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**antz.bin** · 11-06-2011, 12:50 PM

Originally posted by Cyber Don View Post

i currently have a Pulsar 135. i plan to get a bike for touring. Will probably book it around Jan, so i need to have a very good idea of what i'm gonna do!

my main needs are

1. Long uninterrupted rides.
2. Decent comfort levels.
3. ability to do 120-140kms for hours together. at least 100+ would be good.
4. reliability!
5. a mileage of say 30kmpl!

The bikes i've shortlisted:

1. Pulsar 220

can it do 120s? I hear that reliability is questioned!

Heard from whom? Non owners? An owner would never talk about its 'non reliability'. I haven't faced a single breakdown in my 34k km and 2+ years of usage. The stock lighting is a class apart, matched only by the Baby Ninja. The only bike made in India which can be legally upgraded to HIDs with minimum modifications. Cost of spares is an eye openor when compared to the others in this list of yours. About the FE, my last 3 calculated FEs have been 44, 43.5 & 46.8 kmpl respectively in purely city riding. The only thing that needs to be done is timely oil-changes and air-filter cleaning/replacement. As for touring, I have done 1100km + within 20 hours twice on my bike. Once, solo, on 70% 2-lane highway.

2. Yamaha R15

Good speeds and control. Sporty position might be troublesome i guess?

The sporty position needs getting used to. But then it is not an issue. The bike is more susceptible to cross-winds than say the Bullet or the P220, but thats not much of an issue. I guess the v2.0 is sportier than the v1.0 so cannot comment on that.

3. Avenger 220

Its been around for ages! Very comfortable! Cheap! Can it do 100+ all day?

Same internals as the P220. FE will be a tad less than P220. Loses out on tubeless tyres and the rear disc brake. Buy it only if you fancy the seating position. Rear seat might look comfy but actually it is not.

4. Royal Enfield c350, c500

i have no idea about their cruising speeds. again reliability is a factor here.

I consider Enfield 350s to be equivalent to the current modern run of the mill 150cc bikes. 500s can be considered 'good for touring' if not for the inadequate braking.

5. CBR 250

It just doesnt catch my eye.. i dont know why...!

I frankly find it overpriced for what it offers. Wet grip is questionable with stock tyres. And sometimes on tour, riding in the wet will be unavoidable.

6. Kawak ninja 250!?

Would love to get it, but my hands are tied.. my budget is below 1.5lac

Any other suggestions will be welcome

who knows, i might even stretch my budget to the Ninja 250

My Comments in bold. Consider bikes only with a realistic launch date. You might include the Hyosung GT250R to your shortlist. Yamaha's 250 is a few years away AT LEAST

**antz.bin** · 11-06-2011, 02:28 PM

Originally posted by sheelpriye

Hi!

Any particular reason to be apprehensive about the Contis in wet conditions?

OD's long-termer report seems to suggest otherwise.

Overpriced? I found it to be a VFM when I compared its prices with the V2.0, but then different strokes for different folks

EDIT : Even if the Contis are not good, a simple change to Pirelli SD's can sort the issue out, what say?

Clarification here: I have never ridden a CBR250R. What I wrote was the outcome of a chat I had with an owner who has upgraded from R15 V1.0 . This person would be the Dark-Knight of Mumbai xBHP

.

Also, if you have to swap the tyres on a New bike due to its inadequateness, wouldn't it add to its un-VFMness?

The reason why I am so terribly biased towards the P220 could be its tremendous VFMness as compared to competition if the owner is looking at just 'Touring' and not 'Track'. Even though it is almost a 5 year old product now, it still does 99% of the things required for touring right.

Agreed the CBR comes with the wider tyres and the extra torque. But still, it cannot be treated with a 'Take it anywhere' attitude that a P220 or even a ZMA can be.

**Cyber Don** · 11-06-2011, 03:32 PM

Guys very sorry for the delay in replying!

@siddharth_ZMR
the P220 has almost hit me.. but i havent decided yet.. mayb the CL500 would be good!

i'm not gonna wait for yamaha's 250CC... even if i wait, the costs will be terribly high!

@antz.bin

Your comments are drawing me towards the P220.. but again, my mind yearns for a cruiser!

**antz.bin** · 11-06-2011, 06:00 PM

If you really want a cruiser. Please go for an Avenger or an ST-7. There is really nothing.. or I shoud say NOTHING!! which will come closer to the cruiser experience.

IM(not so)HO, all REs are commuters disguised as pseudo cruisers. Please do a proper TR of the ST-7 and prepare to get BLOWN AWAY!

Or rather, if you are interested in a CL500, I would request you to NOT do a ST-7 TR. Because after the said TR, you will never be able to appreciate what the REs offer. You will also come to know how RE has been fooling the Indian customers for over 50 years. All this legacy and tradition is junk and rubbish in the automotive world. If tradition and legacy was so important, people would still be buying Ambassadors and Premier Padminis. I, in no way meant to offend any RE owners. These comments were completely aimed at the company policy of selling inadequate + unsafe products. I told this to the company officials directly (face to face) and have no qualms in writing it down on a public platform.

As for 'Why ST-7?' IMHO, it is superior to the similarly priced HD Superlow and Iron 883s.

