]

Even I prefer Japanese bikes, Honda more so, if I were to use just one bike. But I do love Royal Enfield Bullet for what it is, a big torquey relaxed single! Its not like we have many options/alternatives in that class. I mean, we dont have a big single which has an upright,comfortable riding position and simple styling. It's not that I dont like multi cylinder motorcycles, for that matter I love them, but I dont think I will be able to afford one for some time to come.
When I have the moolah I would love to get a Honda cb1000 or a yamaha super tenere or better still the bmw r1200 gs!
Till that day, I think the Zma will do just fine for me in Indian road conditions and my usage.

 

[SatSon]

Hi iaudio,
Actually it was my late grandfathers bike & is in a place called called MHOW , in Madhya Pradesh. His youngest brother who is almost 80 now still rides it!!!!! Have ridden it last in 1994 & am not sure about the mag dyno querry. To be frank I am not a bullet person, more into Japanese machines.

I own the new Kawasaki 650 so no need to see pics!!!! It is very different from the 2011 model & in my opinion better. I really like it even in stock form .

Karizma has been a trouble free commuter for 6 years for me. Very comfortable.

Satson I dont know if one should buy a karizma in current times. I know it is much cheaper than the CBR 250 & the Ninja 250 but there is a lot on the horizon. Maybe a 300 Duke & bajaj is pretty aggressive on its pricing. 2013 will see the new 300 CC Ninja in India and if priced well should be one of the best bikes for young bikers. Rather than buy a new ZMA I would buy a used CBR 250 & at least in Bbay there are always a few available. Like in HIFI even in bikes one outgrows the machine too fast and craves to jump to the higher class & in my opinion the CBR can keep a young guy on a budget relatively happy for a while. I think the initial teething troubles too are being sorted.
Rgds

2012 Ninja is just out right? and you own it - great!
The latest model has the 636cc engine opposed to 599cc in old model right?

I'm not rich enought to buy a used CBR250 yaar
Instead I'd be later looking for a used ZMA
ZMA is not worth to buy new these days, as it lacks many features for that price!

 

[dinyaar]

2012 Ninja is just out right? and you own it - great!
The latest model has the 636cc engine opposed to 599cc in old model right?

I'm not rich enought to buy a used CBR250 yaar
Instead I'd be later looking for a used ZMA
ZMA is not worth to buy new these days, as it lacks many features for that price!

Some confusion here Satson

Ninja 250 has been around for almost 3 years I think. Now the new 300 ninja is to be launched internationally in 2013 & one should expect it in India by July August next year. My guess it will cost about 3.75L Yes pricey for a smallish parallel twin but will be a great small bike with superb super sport styling

The ninja 650 2011 was also a 649CC machine & so is the 2012 version of the bike. Engine is almost untouched but major changes everywhere else. Its almost an entirely different bike. You may be confusing it with the ZX 6 which is a 599 CC I4 Super sports which is a very different beast. The bike that Bajaj is importing in KIT FORM and selling locally is the NINJA 650 or better known as the ER 6 f in Europe. Its a touring machine with a parallel twin engine which is very easy to live with. Yes I own it & am running it.

Good luck with whatever u choose to go for.

Rgds

 

[SatSon]

Some confusion here Satson

Ninja 250 has been around for almost 3 years I think. Now the new 300 ninja is to be launched internationally in 2013 & one should expect it in India by July August next year. My guess it will cost about 3.75L Yes pricey for a smallish parallel twin but will be a great small bike with superb super sport styling

The ninja 650 2011 was also a 649CC machine & so is the 2012 version of the bike. Engine is almost untouched but major changes everywhere else. Its almost an entirely different bike. You may be confusing it with the ZX 6 which is a 599 CC I4 Super sports which is a very different beast. The bike that Bajaj is importing in KIT FORM and selling locally is the NINJA 650 or better known as the ER 6 f in Europe. Its a touring machine with a parallel twin engine which is very easy to live with. Yes I own it & am running it.

Good luck with whatever u choose to go for.

Rgds

Sorry for the confusion
Yes I was referring to ZX-6R 2013 version
Thanks.

 

[theironhorse]

theironhorse - are you in XBHP with the same handle?
I've seen this handle there.

yes i am regularly active on 5 odd forums with same id..

