Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

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Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

I would staright away say for the Duke 200. Good adequate cruising on highways. Off roads are easily ridden on it...broad handlebars and upright position keeps you relaxed. But no pillion comfort so that is ruled out i guess.
Bajaj avanger is surely good. I dont think the seat is too much narrow its fine for pillion.
And as per karizma its the best option you can opt for. Good on kmpl figures. Has been used in touring since a lot of time. Relaxed stance and everything good for touring purpose. Yepp nice pillion comfort too.

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

Ruling out Pulsar 220?? Its made for you!

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

P220f would be a better option since it also is a proven machine. There are lot of debates whether it actually is a tourer. However considering the awesome torque, straightline stability, semi-fairing to cut on the windblast it is on the best options for fast touring. You can run the mill at 100+ all day long.

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

I ride a 2011 ZMA, and am the kind that doesn't bother with maintenance unless something is really really broken, read un-rideable.

So last week took my ZMA on a continuous 1,300kms ride, and at the time she was running on Shell Rimula R3x which had at the time already covered a considerable amount of kms. Average riding speed within Kerala can be assumed as 80kmph and in Tamil Nadu it was always above 100~110kmph.

When I got back home the only issues faced was blown suspension seal and noisy sprockets. And remember my bike is 2years old and the odo shows 27k kms, inspite of the speedo being dead for more than half the term.

And if my above experience doesn't spell reliablility then I don't know what does.

Oh!, and yeah my ride runs on a free flow intake setup.

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Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

Stick to the P220 or the ZMR. P220 has the same mechanicals as the Avenger, but is a lot more dynamic and pillion-friendly. The Avenger is undoubtedly the most comfortable (The rider feels like relaxing on a sofa) but it's not a very dynamic machine, It feels slightly sluggish and handling is very 'detached', if I can call it. Panic Braking on the avenger feels very unsafe due to the rake angle.

The ZMR is an excellent sports-touring machine. 100 kph coming up at roughly 6200 RPMs and is capable of cruising at 100 all day. Erect riding position and comfy for the pillion. Choose the ZMR over the ZMA for better wind protection and FI.

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

have been riding avenger 200 for 5+ yrs now.
riding comfort up front is good but bike feels severely underpowered beyond 60kmph speeds.
riding avenger @ 80~100 is near-impossible due to the engine gasping for more grunt & engine vibrations threatening to unsaddle u off the bike.
i wud not recommended avenger to anyone who is thinking of cruising on interstate highways.
p220 &/or ns200 or zmr are the obvious & natural choices.
zmr is a legend in its own league & is known for its epic reliability & no-nonsense dynamics & road manners.
the pulsars are the nations fastest 'evolving' bikes - every new evolution has resulted in a better product.

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

@whymail I don't think the Avenger is that bad bro! I extensively rode a very badly maintained Avenger 200 (rented) in Goa for 5 days. In spite of being very poorly maintained, it still touched 80 with ease, though it refused to go above 90-95. Are you sure your ride is perfectly ok?

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

You also could consider a used CBR250R. Preferably search for one with less than 10K on the odo. By far,it will satisfy you on every count you mentioned above except for the mileage which would vary around 5 percent around the 35 kmpl mark.

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

@ bbsrailfan : LOL! bas kya! tu toh mera izzat ka falooda kar raha hain ;-)
yessir, the bike always was & is in mint condition - i care for her as if it were my own child.
& yes, it will touch 90 for the heck of it, in like say about 9876554389 seconds ;-)
but its not about that... its about the 'how' part.
the surge of power, the way it feels in the low revband is entirely missing in the upper part.
and yes, one can potter around it in 60's but take her to 80's n she starts screaming back @ the rider.
take her to 90's & she will certainly vibrate somuch that my family jewels start shaking in their enclosures.
besides, the weight & the vehicle dynamics make it a 'street legal' bike only - try even the slightest off-roading & u stand the risk of getting grounded.
there is a separate thread around here somewhere on avenger ownership & I reckon that I am not the only one ;-)

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

well, if you are looking for lots of touring purposes.. I would suggest you go for the ZMA or the ZMR.. AFAIK many people have complained about the reliability of the Pulsars.. Even i had one and had to sell it off as i had constant issues with the engine.. I had a ZMA and never once i faced issues with it.. on the highways it was the king.. did Chennai to Ooty. Ooty to pollachi and pollachi to Chennai in 2 days covering almost 1400kms.. constant speeds of 100-115 kmph and the engine never gave up on me.. 1400 kms in 2 days is a lot..

now I have ZMR and I am proud to own it.. its even better than the ZMA in its own ways.. the FE riding on highways will surely give you above 50 kmpl.. and in city limits nothing less than 40 kmpl for sure..

riding at continuous speeds, ZMR is perfect.. ZMA is perfect too but since ZMR has a FI.. its ride quality is even better..

Sometimes the Engine noise riding on highways for a long time can irritate the rider.. Thanks to the noiseless engine of ZMA and ZMR.. i never faced that sort of issue..

Well.. thats why they call ZMA/ZMR as a sports touring machine..

And its your call mate.. test ride the bikes.. see which you feel comfortable in and pick it out.. at the end.. its you who is gonna ride it and you have to be comfortable with it..

Cheers.. All the best and Happy Touring

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

Lol...aisi baat nahi hai bhai...bura laga toh maaf kariyo...just reflecting my thoughts. I don't know why, but the Avenger 200 which I rode at Goa didn't feel that bad at all.
It was definitely not smooth and it did scream at 80+ but I enjoyed it, didn't destroy my jewels for sure
Haven't ridden an Avenger 220, so can't comment on them, though! But agree with you completely on the GC part. And the turning radius...omg!

ROFL!!!!!

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

hell yeah... my friends contessa has a shorter turn radius! some say that avenger doesnt turn. she just nudges her head when she doesnt want to go straight! darn!!!

Re: Looking for a touring bike please help

Hi Guys, thanks for your suggestions,
Based on your replies and my intuitions Here`s what is in my mind


If i would have been riding solo on trips then i might have turned to Pulsar 200ns or Avenger 2220.
But since i just found out my partner (just got married) i would not dare to tour alone :-)

[PULSAR 200NS] : Ruled Out !!! It might not serve the touring purpose (yes riding position is upright but for pillion it might not be that comfortable with hard rear suspensions)

[Avenger 220] : Ruled Out !!! No tubeless tires, no rear disks, hard rear suspensions

[pulsar 220] : Karizma made to rule out this. No real offence :-)

[Karizma ZMA/ZMR] : Yup looks like this is the one am looking for :-) Excellent Machine, Comfortable Seats for both, Good suspensions, Better brakes, better FE and list goes on :-)


Gonaa be taking test drives of ZMA/ZMR ..... lets hope for the best..... will keep you updated guys.....thanks again