Forgot to post about it, but I had a test ride of Yamaha YBR 110 a couple of days back. Location Bangalore Wheels, Dr Rajkumar Road, Bangalore. This test ride was long due but wasn't completed for lack of interest in most Yamaha dealers in selling non-150cc bikes. Anyway, here goes the review:

Yamaha YBR 110

Out of all the 100cc bikes I have ridden so far, none has evoked the kind of awe in me this one did. It seems more like a 125cc bike than a 106cc bike in all aspects, despite its specs stating a different story. Its performance figures are modest on paper - 7.6PS @ 7500 RPM and 7.9NM @ 6000 RPM. This makes it mediocre in specs compared to contemporaries and the bike seems to have no real advantage - again all this on paper. But the real deal is something different.

It all started with me entering the showroom that spanned 2 stories. I was greeted by a sales exec when I entered the showroom and I informed him that I wanted to take a look at the Crux and the YBR 110 and I was interested in a low displacement bike for small commutes. He showed me both the bikes and their prices (CRUX was 45471 OTR and YBR 110 was 53402 OTR). After I described him in detail my usage pattern (5km one way), he told me CRUX would be the best bet - I was surprised that he was pushing the CRUX over the YBR which has higher margins (I guess for a change he was being genuine and his reasoning was that with such a tiny commute solo I wouldn't mind sacrificing self start to save 8 grands). I said I'd like to test ride both to see which feels better (and I myself was after the CRUX because it looked so much like the RX100). He told me I'd have to wait for 10 minutes for a test ride. After 15 minutes I got to test ride the YBR but CRUX was sadly unavailable.

Let me start with the feel of the bike - it feels huge (by 100cc standards). The fuel tank is a massive 13 litres (and @ 65KMPL mileage can deliver a phenomenal 845km tank range) and the result being it was as comfortable as the Bajaj Discover 125 ST to sit on - which is my benchmark in the 125cc segment. The seats are comfortable for a change and I wasn't uncomfortable (not being uncomfortable does not equate to being comfortable just for the reference) which is a rare event on a stock 100cc bike since I'm rather huge.

Initially the long wait for TR and the fact that self start wasn't working and the idling wasn't adjusted properly (so vehicle never started when kicking) was a big turn off. I struggled with kicking it and a sales exec told me he'd warm the bike up and started it and ripped it for 100 meters and returned it to me. I still had issues with the idling but I decided to go ahead anyway. I was on the bike which was in neutral and the sales exec sat behind. After pressing the clutch I shifted upwards to 1st gear (all gears are upwards on this bike) and started throttling very lightly. I released the clutch slightly, but apparently I was too quick in releasing it. The front wheel instantly popped up into a wheelie. I was stunned and the sales exec started grinning and told me the same also happens in 2nd gear. This much power on a 100cc bike. Then I went about on a brief 0.5km test ride where I took it over flats, inclines, slopes and humps. Bike did really well all the time. The 2.75" front tyre and 3" rear tyre were both MRF and offered great grip. The pull was amazing, and I didn't need frequent gear changes, although it was obvious that being a 100cc, each gear had its favourite zone where it impressed me a lot. I wasn't ripping the bike (since I wouldn't do that on a commuter) so after my test ride, the sales exec asked me if I wanted to experience what REAL yamaha performance meant. I nodded and he asked me to sit pillion and he set about doing some crazy acceleration and braking. The bike was extremely planted and really stable and quick. I suppose the excellent handling and power was due to better quality tyres and perfectly matched gearbox to the engine. The only thing that turned me off was the fact that being a Yamaha, mileage was 10-15 kmpl lower than contemporaries (60-70 instead of 75-85 from Discover 100). But yeah, the bike DOES impress. BIG TIME.

Yamaha Crux

OK so I didn't test ride this bike but the engine is the same and the body lighter compared to the YBR. However, front tyre is 2.5" and rear 2.75" - puny sizes but hey, nobody corners on these things. I did sit on a bike that was set for delivery (didn't start it - just sat on it and felt it) and it felt slightly smaller than the YBR due to just 11L tank over 13L tank and smaller seat and no fairing. Seat was ROCK HARD by the way - it needs cushioning and broadening IMMEDIATELY if I am to buy it. But yes, if looks alone could sell a bike, I'd pick the Crux any day over ALL other 100cc bikes. Nothing else is covered with that much chrome and has retro 80's written all over it.

@ Rs. 54K, the YBR110 seems totally value for money. TVS Start City is also similar in price. The cheaper is Hayate at about 50K. But the Hayate did impress me with it's pick-up too.

Some food for thought : Shootout: Commuter Bikes

If we are taking about a mileage range of 55-65 kmpl, then Pulsar 135LS must also come to the contention. Offers power, efficiency and comfort..

That's some good info there. Thanks for sharing. They are saying that Honda DY is tad costly, but I believe that's the only one which comes with tubless tyres. What the reviewers have smartly tried is to bring out something good about each of the bikes and in the end declare the obvious winner. Typical!
Which is why unbiased reviews from our very own members is what is important for me. And the most recent e.g. is YBR110 review by @MHG.