 

[theironhorse]

Thanks theironhorse

Have been buying & riding bikes from 1986. First bike I ever rode was an uncles 1957 Royal Enfield.
My first bike was an RX 100 bought in 1988 which I still have. Bought & sold too many after and now only have the RX, a 2006 Karizma (everyday commuter) and a 2012 Kawasaki 650.
Apart from these I also have cousins who ride & hence am lucky to ride almost everything thats out there!!!
Great to see a few blokes here who share my passion. HIFI to me comes lower in the chain while bikes are up there!!!
Rgds

damn .. i was born in 86..... you are lucky to be riding for that long now.
though i have a few lakh km in my hood now and proud owner of 4 motorcycles..

my bull is a 67 but rebuild back to stock and runs perfectly fine.
last addition was a cbr250r this year and eagarly waiting for the triumph to hit indian shores.. looking forward for street triple in next 2 years. and yes every thing on this planet which qualifies as a hobby/passion is after my love for motorcycling.

Great to HFV FM's are interested in bikes too. And Karizma has always been my dream bike
I'm also much interested in bikes, started the passion on my Dad's Chetak, then Vespa, then Splendor.
I am riding a HH Hunk now.

keep riding mate..

 

[theironhorse]

Some confusion here Satson

Ninja 250 has been around for almost 3 years I think. Now the new 300 ninja is to be launched internationally in 2013 & one should expect it in India by July August next year. My guess it will cost about 3.75L Yes pricey for a smallish parallel twin but will be a great small bike with superb super sport styling

The ninja 650 2011 was also a 649CC machine & so is the 2012 version of the bike. Engine is almost untouched but major changes everywhere else. Its almost an entirely different bike. You may be confusing it with the ZX 6 which is a 599 CC I4 Super sports which is a very different beast. The bike that Bajaj is importing in KIT FORM and selling locally is the NINJA 650 or better known as the ER 6 f in Europe. Its a touring machine with a parallel twin engine which is very easy to live with. Yes I own it & am running it.

Good luck with whatever u choose to go for.

Rgds

what i think is the 250 and the 300 both will be sold in india else kawi will loose the war aginst cbr..
250 is way ahead of cbr but the price diffrence kills it.

and no way either yammy or honda will get i4's anytime soon to india. all i see are the truimph's coming..

kwacker 600 is a pure touring machine .. makes a healthy 77 bhp and does a 220 clicks at ease.. comfortable seating and yes the suspension works.. its one good bike..


all i wish is a 2009 r1... some day the crossplane crank will be screaming...

 

[dinyaar]

what i think is the 250 and the 300 both will be sold in india else kawi will loose the war aginst cbr..
250 is way ahead of cbr but the price diffrence kills it.

and no way either yammy or honda will get i4's anytime soon to india. all i see are the truimph's coming..

kwacker 600 is a pure touring machine .. makes a healthy 77 bhp and does a 220 clicks at ease.. comfortable seating and yes the suspension works.. its one good bike..


all i wish is a 2009 r1... some day the crossplane crank will be screaming...

HI
Very good ironhorse. Yes I have been an avid biker for too long now. As a boy I loved racing cycles & had( still have one!!!) some great ones. Now its a pain to cycle in Bombay so I stick to bikes.

I think the CBR 250 is a very good bike for India at a GOOD PRICE. I know some will think its pricey but for what it offers 1.5/ 1.75 is fair. Generally Hondas are super reliable.

Cant really compare this single cylinder to the Parallel twin Ninja 250 which I think is a tad overpriced. Its not that I love the baby Ninja but I can see why its a popular choice even internationally as a small capacity super sports. I have no inside scoop or news but in my opinion I dont think Bajaj will continue to offer the 250 and bring in the 2013 Ninja 300. They have a lot on their plate with the Ninjas the KTMs & the entire Bajaj stable plus I dont know how either the 3.39L Ninja 250 or the 3.85 L (expected) Ninja 300 will be an option for a guy looking to spend maybe 1.5/ 2 L on a CBR 250 for example. Though in theory all 250 CC bikes may be clubbed together in reality the story is a bit different.

I now DO NOT want a super sports at all. Ride it for a week or so is perfect but will not buy one. I was and am still keen on a pre owned FZ1 if I get something I truly like or then will wait for Kawasaki to get the Z1000 / street 1000.

