Although it is not a sports tourer... but I am sure that the ST7 would be pretty awesome when fitted out with a touring kit.

It has a great engine... looks like it could go anywhere

and it totally smokes both ninja and bandit in the looks department too. I were to tour then I would rather be on a majestic looking cruiser

Just my two cents. What do you guys think?

yeah i also thought the same,ninja 650r should have been conpared with fz1

Guys, why don't you understand that FZ1 is a modified R1. Sorry sorry, let me rephrase it. FZ1 still is as rev happy as people claim it to be. And its not a tourer, FAZER1 might be, a little bit though.

Anyways, the votes are very clear here. Ninja does win the wheelbase, weight, rate, ground clearance, etc. Someone was saying something that Bandit has 108 NM Torque @ 3700 rpm... Yes, that's a big advantage to Bandit!

But remember, we Indians are a group of bikers who have toured with pillions with less than 18-19 NM Torque..
Would 66 NM of Ninja 650R be that bad?? It is almost 4 times the torque of P220 at the same rpm. Wouldn't most Indians be satisfied with it?

On a lighter note, Bandit owners should be happy that Bandit is not that favorable among the junta. It will sell less & that gives them "exclusivity".
But heck, on a Ninja 650R, I'll see atleast 4-5 other Ninja's, and in the same color too, to make matters worse!!

the FZ1 and the Fazer are both marketed by Yamaha as SuperSport bikes.

Yamaha " Think of the FZ1 as an upright R1 ready to on the world."

It's already gone, stay happy with your R1 /jealous mode on

Sadly large cruisers are not the ideal touring vehicles in India mostly due to a lack of good roads..i means we have the expressways but for touring the interior roads have to be bike friendly..the bandit is still the bike of choice unless the bmws's become cheaper.

Confusion Confusion eyes like the NINJA, heart says "BANDIT" .Wallet says "Abe fool, account balance pata hai kithna, Aaj ki rate main petrol bhar payega??????" With the GT250 also coming with a sub 2L tag ,the confusion only increses

I think with Pirelli Scorpion Trail Dual Sport Tires fitted on the bandit, it will do a fair amount of what the BMW GS would do.

I see that you have decided to wait ... But let me tell you one thing for sure , the more you wait, the more "Abe fool, account balance pata hai kithna, Aaj ki rate main petrol bhar payega??????" will sound louder and louder inside your brain and it aint gonna sound like a parallel twin/V-twin/inline for sure.

Oh snap

I was thinking of getting my ninja 650R to India while coming back, but looking at the prices ... Whoa .. I will get a new one there .. Hands down!

Deep inside i want a CBR, nothing i have driven is as light and balanced and flickable. I have been riding a 650R for 4th year now, clocking 20,000+ Miles. Have been servicing it myself (which is just oil and filter change). Just took it once to service center at 7000 Miles for a complete service and this babe has never complained .. I mean never.

It has enough torque to throw you off if you are not prepared, and i simply love it. It has a lesser wider tyre thou (160-17) but i guess it doesnt need a bigger one at 72 BHP.

I have driven it 9 hrs nonstop each side [Virginia-Boston], and its like my CBZ back home

It is an Upright R1 in every sense.

I really wish if they had given the option of "Fazer1" in India and that too at the same price

@sunny : fz1 and cb1000 are small in what sense ? They are out of this poll because they are of a different genre.

ninja 650r looks just perfect touring machine..till i think about the silencer..
hope other companies feel the heat ..
suzuki sv 650 and bandit 650 are my favorites...i hope suzuki launches any one of them soon

i personally dont think this comparison is too unfair as many others seem to find it.if i had the opportunity i would chose the bandit but it would be after a great internal turmoil mostly about the money. the bandit wins due to:

low down torque. of immense value when carting luggage/pillion specially on inclines.

understated looks. safe to park anywhere. with a bright green ninja i probably wouldn't be able to sleep if there was no closed parking.

fueling. i really dont think the ninja would be happy on our local hooch.
fuel tank size will not the most crucial factor but a persistent irritant not unlike a speck of dust in our eyes which just wont come out.

with the bandit you shall be set for a few years as you become more proficient and adventurous, ninja might not cut it that long specially if you're single now and when you do find that special someone who doesnt trust you to go touring alone ,the ninja might feel a tad smallish/weaker.

but my final thought is that those who have the love of touring and the heart to pursue that love can do it on any machine. thousands of Indians have been touring on everything fron the humble luna to the almighty R1. But finally we have the machines to pop our touring cherries and reach ou destinations with smiles on our faces and our fat asses.

P:S Those who keep dragging the FZ1 into this against its wishes should know that thinking with our wallets (hp/rupee) and not our brains is a primary cause of the buttock pains we experience while touring. take this with a smile no offence meant.

PPS: the 4lakh is VERY BIG DEAL, but if you assume to own the bike for the better part of a decade it will divide itself into oblivion.

I am in complete agreement.

In fact, the N650 is better because of that smart underbody exhaust - it leaves both sides free to take large panniers.

The torque should be enough for two X 90 kgs riders + about 60 odd kgs luggage=about 100 kmph, right? And that is precisely what my wife and I need for our tours.

An added advantage for the N650 is its innate ability to negotiate less than ideal terrain. I think of the N650 to be a cheaper, less focused BMW G650GS - a jack of all trades and yes, master of none but pretty good at all of them!

I will do Leh with the N650 with my wife on the pillion in a couple of years (after I have saved up for it)