I deffer here friend. Do you really think R15 is not a good notch ??? Ninja is something out of question where as there are Harley too in india now then ......

in the mid premium budget R15 is the right product, Ninja is superb in all aspects, but i won't agree with Duke.

no bike is issue free either.

good is an understatement for r15,but if you talk about mid premium budget i would like to keep duke ahead of r15.

Pretty heavy statement that. Would buy it only if you have proper data to support that. Its a very gud bike no doubt but stating it BEST outright is kinda Fan-boyish. getting the drift?

@Thread-starter : Duke200 without a doubt. Still a test ride on all three is recommended. Happy biking

CBR150R makes enough power at low RPM's. even at 3000RMP. so its OK for city ride as well unlike r15 which needs 5000RPM minimum.

But if the aim is to get a powerful street bike and if you are not going to tour with it, then KTM is good. Upright position is not going to help if you have back pain since your shoulder weight will be on your spine.

if you are going to street race in the night and a little Turing, then CBR150R is the way to go.

If you r looking for style and touring then surely R15 will be the best.

End of the day, you should be happy you bought it.. it should put a smile on your dace

My choice will be CBR150R because of Honda reliability and this engine is already proven to be reliable in many countries unlike the new CBR250R.

TD all 3. because personal opinion will differ from person to person.

have you heard about remapped-ecu of r15 vrsion 2?

thread starter - I am using my R15 V1 close to 2 years everyday in pune traffic and highway touring and the V1 was a good boon in city traffic and highway but you always had to keep her revving, while the V2 has much more improved torque and in low rpm also it gives a boost which is a plus point, again as you gonna ride 1.5 hrs in traffic which means more use of clutch and other wear and tear again on this front the R15 V2 falls cheaper on pocket and the handling is better than the CBR 150 any given day. About duke i agree is a good city bike but consider the stocks cost and availability and again the duke is more of city bike and less of highway due to the lack of fairing.

On the contrary i would suggest you to check the CBZ extreme, Fazer or Unicorn as this bikes are good for city use and if you want a bike only and purely for city use i would say putting a lakh rupee for it is not a ideal step.

I strongly disagree on this part. CBR150R generates very less torque at lower revs and vehicle just refuses to pull in 3rd gear from speeds of 30kmph.

CBR150R should be choice only if the pillion seat usage is high. Both the other bikes mentioned have unforgiving pillion seats.

KTM is the best street bike currently available unless you like the R15 styling more.

Good Suggestion my Friend

@ Thread Starter: TD ride it you will get the answer, but do see the other average related bikes too, when you can save some money on oil then why not??

Wow, had you not clarified properly this thread had the ingredients to be a massive flamewar.

3 bikes all within a few k of each other. I own the duke , have owned the R15 for 2.5 years.

My vote to duke. Why?

- It gets hot. Yes it does but anyone yet to report a overheat, i believe one person in the ownership thread did. But then with any liquid cooled bike you have to be careful about the revs and switching the engine off whwn in slow traffic. The R15 also used to get pretty hot in stop go traffic so no great differences there.

- performance. Simplest example would be to take a pillion on the duke and on the other two. The extra 50cc will make the difference more than noticeable and distinct.

- riding stance - the flat handlebars are gonna be anyday more comfortable than the clip ona on either machine. Yes the foot rest is slightly rearward but i find the bike a boon in traffic.

Not ridden the cbr yet so cant say about it.

Hope this helped. Cheers

May the force be with you

v2 nop but v1 yes. why do you ask ?? And r15 world over its same power and Honda CBR is tuned for km/l here

This is the actual spec for other countries

Bike: CBR150R FI
Type: Sports
Top Speed: 160kph

Engine Specs;
Displacement:149.4cc
Maximum Power: 19.5bhp@10500rpm
Maximum Torque: 17NM@8500rpm

Even for 250 they did the same... Feel like kicking Honda for this.

