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A touring upgrade to my ZMR

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  • #1

    A touring upgrade to my ZMR

    Hello All,

    I currently own a Karizma ZMR 2010 model with around 56kms on odo. I use the bike for daily commute of around 40kms, and also some serious touring. Now I wish to upgrade to a bigger bike. Prior to my ZMR i rode ZMA for 3 years again for around 50k kms. As a result I am more inclined towards sports tourers

    Now looking for the available options the only sports tourers I can think of currently are Ninja 650 and CBR 250. I understand that these 2 cannot be compared and the obvious answer will be if you have money go for the Ninja.

    But I have following questions

    1. If I go for the Ninja, can I use it for daily commute in Mumbai. A lot has been said about its low and mid range rpm so it CAN be ridden it the city but my question is SHOULD it be?If not then is CBR more practical which will provides a mix of touring and commuting ability?
    2. While touring I have a tendency to go to roads less travelled which means bad roads.(not extreme offroading though). Which bike can serve me well there without serious problems
    3. Will both these bikes be comfortable for a 6ft tall guy?
    4. What about the vibrations? I like to do mile crunching in a relaxed manner which for me means vibration free riding and no rattling sounds from fairings, engine or other parts. This is a big problem on my ZMR now. Though I agree it also depends on how good you maintain the bike but what about the quality of plastic parts, fairing etc. Our Indian roads do tend to destroy them but the question is how long can the parts withstand the treacherous roads without making sounds, especially in Ninja as I'm sure if something needs to be changed in Ninja, it will cost a bomb.
    5. Are there any options which I should try out? I dont think Ninja 300 and Duke 390 are my type, because they love to be revved hard and I will not be able to do justice to their abilities. But there are news of KTM 390 touring version and Honda CBR 400 (with some adventure version). Is is worthwile to wait?
    6. And last but not the least...Ninja 650 will cost around 3.5 lacs more than CBR 250. That is a lot of money. Brain will tend to go for CBR for its practicality but heart will always say Ninja. I'm sure this dilema is faced by many. I hope someone who have actually bought a big bike can help me solve this dilema by giving me some strong points in favour of the Ninja and why its worth spending that extra money. I think it is more of someone else convincing me


    The questions may seem a bit vague, but as mentioned above there is a great dilema if you have to shell out so much more. So I hope I get some responses which will help me arrive at the right decision.

    Thanks
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  • #2
    Re: A touring upgrade to my ZMR

    Query APproved
    Biking is not about what you have between your legs, its all about how well you use it!!!!!!!

    Give your details here if you want to help your fellow xBhpian stranded in your city

    Touring Blog: Cycling in Mongolia!

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: A touring upgrade to my ZMR

      Originally posted by ninad View Post
      If I go for the Ninja, can I use it for daily commute in Mumbai. A lot has been said about its low and mid range rpm so it CAN be ridden it the city but my question is SHOULD it be?If not then is CBR more practical which will provides a mix of touring and commuting ability?
      The Ninja 300 is revamped and does not have the low end torque issues of the older 250. So you can ride it around the city with very few gear changes. The CBR being a single will obviously have better low end, but the difference wouldn't be very much. You wouldn't have to rev the heck out of the 300 to ride in the city. Its power delivery is much more linear than the older 250.
      Originally posted by ninad View Post
      While touring I have a tendency to go to roads less travelled which means bad roads.(not extreme offroading though). Which bike can serve me well there without serious problems
      I am not quite sure whether the Ninja will be able to do offroading. When it comes to bad roads, well if you are looking for comfort, the CBR would be better with its plush suspension. Ninja is stiffer and may not be as comfortable in very bad roads.
      Originally posted by ninad View Post
      Will both these bikes be comfortable for a 6ft tall guy?
      You should be quite comfortable with either of these bikes.
      Originally posted by ninad View Post
      What about the vibrations? I like to do mile crunching in a relaxed manner which for me means vibration free riding and no rattling sounds from fairings, engine or other parts. This is a big problem on my ZMR now. Though I agree it also depends on how good you maintain the bike but what about the quality of plastic parts, fairing etc. Our Indian roads do tend to destroy them but the question is how long can the parts withstand the treacherous roads without making sounds, especially in Ninja as I'm sure if something needs to be changed in Ninja, it will cost a bomb.
      Both these bikes are vibe free. There have been a few cases where people have reported rattling in CBR 250, but they have been fixed in the later models. Ninja is absolutely vibe free(thanks to the rubber mounted engine). In CBR you may experience some vibes but not to the point of being uncomfortable. In terms of quality, both are tried and tested. The Ninja would have an edge over the CBR, but thats just my opinion. Also maintenance wise CBR is cheaper.
      Originally posted by ninad View Post
      Are there any options which I should try out? I dont think Ninja 300 and Duke 390 are my type, because they love to be revved hard and I will not be able to do justice to their abilities. But there are news of KTM 390 touring version and Honda CBR 400 (with some adventure version). Is is worthwile to wait?
      The Duke 390 is another choice if you are a total city rider and not much into touring/don't go for long rides too often. Both Ninja and the 390 has all the low end you will ever need to ride in a city. The Duke is more flickable as it is lightweight and smaller than Ninja so you can weave through traffic easily.
      Unless you are ready to wait atleast for an year or more, I wouldn't advise to do so. These are just speculated and will take time ( a lot of time) to come out for sales. Especially the CBR 400. I would rather go get a bike now when I can get one, than wait for a speculated launch.
      Originally posted by ninad View Post
      And last but not the least...Ninja 650 will cost around 3.5 lacs more than CBR 250. That is a lot of money. Brain will tend to go for CBR for its practicality but heart will always say Ninja. I'm sure this dilema is faced by many. I hope someone who have actually bought a big bike can help me solve this dilema by giving me some strong points in favour of the Ninja and why its worth spending that extra money. I think it is more of someone else convincing me
      Ninja 650 is a different ball game altogether. Unless you are willing to shell out a lot of money both for getting the bike as well as for maintenance I wouldn't advise you to get one. But the 650 is a much better tourer than CBR and N300. It is much more comfy, has a lot of power(72 Ps). If you are into hardcore touring, the 650 will do much better than the rest. Only thing is that it is also quite expensive.
      2013 R15(Sold) | 2014 Duke 390 (Sold) | 2022 Adv 390 | 2022 Ninja 300

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      • #4
        Re: A touring upgrade to my ZMR

        Thanks a lot for approving the query and also for the responses. A couple of more questions

        - How comfortable are the seats in these 3 bikes. The 650 by looks of it looks very comfortable, but how about the N300 and CBR? And by comfort I also mean are they sufficiently wide and cushioned?
        - Now that N300 is also into the picture, I think its seating position is quite sporty. Does it result into excessive pressure on your wrists and also back as you need to crouch during long hauls of 500+ kms? or it is not that bad?
        - Can I ride the N300 all day long at 6000-8000 rpm?

        These are just preliminary things that are coming in my mind, and I will definitely take test rides before I zero out on which one to buy, but opinions from experienced people surely helps.

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