Go-cool

Dear xbhp-ans,

I am new here and it feels good to be among like-minded people

I need some help in choosing a touring machine. I have been riding my RTR 160 for the pat 3.5 years and she is still going strong - never failed to surprise me.

Now, I want a bigger one for my work town (BLR), my RTR is in Coimbatore.

The bike would be for strict highway rides. No city rides - period. I would prefer an auto any day for conquering bangalore traffic. The bike would be used for weekend highway rides and I am also planning to use it for Bangalore - Coimbatore rides, probably once in a month or two.

So, the ones I have in mind are:

* Ninja 250 - Awesome power delivery. Would satisfy all my needs except for comfort. But way beyond my budget
* The new CBR 250 - I do not know why, but I have not developed a liking for this one. Also, read some articles about severe issues with new bikes. Advice please
* R15 2.0 - Does this really count as an upgrade from the RTR???

Now, it is time for fellow riders to educate me

Go-cool

Noor

Thread approved

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Satyamzma

Chose between CBR 250 & Ninja(if you can afford it) R15 is not good for touring

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jayanth_b_p

Y don't you check out the Thunderbird twinspark? or any other from the RE stable.....If not from the RE i guess you don't have much options as you need to chose between cbr 250 & Ninja 250....If ninja 250 is out of your budget there is no option but to go for the cbr 250..

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harishkumarko

Hello bro,

I won't talk about Ninja for two reasons. One you have it beyond your budget and two I have no big idea about the bike. All I know its the best 250 in the world. But I can confuse you with my belittle knowledge in the case of other bike.

CBR 250: The bike has had a mixed response and yes true that there have been problems and I guess Honda is already working on it and the issues will be resolved in the future bikes. Don't go for it if have doubts. Period.

R15: I have a done a 150km ride on the first version(friend's bike). I found it to be very tiring after the ride. Backpain is for sure since you have to keep crouching all the time and also wrists start aching since you are almost depressing the handle bar. No offence meant to R15 tourers. Strictly my view. I assume its the same in the second version since no changes have been made in the seating position of the rider. The bike has a great engine and that six speed gearbox allows relaxed high speed cruising. But I don't recommend R15.

Other options:

RE: Tourers by character. Go for the Classic 350 or 500 or Thunderbird. All have relaxed touring characterstics but kabab mein haddi is the waiting period. Atleast 6 months for the Classics. No idea on the TBTS. NOTE: Go for RE bikes only if you like their character otherwise leave it.

P220: Power is the first thing that comes to my mind. The engine has a lot of potential and very quick to triple digits. But then again the bajaj bug hits you. Reliability is still an unanswered question. Wait for the new Pulsar series(4-valve ones). If you have the time see how it performs in the market and make your decision.

HH Karizma R: Touring Touring Touring. Thats all the bike says. Very relaxed on highways even at triple digits(A few trustworthy people have told me). I have no experience on this bike but I can tell you based on what I have seen and heard. Proven engine, good pickup, highly relaibe and good handling. What more do you want? Yes, I know the looks are still untouched and the bike feels outdated. HH could have done something with that but they instead brought out the illogical ZMR!!! Stay away from ZMR. PS: I am not trying to bias you but I feel ZMA is a worth an option. But if you have the time wait for the new Pulsar series.

Also, pls give us your max budget, FE, your riding habits and niggles you can manage. It would help the people at xbhp to suggest you something specific.
PS: There are many people who can give better suggestion than me. I'm only 20..

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zma@mybabe

The new CBR 250 is the best deal if your looking for a sports tourer but if u still have doubts in mind you can always opt for a Karizma R 2011 model. The reason why i am suggesting a karizma because its an allrounder and definately the best tourer for indian roads. The following are the pro's and con's of a karizma

Karizma Pros

1. Relaxed engine (17bhp only @ 7000rpm) leads to reliability
2. Excellent breaking (276mm front disc) and rear drum very effective
3. Decent top end (140 kmph)
4. Kick starter
5. Good for commuting and the king of touring

Karizma cons

1. Weak headlamp (30/35 halogen)
2. Notchy fibre's
3. 100/18 rear tire (subjective)
4. No engine kill switch (subjective)
5. Absence of tubeless tires (subjective)

Go-cool

Thanks for all your replies guys..

So, replying to your suggestions / questions:

I am not much into the RE character. So, RE is out..

I can afford 2L at this point of time. FE is not a real concern, as this bike is only for pleasure trips and no daily commuting for sure. As far as riding habits go, no rash driving or mad acceleration. But would like to hit the 3 digits whenever I see a free road.

Also, I have a liking for some feedback from the Engine. When people found the RTR vibrations to be disturbing, those vibes gave me nothing more than pleasure and a smile. To be honest, I found a brand new pulsar to be smooth as activa after being used to the RTR (no offence to Pulsar riders meant)

Cool, will add Karizma to the list and will start reading the reviews But, I do not think I can wait for the new Pulsars though.

LOL...come on, I have to accept the fact that the level of your post is far beyond what I would have posted. So, forget the age part buddy...

Now, I would not want to rule out the Ninja too early. Though a new one is off the list, how good is to look for used ones?? Came across a few in the internet, but kept the idea aside, as my expertise here is negligible

Go-cool

Well, forgot to mention this. Paid a visit to the the Hyosung showroom today, to get an idea about the GT250R. The lady managing the place mentioned the bike is nowhere to be seen in the horizon and she added that it would be around 8 (!!!) months for the bike to hit our roads.

Oh yeah, the GT650R looks good and the waiting period as of now is 1 - 1.5 month is what she said, in case it may help any Hyosung enthusiasts..

harishkumarko

Well since you say Ninja is not off the list, I would say if you have the time, save some money and go for a new one or try to get a good one at seconds. The bike is a class apart. Period.

Also you say you'll be using it only for occassional touring. So its worth the bet. But decide quickly if you want a new one since bookings are already flooded for Ninjas. Otherwise go ahead and book the Karizma R. It also has a waiting period of 2 months but much better than the time you have wait for the Ninja. Go check the respective threads for better feedback.

PS: I ain't no big genius in this area. I'm sayin this because I've been around here for a while and I know what kind of live encyclopedias exist in xbhp.

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Tour De Thekkady

The Return of the KB

150cc doing 100+ is great!
100cc doing 100+ is awesome!!
150cc cornering like hell is great!
100cc cornering like hell is awesome!!
THAT'S WHY I RIDE A RTZ!!

prajnyan

You can check out the SUZUKI GS150R 6-Gears which is was a breeze for me to ride when I had been on a small one day trip. But my bets are on the HONDA CBR250, I really don't understand why you don't like it. It has a good mileage too something on par with Fz which is a 150cc engine, so no doubt its a good bike to own.