Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

Query Approved

I think first you need to decide whether you want a scooter or a motorcycle.

Is the 40 km daily commute more important than getting groceries twice a week! Personally i don't think a scooter would be ideal for a commute as long as yours. But then again it depends on the rider.

Of course when it comes to convenience of doing odd jobs in the neighbourhood a scooter is any day better.

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

I would suggest that you consider Suzuki Gixxer also.

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

Thanks. I think I will stick to motorcycles only. Please let me know your views about the motorcycles I have shortlisted or any other you would like to add.


Thanks for the suggestion, but Gixxer is out of my budget. I can stretch max up to 80K.

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

I took a test ride of Yamaha SZ RR ver 2.0. I absolutely loved it. I might go ahead and get buy SZ RR. I will be making the purchase in a week or so.

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

SZ is a beauty. Go for it and you won't regret.

Sent from my Xperia L.

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

It is a very good and reliable bike for city use but dont expect mileage above 45-46 kmpl

Sent from my GT-I9082 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

Go for FZ or Gixxer

Sent from my A0001 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

Thanks for the info. Do you have any idea if mileage has increased with the Blue Core engine? Yamaha claims so but I am not sure how much and how true.

How is the routine maintenance cost of Yamaha's bikes generally? is it on the expensive side? My monthly run would be in the range of 800-1000 Kms a month.


Thanks for the suggestion but my budget is max up to 80K. I would not be able to stretch it beyond that.

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

Just a bit curious.. How is the Hero HF Deluxe?? anyone has any experience of the Bike?

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

SZ-RR V 2.0 would be a great buy for you. I think with the new 149cc engine, the bike will deliver close to 50kmpl easily. The older ones (153cc) give 40-45 under mixed riding. Two problems for the Yamaha are, one not yamaha all service centres are competent so do enquire around on which one is good and two, SZs have always had the issue of bad TVS tyres. I can vouch for how bad it is in wet surfaces. But I believe TVS tyres were chosen to keep the overall price of the bike on the lower side. If the dealer agrees for MRF, that would be great! Upsides for SZ-RR, it has excellent low end torque needed for city commutes, looks great, weighs only 134kgs and has comfortable seat & seating position. In contrast, if you go for HF Deluxe, you will feel underpowered even compared to your Pulsar 150. Upside of the Hero product is faaar lesser fuel consumption (Expect 65-70 if ridden sanely), better & cheap service and decent resale value. Do remember that SZ-RR has very poor resale value as it is an underrated bike in its segment. After five years, do not expect it to go for anything more than 30k!

Alternatives for you (I recommend Disc brake models for all the bikes!):
Yamaha SS125 - Big bike feel and very sporty engine. Great bike but not as torquey as the Glamour at low rpms. Again Resale Value is a problem.
Honda Shine: New updated shine looks better than the older ones, good engine and decent resale value. Service same issue as Yamaha. Also the bike feels very puny like a 100cc.
Honda Twister: A more youthful Passion XPro! But the front and rear seat feels cramped.
Honda Unicorn 150: Great commuter bike but sadly production has stopped. If any bike is available in stock with the dealer maybe you can get a good deal!
TVS Pheonix 125: Great looking bike, decent fuel efficiency, lots of features and decent build quality. Negatives, TVS tyres.
TVS Star City: Decent looks and fuel efficiency: Negatives, TVS tyres, not as fuel efficient as competition, slightly inferior build quality.
Suzuki Hayate 110: Underrated bike in its segement, good fuel economy, best build quality and torquey engine. Negatives: Pathetic aftersales service, very poor resale value and looks. Do enquire around for a good service station.
Suzuki Slingshot 125: Exactly same as Hayate except it is a 125cc bike.
Hero Glamour (Carb) - Great torquey engine and all the other positives mentioned for the HF Deluxe and also slightly wider tyres. Only negative I can think of is its looks.
Hero Ignitor: Looks sporty but is still very much a commuter. Same positives as above. Negatives (if can call it that), you have to get used to fixed headlamp.
Hero Passion Pro/XPro: Pro has the same engine as HF so same story. However Passion costs more since it has better features. XPro has the same engine from Honda Twister. Slightly more power power and torque (slightly lower fuel efficient) than the normal Passion Pro model.
Hero I-smart: Slightly more fuel efficient than the Passion Pro and HF Deluxe. But comes at the cost of extra price for the stop start system (which can be switched off). Negatives, no Disc brake.

