I ride a Suzuki Samurai currently. Its a good bike but the mileage is pretty low (47 when driven carefully, 42 normal city and 37 when ripped) and for the petrol it drinks it does not produce power justifying the economy. Top speed is low - just 85 on odo. I take the outer ring road @ Bangalore from BEL Circle to HSR Layout daily, this is a distance of 33km and I find my bike to be pretty uncomfortable for this trip.

I'm looking to buy a new commute that is comfortable on these type of rides. I'm a large guy @ 85kg and 6', so midget sized bikes like my current ride are things I wish to avoid. I also need a seating position that is extremely comfortable. My Samurai is giving me a severe pain in the a$$ that reduced to an extent after getting the seat altered but is not gone entirely. I'm not selling the Samurai off (its still a good ride for short distances and its a classic not worth parting from) but need a new bike soon.

Requirements are as follows:

1. Bike should have proportionately good performance for the petrol it draws (no 2-strokers and 153cc Yamahas)
2. Bike should be really comfortable to ride, and rider comfort is top priority
3. Bike should be reliable for long term use
4. Weekend cruising abilities appreciated
5. Pillion comfort can be completely ignored. I ALWAYS ride solo
6. Braking should be good enough to handle Bangalore drivers' erratic behaviour
7. Smooth engine in speeds between 40 and 70 where I spend most of my riding time - no vibes, no overheating and stress-free engine at ANY speed between 40 and 70
8. Budget not decided, but it should be reasonable between 50k-65k on-road Bangalore (Bangalore has the highest on-road prices so keep that in mind). If multiple bikes cover my needs I'll use mileage as deciding factor and if mileage is also same performance and then price will be deciding factor.
9. Don't need to do cornering/stunts. Straight line comfort is all I want.
10. Update: Mileage above 55km/l under spirited city commuting and over 60 on highway.

Basically I need something that is like a cheaper alternative to the Suzuki GS150R (which was the first bike that seemed to fill my requirements but costs 75k)



Bikes in my mind:

1. Yamaha SS125
2. Bajaj Discover 150 DTSi
3. Bajaj Discover 125 DTSi
4. Bajaj Discover 125 ST
5. Suzuki Hayate
6. Hero Achiever
7. Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS

First, I'm not sure if the Bajaj bikes will be comfortable enough for my size. Everyone I know who rides a Discover or P135LS is between 5'6" and Someone please confirm because then I can remove them from my list.


SS125 seems big, has a good equipment level and proven track record but worried about mileage. Also can someone tell me what its OTR price is in Bangalore ?



The ones in bold are the bikes I'll buy if they fill all my needs but have no idea about them.


Hayate has a suzuki engine, and though yamaha and honda are the mainstream japs in India, being a Samurai owner I can vouch for the fact that Suzuki makes splendid engines that are long lasting. Only thing I don't know is how comfortable it is. Considering that Salman Khan (5'8") is its brand ambassador and he seems to just look normal sitting on it, I'm not sure if I'll find it comfortable. If someone has test ridden it please let me know.



HMC's Achiever is a bike that STILLin production and costs around 67k - towards the upper end of my budget but it has the 13.3BHP Unicorn engine. Don't mind paying 1-2k extra for it because of the performance and smoothness of its engine but again how comfortable is this bike ? Is it comparable to Unicorn in size ?