My vote is for SS125

Booked this bike on March 17 2012 and got it a week later. Loving it ever since. Done 8300+ Kms at an average of 54 Kmpl (155 litres so far ). Finished my 5th scheduled service. But there are some issues as with any other bike.

1) Loud at low speeds - but love it when cruising
2) Stuttering when wet - during rains or after water wash
3) Not as good with a pillion
4) Headlight throw could be better

Only that much I could say negative about.

Now the positives
1) Great weight distribution, great to drive single
2) Good comfort for long drives
3) Good control in traffic (handling and brakes)
4) Good mileage
5) Good looks err.. Great looks

I rode this bike :
From Chennai to Vellore last month at a steady 60 (65 while over taking) and got a mileage of 71.4 kpl !
From Chennai to Vellore three months ago at 40-50 (with pillion) and got a mileage of 65 kpl !
From Chennai to Vellore four months ago at 80-85 (with pillion) and got a mileage of 39 kpl !
All the returns from Vellore to Chennai @ 65-70 with a mileage of 54-56 kmpl . Good enough.

The new Discover may be better in performance and mileage, but certainly not in comfort, at least for me.

Re: Daily Commute that does NOT compromise on Comfort

Hi XBHPians,

I need your help/advise on buying my first bike.

I am 26yrs of age, 5ft10 and 65kg. My personal choice is for RE Classic350 or Thunderbird350. Major points are :

Decision : I am confused if it would be right decision to go for a heavy bike as RE(since it would be my first ever)?
Usage: My main usage will be commmute(daily 60-70 kms). Other than that I plan to go on long runs (to home in himachal, 400kms bimonthly/once a month).
Fuel Efficiency: Anything around 35 would be great.
Budget: Last but not least, I will go extra mile if its RE, since i believe it would be lifelong investment
I would like to be on extreme, its its not RE for sake of being novice, pls suggest me some good 100cc bike to start with(Dicsover100T , Activa ).

--
Thanks
Arya

Re: Daily Commute that does NOT compromise on Comfort

If it is your first bike ever and you have no experience of riding a bike at all, would only make sense to buy a commuter and practice. Get a discover.
As for RE, it would be a life long investment, but the ownership would be a little pain in the rear. If you chose RE after looking at the ones rolling on streets, trust me, RE looks/feels good only when others are riding it. Yet, if you like it, you buy it.
For that daily commute of 60-70, get 125st. If your commute is on a highway, it can easily do 70-75 all along, and still return good FE. Also 150CC bikes like Extreme, GSR would be great. Those 400kms trips can be done.
Since you have mentioned that you would go that extra mile only for an RE, I would refrain from suggesting any more bikes in that price range, which are far more reliable.
[[CBR250, P220, Karizma etc if it interests you.]

Re: Daily Commute that does NOT compromise on Comfort

Thanks for your advice Kolte666,

I have ridden friend's Honda Stunner CBF and Dad's old LML Vespa NV Scooter for riding matter. and my commute is in city traffic. My major concern was regarding handling and controlling a bull weight wise .

Re: Daily Commute that does NOT compromise on Comfort

Mahindra Centuro 110 - Premium Class Mileage Bike

After a long long time, I think it is appropriate to bump this thread once again. Since I started this thread, I postponed my purchase multiple times, for various reasons including temporarily relocating to Hyderabad and later my commute being reduced from 60+ kilometres to ~16 kilometres per day making it somewhat practical to retain the old workhorse Samurai a little bit longer. But today I got the chance to test ride the Mahindra Centuro

The Bike is highly underrated, from the looks of it in this forum. People have used various adjectives for it - chinese, ugly, splendor carbon copy, etc. But I'll tell this much - when seen in person, it is really hard (atleast it was for me) to not like it. It has an amazing seat (third only to the Yamaha YBR110 and Bajaj Discover 100T in comfort level) and comes shod with MRF Zappers - something you never see on a Bajaj or a TVS which prefer to go with cheap crappy rubber instead. The front tyre does not have a rings pattern, it is ribbed like the rear tyre and the tyres in general have much higher grip levels and look and feel good. The console is brilliant, and puts several higher segment bikes to shame. This is the only 100cc segment bike to sport a tachometer, and it is a must-have feature on ANY vehicle IMO. Helps choose the right RPM to shift, and on a carburetted bike it is easier to tune the carb with a tacho present. I'm not a big fan of digital consoles but Mahindra did an exceptional job with this ride. The "golden ribs" on the bike do look different, but they're subjective IMO and I found it to be smart visually (on the black colored model; the red looks atrocious IMO). The only thing I did not like was the top of the fuel tank - this is because the Pantero gets a smart looking black plastic strip on the fuel tank which also houses the fuel lid and this looks really good. This feature is missing on the Centuro for some strange reason.