I have mentioned many Hero products since they have the widest range of commuter bikes. I have not included Bajaj since I personally don't trust them with their commuter bikes (One year the bike is launched and then in a year it is out of production!). I would recommend disc brake model as it is always safer. In terms of service I rate the manufacturers as follows: Hero>TVS>Bajaj>Yamaha=Honda>Suzuki. Prioritize if you need mileage or comfort. If comfort, then scooter makes sense but remember they always have lower fuel efficiency of about 35-45kmpl. Also a bike is always better if you will be riding at speeds above 50kmph and for bad roads. If scooter is what you desire I would recommend the following: Honda Activa/Honda Aviator>TVS Jupiter/TVS Wego/TVS Zest>Hero Maestro/Hero Pleasure>Suzuki Swish>Suzuki Access 135. For motorcycles without considering resale value: Glamour>SZ RR>Pheonix>Shine>Ignitor>XPro>Twister>Passion Pro>HF Deluxe.

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

You can even try Centuro, if you havent got that in your radar. Star city is a good buy too...But like already posted, neither of them comes with a disc brake...If thats not an issue, then take a TD on the Centuro. A good commuter with great mileage. Must not cost you on your maintenance too...

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

Thanks so much for a such a detailed reply and plethora of information. I am very thankful to you.

Of the choices you have listed I am thinking of doing a TD of TVS Phoenix; however, I see really very few Phoenix here in Delhi on the roads, so I am not exactly sure how good the after sales/spares availability will be and depending on that the maintenance hassles.

Shine of course has proven itself so I guess there is not much to think about it in that aspect.

Just to add I will not be riding on bad roads most of times. In fact I can say 90% of my ride will be good roads only in the routine commute.



Thanks for the suggestion but I am really skeptical about the after sales support of Mahindra that is why Centuro is not on my radar. I was checking their website and now Centuro has a disk brake option listed too; however, I do not now how is the availability of it is.

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

Though harishkumarko has covered every bit so comprehensively I would wish to add a little suggestion.
Since you are purchasing new it is better you avoid the less successful brands like Mahindra and TVS Phoenix. They aren't reliable as their counterparts. Though on paper it is indeed tempting as they pack in more features at a far lesser price.

I have purchased a Hero Passion xPro recently for 65k on road. It gives me a 64 kpl combined average - Manages a 70 kpl on highways when ridden decently and is extremely smooth, refined and doesn't feel out of breath like its 100 cc stablemates on the highway. I have also covered inter city trips without having any issues. It looks decent and has nothing in common with the Passion Pro. (though it appears identical)
More so it does have front discs, tubeless tyres and is extremely stable on the highway and a digital meter which are fairly appealing.

After sales of Hero is satisfactory. Not great but not bad.

I had purchased this as I had immense back pain on my CD Deluxe which I had to sell having completed only 17,000kms. I would recommend you the X - Pro as it fits within your budget. While the Pantero and TVS Phoenix are cheaper they do not age well and procuring spare parts later might be difficult.

More so it is really easy to sell off a Hero/ Honda bikes with an expected price tag than others which would end up being a burden. I sold my CD Deluxe within a day of posting online.

Let us know what you are keen to purchase.

Re: Commuter Bike/Scooter Suggestion.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will go and have a look at it too, although I might not be inclined in 100 cc bikes. I am now looking at 125 cc bikes.

Just have an update regarding my latest experience of test rides. I recently went to Test Ride TVS Jupiter and Honda Shine. My experience at TVS was good. They promptly offered at test ride and I was satisfied with it.

The experience at Honda dealership (Uday Honda) was horrible to say the least. At first I kept waiting there and no was even bothered to show me the bike and tell the details/pricing etc. After asking a couple of times, one guy finally came and told me the pricing. When I asked about a test ride, he flatly refused, giving the reason that Shine is a old and proven product, so company does not offer a test ride of it I got irritated at him and replied... So then by that parameter Hero Motors should not provide test ride of Splendor also, since it is a segment leader, to which he had no answer. I did not bother much after that and left from there.

I dread that if this is the attitude of Honda dealerships prior to selling bikes what will happen after the sale is done

I would like to know if any of the members know of good Yamaha service stations/workshops in Delhi/NCR, because I do really like the SZ-RR; however, if the service network is pain, then I might not keep Yamaha in my final list.