As you said he gets Bajaj bikes many, so let me tell you bikes which are repaired in road sie garages are the ones which were not taken care off, very rare regular services bike would come to Garage!!

Now FACT: It's not only Bajaj, but any brand if you don't keep regular service and ride insane will take you to Garagewala only!!

I myself have kept Aspire from past 12 yrs a Kawasaki/Bajaj product and i never went to Garagewala. I SVC it regularly!! Still returning 65kmpl average.

Bajaj has improved alot and NS200 is something different from Bajaj, you would be having some free service after that take proper care, SVC regularly and you will enjoy NS200 to it's optimum level!!

It's true that previosu Bajaj bikes don't last same engine after 3yrs but now you will see amny P220 owners enjoying their rides from more than 4 yrs!!

Trust me you won't regret on NS200 deicision anytime!! Infact a new model so cosmetic changes are also rare for few more yrs!! But KArizma might get cosmetic changes or close too because it's very old model!! Same can happen with P220..INMO. go for NS200 !!!

We have identical current situations I guess. I too have a Suzuki Samurai that's been here for 13 years (from 1999). And I'm 6' and heavy build, with weight varying between 77 and 82kgs (depending on diet variations). And I too am looking for a replacement. Budget was highly variable, starting from as cheap as 50k to 100k OTR Bangalore (with different expectations at different budgets). End result: I couldn't find a bike that is worth buying immediately - all current bikes in the market under 100k are either old tech, overpriced, underpowered or lacking in a feature or two that I desired, because I wanted something high on the VFM factor, whether I spend 50k or 100k. Finally gave up and decided to spend 5k and brought my Samurai to spanking new condition with few small modifications and now I enjoy it everyday

@somen1984...thanks for your suggestions.

@MHG...exactly the same situation (although weight-wise I am ahead of you, currently tipping the scales at around 90 Kgs ). Regarding the VFM factor, you really think none of the current crop of bikes are VFM? If you do not mind, can you share the requirements that you had in your mind when you were hunting for a bike? Thanks for the help buddy.

And somen1984, again, thanks for the quick and excellent suggestions.

Bajaj bikes are reliable.


your local mechanic might get more number of bajaj bikes (Pulsars) because the number of Pulsars on road is higher than that of Karizma.
And most Karizma owners feel SVC better and they stick to it .I knew many of my friends who own P220,180,150 and no one is complaining.


And all your points about karizma are true and it seems that you have already fallen in love with it. Believe me LOVE is blind so go and get married to Karizma you would never regret until you want more power.

Anytime mate choose wisely!! So that you don't regret after 1 yr, in terms of features/Power/ SVC!!

Somen, ZMA was the pre 2007 Karizma. In 2007, they merely added a plastic engine cowl and painted the tank and the visor with the letter 'R'. That was named ZMA-R.
Karizma R is ZMA-R. There's no ZMA now.

Thread Starter - ZMA-R is a wise choice. But Bajaj products are given a bad name for no reason. If you maintain your bike well, it won't give you problems.

My perspective now:-
1. ZMA-R -> Awesome bike. Outdated tech, but still sells. That means it has what is needed the most. Solid engine. 5+ years will be easy. Costly spares (if you manage to find them). Comfy sofa seat.

2. P220 -> Raw power. Awesome projectors. Can last as long as the Honda engine I mentioned above provided you take care of it. Easily available spares at cheap price. Seats not as comfy as in the ZMA-R.

3. P200NS -> Better than a P220, but all the power lies upwards of 5k RPM. Its high revving. Take a TD.

4. RTR series ->Awesome bike, awesome sound. But would look puny for you.

That's sounds nice! But Still i think it's Karizma not Karizma-R, becuase website says that only!!

