Originally Posted by deovrat

Hi ,

I am planning to buy one of R or ZMR .
Had test ride of both , liked handling of R better , but decided
to take ZMR for its looks and goodies.

I have following doubts about the two :-
About ZMR :-
1)Have heard that it has a heating problem , is it true ?If yes, how worse is it ?
when your ZMR will be new, it might get heated up a bit but after few months or lets say after first service everything will settle down & you wont feel any kind of heat from your machine.

2) I had a test ride on a 5000 kms run ZMR , I could hear the vibrations
of fairing . Is this easily fixable or will it keep on nagging throughout ?
my ZMR is almost 9k kms old now & still i don't feel these kind of vibration you mentioned so i would say it'll depend on how you'll maintain your bike.

3) How is the handling as compared to R ? During test ride I felt R has a better handling and comfortable sitting than ZMR.
comfort level might vary for different persons but due to clip on bars i found ZMR as a better handler though cuz of its slight bigger size you might find some trouble to maneuver it in traffic initially but later on it wont be a problem.

4)I saw some of the ZMR owners facing problems with self start on xbhp. Does it have any such major issues with battery or self start?
I swear that i NEVER got any starting issues with ZMR, be it in winter or summer or under heavy raining condition.

5)Does this require frequent maintanence as compared to ZMR n how high is its maintanence cost as compared to ZMR ? Does the new technology like PGMFI and rear disc adds up a lot to the maintenance and long term ownership cost ?
it needs a general attention just like other bike of its league, i haven't spent anything apart from regular services & on a left side's fairing which got scratched during an accident.

6)What is the mileage difference in city between these two bikes ? How much mileage can I expect from R and ZMR in city ?
mileage of ZMA hovers in between 30km/l-35km/l & that of ZMR is in between 40km/l-45km/l so there's a difference of around 10km/l among both bikes.

Originally Posted by Pinaki

I am considering these two bikes too , mainly because I want to go for longer distance tours with luggage and pillion rider . I am 5'5" and 59kg nearing 40yrs age . i have visited HH showroom and inspected both bikes well , but not asked for test ride yet . I don't mind the extra cost of the ZMR , but some questions arise in my mind ..
1) with my height / weight / age would it be ok to handle these heavier bikes ? I have ridden 100-125kg bikes upto now without much problem and ground reach with both feet . Dont worry it will never be a problem. I used to drive a machismo 500 with out any worries. If you are confident then you can easily drive both these bikes.
2) ZMR has clip-on type handle bars which doesn't seem to be adjustable for height/reach like the ZMA-R . Am I right ? Is it any drawback in practical use ?
3) does PGMFI significantly improve the gas-mileage ? Or more trouble on long journey away from home than it's benefits ?It does improve the mileage. But its not that practical for indian roads IMO
4) does rear discs significantly improve braking ?Obviously it does
5) ZMR lacks a kick starter vs a ZMA ? any problem with that ?It can be a problem. Doesnt mean that it should cause a problem. Its when you completely drain your battery after which you would face any problems.
6) Does the ZMR full fairing break often ? Replacement cost ? Availability ? Can it be removed and packed away if necessary without affecting the road balance / performance of the bike ?The ZMR parts are famous for unavailabilty & to be costliest. While relatively the ZMA parts are easier to find & cheaper.
7) headlight of both bikes good enough for night riding on national highways ?
8) chrome exhaust of ZMA is better than the powder-coated one on ZMR ?Thats personal opinion. I like neither of them. No specific advantages though of any of them
9) I'm a fan for spoke wheels , and I have never used tubeless tyres yet . what are the advantages ?It has a lot of features. It reduces the chances of puncture. Refer to tyres thread for more info.

Would appreciate if ZMA-R / ZMR users can chip in with their experience .

Originally Posted by Pinaki

I am considering these two bikes too , mainly because I want to go for longer distance tours with luggage and pillion rider . I am 5'5" and 59kg nearing 40yrs age . i have visited HH showroom and inspected both bikes well , but not asked for test ride yet . I don't mind the extra cost of the ZMR , but some questions arise in my mind ..
1) with my height / weight / age would it be ok to handle these heavier bikes ? I have ridden 100-125kg bikes upto now without much problem and ground reach with both feet .
you can handle these bikes as I've seen few short & lean guys handling bullets easily, you'll get adjusted to it.

2) ZMR has clip-on type handle bars which doesn't seem to be adjustable for height/reach like the ZMA-R . Am I right ? Is it any drawback in practical use ?
I haven't adjusted height of ZMR's handle as its ok for me so can't comment on this point

3) does PGMFI significantly improve the gas-mileage ? Or more trouble on long journey away from home than it's benefits ?
yeah PGM-FI does improve mileage of your bike significantly which is good for a tourer & also if you are living on a place of very high altitude though there's a drawback of it as well which is if you are touring & your bike won't start then any local mechanic can deal with ZMA but not with ZMR.

4) does rear discs significantly improve braking ?
yeah of-course.

5) ZMR lacks a kick starter vs a ZMA ? any problem with that ?
keep on servicing your bike on given basis & it won't give you any issue..self-starter in it is very reliable..till now i didn't face any starting issue with my bike having almost 9k on odo.

6) Does the ZMR full fairing break often ? Replacement cost ? Availability ? Can it be removed and packed away if necessary without affecting the road balance / performance of the bike ?
in Delhi you can get your bike's fairing replaced within 4-5 days after ordering it which isn't a long period & other small parts are now available in HH SVC which is a relief as well though i heard that its availability isn't this good in other cities, fairing is very strong & it won't break even after a skid(I've experienced it couple of times )..it isn't costly as it looks like after insurance my bike's fairing of one side roughly cost me under 2k.

7) headlight of both bikes good enough for night riding on national highways ?
a big NO in this point, if you are intended to ride your bike mostly in dark then you have to replace the stock bulb, its not at all good for riding under dark conditions..it becomes very scary in that situation on high speeds.

8) chrome exhaust of ZMA is better than the powder-coated one on ZMR ?
I liked ZMR's exhaust more.

9) I'm a fan for spoke wheels , and I have never used tubeless tyres yet . what are the advantages ?
Tubeless tires are practically better for Indian roads on which there are a lot of chances where your bike can get punctured easily.

Would appreciate if ZMA-R / ZMR users can chip in with their experience .