The Engine is a gem. The Discover 100T is a segment above, but below that this is by far the best engine I have come across, edging out the Dream Yuga, the Discover 100 and the YBR110 engines in all aspects. The bike feels responsive and eager to move, and the precise one-click shift gearbox is perfectly matched to the engine. Reviewers have commented about the high speed capability of the Pantero which shares the engine and I never got to test it out. But this bike does have amazing 1st gear and 2nd gear performance (I got to test ride it in a horrible Bangalore traffic jam). The gears shift all up for the record (unlike the all-down that I am very much used to on my Samurai). The braking is good for drums although the disc found in Twister, Passion Pro and Passion XPro is surely missed (IMO all-round disc brakes should be mandatory on bikes as a safety feature). But the braking was adequate and at par with other pointless drum-brake equipped bikes that flood the market. Back to the engine, what you will immediately notice is the horizontal engine layout. This is only found in the Hero Honda CD100 family of bikes' engine and the HMC Glamour / Super Splendor. Such engines are supposed to be better than vertical engines since the oil takes a lesser time to flow through the engine and hence the bike gets properly lubricated faster after a cold start. The exhaust sounds like a Hero or a Honda at low speeds and is as loud as a TVS at high speeds but retains its refinement at a high speed which does not usually hold true for most bikes in its segment. The dealer claimed that the Pantero which shares the same engine delivers a mileage of around 65 km/l in Bangalore city traffic and 80 km/l when ridden sanely on good roads, and this too should deliver similar results. I suppose though that it should be slightly more than that since the Centuro has a higher ARAI rating than the Pantero. The service interval is 2500km (I think this is a little short compared to competition ?).

To summarize, the likes include everything about this bike - be it the novel features like an engine immobilizer, find me lamps, digital dashboard with a prominent tachometer, car-like flip key, etc or the amazing ride and the engine. It also boasts of 173mm ground clearance and a 5-year warranty for piece of mind. But alas, in the Indian automotive industry, nothing is perfect. If the Centuro was made by Bajaj or TVS, I would've blindly bought it. Perhaps the same could also be said of Honda and Yamaha to a smaller extent. But Mahindra two wheelers suffers the problem of being a new brand in this market with very little showroom presence (this problem is also shared by Suzuki two wheelers). As it is, Mahindra car showrooms are not known to have the best service in India (actually they are far from it). So things will be a gamble. Like I said before, TVS and Bajaj have really wide service networks in Bangalore such that if your bike breaks down anywhere, you yourself will not breakdown before pushing the bike till the nearest service center. On the other hand, I had to search on google maps to find Suzuki and Mahindra showrooms which could be counted on one hand each. For a bike which sticks to the industry standards for cheap 100cc bikes (standard telescopic front shocks, standard dual rear shocks, standard carburetted engine, etc) which means in the event of a breakdown any ordinary mechanic can bring it back to running condition, I doubt that much worry is required. And Mahindra is dead serious about its two wheeler business and intends to launch several new products into the market and their 5-year warranty, well thought of features (apart from the gadgetry the interesting horizontal engine stands out), VFM pricing, etc gives a lot of confidence to the prospective buyer.

For the record, the test ride was at C VS Motors dealership at Sankey Road, Bangalore. These guys also sell Royal Enfield bikes and I saw a lot of RE bikes for service there and the place seems popular among RE riders, so if any RE guys can chip in about the service quality of this dealer it'll be great. The bike is priced at INR 53000/- on-road, Bangalore and will increase by INR 1000/- after the first 10000 bookings. Booking amount is INR 2500/-.

As for myself, I am not yet decided and I think it is worth waiting to see what new discovers Bajaj is launching before jumping into the booking. I liked it a lot but the dealer network of Mahindra has resulted in me deciding to wait a bit. My Samurai is holding on for the daily office commute which is a fraction of the old college commute....

Re: Daily Commute that does NOT compromise on Comfort

^^
Very good review indeed.

Booked one without test ride. But will take a call after test ride.

Re: Daily Commute that does NOT compromise on Comfort

Bro if you are not booking the bike just cause of lack of dealer service, then don't make that mistake. Many people totally ignore the dealer service but if you want the advantage of warranty then you can give it at the dealers itself. But point is, in case of a Break down, why do you wanna search for a dealer? Any local mech can rectify the issue temporarily and you can have it checked later on. Looking at the review its like you love this bike. Do not stop just for the sake of dealerships.

Sent from my MT27i using Tapatalk 2

Re: Daily Commute that does NOT compromise on Comfort

Hey MHG, Nice Review.. why not post in Mahindra Centuro Launch thread..

From the review of yours went back to see the rear sproket images of the Mahindra Centuro and forund that it looks bigger than the splendor's. That may be one aspect which would increase the initial acceleration of the bike.

Attaching the images.. you may also have a comparison.

Re: Daily Commute that does NOT compromise on Comfort

Has anybody test driven Hero achiever ? Cant seem to find any test drive or reviews for that bike

Re: Daily Commute that does NOT compromise on Comfort

I might have to start commuting from Noida to Gurgoan on a daily basis for 2-3 months and then "might" have to comute from Greater Noida to Gurgoan for the next few months. Distance from Noida to Gurgoan is approx 45 km (one way) and from Greater Noida to Gurgoan should be approx 60 km (one way.

I am looking for a safe and comfortable bike for such long distance commutes.

Can somebody share their expert opinion on the best bikes available? Budget can reach max 1L.