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A beginner�s guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

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  • #46
    Last edited by md_minhaj; 10-24-2016, 10:42 PM. Reason: Spell checked

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    • #47
      Originally posted by md_minhaj View Post
      But Maestro Edge has good features like USB charging, under seat light, petrol knob outside near tamil lamp and good new front telescopic suspension and also available in great colors. Hope Suzuki Access has all these features.
      Access has a 12v socket like car, it only misses out on external fuel filling and boot light. Positives is the awesome engine,disk break, bigger boot space full face helmet can be kept. Which serves the purpose according to me.
      We can't have everything we have to compromise something that's what I have learned through my search for the scooters.

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      • #48
        [/MENTION] Superb thread.....

        I made the same mistake of yours RTR 180 that too without ABS...


        I just want to Share my experience on my previous helmet...


        Basically am from Chennai.....
        I got my bike during 19. So my first helmet was actually an offroad helmet(Gliders nosy one) bought it for a mere 1100.


        After 1 year I met with an accident due to my rear tyre losing grip completely and skip off... I actually highsided... which broke my left side jawbone completely.... and the interesting part here is
        my helmet it actually broke and the impact from it has broken my jaw....
        I was in hospital for almost 10 days and the first 2 days I was totally unconscious due to head injury(now you can figure out the cheap helmet's quality)....


        Now my advice is whatever you guys are buying... Just make sure to get an well certified full face helmet and good quality gears.... do not think of it as a waste of money ever....
        It will save your priceless life and your loved ones tears..
        Thanks everyone ride safe.....
        Apache RTR 180 (The Valentine) 2012 - 2016
        RC 200 (The GRUNTER) 2016 - 2016
        CBR 250R (F.R.I.D.A.Y) 2017 - Present

        CBR Ride to Pichavaram

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        • #49
          Originally posted by sstherockz View Post
          @srinath2494 Superb thread.....

          I made the same mistake of yours RTR 180 that too without ABS...


          I just want to Share my experience on my previous helmet...


          Basically am from Chennai.....
          I got my bike during 19. So my first helmet was actually an offroad helmet(Gliders nosy one) bought it for a mere 1100.


          After 1 year I met with an accident due to my rear tyre losing grip completely and skip off... I actually highsided... which broke my left side jawbone completely.... and the interesting part here is
          my helmet it actually broke and the impact from it has broken my jaw....
          I was in hospital for almost 10 days and the first 2 days I was totally unconscious due to head injury(now you can figure out the cheap helmet's quality)....


          Now my advice is whatever you guys are buying... Just make sure to get an well certified full face helmet and good quality gears.... do not think of it as a waste of money ever....
          It will save your priceless life and your loved ones tears..
          Thanks everyone ride safe.....
          Thanks man.

          Hope your are fine and back to riding your favorite two wheeler.

          There are also high quality off road helmets available but a layman may not spend on it due to extra cost and lack of knowledge about it.

          I lost my friend despite him wearing all high quality expensive gears. It's necessary for us to acknowledge our luck and be humble on road.

          I have had track days at MMRT on RTR. It is going to be little over a year since it happened. In my opinion, after riding RTR and my current bike Gixxer in city, any motorcycle above 100 cc is mostly under utilised, utter strain to our bodies and we pay unnecessarily extra for that. I can see it daily that increasing traffic will never ever let us ride the bike to its limit. Moreover practicality becomes a huge question. Keeping this in mind, I would urge everyone to think about two wheelers in a broader sense - keeping in mind their health, practicality and specs that would just be adequate.

          We can buy motorcycles for recreation and long rides if we can afford them. For daily usage, something more convenient and tameable would be better. Please be careful while commuting daily on your motorcycle.

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          • #50
            xBhp.com mobile app

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            • #51

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              • #52
                Re: A beginner�s guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

                Nice Thread.

                Same happened to me too.. or rather I would say I wasn't sure what category I liked when I purchased my first bike a pulsar 150.

                I was a car driving guy who has been driving since the age of 9. but bikes were completely a new unexplored territory for me.
                So, I went ahead any purchased it, little that I knew what was going to unfold. In 10 months and 13k on the odo I found that this wasn't enough for me and sold it to get my CBR 250(ABS). Found my taste to be fully faired sports types

                Few pointers that I would like to mention:
                1. If you can get ABS version of the bike GET IT!
                ABS doesn't kick in unless you make a mistake while braking so you won't even know it is there unless you actually messup braking and the pulsating sensation will tell you that you made a mistake and rectify/train yourself accordingly.

                2. Important deciding regarding bikes is the category you like.
                Ask yourself which bike/type of bike you turn around to look, look at it in parking and answer yourself.

                3. Test ride them
                Preferably from friends/ friends of friends. Learn about maintenance costs, spare costs, tires, chain sprockets cost etc.

