Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

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Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

If daily commuting is your requirement then forget about Daytona. Its track focused bike. If you want a bike which can be used under Indian conditions then I think you have 2 good options

1)Z800 - I think this is best bike you can buy under 10l just with just one con - uncomfortable pillion seat.
2)Benelli 600i - Soon it will be available with ABS. This is best VFM product IMO in this class. Again the only con would be slightly less low end punch.

I would have recommended Triumph street triple, but there are too any cases of engine stalling and the company is not keen to solve it. You certainly would not want to invest in a SBK which can stop at any time !

Question about SBK's for a potential buyer.

Hi Everyone,

I want to buy an SBK in 2016, well atleast a 600+ cc bike, and need advice.

First a bit of background: I am from Hyderabad and I currently own a Duke 200 (two years) . I owned an Avenger 220 previously. I have also extensively ridden an RC 200 and a CBR250. (exchanged with friends for a couple of months and used for my 30 km up - down daily commute).

I am 5'9" and weigh 68 kgs. I also wear all the gear all the time.
If I buy an SBK it will be via finance only so value for money is an important factor.

I am looking for something which can double up as a daily driver.

So here are my questions:

1. What is the general down payment required? For a specific example, what is the down payment required for a Triumph Daytona 675 (not R) (dream bike) which has an OTR price of 12 L in Hyderabad?

2. Should I be concerned about any weight issues with respect to bike handling?

3. Should I go for a power upgrade to something like the RC 390 or the Yamaha R3 first?

4. Which SBK would you recommend overall? I am open for cruisers, sports and naked. The only must is ABS.

Thanks in advance and thanks for reading so patiently.

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

Thanks [MENTION=26017]1235sam[/MENTION] for the reply. Both the Z800 and tnt 600i are heavy motorcycles. (231 kgs).

Should I be concerned about that?

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

About your finance query, your general Loan : Down payment ratios are
80:20
70:30
60:40
But different financiers might have slightly different ratios.

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

Also you can consider just launched yamaha Mt 09

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

Versys 650.. ninja 650

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

Triumph also launched their latest generation Bonneville range with bigger engines with more focus on torque.

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

Rather than suggesting a specific model, without the background... Here are some questions for you to help you decide-

Do your home work- Saying Cruisers / Naked / Adventure / Super sports are all entirely different kind of bikes for whole different reasons..

Firstly try answering what kind of riding are you into-
Do you tour
Are you an aggressive rider
If you tour, what is it that you are looking for in a bike
What is it that you can live with and can compensate on a bike
Power or comfort
Canyon carving or open stretches
Your skill level
P.S---> Touring is not going for an occasional coffee ride to city outskirts

In general for performance motorcycling, I consider the following pillars- Breaking, Acceleration, Ergonomics + Comfort, Handling

To start with-
1. Cruisers- Example Bournaville, HD's etc...
They are good for long trip's, not the best when it comes to handling, acceleration and breaking. However does well in terms of comfort
Best used for long tours on good highways. They are chunkier to be maneuver in B2B traffic however best when ridden at open roads. Gets fairly heated since most of them are air cooled or gets barely minimum oil / water cooling

In general this is how they fair-
Breaking- 2
Acceleration- 2 (low end grunt)
Egro+ comfort- 5
Handling- 2.5 starts

Excellent highways- Preferred teritory
Little bad roads- Slightly manageable but strongly avoid
Mud / non tar / off roads- Completely avoid

2. Super sport / Road racers-

Frankly not a good idea for Indian / most road conditions if you live in cities. Unless there is a craze factor to it in which case you can't argue about it. They also require you to be in excellent physical condition. Most of them are track machines in which they have done bare minimum modifications to keep it road legal. The engines are meant to be reved at higher RPM's and using in the city will only add to detoriation of engine conditions / cooling issues and other related problems.

