+1 to tenhut.

buddy, if you need a a bike to avoid commuting pains, get one that was designed to do that.. most superbikes (as per my understanding) are made for touring and not for nimble and lightweight handling..
too large a bike, and you will feel difficulty in handling the bike in traffic..
too small a bike and you will never reach your destination on time...

I cant suggest a bike cos I havent riden any bike over 250 cc but good luck finding the ideal compromise for your needs...

[QUOTE=TenHut;537637]
I rethought about my sarcasting suggestion. In retrospect I now realise that I was wrong. Since you want to ride in traffic you shall be needing a reverse gear on your bike.
QUOTE]
Agreed on this one, we should have an option of an aftermarket reverse gear at least, or we can seek help of the good samaritans.

Lets be practical. They havent made the so-called street bikes keeping our streets in mind. Even a CB1000 will be painful for your requirements unless you resemble 'The Great Khali'. These expensive machines are for early morning rides only. Period.

Having said so, I will still encourage you to buy one and keep it for pleasure rides. The experience is incomparable.

Torque boy ! Sell me your blade.
I want that HRC.
Sell it else I will steal it.

One suggestion would be to read up on OldFox's lovely post on the cost of running a superbike on a daily basis. If you're looking for a commuter maybe wait for the Hyo GT650 Naked or the Kawi's soon to hit the market. The 796 will feel cramped if you're anywhere near 6 feet tall. The 1000s maybe overkill for daily riding but I'd suggest the CB1000 or the Bandit if you must

Lets do it the barter way. What say Ten?
2010 CBR is a dream to ride man. All I need to do is to order the HRC Repsol fairing

a man is never happy with what he is having he always wants more and more GREEDY CREATURES

Suddenly i started missing the FZ 6 and Fazer 600.

So it's a tough choice...

Thanks a lot everyone for the comments.
The guy was otherwise planning to get a civic or cruze, he has the budget up till 15 lacs. Most (Not all by any means) bikes will be affordable to him.

As per the sugessions go, the scene does not look too bright.
Ducati Monster, Suzuki Bandit, Honda CBR are the three good choices, although they seem to have more downside than upside, given the commute condition.
I personaly have little (actually none) knowledge on bikes - super or not. I suggested this by reading that many "street" super bikes are on sale here in India through proper dealers. However, after reading the replies, it seems street bikes are not so street actually.

The basic thing is that he (and me too, like many other yuppies here) has to grind his behind, for more hours a day than he wants, to earn his bread. He has little energy left on the weekend or early morning/late night fun rides. So, buying something which is good for these kinds of runs will only make it rot in the parking.

So is this search. The only time to have fun is the time one commutes. One does not do anything else for close to 4 hours everyday. Time wasted for ever!
That is the reason he is looking for something which can give him company for these hours. The only other need is that it must not be insanely difficult to handle, fuel up or maintain.

Waiting is not a problem at all. The guy has waited 35 years to even rationally visualize himself doing this. He'll wait a year or a couple if some good machines are around the corner.

I will report the findings (so far) of the thread and ask him to check out monster, cbrr and bandit. I already have discussed R15, P220 and Ninja with him. All these bikes are good, especially R15. He also likes Yamaha's new bike (I guess FZ16) a lot. But they simply do not inspire one enough to undertake the pain of biking 45 kilometers in Mumbai. (I hope one can understand the sentiment.)

Let the search continue. Meanwhile I am keeping glued to all superbike ownership reviews. Atul's Intruder looks fantastic but does not seem to be easy in traffic.
Hey Ram's pearl despoine is a looker and is the basic inspiration for this thread. He is using it for his daily ride and hence I thought this whole idea might be possible. What I did not get is that he has years of biking experience behind him - hence what's easy for him may not nbe so for the average joe!


Guys, thanks again for all the replies. Please continue this discussion with your inputs. I am sure something somewhere IS there which will fit the bill completely - however confusing the choice may look now. This is a segment which is there and has the potential of bringing about the true superbike revolution on our roads.


PS - I did not get the goldwing joke at first, but now after a quick google...

Thanks for the input.
I am from Kolkata, but moved out in 2002. Now based in Mumbai.
Moved out because I did not get work in Salt Lake City.

I do the exact same commute everyday & my condition is no different

45 kms one way with 15 kms of super traffic of andheri-marol

the r15 proves to be a steady steed for these conditions

but again if the guy is tall than would pose problem for back or knee

superbikes - people have elaborated enough & rightly so

Happy to know Despoine is an inspiration

Been following this thread closely and was pleasantly surprised to read that Despoine is the basic inspiration.
Just wanted to put some things in perspective here. I do have years of biking, but the biggest bike i had was the Bajaj Discover. Had used a KB 100 earlier, a exlorer 50 cc, kinetic honda and the activa
SuperBikes have a been a dream for me and somewhere this dream blurred the line between practical use of these SBK's day to day use in city riding and the fun factor of using them on weekends for those long zips with fellow riders.

When people heard that i use this on a daily basis, i was ridiculed and been thru tons of those snipe statements. But who cares. riding for me is a passion - let it be a zip within the crowded suburbs or a leisure fun filled stretch from here to lonavala. For me it was the unadulterated joy of riding a superbike ( a legal one at that ) and being a proud owner of one of the most desirable SBK on Indian Roads.

In the beginning, the heat from the Busa was a big issue, but as time went by, the right use of gears, keeping up on a speed limit and the growing attachment to Despoine made Heat, a bygone.

Now even if im away for a day from Despoine, i feel a vacuum and make it a point to do a small ride almost daily.

I would not categorize the Busa to be a commute big with 197 horses or on the league of bandit or the the cbr1000, but the point is, if you love it immensely, riding everyday is very manageable - provided :
1. you take care of parkings where ever you plan to go
and
2. get used to the attention you get on the street
and
3. stay clear from those unwanted elements on the road who want to provoke you to race with them :-) These tribes are increasing by the day
and
4. The kinda guys who will come next to you and try to tell you that you are a Stupid Ass who is insulting this wondeful SBK by dragging it on the city roads

I can say one thing for sure - I have been riding Despoine since April and even ridden during the Rains, which i havent done earlier with other bikes. Its pure fun when you are die hard Biker and live n breath biking.

^^^ No one can give a better advice than the above +1 to that.

But Ram sir, are you commuting for 2+ hours everyday as per the thread starter's requirement?

Statement from the heart!
Nobody can really explain it better than you, who face the regular mumbai chaos everyday.
I have forwarded your entire reply to my friend through SMS (it's totally worth the thumb sore). I am sure, it will bring a lot of perspective to him on this.
Given the general tone of the thread, he was already getting derailed. I am sure this will bring him right back to the road which passes through his dreams.


That is a consideration here. As I understand, Hey Ram's commute is largely between Malad - Andheri - Powai Hiranandani. Although traffic is really crazy all along, it's about 15-18 kilometers one way, which is lot less than what we are considering.

However, given his way of looking at things, 15 and 45 aren't that different to begin with!

Thanks a lot for the replies people. This community had, has and will always have the power to help petty people like us to actually realize their dreams.

I would suggest the following bikes ---- Honda CBR 1000RR, Honda CB 1000R, Kawasaki Ninja 250R, Yamaha R1 and Suzuki Hayabusa, but it also depends upon your choice which one you would satisfy your needs. Have a test ride and then it will be easy for you to choose from, best of luck take a good decision while buying a bike so that you don't regret later on.