**ROCKRZ** · 11-06-2011, 06:59 PM

the basics of selecting a bike:-

if you want to CRUISE at 120 kmph, get a bike capable of doing 120 at 6000 rpm or less.

if you want fuel economy at 120 kmph, get fuel injection. it does make a difference compared to carbs at those speeds but at slower speeds, its inteligent and hence helps.

clarify how you define reliability:- my HH hunk broke down in the middle of highway for no apparent reason on a cold night without any warning. also, antz as never aced this problem. this does not mean honda is bad or bajaj is good but it definately means that there is more to a bike than the brand. these days, bajaj are as good as honda in engine life... yes, they do have some quality issues, but they are reliable. they do not desert you in middle of nowhere.

cbr will be the best bet. other than that, you can check the ninja, p220 or the st-7. if you are looking at RE, DONT TEST RIDE THE ST- 7 or you wont appreciate the RE.

vfmwise, p220 is your pick.
quality wise, r15 is for you.
comfortwise, either the RE or the ST-7
jack of all trades:- cbr250

best of luck chosing your pick.

**Vishwas Bharadwaj** · 11-06-2011, 08:46 PM

Originally posted by antz.bin View Post

IM(not so)HO, all REs are commuters disguised as pseudo cruisers.
Thunderbird is a Cruiser!
These comments were completely aimed at the company policy of selling inadequate + unsafe products.
They maybe inadequate(take that with a Kilo of salt),but on what parameters are you considering them to be unsafe?Is your Pulsar safer?Is my 'plastic pile' Dio safer?If you are stating that vis-a-vis the Korean maal then can you state the parameters on which you concluded that?

P.S-I'm in no way trying to be a FanBoy but if you could point me towards the safety ratings of the ST7 and the parameters of it's testing.......it will be helpful.

**antz.bin** · 11-06-2011, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by Vishwas Bharadwaj View Post

P.S-I'm in no way trying to be a FanBoy but if you could point me towards the safety ratings of the ST7 and the parameters of it's testing.......it will be helpful.

Go upto 100kmph on a (in no particular order)
ST7
P220
R15
ZMA
ZMR
Bull350
TB350
CBR250R
Dio(If it does 100kmph)
HMC Splendor+

and try to come to a halt in the shortest possible distance. You yourself will know which one of them is the safest in case a pedestrian decides to dive in your way without warning. As we all know, crash testing ratings for bikes, if any, will be only of academic interest with no practical value associated.

And as for a Thunderbird being a cruiser... Thats what RE wants you to believe. Do ride a 'Real' cruiser sometime.

Also, what makes you think that just because ST7 is made by a Korean company, it has to be CR@P. Do they use wood instead of steel/aluminium in their bikes? Why is Hyundai(a korean company) the second largest seller of cars by volumes in the country as of now?

**Vishwas Bharadwaj** · 11-06-2011, 10:10 PM

Originally posted by antz.bin View Post

Also, what makes you think that just because ST7 is made by a Korean company, it has to be CR@P. Do they use wood instead of steel/aluminium in their bikes? Why is Hyundai(a korean company) the second largest seller of cars by volumes in the country as of now?

I used the term "Korean Maal" as a slang term and not as a derogatory term.
I'll be sure to state the context,the next time

P.S-I wanted to make sure that others do not pounce on me even if I have clarified this via PM to the QP.

**Cyber Don** · 11-07-2011, 03:38 PM

Originally posted by antz.bin View Post

If you really want a cruiser. Please go for an Avenger or an ST-7. There is really nothing.. or I shoud say NOTHING!! which will come closer to the cruiser experience.

IM(not so)HO, all REs are commuters disguised as pseudo cruisers. Please do a proper TR of the ST-7 and prepare to get BLOWN AWAY!

Or rather, if you are interested in a CL500, I would request you to NOT do a ST-7 TR. Because after the said TR, you will never be able to appreciate what the REs offer. You will also come to know how RE has been fooling the Indian customers for over 50 years. All this legacy and tradition is junk and rubbish in the automotive world. If tradition and legacy was so important, people would still be buying Ambassadors and Premier Padminis. I, in no way meant to offend any RE owners. These comments were completely aimed at the company policy of selling inadequate + unsafe products. I told this to the company officials directly (face to face) and have no qualms in writing it down on a public platform.

As for 'Why ST-7?' IMHO, it is superior to the similarly priced HD Superlow and Iron 883s.

Originally posted by ROCKRZ View Post

the basics of selecting a bike:-

if you want to CRUISE at 120 kmph, get a bike capable of doing 120 at 6000 rpm or less.

if you want fuel economy at 120 kmph, get fuel injection. it does make a difference compared to carbs at those speeds but at slower speeds, its inteligent and hence helps.

clarify how you define reliability:- my HH hunk broke down in the middle of highway for no apparent reason on a cold night without any warning. also, antz as never aced this problem. this does not mean honda is bad or bajaj is good but it definately means that there is more to a bike than the brand. these days, bajaj are as good as honda in engine life... yes, they do have some quality issues, but they are reliable. they do not desert you in middle of nowhere.

cbr will be the best bet. other than that, you can check the ninja, p220 or the st-7. if you are looking at RE, DONT TEST RIDE THE ST- 7 or you wont appreciate the RE.

vfmwise, p220 is your pick.
quality wise, r15 is for you.
comfortwise, either the RE or the ST-7
jack of all trades:- cbr250

best of luck chosing your pick.

guys, thanks for your comments. i just took a test ride of the CL500... i dont know what to say, it didnt feel like the best bike in the world.
the showroom guys tell me that the CL500 can comfortably cruise at 120.. but again, they tell me that they can do a lot more than that... judging by that, they are looking at top speed and not cruising speed.

from all these, i guess i am left with 3 options

1. P220 - Most Likely Pick
2. CBR250 - as quoted, Jack of All Trades. i'm not sure.
3. ST7 - get some more cash and get the ST7 or get in on a loan.

i'll keep you posted guys! thanks a lot for your replies!

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