Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

How about telling us the other requirements like the budget constraints, etc.?

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

HONDA CBR 250R Anyday..! OH yes if he likes to wait a tad longer watch out for the CBR 300R(within 9 months says Honda),might not be as fuel friendly as the existing 250 but definitely more powerful,and a looker with a practical twin headlamps which makes it a better mile muncher in the dark.

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Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

i've already mentioned there are no budget constraints; but the bike should provide 30+ KMPL, that bounds the cc capacities.

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

Ask him to check out the CBR 250. I've myself booked the CBR a couple of days back and my requirements were almost the same. Its good for highway cruising because of its top end power delivery and also for the comfy seat. Fuel economy should be between 30-35kmpl, depending on style of riding.

If he can wait till the end of the year, then the Yamaha R25 and KTM RC390 could also be options for him, though they will have a sportier riding position and may not be as comfortable on long rides.

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

I also think the same. A tourer cannot compromise on comfort which the RC390 or R25 may not provide.

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Would anyone throw some light on the upcoming HERO HX250R.

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

Honda CBR250R, Bajaj Pulsar220 and Hero ZMR are the best bikes for touring which delivers good fuel economy and maintainance free. Upcoming Hero HX250R and Pulsar400CS can also be a good option.

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

Did your friend finally buy a bike?

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring


nothing comes to my mind beyond a CBR 250R and .. gives close to 40kmpl if ridden sane on highways.
in city 34-36kmpl...

if budget is not issue a pre-owner N650 is your best bet. still gives 27-29 kmpl on highway

both these bikes are serious mile munchers. super smooth and easy on back with decent power on tap.

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring




you really sure about N650 returning 27-29 kmpl??? If that is true,it sounds good. My main concern during tiuring is the tank range.CBR250 easily gives a tank range of around 280 kms. I would love something arround 250 - 300 kms per tank full. Considering 13ltrs usable fuel in N650 and if the fe is 27kmpl, the tank range would be around 350kms.



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Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

not yet friend. I guess he'll be booking during Puja vacations. He's in dillema between Hero HX250r and Honda CBR250r.

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

So there is still a lot of time. He will have a lot more options available by then.

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

It may sound funny but your friend can buy a used Ninja 250R in a price range of 1.3 Lacs - 1.8 Lacs . Reasons below:-

1. Seating posture is not that of a sports or super sports bike. It has a very comfortable seating position. After some permutation and combination with your body, bums, shoulder and and arms you'll get a perfect posture for long distance rides. I agree that the seat is a bit hard but you can always put up a gel seat or wear gel pants.

2. It has a parallel twin engine which means the bike will be vibration free at all speeds i.e. 0 to ~165-170 Kmph. A very beautiful cornering sports machine and offers real fun on highways.

3. It has 18L fuel tank and the red low fuel light glows when the fuel level drops to 4L. Which means you can use 14L of petrol @ 30kmpl which will put up 420KM on your odometer before you start looking out for a fuel station. Even I was surprised when I noticed this while returning back from Goa to Mumbai.

4. It can cruise all day at 130 Kmph without stressing the engine but in that case you'll get 27-28 Kmpl.

5. The bike shows its true Ninja colors after 100 kmph, which means overtaking those fast cars/ buses is a piece of cake. At the same time, the brakes on Ninja 250R are very sharp and provide excellent stopping power. The bike has dual headlamps which means one is for low beam ( which functions as a DRL and stays on and you cannot switch it off), the other is a high beam which can be turned on and off depending on your needs.

6. This is a very reliable premium bike having service interval of 6000 Km. A normal servicing ( Oil change, oil filter change, air filter change, labor charge including taxes etc. will cost close to Rs.3700-3800.)

7. Quality of the parts are just too good/ superb but at the same time they are heavy on the pocket. So if the fairings are broken then ready to shed Rs. 11K for one side. But insurance comes handy at those times.

8. Ninja can be used for both city and highway riding.

CONS:-

1. Pillion seat is very small and is uncomfortable.

2. Pillion needs to be taught about how to sit on Ninja. This is because they tend to sit on it like any other normal bike and exert pressure on the rider and compromise the handling of the bike.

3. Pillion will ask for a break after every 60-70 KM... LOL..



Thanks.

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

^^Nice review man... I was actually planning for a N300 but cleared most of my doubts with your review.

And is pillion ride that uncomfortable?

LOL @ your last point

Re: An ideal bike for serious touring

Ummm that depends on how do you teach the pillion to sit. I brief my pillion about the way they should sit, for e.g. hold the thighs of the rider with your thigh, hold the tank when the rider is applying breaks, hold the rider when he is accelerating ( because you have nothing else to hold on ) and when the bike is approaching the corner then lean with the rider and NOT against the turn.

Apart from that, if the pillion is wearing a helmet ( which I strongly advocate) then be ready to hear Tak- Tak-Khat- Khat noises every now and then because both the rider and the pillion are sitting too close to each other.

People who are not so bike enthusiasts ask me "ladki baitha ke chalane me maja ata hoga na??" and I am like "sigh "....


PS: If you want to convey/ask something to someone then please tag the post so that they can get a notification and you'll get your queries answered quickly. Simply typing ^^ does not help.