Update...

(still unable to find time to test ride bikes - should be free by end of month or early next month)

Slightly different use-case I want to discuss about before finalizing options. I go to college in the morning and work part-time as a developer in the evening, so need to often carry 2 bags - one with lots of books and another with a heavy 15.6" laptop. That or a single really heavy laptop bag. Right now vacations so working full-time and have a relatively lighter bag.

My current ride (Samurai) is comfortable when I travel without any luggage but travelling home with lots of luggage on peak hour night traffic is really painful. I think its because of the position/posture of my back when I am carrying luggage. What kind of structuring in a bike would address this problem ?

Isn't arched back == straight back (slightly bent backwards so that the chest is up)? This is what my gym instructor told me . Because thats how I keep my riding position, not bent forward.

Anyways, whatever the terminology, the back should be straight .

More details here: http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/pit-stop...tml#post632314

Read the link I gave. The back position should be bent backwards/chest up on all bikes. No forward curves business. If you have to bend forward due to the riding position of the bike, you bend from near the waist, not the upper/mid back.

None of the bikes in your shortlist have rearsets since all of them are supposed to be commuters and not track/sports bikes (regardless of whatever the S in the ST/LS might stand for).

Arched back denotes a healthy spine, thats how you are supposed to keep it all the time regardless of where the footpegs are.

If you need reltively high speed cruising on highway as your daily commute, the only 2 things that are on your side are 1. Horsepower, 2. Fairing.

Ideally you should get a bike with both, but since that doesn't fit the budget and FE requirement even remotely, we need to check your other options.

4 of the 7 bikes in your shortlist produce between 13-13.5 horses (The rest are 11 or less).

A test ride on all 4 should help you shortlist w.r.t. height /size.

The FE *should* be Discover 125ST > Pulsar 135LS = Discover 150 > Achiever

If you are worried about the Bajaj bikes overheating, let me remind you that Duke, P200NS are the very 1st mass market LC Naked bikes in India. In the absense of a fairing, the radiator fan has nowhere else to throw hot air apart from the rider's legs. Its all about getting used to how those bikes are.

Coming to the bikes in this set, The 150s will be more effortless to ride but will return comparatively lower FE. The other 2 are high revving 4 valve engines, but high revving doesn't mean high heat. The bikes are tested at least a for a couple of lakh kms before launch, People have done SaddleSores on the P135, so you can rest assured that there won't be any unnecessary overheating, not least in the 40-70 kph band.

Hope you use the weekend to TR all the bikes and then report how you felt about each of them.

Update...

(still unable to find time to test ride bikes - should be free by end of month or early next month)

Slightly different use-case I want to discuss about before finalizing options. I go to college in the morning and work part-time as a developer in the evening, so need to often carry 2 bags - one with lots of books and another with a heavy 15.6" laptop. That or a single really heavy laptop bag. Right now vacations so working full-time and have a relatively lighter bag.

My current ride (Samurai) is comfortable when I travel without any luggage but travelling home with lots of luggage on peak hour night traffic is really painful. I think its because of the position/posture of my back when I am carrying luggage. What kind of structuring in a bike would address this problem ?

I heard even some commuters have slightly rear set footpegs ? Like Suzuki GS150R and CBZ Xtreme and Hunk ??
Really ? Isn't keeping back arched/crouched all the time considered bad for the spine ? Ideally you're supposed to keep back errect and straight right ?

Tie all luggage to the back seat using bungee cords. Keep everything off the back.

I maself own a honda unicorn. I found ma friend's fz's seating position comfier on a long ride than my upright uni. also good against highway windblast. and iam 6ft tall.

Any links ?



Whats the difference ? Difference in the 2 bikes and the difference you felt ?

Whats the difference ? Difference in the 2 bikes and the difference you felt ?

what i was tring to say-that the rear set footpegs aint that bad(comfier wise) as we usually think. And on the importance of a test ride to find the apt bike which suits one better. (same me who found fz comfortable found my right foot resting on brakes(applying some free play) on the 'stunner' and felt less comfier on a short run, might have adjusted to it on a longer run). So a longer/more than once test ride is recommended!
Right now i feel unicorn riding position be too upright

Next up, searching for a Suzuki Showroom to TD Slingshot Disc and Hayate.

Alright so here is update of my 1st experience at a Yamaha Showroom. Went to Orion Motors opposite The Forum Mall.

Prices I enquired:

Yamaha Crux - Rs. 45000
Yamaha SS-125 - Rs. 66000
Yamaha SZ-R - Rs. 71000

He said max Rs. 1000 discount if I opt out of insurance (prefer getting it done personally).

For some reason, I find these overpriced. HIGHLY overpriced. And they did not have a test bike for SS-125. Salesman never seemed even remotely interested in selling it and called it a "mileage bike" and "not a sports bike". SZ-R he quoted 50 mileage and SS-125 60, so I guess I should expect 45-50 for SZ-R and 55-60 for SS-125 which are again less than what I find acceptable.

Finally I asked for YBR110 and YBR125 to check them out atleast. They didn't even stock them.

Only thing I could see in the showroom were lots and lots of YZF-R15, FZ16, FZ-S, Fazer and SZ-Rs. These were the only bikes they were intent upon selling. I quitely left the place.

I had been to Kubera TVS before and they atleast were enthusiastic in selling every bike (and offering test rides) from XL-50 to Sport to Star City to the Apaches.

Next up, searching for a Suzuki Showroom to TD Slingshot Disc and Hayate.

Slingee is a mini GS-R no vibes even at a speedo indicated 100, rear suspension is stiffer than GS, report after TR please.

71K for SZ-R in that case you are better off picking up a Discover 150! will save you lots of money or may be for the same money you will get a GS150R (hope so, not sure of it's price either).

And why no one is talking about the excellent bike Honda Shine with Disc brake?