[QUOTE=MHG;840282]

Discover 100 seems like a premium product compared to other 100cc to 110cc bikes


Quick Questions:

Hello,

Discoverer (except the one which is being launched i.e 125 ST) brand has been known for its cheep low quality plastics and engine issues/vibrations (which commonly arrive after 2 years). I don't think its a premium product, please do not compare it with Suzuki/Honda/Yamaha..which are better built.

I too was in a search of commuter com cruiser bike with reasonably good efficiency. TD'd most of the 100/125/150 cc bikes, and struck at GS150 (obviously) and bought it and am very very happy with it.

You mentioned: comfortable to ride , reliable for long term use , Weekend cruising abilities , Braking , Smooth engine in speeds , etc...
And I highly doubt that you would get all these in Discoverer 100.

If you want to keep the bike for long then go for the bike which is built to last. Please have one more round of thought about this.

Its my own opinion... no hard feelings pls
Regards.

_______________
who says that reaction of drum & disc brake are same...????????????????????
No i am agreed with this statement, my early 5 bikes are having disc brake... (pulsar, apache, karizma), but since last 1 year i am driving passion pro.. believe me you will face the difference in case of emergency.. damn.. drum brakes sucks.. even i am looking to change my bike drum brake to disc brake.. but its cost around 9000 rs in delhi.

My advice to anyone on any day.. if you are buying new bike always go for disc brake.. though it cost you little more.. but it will save you life in case of emergency.

yes true.. if you know how to apply disc brake.. then believe me its a life saver....

Bro there is nothing misleading !! Do you mean to say Drums are not adequate in city rides?? what speed a person can go in the traffic condition that MHG explains in this thread?? merely 40-70kmph and Drums are very much adequate!!

Pumping is a braking style but it doesn't means that Drum brake doesn't work !! If a person say that drums are not adequate then basic needs to be learn.
I don't say bro that you don't know to brake a Drum or Disc, But people still live with Drums happily!!

Really Disc is used best in anywhere over 95kmph and the difference is seen.

I too have an Aspire/CBZ/R15 even i know the difference of the drums and Disc! i have ridden splendour many times and i know the drums efficiency in city to the fullest.right maintained drums and rightly tightened are very much efficient!!

I still would recommend who wants to keep his budget low and save few bucks then drum is any time adequate for city!!

So please don't stress on "Disc only" and miss lead!!
True anything new technology is best to have but bro pulsar/karizma is high speed bike approx 110kmph atleast and disc is realy needed here coz user will take it to top speed and it will be very helpful in speed control
Does this means people out there don't know to use Disc brakes??
Yes it's a life saver anytime but is it a life saver in 50-70kmph???

Drums don't help braking??? As
Antz.bin said both cost same then no point talking here !! when same cost than Disc is the only option.

As MHG is a student with part time job, and a pure city rider in bumper-bumper traffic so if my decision saves his few more bucks then what's wrong??

I myslef won't buy anything below 250cc and non FI or latest tech? but if i can save some ones few earned money then i will !!

And TS is very Smart he will opt for Disc only!! But still let him decide rather than us fighting on braking style!!

So this is going to become a Drum Vs Disc War?? Anyway let me add my few cents in support for disc
1.Pretty useful in bumper to bumper traffic as very light to operate,less braking effort is needed and less stress to hands.
2.Drum brakes has a tendency to instantly lock up when it is wet, especially after washing or during rain where as in disc brakes,effectiveness reduces when wet, which is a good thing in rain.
3.(I may be wrong on this one)In disc break you can correctly predict the breaking distance but when riding a drum bike in higher speed, i always have to break very early,
4.No cables= Better in reliability
5.And finally it looks better

Kudos to MHG for doing such an extensive research,this thread is going to be a must read for anyone looking for a commuterrated 5stars


BTW white Hayate looked cute to me,every white vehicles appears dull when its not washed may be that's why your not .....Anyway i`m still holding on to my opinion.

