GOU

Hi Friends,

Finally after my wife pushing me for sometime to get another 2 wheeler for myself, I have decided to buy one. I currently own an Activa 2002 model and had HH Passion earlier. But driving Activa now gives me jerks on bad roads (area near my house has pretty bad roads). Heard somewhere and also feel that its not so got for spine and may cause back problems in later stages. For these reasons my wife gave me 2 options either I start using car for everyday commute (to office) or get myself another 2 wheeler. With the current traffice situation in Bangalore and cost of petrol rising I feel getting a new bike for myself would be better option.

Bikes I shortlisted are P220 new, P220 FI old, FZ16 and R15.

Following are main criterias I am looking at in preference order. It would be great if people could rank the bikes listed above for following criterias:

1. Suspension should be good - it should be able to absorb pot holes and humps with ease without affecting me. As you see this is top most criteria.

2. Good acceleration in city - I like to stay ahead when light turns grean on signals.

3. Good drivability or roll on figures - In case of sudden breaking (humps or traffic) I should be able to pull on easily in same gear most of time.

4. Braking and stability should be good - specially in wet conditions. Though this is not as important as others as I feel whatever I buy would be better than my current Activa .


Other important points to consider in decission making:

- I intend to drive this bike in city. Main use will be office commuting and local grocery shopping. I have car for highway/long drive and for weekend drives with family. My office is around 13km from home. So Monthly driving around 700 - 800 km.

- I understand mono-suspension (used in FZ, R15 and Unicorn) is a better technology than dual rear suspensions. They do not bottom out easily. But are they better in absorbing humps and pot holes. From what I have read even P220 has soft suspension and should therefore absorb humps and pot holes in a better way. More importantly is FZ16 better than P220 in absorbing humps and potholes? Do dual suspensions have lesser life than mono suspension? It would be really helpful if I can arrive at ranking the above bikes on their ability to absorb bad roads.

- I would like bike to look good and have some exclusivity. Want to have the feeling that its different from the herd.

- I am planning to buy a used bike, probably 1-2 yr old. Reasons, I want to take advantage of the depreciation. Might shift in 1-2 yrs so will not lose that much on resale. As I am not taking loan it will be cheaper on pocket.

- Since it is used bike P220 FI is also in the competition. I understand its not as fast as new P220 but not expecting much difference.

- Mileage. Not a major concern. Anything above 35 is OK.

- My height is 5' 10''. Is FZ good for tall people?

Now my impressions about the bikes:

R15:
Pros: Looks are best, best engine (refined), best stability, Good suspension. I think best in all departments only thing might be that its not that great for city driving. Had a very short TD felt the engine was refined. Need to TD more
Cons: Not sure if can be driven around as easily in city. From what I have read, acceleration not that great in city traffic, might cause wrist pains in city. Also I think since its meant for racing and cornering suspension would be kept at a harder, so might not be as good on bad roads as the others - I have not tested though. Would like to know more on this
Always felt that if owning high end cars (BMW, Merc) is not possible I should atleast own a bike that looks and feels different and exclusive. R15 is nearer to that.

P220
Pros: Absolute value for money. P220 on road in Bangalore is around 80k and FZ16 around 72k. In 8k extra we get more powerful engine, good headlights and bigger bike. I had a short TD, drove on some bad road and suspension could easily filter it out. Seating space is good
Cons: Looks same as other pulsars except the headlight. Read that bajaj quality is not as good. Read that it vibrates a lot. Heavy. Not sure how good it is in heavy traffic

FZ16:
Did not TD it. Planning to do it next week.
Pros: Looks. Acceleration. Bike meant for city driving. Maneouvrabilty. like to compact looks and like to see how the people easily maneouvre it in the city. Seating position
Cons: Does not have as much power as the other two. Not TDed it yet so cant say more.

Old P220 FI
Same as new P220 except for minor differences. Though not TDed it yet.


Well, thanks folks for going through such a big post. I am waiting for suggestions.

Aryan

Topic Approved.

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worrisomebear

For a new bike :Are you not keen on ZMR?

Else R15 is a good bet..as they are in same price range as well.

Incase you looking slighlty less expensive then Dazzler would be a nice bet

Incase you buying an old bike, i would suggest a R15 ( in that price u can get a new dazzler too)

GOU

There is difference of around 30k between R15 and P220. So that makes P220 a big VFM. ZMR costs closer to R15 and in that case I would chose R15.

FZ is there for the looks and wide rear tyre and heard that its got best city handling and hence called Lord of the street. So would like to know if FZ is really a P220 beater for city usage and the criterias I have mentioned.

Mostly looking for a used bike. If I can't find a good one or feel there is very less price difference between new and used bikes, I would go for a new bike.

forty6

FZ 16. Go for it. Me thinks it is the best bike to fool around in town with. The R15 is good if you don't care about anything except corners. For the love of biking there is no better choice.

Pulsar, will obviously make you happy considering you are going to upgrade from an activa, but i don't think it fits the role you are asking for. It is a good highway cruiser, for sure but it is not as well built as a Yamaha or Hero Honda. But it has an awesome smile inducing engine.

Karizma, again is too good on bad roads and generally better in corners than the pulsar. but where it is unbeatable is for long trips. But you are not going to do them. so chuck it.

That just leaves the Fz16. It is well built. Is good in the city. It light. Has good monoshock suspension and above all has the looks to delay mid life crisis by at least half-a-decade.

if you are not averse to buying a new bike you can also try the new Honda Dazzler. But as far as my choice goes FZ16 it is.

spykid2222

If money & mileage is not a problem Go for the R15.. Dont look back..!!

Andyology

It completely depends what kind of rider are you ?

If you are more of a relaxed rider and would be commuting more with your wife i would suggest go 4 the YAMAHA FZ16.

If have racing instincts in you, you are more prone in reviving the throttle and whipping past the traffic go for the PULSAR 220FI or YAMAHA R15.


If you as a person who lies in between both of these go for HERO HONDA KARIZMA. it can be used for commuting daily to office, and can be a GOOD TOURER. Reliability, no one beats HERO HONDA.

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dineshsamtani

Looking at your requirements i would suggest a Hero Honda Karizma- R (not the ZMR). It is one of THE most comfortable touring bikes. No back aches, no wrist aches, fits your criterias.

TD it and you will feel that the bike has everything you want.

Also if you are considering Fz16 for 72k approx, rather go for a P220 or Karizma.

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krates

^^ karizma, p220 both cost 10k more than fz16..

seriously if you need the best bike for city get the FZ16.. else the P220

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princesirohi

FZ16 is good and if u want more power.......P220

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