People of Xbhp community. i need your help in choosing the first bike for me

[prathappa]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Get a Duke 200 or RC200 if you want a faired one. Don't go beyond 200cc considering you are new to bikes.
200cc is more than enough on Indian roads.

[mukul17]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Yeah I get that. I had an Rx100 in the beginning from 2001 onwards and then in 2007 I wanted a bike which was quite powerful but I'm glad I got a unicorn instead.
You see no matter how good you are you must start with 100-200cc bikes first then graduate to 300-500cc bikes and then finally get a litre class bike.
You might be thinking that you can handle a 390 easily but even after 16years of riding and experiencing all bikes from 100-250cc I found that I was power sliding in low gears for the first month of owning a duke 390. Its not so easy when you go from nimble 100-110cc gearless bikes to a 44bhp geared monster.
And therefore I suggest you get a duke 200 or if you like a machine with refinement you can try to get a cbr250 (can't guarantee availability). It will be a good starter platform.
Also the European roads and standards are way better and thus it makes sense for them to have a 390 or 500cc bike as a beginner motorcycle but you know that's not the case with India.

i completely understand where you are coming from and you make sense but however i do feel there is a lack of refined and premium feeling sub 200cc motorcycle in india
i do not care for duke products much and if i go for a duke don't you think it should be a 390 as it is equipped with abs and metzelers and would prove a more safe vehicle
safety is what drove me away from RE products

[mukul17]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Get a Duke 200 or RC200 if you want a faired one. Don't go beyond 200cc considering you are new to bikes.
200cc is more than enough on Indian roads.

i hear that first two gears are very short on the d200 and also i do not like dukes very much.but i am looking for the ideal machine to start riding which will keep me satisfied for 4 years and only after 4 years i would be able to ugrade
also the bike should be easy to live with. also what do recommend expect KTM

[Chandan92]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Yeah I get that. I had an Rx100 in the beginning from 2001 onwards and then in 2007 I wanted a bike which was quite powerful but I'm glad I got a unicorn instead.
You see no matter how good you are you must start with 100-200cc bikes first then graduate to 300-500cc bikes and then finally get a litre class bike.
You might be thinking that you can handle a 390 easily but even after 16years of riding and experiencing all bikes from 100-250cc I found that I was power sliding in low gears for the first month of owning a duke 390. Its not so easy when you go from nimble 100-110cc gearless bikes to a 44bhp geared monster.
And therefore I suggest you get a duke 200 or if you like a machine with refinement you can try to get a cbr250 (can't guarantee availability). It will be a good starter platform.
Also the European roads and standards are way better and thus it makes sense for them to have a 390 or 500cc bike as a beginner motorcycle but you know that's not the case with India.

Sir Exactly same point i was mentioning to him. D200 or RC200 is more than enough for him to learn basic riding and then graduate to bigger capacity segments. I too had started with activa, then graduated slowly to 390 cc. My future plans is also not to go directly to litre class bike i will go to 650-700cc segment first to get used to 1000-1200cc segment bikes. But this is my personal opinion people can differ.

Ride safe

Sent from my HTC Desire 816 dual sim using xBhp Connect mobile app

[mukul17]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Sir Exactly same point i was mentioning to him. D200 or RC200 is more than enough for him to learn basic riding and then graduate to bigger capacity segments. I too had started with activa, then graduated slowly to 390 cc. My future plans is also not to go directly to litre class bike i will go to 650-700cc segment first to get used to 1000-1200cc segment bikes. But this is my personal opinion people can differ.

Ride safe

Sent from my HTC Desire 816 dual sim using xBhp Connect mobile app

yes sir i do agree one should start with under 200cc segment
but sir i think i would get bored with 200cc in the forth coming tine time maybe in 2 years or soo but sir a ugrade would not be possible for me for at least 4 years that is why i initially thought that ktm Rc390 would keep me satisfied for the longest as it would already be a step ahead
but as sir mentioned it would be really difficult for me handle its raw power as i am a newbie. i am really confused now as i personally don't see my self riding a pulsar 200ns aur ktm duke 200
i also borrowed a friends duke 200 for a ride and one needs to keep shifting alot and keep its revs up to keep the engine lively but that is my own opinion.

