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in A state of Dilemma

Hey guys ..
I am going to get a bike, my choice is between the VFM duke 200 and CBR 150R .
The only thing I don't like with cbr is its cheap switch gears and low torque .I ll speed on highways atleast twice a month that's considering it over the duke.
In this thread I hVe read that cbr 250r's switch gear can be changed over 150r.
Is that really possible ?pls help me out cbr owners.
Thank you

Hey man ur from my native! I dunno abt the duke but as a CBR 150 owner, I say the bike feels well planted in highways.It never gets tired. There is never a change in the performance for continuous 100kmph drive. And yes, the bike`s switchgear can be replaced with CBR250(thats what the SVC guy said to me). But they are reluctant to change. ITs about the warranty which may get void. I am really planning to get it changed. Check your pm! I asked a question there.

Both the bikes are good choices from your end. Duke 200 is good bike in city with decent torque and pick up. CBR 150R is a very good highway machine. On your point of low end torque, my suggestion is to test drive and check your comfort level. Because, on paper CBR may have low torque but you need to check the same for your usage. If you are in a place like ooty or coonoor, I will not recommend CBR as you may have to drive it in 1st three gears all the time.
In places like Erode where there are not frequent bumper to bumper traffic (I assume) like bangalore or chennai or any metro, I would go with CBR. There are other factors than switchgears on a practicality per se like availability of ASC, parts, how often you visit the petrol pumps etc. Because in Duke your visits to petrol pumps might be slightly higher than the CBR. Also, staying in Erode do you have the probiking showrooms nearby.
In essence, if you want a bike just for fun & to have a feeling of 2 stroke engine without considering anything else go for Duke. Or if you want to use the bike for daily use with added sportiness go for CBR. Trust me, you won't be disappointed with the performance of the CBR 150R. I am enjoying every bit of it in both city and highway.

Whatever, we are providing here are our experiences for our needs in our situations. Pls test drive the bikes couple of times before finalizing.

Neo thankx for your practical explanation about both the bikes,I ll think upon it

And Mr.punarvasu have also helped me regarding my question he says that as hero is goin to stop its
impulse ,Honda is also goin to stop production of cbr 150r as both are utter flops.!!!
But I don't think 150r is a flop ,are they really planning to do so??
Pls help me out guys

Happy to see tamilians here,hope v can meet up if you come to erode and regarding your query I have pm'd you.

Punarvasu?? Man that guy is a CBR hater. Don`t believe him. You know about him if you go to early posts in this thread. That guy made the thread closed once.

Regarding Erode, the only problem inside town is that each street has speed breakers on its start and end.


Try to do a test ride. I was not interested in buying any other bike other than CBR 250, CBR150 and R15 V2. So the viable choice came to CBR 150. The main factors that may concern are,

1. Seating position(Not so leaning like R15, better than that)IF u had driven a commuter bike(Splendor), this one will be little different.
2.You cant do U turns easily.(short turning radius). But this in turn gives better stability.
3.Gears. ( Man this will be so different from commuter bikes) U see a lot of room left for ripping in all 5 gears. 6 th is overdrive. I did 36 kmph in first gear(IT may go more than that)

These were my first concerns, but I adjusted to it. May other members add something.

P.S: Dont rip the bike for the first 500 kms if u buy the bike

There are many people who don't like CBR 150R for many reasons like VFM,Switchgear etc. My take is as a biker are you going to buy a bike which you like riding or go by just what other's opinions are. Also, if you are considering somebody's opinion that person better be an owner of that bike or extensively used it else please don't consider their opinions.


My 2 cents in this is, as a customer you should test drive the bike and decide rather than thinking about bike's success which was launched just 9 or 10 months back. I am sure Honda knows their product strategy well and most of us are nobody to provide a prophecy on that.

Take a hit on the fairing and then comment on the quality. (This comment isn't meant to fight with you brother)

For the highlighted bold part, not necessarily mate. I own a Pulsar 150 since June 2011 and the past 1.5 years have taught me a lot about what biking is. I am not an owner of CBR or Duke but can definitely help fellow XBHPian to actually make him/her realize what they want.

@panserbjorne : As for the query, CBR might be low on cc and power, but that delicious fairing and comparatively rider and pillion friendly posture along with fairing gives you protection from wind blasts making it the obvious choice for touring at speeds >80 kmph. Its a very potent machine and is not as aggressive in posture as R15 or acceleration as in Duke, but has got the ingredients right. That gearbox and sweet revv loving engine is a treat.

Duke on the other hand is a proper street maniac. It can tour too, but small tank capacity and naked looks do not help the cause. If you want a neck twisting acceleration and are more of a street rider, Duke is all you want. You can fancy that instrument cluster and those big tyres and serious good looks for a naked bike.

Both are light, nimble in handling, but servicing is a problem. One(Duke 200) needs a Pro-Biking showroom, which are not many in number and the other(CBR) has its own question marks about the quality and customer oriented approach.

Again, a test ride should make you decide what exactly you need. Also, please get in touch with fellow owners about their serious feedback about Sales and SVC before you jump in. Happy buying mate. Do keep us posted on your new stead.

Ask Mr. Punarvasu which bike is the best, for which he will reply suzuki GS150R.
I have no hard feelings with him, but still make sure you are not taking advices from Fanboys.

It is not possible even i enquired abt it at service centre... just wait for a few months who knows CBR150R will come with change in switch gears.. 250's unit is different from 150 thats what they said..

hye, had a small accident yesterday, had gone for a ride to Kudremukh, on the way back, while taking a blind corner on the outside a big rock fell on the side of the road, to avoid it had to straighten the bike which resulted me going wide and off the road and then the bike fell. The right fairing is completely scratched and so is the exhaust cover. My leg got stuck under the bike, but no injuries as such as the speed wasn't that much, must have been doing 50kmph before slowing down and falling. Was able to ride back n get medical attention. Wont be able to ride for about a week while my leg heals now. Its really sad. Took the bike to the SVC today (friend riding) and they said the total cost of repairing will come to around 3k. Will get her back tomorrow itself. Only panels to replaced, mechanically everything is fine. Still sort of shocked on how it happened. But one things for sure next time im going on a ride, wearing knee,elbow guards and gloves ! Feeling really low though, the bike isn't even a month old !



On another note, @stylishkiller, my fairing didnt crack surprisingly. I think your's did due to the angle or something, or the person who dropped it didnt try catching it at all. I know how it feels though ! But Honda plastic quality did hold up.

Painful news. Get well soon bro. In my case, I don't know what that person did, as I was not at home. But as the bike was locked, all he could do is, drop the bike (intentional/unintentional). And the plastic shouldn't have cracked in one fall. I'm not against cbr, I love my bike but this was unexpected, that's it.

Woah! A CBR150R owner from Bangalore got the switchgear(used R15`s switchgear) done, but not in the SVC. ITs a art of wiring correctly, only the pass light switch connection must be challenging, I think!

And sure there wont be a revised model of CBR 150 R like the R15 for two years minimum atleast! And if a person is not buying a bike for just the switchgears, I dunno wat to say!

P.S: There are more skilled persons outside than in the SVC!