^^ @Somen, you are getting carried away. Disc brake is a better tech any day and you know it. People are living happily with drum brakes doesn't mean they are better than disc brakes. Given a choice anyone will go for bike equipped with disc brakes simply because they are way better than drum brakes. Besides speed is not the only criteria, you got to factor in the stopping distance. Personally, I never felt comfortable/confident with drum brakes, they always make you feel nervous.

Taking a TD of the Suzuki GS150R (Thanks to Apple Auto, Banashankari, Bangalore)

Today most unexpected thing happened. I had to meet up with a friend for lunch which later got postponed to a late afternoon snack at Jayanagar 4th Block. On my way back I saw a "to let" sign board on the Royal Enfield Showroom near Banashankari and felt bad for the great brand. Further ahead was a signal and something caught my eye. I saw Apple Auto in bold on a building. From GS150R ownership thread I realized that this was the place recommended to buy/service a GS150R, so immediately I turned left, and parked outside the showroom and went inside.

Asked for a TD of the GS150R. Since the attendant was busy, a mechanic was sent to give me the test ride. I got to TR the white colored one, and mistake me not, this one is a beauty

Here is a summary if you don't want to read this long post. The best bike I have ever ridden. Period.

Test Ride Experience

I have heard different stories of this bike. Sort of like Norse Mythology that is very obscure and yet colorful. Some say its big and bulky. Hard to move around in traffic. Tyres skid a lot in rain. Blah blah and blah. Today I had a chance to disprove everything said a few sentences back.

Engine and Refinement

Amazing. Very refined and silent engine, and even when I ripped it there was no sign of strain and zero vibrations. The torque was so high, that I could bring bike to dead slow speeds (taking a turn) with one foot on ground, and it pulled effortlessly in 3rd gear with 2 people and a 6kg laptop bag on board. It accelerated steadily, not like a hooligan that is the term I use for Apache, FZ and RX-135 acceleration which is sudden and harsh. I loved the way it steadily increased in speed in each gear, and the whole thing was so linear, it felt like that was how it should have been in every bike. 6-speed gearbox was a dream. The gear indicator was very useful I must add, because its hard to mentally keep track of the gear I am in.

Handling, Comfort and Braking

If above was amazing, this was probably the best in the segment. Bike is really easy to handle, and felt just about the right size. Very very comfortable and my knees recessed into the tank so perfectly, I felt like the bike was chiselled for my measurements. I found it much more comfortable than CBZ-Xtreme, FZ16, Pulsar 150 and Apache RTR 160 which are the other 150cc bikes I have ridden before. And to hell with comments that it is sluggish to turn on busy traffic laden roads. I had a traffic jam in front of the showroom (how I got back home is a different story) to test the bike's handling prowess. With a mechanic behind me, it was still very very easy to move the bike around, and a small twist of the throttle was all I needed to make it move to places and finally take a cramped U-turn without much effort. I may go on to say it was easier to handle than my Suzuki Samurai which is known for its manoeuvrability in traffic. And then it started raining. The roads quickly became wet and I told the mechanic that I needed to test it in an emptier road. He directed me to an empty road and I ripped it a bit and then braked. Bike stopped without any fuss or a skid. Ofcourse, braking does not mean you grab a handful of the brake leaver and hold onto it for dear life. No sir! You sort of apply it and leave it again and again multiple times as fast as you can (sorta like manually doing what ABS does) to ensure that the bike slows and it still does not lock up the wheels. Dunno the technical term for this, but it works. And the disc brake is made by Bybre, the Indian wing of Brembo. Need I say more ?

Switchgear, Console and Electricals

The console was the best looking one in any bike I have seen this side of Rs. 1 lakh (maybe P200NS may change that). Highly functional and easily readable, I loved every bit of it. Switchgear was of good quality and ergonomically placed, with some of the things I deem essential in EVERY bike (even 100cc ones), like pass light and engine kill switch were very much present and I used them often and realized how easily accessible they were. The engine kill switch and the self-start (that almost instantly turns the bike on into a smooth idle) together ensure the mileage is max, because the bike can be switched off and started quickly with just the right hand thumb. Only sore point in the whole bike was the electricals not being Full DC. Everything else was too good.

