Suggest a Bike Between 200 to 800cc


Thread Starter #1
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Ok to clarify firstly i am looking to buy a bike, however in no hurry either this year end or next. but i keep having debates about bikes with friends so thought why not start a thread and kick start one here :-

Criteria :-

1) 200 to 800cc( i know its a very large range)
2) Naked Bike only (no racing fairings please)
3) reasonable spares and service (i know this might be impossible over the 500c range)
4) reasonable power , shouldnt be underpowered although i dont intend to race anyways
5) Usage will be mostly in highways
6) Importantly it should be fuel efficient when ridden leisurely at top gear (i.e min 30-35kmpl) - i am not talking of fuel efficiency when ripped.
7) budget - lets come to that later :)

Some choices in Mind

1) Ducati Monster - love it ever since i saw it, but have heard of horror stories of service and spares.
2) harleys - again spares and service wud be an issue
3) desi pulsar - 200NS seems good but it will become very common soon
4) CB250R - refined honda but with fairings
5) KTM Duke 200 - not a design i am keen on
6) Ninja - again has racing fairings, am more inclined towards naked bikes
7) FZ-S - too common!

Please feel free to suggest any other based on the above criterion, would love to hear your opinions!
 
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Well,Iron buddy you have selected the wrong segment for you.Why?Because Ninja 650 is the best bike in the segment but then you dislike it.

I have ridden only 4 superbikes till date(thanks to uncle's cousin who is in G.O.D.S):-
1):Suzuki Bandit.
2):Kawasaki Ninja 650.
3):Yamaha R1.
4):Yamaha FZ1.

And I'd advise you to wait and collect some more money.If you are happy with Ninja 650,then this is simply the best and most preferable choice among the low end superbikes.
Else if you can expand a bit then you must go for the country's best cruised bike with most refined power delivery 'Suzuki Bandit' and if you want some oomph too then go for the 'Yamaha FZ1'.

And in case you don't want to go such premium,then you can try out:-
1):Bajaj Pulsar 220 'S'.
2):Royal Enfield Thunderbird.
3):Honda CBR 250 ABS.
4):Upcoming Hyosung GT 250(maybe they will come up with one non-faired version too).
 
Thread Starter #4
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Vipul dude not sure if u read the requirements, i havent circled on budget yet - can u confirm the efficiency of these bikes too , btw i prefer naked bikes to fairing ones.
Keen to hear if u have also ridden it

Xover thanks will include Hyosung ones on my list
 
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Well,I have ridden only four superbikes till date which are already mentioned above,out of which longest ridden was the Yamaha R1(Delhi to Gurgaon and back).

About FE of the premium bikes like Bandit and FZ1,I'd say you can get upto 30 kpl if you ride them sedately.But still the overall FE lies somewhere between 20-25 kpl.For Ninja 650,yes,for this bike you can expect 25-30 kpl overall.But then they will make you forget the prices of petrol.If you can drive a Civic then I am sure you will be happy to get 5 times of joy with slightly lower running costs.Right?Also,if you love girls to notice you,then these are for you...[evil]

About efficiency of other bikes:-
1):Bajaj Pulsar 220 'S':Its a naked bike and scores highest on your priority list as per me.This bike offers about 50 kpl on highways and 35-40-45 kpl in city depending on the traffic density.

2):Royal Enfield thunderbird:The comfy cruiser is a true mile muncher.Note:Royal Enfields are always respected and are never 'COMMON'.This bike with new twin spark powerplant delivers 45-50 kpl on highway and same 35-40-45 kpl in city.

3):Honda CBR 250 ABS:Again a good bike but it is faired.Added safety of ABS always give it some extra points over others.The FE is somewhere around 35-45 kpl on highways and 25-35 kpl in city.Again depends on the way you ride.

ALL TWO(P220 and RE Thunderbird) FIGURES ARE THE ONES ATTAINED BY ME,MYSELF.
 
Thread Starter #7
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looks like we have very few bikers on the forum , not many suggestions coming at all (or is my requirement impossible)?
 
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i love the ducati monster! i think its one of the most perfect all rounders in the market. and with the new pricing, its even more VFM!
 
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I'd go for the Ninja 650R if I were you. Its got a fairing but I dont think it looks overdressed. Also heard that an updated Ninja might be coming soon as well. But I'm afraid it wont stand up to your fuel efficiency benchmark. It might give some 22 kmpl tops. The next bike I love is the KTM Duke 200, It will satisfy everything you have in mind, But you would have to live with its looks. I love it though.
 