Yes, you are Spot on, i really miss my CBZ ext, dream in traffic. 20km/h in 5th gear he he he

actually speaking I own CBR250R for past 1 year and i ride in Chennai traffic and 35km of my 60km's is full of heavy traffic and i will be in first gear most of the time. but it again depends on people lol

Already tested CBR15OR ?? but 30km/h 3 gear i dont think experienced riders will do such a thing. In traffic we will be going at 10km/h - 20km/h not 30km/h i guess. because sure in Chennai traffic you cannot dream of 30km/h. Mostly we do 5 - 15km/h.

CBR revv band kicks in at low 3.3k+ and its Flat out and R15 makes mostly @ high 4k or 5k RPM as per the report and runs out at 9.9 as per Joel.. I may be wrong. i think we need to get some dyno reports. Honda is known for low end torque. so will wait till we get that.

Thanks and ya TD is the way to go.. I may like Honda or Yamaha or TVS or even Bajaj and i may preach that's the best because i am using it every day. Never go by what People say, you are the best Judge to decide what you need.

@Thread starter: As everyone suggests, take a test ride and the decision will come much easier for you!

Please understand one thing that even when a particular motorcycle seems to fit for many riders, it doesn't fit for everyone after all. I'll give you my example, hopefully it will give you something. I do not like the Duke, not enough to buy it! I personally feel that it's riding position is weird. The foot pegs are positioned rear enough to compliment a typical sportsbike, but the upper body is absolutely upright. I do not find this type of riding position really comfortable to be honest. When my legs are bent like on a sportsbike, then I want/prefer my upper body/back to lean forward (sort of in line with my shins). I feel more comfortable like that, and that is why I eventually found my FZ-S to be slightly more comfortable than the Duke. Moreover, I am not a big fan of its short gearing. Duke's gearing is a bit too short for my liking. I mean, a motorcycle with a 200cc, 25bhp engine and weighs only 126kgs fully loaded is slightly short on overall performance than it should be due to the way it's geared. Entirely my opinion though. It's like a situation with R15/CBR150R but opposite that in these motorcycles you need to play with gears to compensate for low torque (especially old r15). However, in Duke you'll end up up-shifting a bit too fast since it's low geared. The engine revs fast, the gearing is low, you end up crossing the power band faster, the engine starts to feel stressed quickly and hence the need to upshift a bit too quickly. Again, this is what I have found after riding the Duke. But obviously a short test ride won't really tell you much about a motorcycle's capabilities. In my case, I first took a test ride and then one of my friends bought a Duke, so I was fortunate enough to ride his motorcycle to my satisfaction. And I eventually concluded that this is not what I like even though it is otherwise a very good motorcycle. I may get used to the way Duke is with time, but that's the thing, I do not want to get used to it. I prefer to instantly feel comfortable with a motorcycle and to strike a cord with it.

However, many guys here seems to be exactly in favor of the above points that I could not like. The whole point of my post is that you never know what you actually end up liking/disliking in a motorcycle. So unless you take a proper test ride, you'll continue to hear/read different opinions (like mine ). Among the motorcycles given, I'll take either of 150CCs. I hope it helps!

CBR150R low torque at low RPM then it should not be good, hmmm.
Will wait to see some reviews and a TD. I personally didn't like Duke. it looks like a cross between street and dirt bike and most of my friend too felt the same way. my buddy Arun bought it and is a little upset that he didn't get the attention he wanted riding with CBR.. lol

Duke = "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder"
R15 = Sexy Girl
CBR150R = Professional

KTM looks good on photo but in real life with a rider... hmmmm

Honda CBR 150R India

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqREW7UtC30&feature=related

So Honda Launches CBR 150R in India.... this bike will cost around 1,30,000/- INR...

Dear friend i am suggesting you to go with r15 . It 'll not say that it gives you a better comfort but it gives you a better handling and a good pick in the heavy traffic . by the way it is not painful to drive 40kms in a day with the r15 and don't go with the apache 180 it is not meant for comfort only for pick up and good handling .

* you have another option to go with the suzuki GSR150 . it gives you a good milage of 55 kmpl and better confort .

R15 review in Australia
Moto Concepts Australia Yamaha 15r Bike Review by Scotty Mackellar - YouTube