Maybe Yamaha will get the R6 in CKD and Honda is surely going to launch a I4 600CC machine in 2013. Point is how they will price it. If its close to 8L (rumour mill) then I think its grossly overpriced.

You know an I4 is an I4 and a parallel twin cannot do for the I4 freak but believe me a twin (parallel, HO or Vtwin) with its massive torque is also great fun to ride and 77bhp as u say is a hell of a lot in the real world. It wont have the manic pull of the R1 but it will still thrill U. Plus the fact that it is superb to ride in city traffic too and u wont need to keep the revvs high or keep shifting.

I think my worst biking experience was just last week on a Harley. A 1600CC bike that I had to ride back from the suburbs in peak traffic drove me mad!!! I could not believe the amount of vibes it put out at low rpm & speeds.I was drained physically after riding it for about an hour & a half. I know there are HD freaks but some how this has just put me off.

Good luck & I hope you get that R1 soon and get the bug out of the system!

Rgds
DK

 

[apk]

all i wish is a 2009 r1... some day the crossplane crank will be screaming...

It's really nice to see so many bike enthusiasts on this forum. Guess there is something going on between guys and machines - bikes, hi-fi, guns, etc.

Having owned and used a yamaha-r1 in the US for a couple of years (in the early 2000's), I would say this bike is one of the ultimate sports machines. This bike accelerates like crazy and has a fantastic chassis that begs you to ride hard. Have done 250 Kmph on the r-1, without the bike even breaking a sweat. Had thought hard about brining the r-1 back to India when I was leaving the US, but decided not to because of the hassles involved. Moved on to a RE Thunderbird once I got back to India, and used that for a few years. Let this go sometime back because of reliability issues.

Do agree that the Ninja 600 available in India is one of the best VFM buys available. 77bhp is more than sufficient for Indian roads. This one could actually be used as a regular commuter, as compared to other super sport bikes/choppers that are mostly weekend toys.

My tastes have slowly moved from the 'sports' models to more relaxed type of bikes (not a harley fan though!)......maybe a sign of my age (am in my mid-thirties now!). Am on the lookout for a new stead.....the triumph boniville coming to India soon looks very inviting.

Cheers,
APK

 

[SatSon]

damn .. i was born in 86..... you are lucky to be riding for that long now.
though i have a few lakh km in my hood now and proud owner of 4 motorcycles..

my bull is a 67 but rebuild back to stock and runs perfectly fine.
last addition was a cbr250r this year and eagarly waiting for the triumph to hit indian shores.. looking forward for street triple in next 2 years. and yes every thing on this planet which qualifies as a hobby/passion is after my love for motorcycling.

keep riding mate..

IIRC, I saw your Restored Bullet, CBR and the stunning stock CBZ classic in CBZ Classic ownership thread in XBHP.com.

 

[cha_indian]

Guys..does anyone won the Yamaha RD350 ?? In college i thought one day i would own RD....but now it seems like even the ones that can be beaten by a splendor are now being sold for over a lakh rupees!!!

 

[iaudio]

Santhosh is the proud owner of an RD350. I think he has an HT.

 

[theironhorse]

It's really nice to see so many bike enthusiasts on this forum. Guess there is something going on between guys and machines - bikes, hi-fi, guns, etc.

Having owned and used a yamaha-r1 in the US for a couple of years (in the early 2000's), I would say this bike is one of the ultimate sports machines. This bike accelerates like crazy and has a fantastic chassis that begs you to ride hard. Have done 250 Kmph on the r-1, without the bike even breaking a sweat. Had thought hard about brining the r-1 back to India when I was leaving the US, but decided not to because of the hassles involved. Moved on to a RE Thunderbird once I got back to India, and used that for a few years. Let this go sometime back because of reliability issues.

Do agree that the Ninja 600 available in India is one of the best VFM buys available. 77bhp is more than sufficient for Indian roads. This one could actually be used as a regular commuter, as compared to other super sport bikes/choppers that are mostly weekend toys.

My tastes have slowly moved from the 'sports' models to more relaxed type of bikes (not a harley fan though!)......maybe a sign of my age (am in my mid-thirties now!). Am on the lookout for a new stead.....the triumph boniville coming to India soon looks very inviting.

