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HD Iron 883 / Ninja 650 / TB500
Remove 883 from the list, it has low ground clearance and that would be a problem in India for high bumpers.
As per your bold points, RE would be best to pick!! Affordable bike with affordable maintenance!! If taken care then it's like normal bike, but still may, you have some time you have to visit SVC as a bonus.

BTW would you be ridding it in city or highway ?? or mix ?? If mix then what percentage upto??

I'd say 60-70% in the city... I do try to work around the peak hour traffic by getting to office early in the morning. Evenings are a different matter though. For the 883 the difference between the GC is not a lot from the ninja I guess...would it be a problem even when there is a single rider?

Thanks for the reply

Tending to be aggressive with the throttle and breaks is never good for an RE.You will have more chances to visit service center.First bike that came to my mind when reading the requirements was pulsar 220.Great low end torque,neat performance,running cost real low when compared to others,pillion comfort I am not sure.My friends were fighting to get pillion seat of my splendor on a road trip with pulsar 220.

Personally i think we should ride something which is way comfortable with easy in traffic like any commuter but your choices are in high budget modules!!

883 is like a complete cruiser style which won't be that easy to tackle Indian traffics. Ninja would be better as it's a Sport Tourer style, so handling in traffic would be easy compare to 883. On other Hand RE TB500 is suggested because it's low in cost and made for India type. Why don't you think on some thing very feasible like FZ/Dazzler/Unicorn/GS150r/P180/P220/Karizma ?? These are proven City/Traffic/Highway bikes with pillion comfort. 60-70% is much for a high rev engine in traffic!! You won't enjoy a bit of 883 or Ninja in traffic or City!!

If you ask me then it's better to keep your Ninja250 and buy something from above rather than those monsters!!

A person can ride any bike for daily purpose/traffic/city, but that doesn't mean that SBKs or Cruisers or Sport Tourer are for daily/city purpose!!

Still it's your choice mate!! I could have suggested you CBR 250 which is more practical in city/traffic than Ninja any given day due to it's balanced low/mid range for city. But you already own a Ninja. If possible then think for CBR250 again for daily use and pillion comfort if you don't want 150cc commuters.

I am sure Ninja650/883/TB500 won't bring any big difference compare to Ninja 250 in city or traffic.

I am little confuse ?? Is it for just upgrade or daily use ??

And pillion comfort is for tour or daily use or every weekend ??

If you are thinking for daily use then you can consider above lines, if pillion comfort is for touring only then 883/Ninja650.

Ninja 250 R is pretty much the ideal bike for weekend tours and such, so I'd add to the suggestions of keeping the kwacker and getting a new bike for commutes.

Big bikes with bulky fairing or weight are a big headache for city traffic, I'd suggest the Duke 200 for your purposes if you can skip the pillion requirement. You can use the kwacker for rides with pillion. Duke is well under your budget, reliable, cheap, and loads of evenly spread torque and lightweight (flickable) to make city ride fun. The posture is ideal for city ride too - not sporty so as to induce pain in your wrists.

he looking to upgrade from a ninja 250 .. how is it a comparo to this...

i think you should go in for the iron 883 , as you have already experienced the ninja 250 go in for a different kind of biking now ...HD would be my pick.

Running cost is not a primary consideration, i just wanted to get a ballpark figure... Not sure how it is for the pillion though...

Yup the pillion comfort is primarily during touring, I don't think i'll have too much trouble with the traffic as I tend to skip the rush hour most times... A bike just abt ok in the city but really comfortable on long drives is what I was looking at...

Kwacker would be ideal for short tours had I been travelling alone...trust me, it is a pain for the pillion! City driving is something I am ok to live with even if it is not very comfortable...

Hmm, I am leaning towards that my self now

+1

The 250R is a gem and I don't think going for either of the bikes shortlisted by you will solve your problems. Instead get a practical India-made performance bike that is also comfy for the pillion. The Green warrior can be reserved for those special days .
My suggestions would be-
1. P200 NS
2. Karizma R
3. P220F

These will serve your purpose better than a N350 o the Hog.....Good luck and keep us posted on your move.

RE Thunderbird 500 Vs HD Iron 883 Vs Ninja 650

Just chanced upon this and is the exact same dilemma i'm going thru.... Though my riding is opposite 70-80% weekend rides... But also need good low end given mumbai traffic...

Test rode all 3 bikes and guess its more of a question now of what kind of riding style one wants... Veering towards N650 as of now..

One final test ride over the weekend before i make up my mind.. A key factor has also been that i'd like only one bike vis-a-vis 2 if i go for the TB or 883.

Yup, totally agree on the two bikes funda...I don't think i'll end up using either of the bikes properly.

Any particular reason to go for the 650r? Also, did you like the ride quality of the 883?

Read his query,he is not upgrading from Ninja 250 R,he wants something comfortable,low runnig costs,decent performance..although he did not include p220 in his list,it will suit him.

RE Thunderbird 500 Vs HD Iron 883 Vs Ninja 650

Find the 650 to be a very good balance of sport n touring. Comfortable for long distances, yet peppy in the city when required. Also very good value for money. Having ridden the 250 for a couple of yrs now, i trust the kawasaki brand too quite a bit in terms of quality. My apprehension was that it might be too much of an upright riding position, but thats not the case actually.

Only thing i'd love to have had was better sound... But guess cant have it all at this price.

The 883 is a good ride. Pretty comfy. But my couple of issues: i find it quite small when i ride it; Besides cant go above 120 easily due to the wind blast.
Also the kind of cruiser i like costs 15L+ in the HD line up. A long way to go in my life before I spend that much on a HD. Also a few minor things put me off HD: for ~8L for the 883 no pillon seat or rear foot rests provided. 16k extra for those! C'mon now. Also the fuel tank cap doesnt have a lock. A pain in our country. Again extra for that! So....