Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

Partly correct. Not the rear, but the front from V1. Rear tires seldom have the center thread grooves that are needed on a front tire.
Either the tire (for front) should have center grooves or criss cross grooves that cover the center patch of the rubber to provide traction during rains. (since that's what rests on tarmac)

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

Grooves in tires are not meant to provide traction but for better dissipation of water/other stuffs in not so perfect road conditions. Note the difference in slick and wet tires in racing for the same reason.

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

I would say a pulsar 220f... Not only because I am proud owner for the same but It is worth it... I know it vibrates a little but yes it's a far more reliable and powerful than 200 ns.. trust me I never faced a major problem with mine and it's already been 26k in 1yr and 6 months... It truely deserves the tag "BEAST"....... So if you want it for touring purpose.. for sure get a Beast....

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

i am not a fan of the bullet family...at all....sorry....but thanks for the idea

hmm.... so the 200 ns has lesser vibes than the zma?.....then i guess there is not really much going for the zma as compared to the ns and the 220 after all?? is the suspension on the zma better than the 220 or the ns?? it might be better than the 220 but due to the heavier weight it might be better than the ns too if I am not wrong.

actually, the vibes went down a tiny bit after i got the head work done, and i did it only after about 7.5 K ODO....so don't think that was the origin of the vibes

i would say too but I am hoping there is another option so I can atleast try a new bike this time

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i will complete the run in a couple of days (trust me I can)....

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

Suspension w.r.t comfort is best on a ZMA among the three.
W.r.t handling, its the NS. But, more than the suspension, its the frame that contributes.

The only thing I feel that still counts for each ZMA being sold - 35 year old gem of that engine! It still packs a punch for most of our roads and statistics say its one of the most reliable bikes.
(Regular maintenance will see any of the 3 bikes cross 1L kms without trouble)

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

Yes, suspension is very stiff on Ns, yesterday rode a p180 for some 20kms, and ride through potholes was like jumping on sofa. But then again, 200 is made to cater different purposes.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Ride Till The End...

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

I would say the karizmas have lesser vibrations than pulsars and better suspension. If you were using as commuter+tourer, pulsar would have made more sense.
But for pure touring, hard to beat the karizma.

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

thank you...this addresses one of my main concerns about comfort....I am not keen on 0-100 times, so outright acceleration is not a priority.....

By the way you are confident about the ZMA, I think you own or owned one...if so,are there any issues that have still been unresolved, like say the parts quality or any consistent niggles that will be needing frequent attention?

thank you...i thought the same pretty much but i guess I put too much faith in mono vs dual shock absorbers.

thanks......I wont even go into the city very often so I guess zma is the better option compared to the NS.


All, thanks for all of your inputs so far..I think I have narrowed my choices down to the ZMA and the P220f

Coming to the ZMA, is the chain maintenance hard to do? or is the usual cleaning/lubing every 500 km for an open chain not required in ZMA? and I guess the head lamps are not so bad as to hamper the night time driving on highways?

How good a choice is it considering that the new ZMA/ZMR are coming out (I prefer not to but these as they will be untested by the time I am buying them) from the perspective of parts availability? I can and will go through the ownership thread but would like the input from you guys.

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

I own a ZMR. Hence my comments. Parts availability post Honda split are much better, but spares cost w.r.t Bajaj is high.
ZMA would need an upgrade in the lights and tires department and it can take any terrain.
Chain though closed, needs regular maintenance. Apply heavy duty grease once in 600-800 kms and ride, else 500 km funda is fine. Nothing else needed.

Since, stock engine oil is mineral type, replace the oil (not top up) every 2k kms. BTW, stock engine oil provided by SVC sucks. Use other engine oils within the same grade.

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

oh ok

So I guess the ZMA just became a serious option for me. i will read up on it more.

Thanks for all the help.

All, thanks for your inputs.

I got the clarity I was hoping for. It is going to be either the ZMA or the 220f.

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

Is chain maintenance needed that often? I used to oil the chain on my karizma every 3k km and had no problems at all. Also oil change every 3k km.

Re: Hoping for some clarity in my options....a bike for touring

Yes chain maintenence ensures long sprocket life. I got 34k kms on my old sprockets.

Oil drain interval depends on the oil type used. Mineral oils need changing post 2k kms on an average.