[mukul17]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Get a Duke 200 or RC200 if you want a faired one. Don't go beyond 200cc considering you are new to bikes.
200cc is more than enough on Indian roads.

but bro don't you think one would get bored with 200cc singles in a couple of years ? i need a bike for atleast 4 years
dude you know your bikes and i think you're a experienced rider

what do you think if you were me which bike would you choose if you had to live with it for 4 years

[mukul17]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Thanks for the kind words. I'm still in the learning process and xBHP has helped me a lot in this process.
For your requirements, I'd suggest you to go with CBR250(ABS) or Duke 390(since you are looking for 200CC+).
CBR250 has the big bike feel, very refined engine and decent touring capabilities. Comfort will never be an issue.
Duke 390 on the other hand is powerful, fast and easy to ride solo.
If you ask me, I'd advice you CBR250. Duke390 will surely be a very powerful machine to handle.
We don't have any confirmed launch date yet for CBR300 or HX250. So, can't comment on that as of now.

sir do you think cbr250 would be good buy in 2014 if one has to spend at least 4 years with it. considering the fact its production has stopped should i forget about the resale value??and cbr250r also fits my requirements and budget perfectly i would also be able to get some performance mods too and some decent riding gear
what i am really concerned about is that its production has stopped some people said that it would not be a good buy as it would be replaced with cbr300 soon which is also much more attractive and looks like a mini fireblade

[mukul17]

Re: People of Xbhp community. i need your help in choosing the first bike for me

and also what you all think of the hyosung gt250 and its build quality

[Balgi]

Re: help in selecting first bike

i completely understand where you are coming from and you make sense but however i do feel there is a lack of refined and premium feeling sub 200cc motorcycle in india
i do not care for duke products much and if i go for a duke don't you think it should be a 390 as it is equipped with abs and metzelers and would prove a more safe vehicle
safety is what drove me away from RE products

Looks like cbr250 is your only option then. As for the metzelers and abs on a duke/RC 390, I can tell you from experience that the abs fails post 80kmph after which the bike skids (actually it skids while braking because of the abs which causes the brake pedals to throw back pressure and then suddenly throws too much pressure to the brakes) and the metzelers are really grippy while braking but not when accelerating.

Anyway a sane rider with knowledge of handling fast bikes will be easily able to compensate.

You know you shouldn't blindly decide, you should go to every showroom of every bike we have suggested and take test rides. If you can handle it then you can buy it. And do take longer test rides, short rides are misleading at best.

[sharathchandra]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Looks like cbr250 is your only option then. As for the metzelers and abs on a duke/RC 390, I can tell you from experience that the abs fails post 80kmph after which the bike skids (actually it skids while braking because of the abs which causes the brake pedals to throw back pressure and then suddenly throws too much pressure to the brakes) and the metzelers are really grippy while braking but not when accelerating.

Anyway a sane rider with knowledge of handling fast bikes will be easily able to compensate.

You know you shouldn't blindly decide, you should go to every showroom of every bike we have suggested and take test rides. If you can handle it then you can buy it. And do take longer test rides, short rides are misleading at best.

Your observation on metzelers is spot on. Under hard acceleration with even the slightest of gravel on the road it loses traction. Some throttle modulation and it should be fine. But when breaking, metz is phenomenal.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using xBhp Connect mobile app

