Too late to join the party, but I'll put down my points anyway.

1. I agree to ALL of what Somen said.
2. According to me, you can look at FZ-S/Fazer/Apache RTR 180 (ABS)

Eliminated the Honda 150cc bikes since you said they're not as appealing as the competition and you being a college student, the point is 100% justified!

Avoid Karizma-R or ZMR. Not because they're bad. I can vouch for them. But the ZMR is very bulky @159 kg for city riding and the ZMA won't give you your ballpark 38 kmpl mileage figures. Moreover, these are Sport Tourers; so expecting them to corner/move through traffic like Track oriented bikes ala the R15/Ninja is plain stupidity!!!

3. Try Hunk/Xtreme, same engine as the Unicorn. Comfortable as well, but you'll notice vibes post 80 kmph. Mileage ~ 48-50 kmpl.

4. Bajaj's are great bikes. Though the members have suggested you 200NS, I still feel that P220 is a better option. Raw power for the city/highway. With 200NS, there's not enough power in low RPMs and cruising in city would mean 2nd/3rd gear all the time.

TVS Apache RTR 180 ABS would be a great buy too. A perfectly working ABS equipped bike. Plus, awesome sound signature.
Did I manage to confuse you further?

FZ doesnot get affected by riding it at the band of 90-100 kmph. People have done saddlesore runs on FZ for continuously 1600 kms in 24 hours and even after such an ordeal of being at bands close to 90-110 kmph at non stop intervals they are still running fine!!

The only thing one has to keep in mind regardless of the brand or make of any bike is that keeping WOT (Wide Open Throttle) for over 20 kms will reduce the life of the engine regardless of whether it is a Jap or Indian make. You can't make a long distance marathon runner do sprint at his top speed for over 50 kms.. he will die of exhaustion right? similarly same thing applies for your engine. Modulate the throttle.. keep the engine at say 100 but then after a minute or two, release the throttle and go slower and then back on wot. That way you are giving the engine variations of load and keeping her healthy.

Regarding your confusion let me try and put in my perspective:

FZ/Fazer:

* super fun in corners and a good low and mid range, starts losing breath on straight line top end speed.

Pulsar 200NS:

* undoubtedly the best creation from Bajaj's stable however based on my observation it is wise to avoid a new product for first 6 months to a year as till then the manufacturer will iron out all the problems they discover with the 1st lot. If you don't believe me check out all the ownership threads!! Unless you really don't want to be left out and purchase the new model well that's your call. This ride is definitely a better long distance runner as it has a liquid cooled engine so better engine heat management. Being carb'd bike it can be handled by a local mechanic should something goes wrong with it.

* Hero ZMA/Xtreme/Hunk:

Good bikes, huge and wide service network however post 2014 i am not sure how great the availability of spares will be.. just my opinion!

* Honda Dazzler/Unicorn:

Smooth engines, spares are more or less always an issue. Though it may be region specific or city specific.

I would suggest check with people owning the respective bikes and SVCs about spare parts availability and general after sales service reviews before making a purchase. Beyond a certain point all you would want is a no nonsense maintenance bike once you get over the "high" of owning any of these bikes.

From my experience with FZ, i am happy with the way she handles but after 2+ years & 23,000 kms of ownership i was craving for more power to handle highways and my touring requirement so giving her a bigger heart, courtesy race concepts!

Decide on the basis of your requirement.

Hope this was helpful

Cheers,

@Neel08

Thanks for replying. During the test ride of the Yamaha Fazer, I felt a little uneasy for the first two minutes because I had never ridden a bike with a fixed front before that. But after some time I got used to it. It was so comfortable and easy to ride. I get your point, it would be a little difficult to squeeze through narrow spaces with the wide fairing.


@Praj zm

Thank you. What would be the condition of the engine, say after 30k kms, if proper care is taken?


@somen1984

Thanks again for replying. I don't trust the 220 or 180, it is just that I have weakness for the 220. I have seen 220s disappear after the green light and that made me jealous. I still can't trust the 200 NS. Is the 220 reliable for long term use (5-6 years) because I'm not going to sell the bike after 3 years, else my Dad would through me out of the house. :P


@padfootmooney2006

Thanks for replying buddy. From your knee down experiences with the Yamaha-s, it seems that the FZ/Fazer have excellent balance and cornering abilities. That is really important. How is the FZ's acceleration? I didn't manage to find out the actual acceleration of the Fazer (on which I had taken the test ride) because the road was pretty congested and the showroom guy said that the bike had not been serviced for 8 months. So there has to be a difference in acceleration between a test bike and a properly serviced one.


