sen2009

Let us look at this hypothetical situation -


One guy commutes to work either by bus/train or by his (normal) bike. The distance is about 45 Kilometers each way, of which 20 kilometers is stiff traffic. The rest 25 KM is relatively free but not without signals and chaos every 2/2.5 kilometers. Normal time taken for this commute is about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours each way.

Let us assume that, this dude in question has saved up some to buy a car for his commute, as he occasionally finds train/bus to be a bit rough. Also 45 kilometers on a normal bike isn't much fun.

Now, if this guy wants to check out a super bike ( I mean all kinds of stuff above 3 lacs say!) as most of these machines will be affordable to him given his car budget, which bikes could he look at?

The main needs are -

1. Ergonomic - One is not looking for comfort here, but prolonged use of such a machine should not give rise to back pain/ neck pain etc.

2. Speed - This is why one would look at a bigger bike. It should have strong usable pickup and strong braking to make signal to signal runs much faster.

3. Nimble - Should be able to find and exploit the gaps in traffic. Should not give out too much heat when in long snarls.

4. Fuel - Getting fuel for the bike should not be a great hassle.

5. Fuel efficiency - should be at least as efficient as a D segment sedan.

5. Maintenance - the machine needs to be reliable enough to serve as a daily commuter.

6. Pose Value - OK, the dude is spending a lot, give him some at least!

7. Fun to drive - Not a real need, but would be fun to have. I guess all superbikes are fun to ride, which one is fun in traffic is the question.


Guys and Gurus, please suggest choices which could meet the needs mentioned above. I am sure many bikes available here will be good fort this kind of usage - just we lack any knowledge about them.



PS - The normal bike mentioned here is Enfield Electra. The guy feels the bike is too heavy to work around traffic. Also it is not very good at making signal to signal runs faster. However, he digs the sound.

Sunny

Query Approved

Right now I can only think of the Ducati Monster 796 or the CB1000R

__________________
Join xBhp On

sheelpriye

3 lakhs to...?

Besides the 796 and CB, I would say the Street Fighter. Looks a million $$$$ and absolute hoot to ride around. If you can buy one, go for it.

Yamaha's MT-01 can be a good pick too.

There are lots of good Motorcycles on the anvil, if you can wait, but if not, pick any and you won't go wrong.

burninrubbr

Suzuki Bandit: good reliability and comfortable
Honda CB1000R: Smooth, powerful and subtle
Ducati 796: Small, nimble yet powerful, downside maintenance
Ducati Street Fighter: Earth shatter power, Million $$$ looks, downside maintenance
My pick: 796,1000R
And if you want to wait, its rumored Yamaha will be launching their FZ1 soon

__________________
The only thing standing in your way, the ONLY thing you can count on, at any given time.. Is YOU

aargee

Practically - R15, RTR, P220, CBR250R, Ninja 250R (or even a Mojo) is more than suffice to do the job; If SBK can help you reach in 1.35 mts, these bikes will take about 1:45 mts & the normal commuters takes 2 hours!!!

Emotionally - Buy the dream bike!!!

Question - Is it really worth spending a huge buck to commute to office everyday on a SBK at the risk of parking at a private place where the entire campus parks their rides?

Edit
Saving about 50 minutes a day is about saving 250 mts a week & 13000 mts a year which is 216 hours which is 9 days a year!!! Add to that the maintenance of running about 90 Kms a day & the bike should be compulsorily serviced for every 3 months!!!

Point - Is a SBK really worth enough to be converted to a commuter bike for AND such a high mileage to be put everyday?

__________________
Patience pays...The Vulture's virtue is patience and the bird always get it's food - Wise man saying

This is not a bakery. I don't sugar coat anything. If you ask for my opinion...then that's what you'll get. Don't be mad when it's not what you want to hear

jd666

with the kind of traffic you are talking, a R15 would be the best choice and not a SBK. A SBK might overheat, or run close to peak temps ( which is not good ), and you really wont be able to extract that kind of performance from it. And also not recommended for a commuter ( it might be the case abroad, but with maintenance costs, issues with getting scratches, crashes, theft and what not here! ).

__________________


My offerings to the gods of speed -

- KTM Duke 200
- Yamaha RXZ 5 speed

xionite

i makes no sense to ride a "SBK" in the traffic conditions you've mentioned.

yes... u will have fun while the bike's new...
but the novelty will wear off.

P.S: you've mentioned "above 3 lac"... what's the upper limit of ur budget?
coz it seems like you're ur auto-suggesting the Ninja 250R.

__________________
.
. . iPhoto! | My Green-Mean P18OUGIII!

ironman

Frankly the needs of the bike don't completely the fit the needs of commuting sensibly in traffic. 1000cc for 45km of city commuting is not all that fun, too much fuel expense, heating problems(not sure about this one), too much attention, and too much consciousness about your bike in traffic as its not any other daily commuting bike. No offense but its best to go for a CB 400. That's the best option here in my opinion.

__________________
Riding is a way of life. Sometimes, it might also be a way of giving life. So Ride safe. In both contexts.

TenHut

I concur. Your search should end here.
Since you dig Enfields sound and want the bike more for bling than for riding, I suggest you go for the Suzuki Boulevard M109R aka The Intruder M1800 and jettison the cans. Dump/burn the clutch while taking off on an aftermarket M1800 and you are gonna bring down the buildings around you.
Good luck playing Godzilla !

__________________

atul_chang

Tenhut, for once I disagree. Intruder would be a pain in traffic, its huge and heavy so one cant jigjag at signals and would be difficult to handle with its 350kg dry weight (and they thought enfields were heavy). The heat problem would be similar to that of any other superbike. I agree on the bringing down building bit, but not on any other point. It is fun on the highways if u plan to ride for hours at a stretch but no fun in traffic.

__________________
I ride in just 2 weather conditions...
1.When it rains
2. When it doesn't

_____________________________
Suzuki Intruder - 2010
CBR 250R - 2011


THAR DESERT RIDE IN BURNING SUMMERS - 5 days
http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/superbik...tml#post612177