Wallet Factor

On Road was 76.6 grands Bangalore. He said Rs. 1400 worth of insurance would be discounted from the price as an offer by Suzuki (so price is now 75.2k) and if I opt to do Insurance privately (my mom works in an Insurance company so much more hassle free to do it through her) I could get 2.8k discounted. Very good pricing I must say.

Versus Competition

The TR confirmed that THIS was the 150cc bike to have. Worth buying over SZ-R any day and the small 3k premium is easily justified (being significantly more comfortable and still being economic to run). More expensive 150cc bikes are not as comfortable (I'm ignoring the BHP increase simply because a little more power may not be noticed but even slightly less comfort is easily noticed in daily commute exceeding 60km and slightly less mileage pinches the wallet hard in the long run. When compared with P135LS, I personally found this worth the 4k premium because of my build. But its the best bike available if you are of proportions which make it comfortable, and if you are looking for sporty ride with mileage it trumps everything else again so these two cannot be directly compared. Different people will have different conclusions. I cannot compare with the Bajaj Discover 125ST because it has not arrived in showroom and I did not get to do a test ride yet, so no comments versus this bike. And Discover 150 is in a totally different price (and comfort) segment, so no comparisons can be done here too.

Offtopic Stuff

Saw the Hayate in Green, Red, White and Black. Red was best followed by a tie between Green and Black. White was not so good in this bike. Grey was elusive as ever and nowhere to be found, though this was the color I LOVED in the pics.

The attendant was a very knowledgeable person. The guy who prepared my quotation when asked told me bike is full DC. Attendant corrected him. Seems he had bought a Hayate recently for commute and also had an RD350 and an old British made Bullet with him. He sounded like a true vintage enthusiast and advised me against exchanging my Samurai at the showroom and asked me to find a true 2-stroke lover because such bikes are legends. I told him I'll mostly keep it with me unless I get a really good price and he said its a good idea.

Showroom guys said expect mileage 45-50 for the bike in traffic, though seems people had claimed 50-55 and even upto 58. Not bad. But what does scare me is if showroom guys quote low mileage, it could mean if mechanic screws the bike up and its mileage goes down, they could justify saying this is what was quoted from the bike in the first place.

I narrate my Test Ride experiences daily to my dad. He suggested me to go for a 150cc bike because it'll be more powerful and suitable for my build, but when I told him Disco100 has 80km/l mileage, his enthusiasm for 150cc came slightly down but did not stop when he heard GS150R gives over 50. Trouble is, I need to pay for the fuel and not him so I'm now on two minds. But fuel wouldn't be a problem after 9 months when I start working full time with a respectable job. If Discover 125 ST comes and blows me away with its comfort, I'll probably end up buying it as an excellent compromise.

Guess I'll HAVE to wait for Discover 125 ST to arrive then

Interesting. Did he have any impressions of how the bike was ?

@MHG, nice ride reoprt on GS150R. But don't compare it with P135LS, even though it's priced close to GS150R, it's a different bike when you ride it. Moreover, spare a thought for guys who are not as well built as you are. For people like me, who are not very well built, P135LS is a much better option. Besides, you can't expect a new bike like GS150R to command a premium like established Pulsar brand.

OK let me just clarify that the comparo was from my point of view alone. Since a lot of people of standard build have reviewed these bikes, I decided to post one for people like me. Thankfully the market has bikes of different sizes, for people who developed differently as they grew up. I ended up as a 6' couch potato.

And yeah, when I tried the P135 once, I can tell you that it has oodles of acceleration and its so light that you can LIFT the bike to move it around when parking in congested areas. And its a lot sportier feeling and has 10kmpl more mileage so they cannot be compared unless you have requirements that are very specific.

EDIT: I updated the post to make it clear that P135 and GS150R cannot be directly compared.