                4. Deciding on the bike
                Don't go too heavy on the CC on your very first ride (not too low either if you plan on touring with it). You might be thinking I can handle/ control myself then why not buy the best/most powerful stuff
                The point here is that if your first ride is too powerful you will spend less time learning about riding and more time on how not to kill yourself.
                smaller CC bikes can be revved high without going too fast so you will learn to control the revs, corner well and counter steering. All of which will make you a better and safer rider.

                5. Invest in proper riding gears and wear them
                Apart from the bike, have some budget for riding gears
                Must haves
                • Helmet (Branded with DOT3+ or atleast ISO cert) (bare minimum and always on when riding) 1500+
                • Riding gloves (bare minimum and always on when riding) 300+
                • Riding jackets(and always on when riding) 3500+
                • Knee guards
                • Riding boots


                "Do not dress for the ride but dress for the fall "
                ATGATT ( All The Gear All The Time)
                Believe me you will thank your jacket and helmet and rest of the gears when you fall(and me if you start following ATGATT after reading this ).



                NINJA 650 2017 KRT BOOKED & WAITING
                CBR 250R 2012 RED ABS CURRENT AND HALF SOLD
                PULSAR 150 DTSI SOLD


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

                Originally posted by anuj s View Post
                What do you think about r15 as beginner bike i have already booked it but still asking
                Yes it will be. One the best 150 segment bikes from yamaha. You will not regret you purchase.
                Last edited by arpan.bose; 08-17-2017, 04:24 PM.
                https://www.xbhp.com/talkies/motorcy...ml#post1325675

                Ninja 650 2017 KRT
                CBR 250 R ABS 69000 KMS 2012 - 2017

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                • #53
                  Re: A beginner�s guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

                  Hello,

                  I am planning to buy a bike, currently owning CB Twister(6 years) and Splendor (2 years). After narrowing all the options, I am planning to upgrade to either FZ 25 or Dominar 400, I have been going through Ownership threads of both bikes since few months. I am buying mainly for everyday commuting and weekend/Occasional touring purpose. Main concerns are ride experience, reliability, fuel efficiency and maintenance...


                  so my queries:

                  FZ 25:

                  Is ABS very necessary for person like me upgrading from 110CC engine?

                  Headlights: What to do about the issue?

                  Vibrations: Would it affect me considering twister which has a great refined engine till i hit high speeds (>90)?

                  Reliability and maintenance :I know yamaha is reliable, but i see engine replacements, weird noises and maintenance issues for this particular bike..!


                  Dominar 400:

                  Weight: 80+kgs bump compared to Twister, will it affect me a lot?

                  Fuel efficiency: The claimed mileage is 35, but 3 of my college mates who own it told it hardly crosses 25kmpl in real time conditions.. i am worried!

                  maintenance: Bajaj doesn't have a great service record nor the bikes are not very reliable, Is it the same for Dominar?

                  Vibrations : question same as for FZ 25



                  considered 200 4V, opted out because FZ 25 is a better choice(right?)
                  Any other options also welcome....

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                  • #54
                    Re: A beginner�s guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

                    I don't think so Yamaha FZ25 is significantly better than Apache RTR200. It does have fuel injection, 50cc more and that extra torque at lower rpm but that does not justify the extra bucks you spend over RTR200.

                    I was in a similar dilemma about 6 months back. I decided to go ahead with Apache RTR200 in spite of booking FZ25 and losing out on the booking amount. The reason I went with RTR200 was only that of the bang for buck it provides above all other options you mentioned above. No regrets till now. The bike has a gem of an engine and that sexy exhaust note which is best sounding on any single cylinder out there.

                    I suggest you take a test drive and experience the bike first hand.

                    PS: I too had a Honda Twister before moving on to the RTR

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                    • #55
                      Re: A beginner�s guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

                      Originally posted by xeo View Post
                      Hello,

                      I am planning to buy a bike, currently owning CB Twister(6 years) and Splendor (2 years). After narrowing all the options, I am planning to upgrade to either FZ 25 or Dominar 400, I have been going through Ownership threads of both bikes since few months. I am buying mainly for everyday commuting and weekend/Occasional touring purpose. Main concerns are ride experience, reliability, fuel efficiency and maintenance...


                      so my queries:

                      FZ 25:

                      Is ABS very necessary for person like me upgrading from 110CC engine?

                      Headlights: What to do about the issue?

                      Vibrations: Would it affect me considering twister which has a great refined engine till i hit high speeds (>90)?

                      Reliability and maintenance :I know yamaha is reliable, but i see engine replacements, weird noises and maintenance issues for this particular bike..!


                      Dominar 400:

                      Weight: 80+kgs bump compared to Twister, will it affect me a lot?