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Thread Starter #10
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thanks jalex, thts the thing as u move up the cc with bikes, even with a light throttle they arent efficient. I will check out the options you suggested.
But i am more the kinds who prefers naked bikes, racing fairings not sure if i am too old for it..hence love the monster but its spares and service at a nightmare, i dont want to end up with a over sized paper weight!
 
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thanks jalex, thts the thing as u move up the cc with bikes, even with a light throttle they arent efficient. I will check out the options you suggested.
But i am more the kinds who prefers naked bikes, racing fairings not sure if i am too old for it..hence love the monster but its spares and service at a nightmare, i dont want to end up with a over sized paper weight!
To be honest with you,I ride Honda Unicorn on daily basis for the last 7 years.And the time I have spent with this bike and the joy of riding it has given me with being extremely light on my walletand yet throbbing my pulse ,has made me into intense Honda fan.The feeling of cutting the wind with that divine sound,ah priceless.7 years ago when the entire herd was going the Pulsar how I am proud of my decision that I bought a Honda.

Point is fairing or no fairing give CBR 250 a chance and it will not let you down in any regards.

One more thing is on the one hand Honda bikes are so smooth and fun if you revv them hard,but they are also so down to earth in terms of practicality.

PS: You test drove any bikes listed.
 
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To be honest with you,I ride Honda Unicorn on daily basis for the last 7 years.And the time I have spent with this bike and the joy of riding it has given me with being extremely light on my walletand yet throbbing my pulse ,has made me into intense Honda fan.The feeling of cutting the wind with that divine sound,ah priceless.7 years ago when the entire herd was going the Pulsar how I am proud of my decision that I bought a Honda.

Point is fairing or no fairing give CBR 250 a chance and it will not let you down in any regards.

One more thing is on the one hand Honda bikes are so smooth and fun if you revv them hard,but they are also so down to earth in terms of practicality.

PS: You test drove any bikes listed.
I too have a 2005 Unicorn and got it the same way you did, when every other person we saw had a Pulsar. The Unicorn was a cakewalk to own and maintain even if one rides it like hell.

But I'm afraid those days are long gone, the refinement and quality levels of the Unicorn has gone down south. My 7 year old bike is much silent and refined than fresh or just run in new examples.

I've been seeing a lot of unsatisfied CBR 250 customers as well. There are a lot of reported issues regarding parts availability and quality.
 
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ohh this is news to me, always thought Honda is a synonym for engine refinement, infact remember watching a guy driving a CB250R when it was launched and at first i thought its electric, it was so silent!!
I have heard of a part recall in the CB250R but quality issues doesnt sound good especially in a honda

Xover mate i havent reached the stage of test drives yet, at the moment its on paper evaluation - hope to have a list of 4-5 bikes which ill eventually test ride. The biggest worry i have though is after sales and service.

Any thoughts on that Jalex/Xover?
 
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ohh this is news to me, always thought Honda is a synonym for engine refinement, infact remember watching a guy driving a CB250R when it was launched and at first i thought its electric, it was so silent!!
I have heard of a part recall in the CB250R but quality issues doesnt sound good especially in a honda

Xover mate i havent reached the stage of test drives yet, at the moment its on paper evaluation - hope to have a list of 4-5 bikes which ill eventually test ride. The biggest worry i have though is after sales and service.

Any thoughts on that Jalex/Xover?
After sales service, hmmnn..,nothing beats Hero Honda err.. Motocrp. on that front.Honda service according to my personal experience is second to it.Can not speak for other brands since haven't really owned their bikes.

Yes earlier CBRs had few issues but now Honda seems to have fixed it.

Iron Rock, why don't you go and take a test drive of CBR 250 and KTM Duke 200.This will give you a proper idea about both these bikes.And please do it as early as possible.What say?
 
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After sales service, hmmnn..,nothing beats Hero Honda err.. Motocrp. on that front.Honda service according to my personal experience is second to it.Can not speak for other brands since haven't really owned their bikes.

Yes earlier CBRs had few issues but now Honda seems to have fixed it.

Iron Rock, why don't you go and take a test drive of CBR 250 and KTM Duke 200.This will give you a proper idea about both these bikes.And please do it as early as possible.What say?
You are tempting me Xover, as the buy is not immediate i am awaiting to do the test drives second half of the year, need to have a list of probables well before that first.
KTM 200 apparently has a very stiff ride as per early reviews + design is more of a dirt bike. Designwise i prefer the monster to my liking but its after sales and service doesnt exist.

i think honda aftersales would be decent do they have any plans to launch anything in the sub 600cc category this year?
 

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