Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Query Approved

Since you have mentioned that your present bike has been hurting your back, i would strike off the Apache and Avenger from the list. The Unicorn and the Yamaha would be a much better idea methinks.

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Welcome to XBhp Chaitanya.Unicorn 160 would be a good choice. If you want 125cc go for Honda Shine SP.

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Thank you 'the monk' and prashanth.

May I also ask,being a moderately built person(5.6' and 65kgs), does the weight of a bike make any difference to driving comfort and maneuverability in city traffic?
I'm a bit skeptical on unicorn since I read a thread today that monosuspension on unicorn doesnt do much good to the back?

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Comfortness of a bike differs from person to person.
Pls test drive Avenger 150 street also. Since it is a cruiser type, for most people it will provide a comfortable ride.

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Unicorn should not be much heavier than your current bike, at heart it is a commuter, visit a showroom and check it out in person make sure that it suits your needs.
And as far as maneuverability is concerned, it is just a matter of practice and familiarity on the bike. Ride any bike for long and you will be accustomed to its turning radius and flick ability in traffic. Take test ride to check out the suspension.


Take a look at Hornet too while you are at the showroom. You might like the fresh new looks.
If nothing works out, Shine is the answer, the new one comes with a five speed gearbox, which was really needed.

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Thank you Ankey. Will test ride and let you all know. Keep up the good work guys! Cheers!

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

btw..can someone throw some light on the importance of Combined Braking System(CBS) that was introduced in Honda vehicles?
I never preferred even a double disk before but wanna make sure to consider this option if it adds to my driving comfort. Shedding few extra bucks is not my worry but with rainy season coming underway, I just dont wanna risk skidding on my bike unnecessarily?

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

CBS is only available in Honda Bikes, it is their Patented technology, no other manufacturer can create their own version of it as it is patented

CBS means whether you press front or rear break, both the breaks get activated, this helps people who dont know how to brake properly by dividing braking force between front and rear brake, but at the sametime it is disastrous during panic breaking and rainy season as both the tyres get jammed at the sametime and you are surely going to skid

If a bike does not has CBS, you can control which brake to activate and how much, in which case, even if your rear tyre gets jammed and the bike will fishtail skidding the rear but the front may still brake and stop the bike, you can try and control a fishtail but if your front tyre gets jammed you are sure to fall down since if the front wheel locks up, the entire bike balance is lost

Only thing that is good is CBS with ABS (Honda CBR250R, CBR650F and higher) as ABS will prevent the wheels from locking up

Only bikes in India with ABS are as follows,

TVS Apache
Bajaj RS200
Duke 390
Honda CBR250R, CBR650F and the 1000s

From April 2017 onwards ABS will become mandatory in India on all bikes above 125cc

Additionally, if your back is hurting, first see a doctor and avoid bikes completely, stick to cars

If you still want a bike, here is my advice :

1. get a bike with gas charged rear suspension which is setup on a softer side (different bikes have different suspension setups even if they have the same type of suspension)
2. Wide semi-soft seat (not too firm and not too soft) so that it covers your bum's sit bones (yes, there are sit bones in your bum and you need to sit on them equivalently to prevent stress on your lower back), you can also measure the distance between your sit bones and then measure the seat to ensure it is wider than your sit bones
3. thicker and bigger rear tyres (thicker the tyre the more air pressure it can maintain and more bumps it can handle by itself
4. bigger the tyre the more distance it places between your bum and the ground and the jerks get less intense, this is why Avenger is not suited for everyone even though it has comfortable seating posture as it is very low and closer to the ground)
5. straight riding posture, not curved inwards back as a sporty riding position and not curved outwards as in the case of Avenger
6. relaxed hands, don't grip the handle bar, just hold it and leave your hands loose
7. light weight and nimble bike, heavy bikes feel stable but they also require more force to control them, back pain is not just caused by undulations from the road, constant turning of arms in right or left direction also requires back support and stresses the back

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

The above post beautifully explains things in detail.
Regarding your choice of bikes, I'd suggest the following :
Honda Shine
Yamaha Saluto/SZ-RR
Tvs Phoenix.
You need a lightweight commuter with wide and comfortable seat.

Sent from my Xperia L.

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Thanks krishna77.

Thank you yudhistir for the wealth of information. I do use my car but in hyderabad traffic, I prefer a bike to car. It gets further messed up in rainy season.
I will really appreciate if you can suggest few bikes to consider based on your furnished inputs?