I'll put my needs from bikes closer to your budget. Well, I wanted something with comfort being top priority, and considering our size, that alone eliminated most of the bikes. And I wanted highway touring capabilities since spending 100k for a bike that fares poorly on the highway (or has too much wind blast) is a strict no. Tubeless tyres were another must. Also needed excellent brakes (after suffering enough from Samurai's incapability to stop immediately from its godly acceleration) and good night visibility headlamps (since almost all major roads in Bangalore have no lighting at night). I gave straight line movement (and braking) with good comfort priority over cornering and stunting friendliness. All this plus something that was capable of rivalling the Samurai in reliability. Pulsar 220F I guess is the only bike that comes sufficiently close to fulfilling these requirements, but being a product that is on its way out, I decided that if I spend over 100k it should be the Pulsar 200SS (NS with fairing) when it launches sometime by the end of this year. Meanwhile my love for the Samurai was rekindled after seeing how awesome it is in performance after a good servicing so I think its best to wait till the right bike launches, instead of jumping the gun and buying something like there is no tomorrow. Afterall, a classic needs a future classic as a replacement

If you'd like to know how you can make the Samurai more comfortable while waiting for the next ride, just check here: http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/help-me/...t-comfort.html

@MHG--thanks for your post. No denying the fact Samurai is still an excellent bike. I will need to check with the TVS showroom guys whether they still service the Samurai. Else, I will have to go hunting for another mechanic. I am not too happy with my current mechanic. Anyway, my plan to pick up a new bike has been delayed by a couple of weeks (a blessing in disguise, maybe). Will take a call after 2 weeks. Thanks all for your great advise.

Is there anyone from Pune, on this forum, who is aware of any good Samurai (or for that matter any 2 stroke vehicle) mechanics?

Re: Going for the Karizma - R

Thread starter : The new series apache will not look as puny as the old one. Body changes make it look much bigger. It's slightly taller than is predecessor. Do a test drive, you'll know. But yes, the p220 also will make you a very happy man.
Like somen said, think things over. Do not regret a year later.

Sent from my WT19i using Tapatalk 2

I'm from Bangalore but I can assure you that Samurai is still serviced by TVS Showrooms. That is where I got my bike overhauled. All stock parts. Samurai was later rebadged as the MAX100. The MAX100 is still manufactured for Export to Sri Lanka and other countries by TVS where 2-strokes are not banned (its listed on their international products page). Just enquire at a TVS showroom near you before hand though - some may have mechanics who are inexperienced with the bike and they will admit flatly if they cannot service it. And after getting it serviced as I had indicated in the link, get some foam padding done on the seat and make it bigger and comfier. Get tyres changed if they have lost threading and grip. And adjust suspension for your comfort at the ASC (or change shocks to something else that is more comfy). These would surely make you feel like not ditching your old bike

Going by his description, I'm slightly smaller than him and I found the new Apache Series bigger than older one, but nowhere close to feeling large and comfortable like it was sculptured for my body with extreme comfort for my thighs, knees, etc (this feeling only comes from bigger bikes like GS150R, Karizma, etc). I too would suggest a TR, but I doubt he'd be too happy compared to larger bikes.

And yes, upgrades like these need good thinking over because the bike would be kept for 10-15 years judging by how long his Samurai has been kept. It should be something that can last such a test of time.

Sir, I think you'll need to go through some facts before you can post your thoughts and interpretations. You are welcome to Karizma/Karizma-R ownership thread to understand the evolution.

@Xfan - Good decision to go for ZMA (Oops! ZMA-R).
Karizma (was called when it was released in 2003/4) and then due to aggressive cdi mapping resulted in poor mileage. Hence in 2005/6 came with remapped CDI and named the model with sporty colors Karizma-R a.k.a ZMA-R (still fuel efficiency was only marginally better..lol). If anyone use term ZMA or ZMA-R all referring to non-fairing version.

If comfort and reliability is the top priority then its the Karizma no doubt.. If power and handling is the top priority then its pulsar.. Every major debate against these 2 beasts hes come down to the same conclusion.. Even if you say bajaj has become more reliable, it doesn't mean its equivalent to hero in reliability.. There were no technical upgrades in any of the hero bikes rite from their launch!! Only cosmetics.. But how many UGs has pulsar got.. Even 220-fi was discontinued... If reliability and comfort then its karizma.. But it seriosly lacks the thrust you get from a 220.. Also there's no rear disc and it looks outdated.. If all these matter then its definately 220.. But if you do not care about the old looks (but still cool!!)then the karizma.. I'd suggest to go for ur first luv.. karizma

But the fact is it's name given by people not by company. No matter, people come to know what product they are reffering too, is more important!!

Sir, I don't know what you are refering here. The point is no one here is confused with the Karizma models released over the period of time than you.