@abhi7013

Thanks. I have heard that Apache-s vibrate a lot more than Pulsars and that they feel unsafe at high speeds. Same goes with the new ones? Moreover the bike looks very small to me and heard people complaining about back aches.


@Divya Sharan

Hi, you didn't confuse me. It is true that the ZMR is bulky for city use. The only thing that I like from TVS is the TVS Gold keyboard. :P Please tell me more about the reliability of the Pulsar 220. As I have mentioned earlier, I need it to last for at least 5-6 years without giving any major problem. Don't know why, but the bike calls me every time I see it. If I do not go for the 220, I would buy the FZ/Fazer (hopefully).


@shv18

Thanks for replying. Nicely explained. What issues, if any, you have had with your FZ till date? Any major issue? I read in some forum that the rims and front forks are very weak. Is it true? Will it be able to handle pot holes at moderate speeds? Are the Yamaha parts very costly? I heard a guy say that the ball-racer kit of the R15 costs Rs 3k. Now that's awfully costly. But if it lasts for long unlike Bajaj parts, then there is no room for complaint. You did not mention anything about the Pulsar 220. :P

Aah, long list. Here are my replies.

Hope I was of some help.

I've bought an apache 180abs recently and i can tell you that the vibrations(only on 40-60km/h speed) are not as much as they say, you wont feel the difference after 100-200kms plus they say the vibes go down after the first service.The pickup is damn good

If i start writing about my experience with my FZ all over again on this thread.. XBHP's servers will crash due to crap data of blabbering re-entry overload!!

Regarding reliability: Iceman331 has recently crossed 40,000 kms in 3 years on his FZ and she is still running perfect and butter smooth. Most of his runs during this tenure were on highways.

To give you an idea about parts pricing:

* Air filter: 260-280 bucks INR
* Oil Filter: 55 bucks INR
* Clutch Cable:89 bucks INR
* Brake and clutch levers should you decide to break them : 60-80 bucks INR

Major overhauls:

* Chain & Sprocket sets: 1300 bucks INR but can last upto 22,000 kms if taken basic care and lube and cleaning at specified intervals.
* Front shocks seals for both sides replacement and new fork oil at 15,000 kms: around 1500 bucks INR
* Clutch Plates: 700 bucks INR can last 25,000-30,000 kms based on riding style and maintenance.

If you look at the pricing of the spares, they are not astronomically high that one will have sell his organs to repair or replace them!! R15 is a different bike with a different price band and more exotic materials have been used. A faired bike always has more costly parts then a street naked bike as per my understanding.Both FZ & Fazer are brilliant handlers, comfortable rider sitting position, easy to ride and are very forgiving by nature if you make mistakes on corner entry and exit speeds. Engine is smooth and the gear shifts are super slick. If you treat her with Motul engine oil: SS or FS grade then even better!!

The most expensive overhaul that i have done is the periodic preventive maintenance and that too at after nearly 2 years and 20,000 kms. You are free to read all the nonsense i have written in the Yamaha ownership thread!

Choose a bike based on your requirement! If you are going to do 70% commuting in the city and 30% highways and your heart has already set in on FZ/Fazer then go for it. The newer gens have comparatively better FE figures in the range of 40-45 kmpl than the older ones. If city riding is the major requirement and cutting through corners then FZ is better as it is without a fairing. If you are doing more highway runs then go for the Fazer, the fairing protects you from wind blast at high speeds which can tire you out on a very very long journey.

I haven't witnessed any bends on my rims. So only thing i can deduce to is, wrong tire pressure or hitting pot holes over 90 kmph can do that.

Cheers,

Yup, I can bet on all that you mentioned. I had FZ for 6 months, and in those 6 months I did 18,000 KMs. After that I got the current 220 (oops 230). FZ straight from the factory is a very good bike, does not require much attention. However, thats not the case with Pulsar 220. The package still needs some more work from the owner to bring it to near perfect state.
However, it all depends on the personal taste. FZ had influenced me so much, that I was expecting my 220 to be just like that but with more power.
Fortunately, I met some very good people in Bangalore (Tuners & Mechs) and now my ride is lot more fun than the FZ or anything else in market today.
Go for FZ dude, it is a wonderful bike. Sooner or later you will want more power, and for that you have Joel.

