Sunny

So you have been waiting and waiting. Drooling and frowning over the slew of unpractical superbikes and hyperbikes being launched in India. Unpractical – both by pocket and by use.

Though it has been proved by the likes of Krishnendu Kes that bikes like R1 can be pretty much be taken anywhere, there is a cost to be paid for that – both in terms of money and body stress.

This li’ll article speaks about the only two ‘budget’ options available in India for the discerning sports tourer in you.

First, I will strike off items off the list:

No Hayabusa. It is too expensive, fast and big for most people. You need a real cool head on the shoulders for this machine. And it’s not that comfy on ultra long rides as well.

No FZ1. Although its relatively cheap (xx Lakhs ex-S Delhi). But it is too small and again too powerful with 150 hp for most people.

No CB1000R. A beautiful bike. One of my favorites if I had the money. But again a little small and way too expensive.

Where does that leave us with power bikes specifically built for sports touring? Please stop reading here if you are looking for a bike in any of the above categories.

The Bandit 1250S and the Ninja 650R.




Seeing the sheet above it is evident that the biggest advantages which:

Ninja has over Bandit:

• PRICE
• Style
• Weight
• Flickability

Bandit has over Ninja:

• Bigger and Looks more rugged, good for those type of people who are into muscle bikes

• Power, Torque and Cubic Capacity
• Four cylinders
• No dramas, if you want to go most places unnoticed, this is the bike
• The bike tends to be more stable in cross winds and at high speeds due to lack of full fairing and weight respectively
• Sweet Inline 4 sound

Praveer (pkon) has a Bandit from xBhp and he has used it so much so that it was warranted three rear tyre changes so far. And yes he also took to Ladakh. It is a pretty darn heavy machine, and it wont turn as and when you want (it will but with effort).

I see the Ninja 650R eating away Bandit’s market more than the Gt650R’s.
After buying the Ninja (over the Bandit) you will have over 4 lakhs remaining to do whatever you want – like a ride to Leh, an aftermarket exhaust, new riding gear and still be left over to buy a CBR250R!

So tell us by taking the poll, which bike will you go for, even if you had the moolah.

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satyenpoojary

No poll option!

My vote to Ninja
The extra CCs are a waste IMO. But the main factor in favour for the Bandit is the torque at so low rpms!

Besides the 4L is enough for buying something else! May be a small car!
The Bandit is 50KGs heavier and has 5 Liters of extra range while touring... Umm those two kinda negate each other!

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milancherian

Great comparison!As tempted as I am,I would wait till there are some more fish in the sea before I start fishing!

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Eshan-P180

+1
Even maintenance costs will be high with the Bandit...But i doubt the comparo will ever make sense since both of them are from same steed but have different powers....
Its like comparing a HH Splendour with the Bajaj Discover 150cc...Both of em are in same segment but have distinct features which make them altogether a different machine....
My vote is the Green wonder..

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MG

No brainer. Ninja 650R for me.

What am I missing - An inline four engine and that's about it.

@Satyen - Bandit is very heavy and produces huge amount of torque at lower revs, one mistake can be fatal. Ninja 650R too produces a huge amount of torque at lower revs which is enough and almost manageable ( I say almost because if you twist the throttle a little more at lower revs in gravel or something similar then you are waiting to hit the dust, happened with me once during the test ride)

Ninja 650R can go anywhere I mean anywhere with ease.

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xionite

a 650 vs a 1250.

200kg vs 250kg.

an i2 vs an i4.

5.5 lac vs 9.5 lac.

we really do need better options in this country.

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n_aditya

My vote goes to the Ninja too. Apart from its touring capabilities it looks way better than the bandit. And you save quite a big packet of money.

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RhythmRana99

why not a comparison between ninja 650 and hyosung GT650R both same displacement almost same price. i think bandit is almost different story with 600+cc and 4 lakh more for the price of a bandit a ninja 250R and a ninja 650 can be bought + some nice riding gears ninja 250R for track and aggresive riding ninja 650 for touring

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gsferrari

My pick would be the Ninja 650R but only one thing bothers me...the MINUTE gas tank. 15.5 liters won't get you far! The Bandit has 3.5 liters more and that is worth another 50Km which in a place like Ladakh can really amount to something significant!

The tiny gas tank and the relatively low fuel efficiency of the Ninja baffles me. It should be delivering more than 20Kpl but the ride reports state a F.E of 17? My MT-01 with it's 1670cc gives me 16-17 on the highways and 15 everywhere else!

Otherwise it is a no-brainer...long-range fuel tank on the Ninja 650R and you're set for life! This is the Funduro replacement with the addition of aftermarket off-road spec tires and should send the prices of those BMWs crashing down!

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satyenpoojary

That to me sounds like fun :P
Peak torque at 3700rpm against 7000rpm bahut farak hain na bhai!

@Guru - Extra weight + extra range... doesnt that negate its utility.. Plus did I forget saying that the Ninja has 'some' roadpresence... the bandit looks so sad!

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Super CommuTOURer™ - Talk less, Ride more

.: Facebook :.|.: iTweet :.|*Do Not Click!*|I follow PowerToTheRider:.

#Give thy opinion, write em, dont throw em
#Everyone errs, accept it, defending/cribbing about it only makes it worse
#Dont defend a manufacturer as if you work for them
#Write. Think. If relevant hit submit. If not hit yourself
#Be kind in your choice of words, you never know who would make you gulp em
™ Satyen Poojary