Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

Query Approved

Buy the NS if you like it so much. No Bajaj bikes do not have engine troubles as such. Regular maintenance will ensure that nothing untoward happens.

For more information about the NS visit the ownership thread.

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

IMO, Go for NS, Its one of the best ever pulsars made. Look at the products that have been launched offlate by Bajaj. All developed from the NS platform. SO, it is indeed a benchmark for the company. Its got some serious acclaim by many people. It took the biking to all new level I would say.

Since this is going to be an "upgrade". I suppose you wont be changing it for atleast another 5-8 yrs in future. This machine will keep you occupied. Its a great City commute and good tourer too. Enough power and torquie available on tap when you drop couple of gears .

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

Consider As200 and the gixxy SF as well.

Cheers,
Sanjay

Sent from my LT28h using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

After a few years, Pulsars develop vibrations even in low to mid range. How much of this is true in case of NS?
I was enthusiastic about Pulsars. Now I am not. But still it seems good option.

And No, I am not going to make another buy for the next 8 years or so.
All I want is power, handling, reliability & low maintenance.

Suzuki Gixxer
Pulsar 200NS
Karizma R

Please help me choose.
Also, will it be wise to wait for Hero HX250R?

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

Its not the use, but the abuse Pulsars take that render them heavy on pocket in a few years. Its the most VFM pocket rocket!
If the CT served you well, Pulsars can too.

HX may not be launched anytime soon.

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

NS is a good bike brother.
Has very good performance and mileage, new chasis make it a good handler, is easy to maintain plus spares are cheap.

It would serve you well .

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

I am a complete newbie to sports bikes. So please correct me if I am wrong.
Hero engine is much more reliable than Pulsar engine. And I wont be buying again for another decade.


NS or Karizma (or HX. I have waited years. I can wait a few more months. But will it be worth it?)

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

The new line of pulsars, starting from the NS to the RS, are all a by product of the KTM merger. So what you get, is advanced and reliable engineering combined with affordable and easy to procure spares. The new age pulsars are a different animal compared to the old gen ones.

If you're considering the new Karizma R (EBR version), i would advise you to stay away from it (no offense to owners, it's only my personal opinion!). The engine has been juiced up with high lift cams, which will give you a lot more vibes. Hero spares are also more expensive than Bajaj spares. Don't worry though, i was in the same shoes you are in not quite long back. I needed to get a bike for my younger brother, finally got him an AS 200. Take your time, go through this forum as you'll find a lot of answers and questions. Considering that you'll be purchasing this once, for a decade, i would ask you to go for a product that's advanced now, so it will serve you well and not be completely obsolete by the end of a decade. The Karizma's engine is already a decade old. To each his own!

BTW, I don't think the HX will be priced under 1 lakh, if i'm not mistaken.

Good luck with the search!

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

With EBR down, hx250 will take a long time to hit Indian shores.

Cheers,
Sanjay

Sent from my LT28h using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

I don't know which brand engines are more reliable but i own 2004 pulsar 150 , around 130000 on odo.
Changed piston rings and valves at 80k .
Has never given any problem so i can say its pretty reliable.

Reliability majorly depends on how you maintain your bike.

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

Which Enfield bike would be good, if I can stretch my budget further to 2 lakh?

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

First, make up your mind! Also, though RE has improved a lot, kindly do not expect 1000s of km of reliability. I have never seen one without issues even for 25-30k kms, which is peanuts in terms of mileage with today's tech!

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

If you are looking for reliability, mileage, value for money etc., then stay away from Enfields (No offense to owners, just my opinion). RE's need lot of maintenance to keep them in best of shape.

Pulser NS - Excellent bike, you can't be mistaken with this. They have already reached stable state in their life curve, so all the corrections/revisions are taken care in current versions. Go for it if you like it after Test Drive. Only point to note is that, its height is little more than usual bikes, so check from that angle as well.

Pulser AS/RS - They are new and considering usual life cycles of any product (IMHO), will go revision in another couple of years. So unless you really desire for them, better to go for NS. (Note that these bikes are great as well, but my opinion is considering your requirement for excellent bike that will go for decade)

Suzuki Gixer - Yes, ppl have appreciated them as well. But, when you compare bajaj to suzuki, Bajaj scores everywhere (mechanics availability remote places, spares cost and availability, mileage) except for quality (which might be only little better on suzuki, and I reiterate "only little better" that can't really be noticed easily)

Honda Unicorn CB 160 - Ultra refined engine. If you like quiet bike with great engine performance, this is the bike. Honda, I believe, stands between Bajaj and Suzuki in terms of spares/mechanic availability. Quality is usually not a question on Honda, its great.

Hero- Stay away considering its current state.

Yamaha FZ/Fazer - Why are you not considering these ? They are great bikes, take a test ride, am sure you will love them.

Considering your riding (70% city and only 300kms a month which is 4k-5k a year max) expectations - 1 lakh budget is more than enough. The bikes which are >1lakh are more performance oriented and will definitely take bigger tolls on mileage, maintenance, fuel economy and most importantly they will be difficult to ride in city (in my opinion, but there surely are ppl who commute daily on these). If you are really enthusiastic for them, all of them (CBR150/250, Yamaha R15, Duke 200 etc.) are great bikes, totally fit for their purpose.

Cheers,
Prasad M

Re: Upgrading from CT 100. Budget 1 lakh. Sports Bikes. Options?

bullet vs thunderbird? 350 vs 500? carb engine preferred better handling in traffic Please help me narrow it down