@Divya Sharan

Thanks Divya. So the 220 can be trusted. It's mainly the excellent acceleration, which is drawing me towards it. No other bike within this budget can do that. Moreover the mileage is pretty decent for a 220cc bike. There is a post in Bike Advice Forums regarding the 17 most common issues in the 220. It is bothering me (especially Issue No. 4, 5, 7, 15, 17)..
It is not allowed to post links from other websites?


@Shadowknight

Thanks. What's the current on-road price of the ABS version of the Apache? What about back aches? :P



@shv18

Thanks for the detailed reply bro. That gives me peace! >D Good to see that the spares are not expensive. The FZ-16 is now available with a kick starter as standard. Is there any way yo identify the new generation FZs? How will I know that the showroom is selling me the older FZ (which probably might be still in their stock) or the newer ones? They can do that to clear their old stock. One more thing, how is the acceleration of the FZ?


@chinmayakar

What changes are needed to bring the stock 220 to the 'near perfect state' you mentioned? And who is Joel?

My answers above in BOLD.


Cheers,

I have quoted links from t-bhp here. But you can always copy n paste those 17 points.

Don't know why , but i won't suggest anyone to mod their bikes in terms of power or speed.
How much difference would you get over your stock bike ?? only 10-20kmph.

It's better to go for a bigger bike in few years rather than moding it, with saving money for buying

@shv18

Thanks a lot for the pictures and links. Actually I didn't have any idea about Joel. That's why asked. But I think it is not right to mess with the stock parts and factory settings.
Please tell me about the acceleration of the bike. Is it like the new Pulsar 150? Also, is there any engine over-heating issue with this bike (read in some forum)?


@Divya Sharan

Right, I should have pasted them here. I have finally decided not buy any Bajaj product. Although the raw power of the 220 is really tempting. Is the mileage of the Karizma R very bad even if driven at an average speed of 50-60 kmph, without any sudden acceleration?


@somen1984

Right bro, it is not very safe to modify bikes as it can harm the engine in the long run. Is the quality and durability of the engine of the 200NS, leaps ahead of the 220, 180, 150?



Buying a bike is turning out to be more confusing than choosing a girl for marriage!

For me Yes it's way ahead of P220 or any Pulsar series.

It's very good in handling as compare to any pulsar. And really it corners too. The only draw back that i felt is it's tyre and non FI engine.

I din't find tyres that good in corners, where as in straight line or some normal twists it was good. Tyres can be changed with some after market too, check the ownership thread there are some options.

Non FI: as world is advancing ahead so i think even NS200 should have been in this also, but unfortunately it's not. Other hand being a carb it's more easy on maintenance as compare to FI.
So it's <1L product, else it could have been on other side of 1L.

Apart from RTR 180 ABS the other bike which is worth is NS200, to be close to 1L.
Yes more you see more you get confused, But even this is true that blindly you can't bring any one home, whether it's a Bike or Wife!!

No Engine overheating. During run-in period the engine may heat up more than the FZs/Fazers which have clocked quite a lot of kms and it is normal as the parts inside the engine are getting grinded to the correct tolerance level and heat is the result of friction (basic science!!). If the engine is heating a lot on normal runs then Lean tuning read "MILEAGE TUNING" done by local mechanics for more FE is the main culprit and damages the engine in the long run! It is applicable for all bikes and not just FZ.

Otherwise besides that like i have mentioned a 1600 kms saddlesore run in 24 hours and bike still doesn't give any trouble is a sign by itself that the build quality is superb! I have done 500kms non stop without any break and she has been trouble free and never drank an ounce of engine oil in this whole marathon... Japs are Japs after all.

Acceleration wise due to short gearing, she is light on her feet and stays ahead of traffic till 70-75 kmph.. once you hit the 85 kmph mark on the speedo, she slowly lets the needle hit 90-95 kmph, beyond that it takes mighty long!! City rides she is an absolute joy!

Cheers,

​i will give you one reason to buy a fz,check out the new blue limited edition,it is hot.