Suspensions are set up stiff- hence you will find every single bump. And if you don't watch out for certain bumps, good chances of you getting thrown out with the bike.
Excellent egro for outright performance but not designed for comfort. If you are looking for a tourer or a everyday machine ignore this category.
Usually comes with soft compound rubber, good for extreme acceleration in excellent roads. But loose gravel, mud will cause havoc in corners.

In general this is how they fair-
Breaking- 5
Acceleration- 5
Egro+ comfort- 5, comfort 1
Handling- 5 starts
Track days- Its territory
Excellent highways- Preferred (one without potholes)
Little bad roads- Will be excruciatingly painful
Mud / non tar / off roads- Don't even dare


3. Naked sports-

Want acceleration & handling of a sports bike but still want a practical bike for everyday usage. And occasional touring and thrashing over canyons... Look no further. Without comparitivly more performance and handling without the sacrifice on comfort for day long riding, your buck stops here.
Suspension is not as hard as sports bikes but still stiff enough to swollow pot holes and manages
Biggest con is wind deflection for which you will need to put on some after market windscreen

In general this is how they fair-
Breaking- 4.5
Acceleration- 4
Egro+ comfort- 4
Handling- 4.5 (just can't be thrown around corners)
Excellent highways- Preferred (one without potholes)
Little bad roads- Manageable
Mud / non tar / off roads- Nopes in most cases


4. Sports tourers & Adventure-

Sports tourers- Good for going across long trips in relative comfort with some revy mid and top range
Adventure- They will get you through mud and real bad roads out there...

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Don't take this the wrong way, you are about to hit 30. Pull your socks up and grow up. Stop talking like a teen...

Could you explain with what criteria have you choose a Daytona 675 and want to call it a daily driver ?
Secondly, if you are unsure of handling the power don't get one.

Your best option is to rent a bike for a day and see if it fits your style of riding...

ABS ABS ABS... give your ABS a break. TC is more important than ABS. Abs doesn't do anything but prevent wheel locks which happens only when you jump over the breaks (specially the rear ones). Its lack of traction that throws people off the corners and in slippery surfaces. If your riding style includes slam dunking on the breaks- then give yourself some rest. Go join a riding school or something before joining the list of another wannabe...

Here's a simple question for you to answer (try so without googling up) if you don't have an answer do google it up-

1. For regular what would be the ideal % mix you use between your front and rear (not accelerating hard but on a constant speed)

2. While cornering and you want to adjust your speed and lines what do you do (say you are above 50 kms an hour)

3. While making a u turn or a curved turn and you want to break, how would you break (you are under 20 kms)

4. How would you break on a straight line when you have been accelerating hard and want to come to a quick stop?

Re: Question about SBK's for a potential buyer.

Certain questions to get some more clarity before we pour in our options

1. What is going to be your intended usage (i.e.) More office commute and little weekend getaways or Is it going to just a weekend tool and you have another gaadi for your daily chores/office commute

2. Why do you stick on to ABS, I know its a great utility on bikes, but before that, get used to braking practice of 70:30, My benelli doesnt come with ABS, I did panic braking once and slipped, since then I understood the power of dual disc brakes and been using it efficiently without any hiccups (touch-wood).

3. What is your maximum budget cap , how much you can stretch to

4. If you think you are going to take step by step - from N300, R3 to a Sub 600 and to a liter class, you will be 60 by then , where we cant even walk on our own, so if you are going to make an upgrade, make it a wiser one, thinking about its longetivity

5. Are you ready to take care of the expenses and maintenance factor, hope you have considered that. For example - I ride a 600i, I spend almost 35k per year on the maintenance expense and fuel usage overall

6. IMO, I dont consider cruisers a SBK, you cant definitely ride a HD48 inside a city traffic, needs space to make it comfortable, else it heats up like hell.

7. Look for sales and service centers as well, you dont want a mechanic to travel 300kms just to tighten a bolt, make sure they are close enough for any emergency.