                      Fuel efficiency: The claimed mileage is 35, but 3 of my college mates who own it told it hardly crosses 25kmpl in real time conditions.. i am worried!

                      maintenance: Bajaj doesn't have a great service record nor the bikes are not very reliable, Is it the same for Dominar?

                      Vibrations : question same as for FZ 25



                      considered 200 4V, opted out because FZ 25 is a better choice(right?)
                      Any other options also welcome....
                      Personally I had the same Dilemma when i upgraded from 100 to 200 about the necessity of ABS, but after riding the 200 for a month or so i got a grab on my motorcylce's ability to handle hard braking. The only catch is you need to be a little cautious on a non ABS vehicle while braking a little practice would do great wonders especially while on treacherous city traffic riding, mind you any 200+ cc bikes have quick acceleration when compared to the 100s. If you had already ridden these 200+ cc performance bikes then you wouldn't have any trouble getting along with these machines.

                      Now coming to your selections FZ and Dominar are equally good moreover if you have the budget to stretch close to 1.7 OTR, I would suggest the ABS dominar, if not close your eyes take the FZ25, a more reliable and manageable vehicle especially considering your upgrade from 110cc. Both bikes are really great and Bajaj's reliability has increased to a great extent for Dominar. Maintenance point of view, the First free services for any bike get it done from the authorised service centers, later on getting it done from a trusted mechanic is best advised. On the weight issues, trust me go for the lighter weight 148kg FZ than the dominar. Even FZ has a considerable weight gain compared to the Twister and its a pain in itself to move these beasts in Off condition, while parking, reversing and even while slow moving traffic maneuverability.
                      But all these are considerably smaller issues once you have gained some experience on these big fellows, not that the weight will reduce over the time but you would have got accustomed to the shortcomings.

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                      • #56

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                        • #57
                          Re: A beginner�s guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

                          Hi all,
                          New joinee here. Have driven bikes for 18 years now. Drove dad's Hero Honda Splendor till 2015 regularly, but have been comfortable driving most - Pulsar, Unicorn, Thunderbird, FZ, etc. Haven't biked regularly since 2015 (as in...on a daily or frequent basis) due to changing nature of my job. Finally in a stable job and want to buy a bike now. Strongly considering a Classic 350, but I would appreciate some inputs given my background -
                          • 33 years old, 5'10", 85 kg. On the heavier side but athletic.
                          • Usage: I commute to office in an office car (with driver). Bike will be more for domestic purposes, weekend intra-city usage and occasional inter-city travel (say within 150-200 km). I love biking but not the Kashmir-Kanyakumari types. Not a die-hard Enfielder either, but I think it is a classy and long-term option. If I get a bike now, will not look to buy again for at least another 10 years. Don't mind spending 1.6 on the Classic 350 but not exactly floating in money. :P



                          Given all this, in a quandary if I will be able to do justice if I spend 1.6 on an RE. I would appreciate some perspective on -
                          • Whether it is worth the expense given I'm not going to use it for office commute.
                          • If not a Classic 350, would you recommend a lesser expensive but 150+ bike for my sporadic usage? Say a smooth and steady Unicorn or something like that?



                          Cheers,
                          Late Biker

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                          • #58

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                            • #59
                              Re: A beginner�s guide to buying a bike, by a beginner.

                              Background:

                              I've been a car guy for most of the time until my cousin purchased a Thunderbird 350 in 2014,which made me love the bikes.I always wanted a bike for myself but I don't even know how to ride a bike yet and instead,I've purchased an Aprilia SR150 in July 2018 just to have a feel of a sportsbike after fighting a lot with my parents,who are against bikes.Before Aprilia,I used to ride an 2012 Access 125,which was my grandfather's and still available but mom sent it to her workplace as it is rarely used since I bought the Aprilia and I did around 8000 Kms on Access in 10 months before I bought an Aprilia.Now,coming to the topic,I'm the guy,who knows how to ride a gearless one,but dont know how to ride a geared bike and planning to buy a bike,which is best for a beginner and who is about to learn riding a bike and my budget is Rs.3L as I dont want to spend more than Rs.3L for a first bike.

                              BTW,my height is around 5'7-5'8 and weighing around 80 Kgs as of now.Bikes I've considered are Duke 250/390,R15 V3,RE Classic 350,FZ25 and RE 650 twins.I know that RE 650 twins is too overboard as a first bike but considering it coz I like its looks.But,not considering KTM RC due to aggressive seating position and few people warned me not to go for KTM's as its an accident prone bike(no offence to KTM owners) and my requirements are the bike should be light in weight(atleast for my height),good seating position and mainly looks and features as this will be my first bike.
                              2018 Aprilia SR150-Black Venom-My one and only love

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