Cheers,
APK

i agree that 77 bhp is more than sufficient power for indian roads and infact is adequate power to tour anywhere in the world.. speeds higher than that will tire anyone out due to wind blast..2012 650 is stunning and really a very pratical bike..

IIRC, I saw your Restored Bullet, CBR and the stunning stock CBZ classic in CBZ Classic ownership thread in XBHP.com.

thanks mate.. cbz is like my first wife and the rest continues by order..lol
you gotta see my rx as well

HI
Very good ironhorse. Yes I have been an avid biker for too long now. As a boy I loved racing cycles & had( still have one!!!) some great ones. Now its a pain to cycle in Bombay so I stick to bikes.

I think the CBR 250 is a very good bike for India at a GOOD PRICE. I know some will think its pricey but for what it offers 1.5/ 1.75 is fair. Generally Hondas are super reliable.

Cant really compare this single cylinder to the Parallel twin Ninja 250 which I think is a tad overpriced. Its not that I love the baby Ninja but I can see why its a popular choice even internationally as a small capacity super sports. I have no inside scoop or news but in my opinion I dont think Bajaj will continue to offer the 250 and bring in the 2013 Ninja 300. They have a lot on their plate with the Ninjas the KTMs & the entire Bajaj stable plus I dont know how either the 3.39L Ninja 250 or the 3.85 L (expected) Ninja 300 will be an option for a guy looking to spend maybe 1.5/ 2 L on a CBR 250 for example. Though in theory all 250 CC bikes may be clubbed together in reality the story is a bit different.

I now DO NOT want a super sports at all. Ride it for a week or so is perfect but will not buy one. I was and am still keen on a pre owned FZ1 if I get something I truly like or then will wait for Kawasaki to get the Z1000 / street 1000.

Maybe Yamaha will get the R6 in CKD and Honda is surely going to launch a I4 600CC machine in 2013. Point is how they will price it. If its close to 8L (rumour mill) then I think its grossly overpriced.

You know an I4 is an I4 and a parallel twin cannot do for the I4 freak but believe me a twin (parallel, HO or Vtwin) with its massive torque is also great fun to ride and 77bhp as u say is a hell of a lot in the real world. It wont have the manic pull of the R1 but it will still thrill U. Plus the fact that it is superb to ride in city traffic too and u wont need to keep the revvs high or keep shifting.

I think my worst biking experience was just last week on a Harley. A 1600CC bike that I had to ride back from the suburbs in peak traffic drove me mad!!! I could not believe the amount of vibes it put out at low rpm & speeds.I was drained physically after riding it for about an hour & a half. I know there are HD freaks but some how this has just put me off.

Good luck & I hope you get that R1 soon and get the bug out of the system!

Rgds
DK

I4's feels like electric motors across the rpm and to add being a bull enthusiast i am still not keen on Harley instead looking forward for triumph..

the Germans and Italians are killing Japanese in making bikes nowadays but my love for r1 is specific for the
2009 model for the cross-plane crankshaft and uneven firing order.. you really gotta listen to it someday.. its music to ears
it can put most of the sub woofers out there to shame..

i wanna grow with motorcycling so next upgrade will be a 600 and then a litre class..

a good maintained 2009 r1 cross-plane with FFE is bliss...

http://www.theironhorse.blog.com/ this is my blog dedicated for the love of motorcycling. just one article published as of now for my CBZ. few more in pipeline..give a read sometime when free

 

[SatSon]

thanks mate.. cbz is like my first wife and the rest continues by order..lol
you gotta see my rx as well

http://www.theironhorse.blog.com/ this is my blog dedicated for the love of motorcycling. just one article published as of now for my CBZ. few more in pipeline..give a read sometime when free

I've already read this link of your love for your CBZ, got it from xbhp
My friend owned a CBZ in 2003 for a short span. We used to go to college in that, oh man, I'm not able to get that feel from my Hunk even!
Great riding comfort and handling, nice power....

 

[andy78]

After lot of delays due to unforeseeen circusmtances finalised to buy Unicorn for this Sunday. Just wanted to check couple of things from folks out here.
1.Is Teflon Coating really necessary? Rs 400
2. How about the Extended warranty for 3 Years? Rs 650
3. Should I get the Permanent Registration done through the showroom guys for Rs 900 or better get it done myself
4. Is Mobile servicing worth it for Rs 299?