8. I weigh 67 kgs and I control a 230 kg bike, I dont see weight as an issue, unless I have to take tight U-turns and negotiate in B2B traffic. I totally avoid taking tight U-turns and I have learnt how to tackle them with a great help from my frend @Sanket_R15, his gynan saved me big time in so many places .

So think about your usage and practicality before jumping on to any options. We are always there to help you out. Good luck

EDIT: Points mentioned by @teezam are spot-on, he knows what he speaks, so lookout for that as well.

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

Going by your questions I would have the following suggestions.

Firstly, the bikes you would be looking at all mask their weight very well. Also, once into the ownership the weight will be a passing matter and you will understand the do's and dont's of your particular bike. So let the weight not deter you from getting or not getting a particular bike.

Secondly, power upgrade is something that you will have to personally take call on. If you ask me go for any bike that you like. You will get used to the power. Take caution during your initial days and soon you will understand how to go about managing power. Dont let anyone tell you that 'this is to much power' or 'that is going to be dangerous' etc etc. Unsolicited advice is a favorite pass time in our country.
You are going to be 30 and assuming you have a sane block over those shoulders go right ahead with whatever rocks your boat. Oh and ABS is good but its not the end all be all of everything. My bike does not have an ABS system and I will not say that I miss it. Again understand your bike , know your capabilities and rest flows together.

Lastly, as someone else also mentioned, you will have to provide a bit more information on the type of rider your are, budget , needs/wants in a bike etc. That will help the community narrow down the choices.

Happy Hunting.

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

I am sorry but that spelling of Bonneville just cracked me up. Cadbury Bournville anyone? no offence meant!

Coming to the serious part, Those are some really relevant questions from you regarding the braking. I believe every biker(no matter what he/she rides) should have know the answers and practice them.

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

You raised an interesting point here.

I would love to have TC on my bike but I would rather have TC and ABS or at least ABS if TC is unavailable. At the price premiums that I will be paying I want at least one option if not both.

Re: Which superbike to buy in 2016?

Having used Ninja 650 for 3 months and 6000 KMs and a Ninja 300 for 15 months and 20,000 Kms before that, I would recommend the 650 (faired and naked). Yes, it lacks ABS, and if you can hold on to your purchase, it is very likely they may add ABS, as it will be mandatory in India soon. Or you may want to look at Versys 650. From the initial reports it is a fantastic bike that can do almost everything.

I use my bike for everything, commuting, touring, getting bread and milk, going to the saloon, dropping my kid to the school and picking her up...pretty much everything. Its easy to live with this bike, with oodles of usable power and torque. It isn't heavy on your pocket either with a service interval of 6000 KMs and oil change interval of 12000 KMs ( I get the oil and oil filter replaced at 6000 KMs though). A regular service with Oil and Oil filter change sets me back by 3500 to 4000 bucks.

Average is also pretty decent, as I get 20 to 21 kmpl in city and highways are usually more than 23 to 24 kmpl (110 to 140 km/hr cruising speeds with occasional bursts to 180 km/hr) .

Yes, you need a 0 dep cover (add around 4000 bucks to your insurance premium) so that in case of a crash it is very cheap to get it fixed. You may have to wait a while, may be a month for the parts to arrive, but that's in case of a crash. Regular service spares are not a problem. Atleast I never faced a problem with ownership of baby and Mama Ninja.

You can check my ownership report on 650 thread and PM me if you need more details regarding the ownership.

But like everyone else advice's, take it easy in the initial days. The bike is heavy, but once you get used to it, its never a problem. Try to understand the throttle response, the braking, the dynamics, the ergos, the tyres as much as you can. You may be a quick learner, or you may be someone who adapts quickly, but these bikes demand respect, and you got to give yourself more than enough time. There is no rush. You need to always remember, the bike may get fixed, but if something happens to you it is a disaster. And of-course, set aside some money for good riding gears (helmet, jackets, pants, boots, gloves).