Buying a New Premium Commuter Bike


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terrafield

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Hello

I'm looking for a new premium commuter bike (upto 1.5 lakhs) basically aimed for comfort. I'm currently using Honda Shine and I'm planning to change it

Main criteria includes

1. Riding comfort/suspension on bad roads/speed humps
2. Upright seating position (again for comfort)
3. Should be comfortable for long ride (50kms per day) also should be able to tackle heavy traffic (good in maneuvering)

Though Thunderbird fits the list, I'm not comfortable inside city where the vibrations are high in low speed and at the same time difficult to maneuver in traffic

I think whether Karizma or Duke 200 would suit the purpose but Duke 200 I heard that ride quality is not good

Could anyone in this forum please provide your inputs?

Thanks

also Avenger doesn't fit as it is not comfortable in heavy traffic
 
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#2
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ss80

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Re: Require your inputs: Please help

Honda is the undisputed king when it comes to comfort, engine smoothness, reliabaility etc etc in the entry level biking segment. I would suggest you to check the old KarizmaR, if it is still available, its a good bike and was the last good looking bike in the Karizma series. Skip Apache, R15, P220, Yamaha SS125, CBZ extreme. There's a new Honda 150cc bike, not sure about the name, saw a TV ad. Check that one too.
 
Thread Starter #3
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terrafield

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Re: Require your inputs: Please help

ss80 said:
Honda is the undisputed king when it comes to comfort, engine smoothness, reliabaility etc etc in the entry level biking segment. I would suggest you to check the old KarizmaR, if it is still available, its a good bike and was the last good looking bike in the Karizma series. Skip Apache, R15, P220, Yamaha SS125, CBZ extreme. There's a new Honda 150cc bike, not sure about the name, saw a TV ad. Check that one too.
Click to expand...
I think you are referring to Honda CB Trigger. I feel Unicorn is better than CB Trigger but the problem with Unicorn and Trigger is the mono suspension which is handling oriented
 
#4
pradeep_wheelz

pradeep_wheelz

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Re: Require your inputs: Please help

Give a try on Honda cbr250r . If not ktm duke try pulsar200(Ya I know both ktm and p200 are more or less the same) but I found some differences between them .
 
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pravin1987

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comfort, good seating, ride quality- u can go for karizma. even i'm planning to get a second hand zma as my cbz is getting old.

i rode my freind's zma for 100 km trip. the bike is more than enough for a 2 wheels on Indian road. the sweet sport was 70 to 110. alternatively u can try p 220 too. wide seats. comfortable handle position. but i think suspension is a major let down
 
Thread Starter #6
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terrafield

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pravin1987 said:
comfort, good seating, ride quality- u can go for karizma. even i'm planning to get a second hand zma as my cbz is getting old.

i rode my freind's zma for 100 km trip. the bike is more than enough for a 2 wheels on Indian road. the sweet sport was 70 to 110. alternatively u can try p 220 too. wide seats. comfortable handle position. but i think suspension is a major let down
Click to expand...
Can you tell me how difficult it is to ride in traffic? I mean negotiating turns etc...also can you tell me how is the suspension
 
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Sam Dinkar

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Terrafield, close your eyes and buy a Karizma. Full stop.

Karizma R is good enough but Karizma ZMR has an even better suspension than the former and is the ultimate motorcycle for comfortable cruising (by desi standards). As a bonus, it falls much under the Rs.1.5 lakh range.
 
#9
bReeze AkA brIo

bReeze AkA brIo

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Re: Require your inputs: Please help

terrafield said:
I think you are referring to Honda CB Trigger. I feel Unicorn is better than CB Trigger but the problem with Unicorn and Trigger is the mono suspension which is handling oriented
Click to expand...
I'v been using CB unicorn since its launch. And its been over 9 years to date, and commuted in three different cities, Calicut - Bangalore - Mumbai in these years.

No complaints. Still love riding it. Japanese make gem of an engine every time.
 
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Gurrala74

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@terrafield

Leaving the premium price a side, Honda Unicorn is the best bike for your requirements[:)]

It is often true that with premium price, a bike cannot be so comfortable as you are looking for
 
#11
Ambylovers

Ambylovers

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Hi,
Also consider the FZ series Yamaha Bikes too. Iam having FZ16 model. Its around 85000 INR only i believe. Its Comfortable,Good Performance and Handling. But if you think its outdated, you can also have a look into Karizma ZMR and Honda CBR150R.
 
#13
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pravin1987

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terrafield said:
Can you tell me how difficult it is to ride in traffic? I mean negotiating turns etc...also can you tell me how is the suspension
Click to expand...
have driven duke, karizma r and zmr.

duke is a good bike. lot of torque and it's very quick to 0 to 100. extremely flickable in traffic. if you are looking for pillion comfort, this is not the bike. suspension isn't great over pot holed roads.

karizma r is flickable through traffic but no agile as duke. good crusing ability. suspension is best. it handles potholed roads nicely. nice refined engine. downside is lack of features like rear disc brake. rear drum is good definately not the best and the absence of tubeless tyres

zmr feels heavy as bullet. those huge farings hamper handling in city. engine is as smooth as zma infact better over long rides. hot zma engine sounds rough and also during cold starts. this is taken care in zmr. suspension is good, infact zmr offers better mileage due to fi.
 
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#14
konkantrip

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Do test ride an avenger 220 as well. I drive one and have done a complete Delhi -Ladakh - Manali trip on the same. Its wide seat provides you a great comfort city driving is also good and cost is also under 1 L. Worth giving a try.
 
#15
Gurrala74

Gurrala74

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Sam Dinkar said:
Lord Gurrala, I'm stumped.
Care to explain what that means? Please?
Click to expand...
Uncle Sam, you don't need to get stumped so often[lol], Sorry for my english. I just want to say that " a premium bike(defined with premium price) may not be premium by comfort always, as it can be premium by looks, features etc., but the comfort is derived from its design and suspension set up[roll]
 
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