Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

Query Approved.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

OK going through all your requirements and budget, here are some choices:

Duke 200 - The bike is a mad hooligan. The acceleration is best in its class, and you have your heart set on it. Why not go to the showroom and take a test ride to see how it fares in real world traffic.You will get to know whether it suits you, how it handles, the sound of the engine, the bite of brakes etc etc. Just a heads up, Duke loves to be revved due to its short gear ratios, so you may have to give it the beans to unleash the real power.

Some other suggestions include:

Yamaha R15 - Suits all your requirements except for riding comfort. It has aggressive sporty riding position which gives a bad pain in the back if you are not fit. But if you dont have a hsitory of back pain and dont mind aggressive riding posture, look no further. The bike is an eye candy, very very good, butter smooth and robust engine, rev happy and reliable, loaded with technology, and good service centers.


Honda CBR150R - The engine is very good and reliable, technology almost same as R15, seating position is upright and not sporty, slightly expensive than R15, Does not have pass light switch, does not have engine kill switch, the quality of plastics and switch consoles is cheap, fit and finish not so good and Honda service centers are pathetic.


Suzuki Gixxer155 - Freah new looks, cheaper than the above two (does not have fuel injection system, no liquid cooling, no rear disc brake), launched recently so nobody really knows how it will fare in the real world.The first few batches of new bikes are usually flawed.

Why not have a look at the RC200, while you're test riding Duke.

Take test rides and then decide. All the best.
Happy bike hunting.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

Thanks Ankey for your feedback. I am going to TD D200 soon.
Can you tell me if Second Hand is a good option?

I am also hoping for Pune xbhpians to share their views on Hadapsar Jejuri commuting.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

We are already into late 2014 ;-)

D200 is all over your post mate. Listen to your heart. For a true biker any bike is simply a bliss.

For peace of mind always buy a new one.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?


Buying a second hand bike is safe only if you personally know the sellar and are sure that the bike was maintained properly, serviced on time and did not have any major crashes.

Specially a high end bike like duke is likely to be ripped like hell. So I would advice not to go for second hand if you dont know the owner. Get a new one, run in the engine properly, and the bike will serve you with out any trouble for a long time.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?


Can Service information be verified from Service centres?
For few bikes, we can request history from them.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

i can see the d200 written all over your post and also in your heart. Never go for a used d200. Get a new Duke 200

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

Hey Buddy, I am from Pune too and have owned the D200 for 2 years (Can see the thread in my signature). I used it for a daily commute of ~52kms from Pune camp to Hinjewadi. The Duke is an awesome machine with mad power delivery. But if you are going to use it over bad roads a lot(like in ur case), then be prepared for high maintenance. The duke will happily cover those distances without breaking a sweat, but will rattle you over bad roads. If you are willing to spend on the maintenance, then go for it.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

Service centers get thousands of bikes for service every week, so they wont be able to give details about a particular bike. Alternatively, you can check the service book of the bike you want, It has service record pages. These service records contain the date of services, the kms bike had run at the time of the service, the work done on the bike, the parts replaced if any. These records have authorised service center stamp and signature. Also check for the computerised bills of the service, it will also have the above info and you can cross check the service book with the bill to make sure.

And finally, if you do get a second hand bike that you'd buy, take a knowledgeble mechanic with you and have the bike thoroughly checked before finalizing the deal. We may overlook many small things but a mechanic will detect even a small fault. Make friends with him and pay him 200 Rs, and he'll give you accurate report about bike.

PS: People sell these types of bikes (R15, Dukes, CBRs) because, they abused the bike really bad right from the beginning, without any proper care or maintainence, had few bad crashes and now the bike is more trouble than comfort. A friend of mine had such a bad deal, sold it off 5 moths later for half the money.

Choose Wisely.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

Indeed it is stuck in my Head since the day I attended Orange Day, Pune arranged by KTM few weeks back.
Mindblowing Machine Duke is!
R15 was like mewling puking infant on the Race track, humiliated like anything


I read your article Deathmate.Zed. It kinda persuaded me to think D200 as a Life Companion and not just a Weekend fun.
I have been neglecting the thought of buying a Bike, but now I feel its a necessity.
Actually I am worried about maintenance costs as budget for new Bike + Accessories itself is crosses 1.4L again comes the maintenance.
& people keep advising me to go for safe option of 4 Wheelers for such budget in mind.


Agreed. 90% Second hand bikes had suffered in that manner. Suggestion of Bike Mechanic is good. I will see if I can do such research.
I don't know much bikers/Mechanics at Pune, if any of your friend-circle is having good maintained old D200 for sale. I will be happy to go for it.
But now Looking at all your suggestions leaning towards new bike. Lets See, I have planned it in next month.
I hope it wont dig hole in my tiny pocket.

Thanks for all suggestions.

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Sorry its Early 2015 hehehe. My bad.


If Bajaj is planning Avenger replacement as per what they conveyed. I think it will be worth a shot.
Also one can see, Jixxer is also all over the news but personally I feels its design looks some weird.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

Thanks for reading the article Buddy One thing is for sure, The Duke will ensure you have a smile plastered on your face everytime you get on and off it. The only care it demands is periodic maintenence as in replacement of tyres/chain-sprocket sets etc. And some times additional problems like broken oil seals (I faced it 5 times!).. Although I have sold my Duke, I still miss it very much and every moment of happiness it gave me is still fresh in my memory.

That's why I say, the Duke is an emotional buy. If it drives your heart crazy then just go for it. Care for it and it will reward you generously Wish you had made up ur mind when my Duke was for sale. Seeing your passion, would have given you a nice deal

And yeah, with all due respect, Don't listen to people wanting you to buy a boring car for it's safety (and drivability in rains) features. 'Why we ride' is best answered by personal experience

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The Avenger replacement you are talking about is more or less going to be the CS400, which is not a 'cruiser' in reality. It's better not to wait for products that are no where to be seen on the horizon presently.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

Off This Topic Query, guys @Deathmate.Zed @Ankey @pravinan @nirvaana what Bike Insurance do you prefer?

What are the things I should take care buying insurance of as I live in a place (Saswad, Pune) where New D200 is more likely to get stolen.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

Brother, I have very limited knowledge about various insurance companies, The first year insurance is done by the showroom itself, and it is a all round full insurance (first, second and third party), so you dont have to worry about it for a year. and it will give you enough time to research about various companies that provide insurance for vehicles.

The insurance services differ from place to place, so guys from pune might be able to give you a informed suggestion. There is also a thread about insurance in general biking discussions thread. check it out. you'll get lots of good info.

Re: is D200 Good for 50 km Office Travel?

Dear All,
I took a test drive and quite impreesed with it that it drives like any other bike.
So Booked a new D200 in White & will get it delivery in first week of November.

I am also eyeing on the checklist to be followed while Buying new Duke.

So haapy now....