@MHG

lfirst i want to thank u for posting the TR exp as it is helping others too here

second i have a suggestion
in ur first post put the links of all ur Tr posts so it helps others and u cud rate the bikes and give YOUR winner in each category( u have trd 110,125,150 segment)

lastly i have a couple of questions

u said u cant compare gs1504 and discover 150 as they are different

but if it were you which one would u choose?
considering all factors like braking,comfort ride quality,engine refinement,traffic riding,empty road riding,build quality etc (i knw u like the gs150 as it suits ur height but apart from that factor)

u said u TRd p135(i guess u havent posted ur exp here) and u have Trd discver150

i assume the discover125st ride to be similar to the current discovers(more like 150) what are th differences between the two?
u said p135 has oodles of acceleration and the discover too has loads o torque and u said its king of commuters in ur post..so how is the accelration torque pick up traffic ride of the two?
how do they stand against each other in ride comfort, ergonomics,refinement gearbox,smoothness build quality,ride quality etc etc

the d125st is as light as the p135
i wonder if this bike is best of both worlds?pulsar as it has power and known as mile muncher(though i see most use it for street use and its apt for that) and discover the comfiest bikes for the streets with power

the d125st st suffix for sports tourer as we can comfortably ride at ~80kph speeds comfortably(pulsar characteristic of mile muncher) and being a discover..perfect city bike

others too pour in your views

Replies in bold.

obviosuly if i get a bike for free i'd take the kawasaki zx14 but sadly that isnt the case

we have to buy from our own pocket....

i have read both the reviews from xbhp but i am more intrested in peoples personal experience may be from a frnd or their own bike n stuff as all new bikes look good are good but how will they perform after 2-3 years is what matters after buying the bikes

so need to be very sure

abt the top speed of p135 and d150 i knw d 150 wont be so stable i read somewhere its not the top speed figure but how u reach there and how it performs at that speed is important however we dont get such detailed review abt all the bikes

looking forward to your test ride reviews

OK about the bold part, again opinions vary depending on what kind of build you have and what your own expectations are. I know people who have ridden the GS150R a lot more times than I have, and they say its a family bike while Apache is a fun bike.

If you want 2-year impression of a Discover 150, I can tell you it returns above 54km/l always in Bangalore, goes upto 60 sometimes and average is inbetween. This from a guy who rides with pillion exactly half the time. Bike bought somewhere in 2010 I guess not sure.

Again I stress the fact that your height, weight, buttock size, arm length and leg length all play vital roles in deciding a bike. This you cannot measure and hope to calculate comfort levels because human anatomy is too complex and varying from person to person. Easiest is to just sit on a bike and feel it.

bulls eye !!!

Whole of last year, I had 2 roomies, 1 had a Discover 150, and the other one had a Honda Unicorn.

All 3 bikes (D150, Unicorn and P220) used to take the exact same routes everyday inside the city and would run around 30km each daily. Used under *almost* identical conditions, even the difference in our weights was not more than +/- 5kg. It was so close that we could easily wear each other's shirts.

The Discover would consistently return 55+ in Pune traffic, sometimes 60. Unicorn and P220 would stay between 40-45kmpl inside the city. I used to have competitions with my Unicorn owner roomie about whose bike would return more FE. I would lose 60% of the time , but the point is, I would win the rest of the 40% occasions.

The bike I preferred to take to the congested city when I had the choice was the Discover. P220 is just too cumbersome in congested city traffic. Discover is a breeze (not to mention it would cost us less ).

Coming to the Boxer BM150. The owner had a Boxer CT and then a Platina in the past. The Platina he bought for 38k OTR about 6 years back was sold a couple of months back for 22k. (not bad resale if you look at it ) Adding 25k, he got himself a Boxer BM150 against the advice of his colleagues and mates who told him to get a Hero Honda instead. He realizes that the bike is meant for the Rural Market. But then being designed for the rural market has its advantages too . The rear suspension is SNS type. Very beefy. The seat is the old big on sponge Boxer seat, very long, easily enough for 3 people. The bike also comes with a self start, so essential equipment is NOT missing. The mileage is between 60-65 but I wouldn't read into those figures too much since the bike had barely done 18xx km. All in all, it is not going to win any design awards, but it is a functional bike with all the essential equipment that a heavy commuter would need for carrying any kind of load. Don't feel bad if your neighborhood milkman decides to get himself one of these.
Points to remember:
1. Rural people supposedly don't need too much top speed , so there is no 5th gear.
2. The engine is good old single spark. No DTSi business.