[Lone Wanderer]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Welcome Mukul,,,,,it is really nice to know that u are so much into bikes,,,, choices u r making here are all the phenomenal bikes best in their segments,,,u cd go for any of it

what the issue i think worth considering is ur inclination towards power ,,, Mukul with almost zero experience riding a gearshift motorcycle opting to RC 390 or Duke 390 will be a suicidal choice from ur part,,,,, it might put u or other ppl around u in serious jeopardy,,,,,Indian road conditions made these bikes way too powerful to be used ,, and dealing with them requires lot of experience and expertise,,,,,any bad move on such bikes and u cd lose ur dream fr rest of ur life,,,,

for the matter of fact u think u might get stuck with lessor power fr 4 years but u cdnt be sure of that,,,,,u dont know what life cd offer u in next six months,,,u might have money and willingness and parental approval fr buying a more powerful machine ,,, and u will have loads of experience to deal such machines and u will enjoy ur dream farther most,,,

what my point is buy a RC 200 or duke 200 ,, they are really powerful machines in itself yet will let u learn a lot about riding ,,,,,,,,,

riding is not all about speeding past others at blinding speeds but enjoying for the rest of ur life,, learning better things,,, travelling far off location experiencing the beauty of world around,,,,,

[Balgi]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Welcome Mukul,,,,,it is really nice to know that u are so much into bikes,,,, choices u r making here are all the phenomenal bikes best in their segments,,,u cd go for any of it

what the issue i think worth considering is ur inclination towards power ,,, Mukul with almost zero experience riding a gearshift motorcycle opting to RC 390 or Duke 390 will be a suicidal choice from ur part,,,,, it might put u or other ppl around u in serious jeopardy,,,,,Indian road conditions made these bikes way too powerful to be used ,, and dealing with them requires lot of experience and expertise,,,,,any bad move on such bikes and u cd lose ur dream fr rest of ur life,,,,

for the matter of fact u think u might get stuck with lessor power fr 4 years but u cdnt be sure of that,,,,,u dont know what life cd offer u in next six months,,,u might have money and willingness and parental approval fr buying a more powerful machine ,,, and u will have loads of experience to deal such machines and u will enjoy ur dream farther most,,,

what my point is buy a RC 200 or duke 200 ,, they are really powerful machines in itself yet will let u learn a lot about riding ,,,,,,,,,

riding is not all about speeding past others at blinding speeds but enjoying for the rest of ur life,, learning better things,,, travelling far off location experiencing the beauty of world around,,,,,

Well said brother.

[prathappa]

Re: help in selecting first bike

but bro don't you think one would get bored with 200cc singles in a couple of years ? i need a bike for atleast 4 years
dude you know your bikes and i think you're a experienced rider
what do you think if you were me which bike would you choose if you had to live with it for 4 years

Honestly you may not get bored of 200 cc so soon that too when its a Duke.
But as you are a new rider I would always suggest to buy something around 200 cc itself. If you want faired one, go for the RC. And the gear shifting thing you will learn in a week or two then you will be comfortable with it.
If you had even 6 months experience with bike riding I could have supported you to buy 390. Dont get CBR as you are right about its discontinuation, moreover CBR250 and Duke200 have nearly same pickup.

[mukul17]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Honestly you may not get bored of 200 cc so soon that too when its a Duke.
But as you are a new rider I would always suggest to buy something around 200 cc itself. If you want faired one, go for the RC. And the gear shifting thing you will learn in a week or two then you will be comfortable with it.
If you had even 6 months experience with bike riding I could have supported you to buy 390. Dont get CBR as you are right about its discontinuation, moreover CBR250 and Duke200 have nearly same pickup.

i think you are right
i am a complete newbie
i need some experience then should i go for a used bike for 5 6 months and practice on that first and then buy the 390
what bike would be appropriate according to you which bike can i buy used and learn on and later sell it
also if i go for rc200 would lack of abs be major deal ?

[mukul17]

Re: help in selecting first bike

Looks like cbr250 is your only option then. As for the metzelers and abs on a duke/RC 390, I can tell you from experience that the abs fails post 80kmph after which the bike skids (actually it skids while braking because of the abs which causes the brake pedals to throw back pressure and then suddenly throws too much pressure to the brakes) and the metzelers are really grippy while braking but not when accelerating.

Anyway a sane rider with knowledge of handling fast bikes will be easily able to compensate.

You know you shouldn't blindly decide, you should go to every showroom of every bike we have suggested and take test rides. If you can handle it then you can buy it. And do take longer test rides, short rides are misleading at best.

i heard that production of cbr 250r has been stopped and is no longer available
else i wouldve chosen that