In 150CC :- Unicorn
above that: Karizma and P200

And above all BULLETS.... No doubt.

I doubt how many in India gets a 150cc for Touring Purpose.

The Bullet definitely is a mile muncher and a good touring bike.. but in extreme road conditions / No Roads / Off Road, it is not exactly at home.

The ZMA with its relaxed engine and upright riding posture definitely should be the most comfortable bike for touring

The P200/P220 are equally good for touring.. (the tubeless tyres provide peace of mind too).. just that the Riding Posture is a bit sporty for the back for long trips. According to me the P200/220 has quite comfortable seats for the rider (but not so much for the Pillion).

r15 is not much different when it comes to comfort. I would compare it with 200. as far as I can say I did some 20kms on the highway while coming back to hyd and I did not feel bad about the posture. I will call in a owner who did ~500km in a day on r-15 to give better feedback. and btw, r15 has great headlamps that makes it a awesome night ride.

And from my experience, time does matter on highways. you could avoid night rides if your bike helps you achive your time lines.

for touring my choices are:

1) ZMA- no doubt my choice for touring. for touring u need a dual purpose bike which should feel at home both on and off road.should have adequate power with loads of torque to play with. should be an able handler, reliable, acceptable fuel efficiency and above all comfortable.

ZMA comes very close to my requirements.

2) 220- again a very good bike, my second choice. fuel injection means i can go to higher altitudes without having to tune my bike . good performance.

cons: not as comfortable as karizma coz of slightly more sporty riding position. hard seats.reliability

3) bullet - will be my 3rd choice. pros- good power with loads of torque. neutral handler. even if your bike breaks down in leh u would be able to find a mechanic for bullet.

cons: reliability, no trip will be complete without grease on ur hands.1000 km trip on a bullet will leave u with numb fingers and pumped out triceps.no wonder bullet riders are all macho looking

4) unicorn- only if i have no other bike to choose from.

5) R15- sorry i would rather take it to the race track or maybe to the nearest twisties. can't even think of going off road on R15. besides the lower fairing will definitely be a big hinderance on broken tarmac. the riding position will kill u on a 2000km ride. besides R15 needs an aggressive right hand to keep it in power band, which is acceptable for a 5ookm trip on good roads but on a long ride it will tire u out very quickly.besides u have to carry loads of luggage as well.

ZMA anyday over the P220 or 200... has to the best option for a touring bike in india... i've no experience with bullets whatsoever, so can't comment on that... ZMA performs pretty well in no road conditions as well... R15 is fine for the highways... but a little off road and your back breaks into pieces... and contrary to popular belief the headlights on the R15 is pretty bad... i think the P220 has better headlights... best option would be get a ZMA and put on HIDs...

I will say bullet for sure. .it is very good tourer and also ,you wont get numb butts after a 3 hour journey as other bikes does.may be because of seating you may say..but that is what I felt.

sure ,bull needs a dedicated one.may be other bike from royal enfield like thunderbird will be the best option for todays people .

thanks guys .........i think i get maximum info and thanks to xbhp ( in this Global Indian Biking Community we can gain lots of knowledge about bikes )

my choice is Karizma --> bit more carrying bike

Good choice Akshay! You will not regret it. All Zma owners will swear by it.

I disagree. Even my P200 with a slightly prone position was a sore point for touring 500kms. I dont know the position of the 220 relative to the 200 ...but the drawback is that you can't even adjust the handlebar to swing it back in so that you can sit with your back straight. You cannot extrapolate your experience of doing 20km on a highway and extend that same logic onto what might happen over 500km+ but i will also say that some people seem to be able to sit in difficult positions - not ideal positions - for long long durations so for such ppl all this is irrelevant

But On a long tour, is essential to have your wrists, shoulders and back in a relaxed position. Else ....

About Headlamps - I doubt how many people here will tour in the night on stock headlamps. When I saw 500km its not a night ride automatically. We would leave early - 4-4.30 AM and reach our destination by 8PM etc. Not much night riding. And even then we would be using 60/55 at the very least if not a 100/90 or a HID.


IMO R15 is least suited for touring. Take it to a track... take some corners ...enjoy what its meant to be - a superb track bike .... why waste its USP by claiming its a tourer ? ? ? I respect your opinion but .... its plain to see its not meant to be tourer.


As someone said - best choice is a K-ZMA with HID.Period.

Karzma no doubt it generates its bhp's at a low and easy rpm which makes it ideal for high speed long distance run's..without the need to red line the motor

Hi Sandeep!

Nice explanation you gave there, & it truly helps if one has a bike that provides for a relaxed posture. And I feel that even if one can ride in uncomfortable stances, the person has to pay off by being less energetic, & feeling tired. After all, it's a human body, not a machine.

Take care.

Happy & safe riding,
Prakhar

ZMA Rocks..

I endorse Sandeep's opinion..its comfort more than anything else when on long drives...so which better machine than a ZMA..

overdrive this month got some one ride down south with a r15 from bombay.IIRC ,he is not complaining anything

may be someone with 5 feet wont complain about R15s Touring capability, But anyone above 5"10' will obviously wont prefer a R15. May this height factor makes the difference in opinions!

The best will be zma or P200, But if the riders knows a bullet then no 2nd opinions!

Nice reply Prabhu! Exactly my own view on this topic.
As Sandeep had pointed out, touring is a lot about comfort.
And comfort varies with the body height/weight/fitness levels of the rider in question.
I am 6'5", and I find my unicorn to be better than even my neighbour's Bullet Electra in terms of height and comfort. I would never fit into the saddle of a R15, or even on a RTR...
And I remember guys having toured a lot on RTRs [damn...this data was lost in the xbhp crash i think. wish i could refer those links...]