im planning to buy this bike but comments like these are really putting me off and i dnt even have my license yet to get a test ride n check out for myself

The engine is still setting in, wait for another review after say 1000 kms. The best advise would be take a test ride yourself, that should clear most of your doubts.

change the rear tyre to the r15s and the front to the new p220 dtsi and THEN you will know what the rtr is all about. handling baby !

im planning to buy this bike but comments like these are really putting me off and i dnt even have my license yet to get a test ride n check out for myself

also any suggestions for first oil change. i would really prefer to avoid tvs tru4

@grafix: have a look at this for how to read a tyre Goodyear-Reading a Tire

RTR 180
F: 90/90
R: 110/80

R15
F:80/90
R:100/80

P220 DTSI
F: 90/90
R: 120/80

But R15s back tyre is 100/80 and RTRs is 110/80 , wht will be the difference if we use this tyre for the RTR ??

I've not yet faced a problem with the front tyre though. That handles pretty well.

so any suggestions for first oil change. i would really prefer to avoid tvs tru4

So what r the consequences if we use a R15 Rear or P220 Rear for the RTR 180 ,coz one is 10 mm more width and one is 10 mm less width.In what way will each of these tyres effect the bike???
and r15 and p220 tyres are made up of same soft compound rite??

I think manan has pretty much said said it all about the bike.

I have done 300km till date. Was planning to complete 500 today and get it serviced tomorrow but it looks like a rain day here in bangalore today so...

A few things i'd like to say about the bike

The bike does vibrate a lot. I've never ridden the 160 so please dont ask me a comparision but yes it does. But you get used to it soon. I pity pillions though. The pillion footpeg vibrate like hell and on long rides (over 3-4 hrs), im sure would prove to be very much of a discomfort. For the rider though i dont think this is so much of an issue.

I've not taken too much liking to the rear disk. I'm slowly starting to think that a drum would have been much better. On its own it is not at all capable of stopping the bike. Ok now dont train your guns on me. I am well aware of the 70:30 / 80:20 front:back brake rule. However i still feel that it on its own it should have enough power to stop the bike with in decent distance. @Manan and others do you have a different perspective on this?

finally the gearbox.
the biggest disappointment to me comes in the form of the gear box. More so because i sold my previous motorcycle (the RX 135) due to gear box issues. On a hot engine (read 20-30 minutes of riding), when the bike is at a stand still (like at a signal) and you try shifting neutral it refuses to. It feels stuck. It has proved very much of a problem for me. Another thing is that under hard braking when rapid downshifts are a pain. The after a shift the gear gets stuck and takes some time to return to its original position so the rider can perform another downshift. I'd like to think that i have decent gear shifting skills and im hoping that the gear box issues would disappear after the first service. But yes it has been a let down for me. any other 180 owners face such an issue?

Rest all is good. Fast bike, Good acceleration, great handling, sucky rear tyre, decent lamps, decent suspension (i feel the front could have been better), awesome riding posture.

Also after 1'st service does any one advice for synth/semi synth oil or perhaps another brand mineral oil? Manan and others which oil are you using post service ?

Do test drive it if you are considering a buy.

@nabendubasu : The bike cost me 73700 OTR bangalore. I got 13K lesser in exchange for my '96 RX 135 which i thought was a pretty decent deal. Expired insurance and a very degenerated chassy. Had a great engine though.

the vibes still being there are understandable as the 180 is still an oversquare, short-stroke single. but i'll bet tvs has reduced it as compared to the rtr/fi. if they haven't then they really suck as an engg company.
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kinda agree about the rear disk but disagree about the stopping part. even a drum would not do a very good job stopping a bike movng so fast. what i do agree about is that for the limited role the rear brake plays, especially in a bike the size of the rtr, the disc seems overkill and a drum would have been more vfm. because when you do maintain a disc brake and it's associated components, it will cost more than for a drum, plus it's more effort/labour.
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while my fi's gearbox is pretty decent (but definitely nowhere near the best in the industry), i have heard of other rtr/fis with gbox problems. so i'm sure it's not a standard 'characteristic'. get your clutch checked asap, and then the shifter and it's parts. i think someone had posted about the ball or something in the shifter having to be reset in the correct position.

Thnx buddy , im off searchin for the tyres.
so p220s Front and R15s Rear is the best combo.

leighton applause for your good and unbiased review

Buddy, by no means was that a review. i have only stated a few negative points about the bike. If you want a review check out Manan's post a few pages back. That was good.