Hope to hear from you guys.

 

[Saket]

After lot of delays due to unforeseeen circusmtances finalised to buy Unicorn for this Sunday. Just wanted to check couple of things from folks out here.
1.Is Teflon Coating really necessary? Rs 400
2. How about the Extended warranty for 3 Years? Rs 650
3. Should I get the Permanent Registration done through the showroom guys for Rs 900 or better get it done myself
4. Is Mobile servicing worth it for Rs 299?

Hope to hear from you guys.

Hello Andy,

To tell you, you have made a good choice. You possibly cannot go wrong with a Honda product....thats the least I can say!
Regarding your question:
1.Is Teflon Coating really necessary? Rs 400 :
I bought my Honda Stunner in Oct. 2010. No teflon coat. But I can tell you that when its clean, you cannot really tell that its a 2 year Old bike. I do not know the experiences of people who have used teflon coats, but as far as i KNow, the showroom guys just cheat & make money in name of teflon coating. Also it has a short life life only a 2-3 months, & it may repel some dirt & water during this period and give some glaze to the color, but personally I will never fall for it. If you really want to take real good care, avoid baking your bike in the sun, wash it only with good known car/bike shampoos, apply some polish at the max to give it a nice smooth glaze. This will cost you pennies.
I never got a teflon coat on my car as well but the paint is still fantastic after 9 years! My uncle who got a 'Teflon Coat' on his car does not looks any better than mine. The basic thing is how you maintain you bike, by avoiding scratches, avoiding sun, cleaning it regularly & posihing it. This will keep you r bike looking new for a reasonably long period in years to come.

2 Extended warranty?? No need again as what they do while servicing is just giving your vehicle a nice wash & checking engine oil. No need to shell out extra money in name of extended warranty n all, In my opinion. Whatever has to fail,due to manufacturing defect, will fail within few months and there is already a good warranty of 2 years (I think).
3 REgistration? Give this headache to the showroom guys. 900/- is definitely not worth taking up the trouble of babus sitting in the RTO...let them do it for you.
4 Servicing..dont get the term mobile servicing...however, what I did in my case will amaze you....2 years ago, there were not many service centers of Honda in my city...(now there are plenty of them). SO we had to wait all day or even 2 days for just a free service! Out of all free services, I got done only 2 by them...BUT i made sure that I change the engine oil & air filter almost before the company specifies. The honda engine oil is rated to run 6000 kms. but change it around 2200-2500 kms. first oil change is at about 500-600 kms. MAKE SURE YOU DO IT HERE. This change is very Imp. Later like me, you may change to a fully synthetic engine oil but NOT BEFORE 4000-5000Kms at least. Stick to honda oil during this period.

Congrats again on your upcoming purchase & do update us about ur experiences.

REgards,
Saket

 

[miroflex]

Hi iaudio,
Actually it was my late grandfathers bike & is in a place called called MHOW , in Madhya Pradesh. His youngest brother who is almost 80 now still rides it!!!!! Have ridden it last in 1994 & am not sure about the mag dyno querry. To be frank I am not a bullet person, more into Japanese machines.
...
Rgds

The mag dyno query refers to a magneto and a dynamo mounted together. The magneto provided the spark for ignition and was in use till it was superseded by the battery and coil ignition system in vogue nowadays.

The advantage of magneto ignition was that the bike could be started even if the battery was flat or unavailable. The spark could also be advanced or retarded manually. It was retarded when starting, to avoid a backfire, and also when running at slow speed to obtain a smoother and silent ride.

Regards.

 

[miroflex]

It's really nice to see so many bike enthusiasts on this forum. Guess there is something going on between guys and machines - bikes, hi-fi, guns, etc.
...

Cheers,
APK

And yet my rather innocuous thread on guns was deleted by the mods without any warning or explanation.

A later post on the same subject never saw the light of the day being filtered out before it could appear.

All the best!

 

[andy78]

Thanks to all you guys advising here.
Finally bought Honda Unicorn for Rs 76 K approx

 

[andy78]

Guys sorry for the late post on the pic.