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

May be you can also include Hero Xtream and Hunk in your list. I would suggest you to test ride all the bikes you shortlisted (suggested here) and give your feedback. Based on that, you may get better suggestions.

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Based on Gas Charged Monoshock (centrally located) and thicker rear tyre, following would be my suggestions,

Suzuki Gixxer :
not the thickest tyre at 140/60 but is pretty light at 135kg

Yamaha FZ :
same tyre size as Gixxer but is the lightest at 132kg

Honda Hornet :
has the thickest tyres at 140/70 but is heavier than Gixxer and FZ at 142kg

TVS Apache 200 :
heavier than hornet at 148kg with slightly less thickness at 130/70

Bajaj Pulsar AS 150/200 :
heaviest bikes with decent thickness at 110/80 143kg for AS150 and 130/70 153kg for AS200

Bajaj Avenger :
thicker tyre at 130/90 but does not has gas charged monoshock due to its low design
monoshock increases height of bike which is a good thing as it is easy on the back because the distance between the bumps and the seat increases

There are other bikes as well within your budget but I didnt suggest them as their monoshock is offset to one side, example : Pulsar 150 and Honda Navi

Monoshock is best if it is centrally located as your spine rests above the center and not the side corner of a bike

I have suggested above bikes only on the basis of specifications, you need to take a test drive for each of them for atleast 15-20 minutes to gauge your compatibility with the bike

Try to access the bike on its seating position on the bike(upright neutral), placement of foot pegs(center set and not too much towards the rear), suspension setup (soft or hard) and shifting directions at low speeds (at higher speeds all bikes will feel light due to their torque but you will only ride at slow speeds in traffic)

A light bike like Gixxer or FZ will be nimble and wont stress your upper body and is best for traffic and city but not stable for highway rides

A heavy bike like AS200 will be more stable on the highways but will stress you in long duration of traffic rides

A middleweight bike like the Hornet will be good within city as well as highways, given that it has the thickest tyres it is sort of an ace in comfort, but only if its suspension is setup on a softer side and not on the harder side

On the other hand, Avenger has a sofa seat but misses out on monoshock, if ridden calmly by slowing down on bad roads and avoiding potholes this would be the most comfortable bike if your legs are not too long

Safety wise, if you plan to ride during monsoon, Apache 200 would be the best bet as it will have ABS but only if you find its weight suits you (do a back to back between every bikes test ride and gixxer to get a better feel of how nimble the bike is), but you'll have to wait a few months for the ABS version

At the end, your height and your weight will make a big difference in choosing the bike

If you now think about After Sales Service of every brand, then that is a hit and miss, some people have better ASS with one brand whereas some people have better ASS with another brand, just get the extended warranty so that even if ASS is bad, you can harrass them for a longer time

Use the following website to compare tyre thickness of bikes :



Use the following website to compare specifications :

Cars and Bikes in India 2016, Reviews, Comparisons, Specifications

Make sure to go through the ownership forums of these bikes as well, you learn a lot without even getting out of the house

I have personally gone through the Gixxer and Avenger forums and following are my observations,

Gixxer has issues (exhaust sound changes and engine paint chip off) but Suzuki is taking constant feedback from its customers and acting upon it to rectify them and also to improve the bike, example : they introduced the rear disc brake versions lately after customer feedback

Avenger spares are easily available and not so costly but if you ride it harsh and don't maintain it then you'll end up spending a lot in repairs, some KTM guys had chain brakes during long trips and the local village mechanics fitted the Avenger chain in their KTM's, worked like a charm

Whichever bike you buy, make sure you have around 15000 left after purchase to spend on some really good quality gear, complete biking gear from helmet to elbow guard and knee guard and jacket and pants, wear gear over your office wear or carry your office wear while you go to work and change when you reach, it will be a little more effort but it is worth it, even if you will just commute, there are many idiots riding on the roads, safety gear not only protects your head but also prevents abrasions and any sort of disability if an accident occurs, at max the gear will tear of but not your skin, plus, don't think jeans will protect your legs, they rip apart very easily

Best of Luck

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Hi All,

Sorry couldnt get back to the thread sooner as I was caught up with something important.

Since test ride is the best way suggested, I test rode few bikes and below are my observations:

Avenger & Apache - Not good support to my back and ignored.

Honda 125 SP - Though some people feel 5th year is an advantage, I actually felt the contrary. Somehow, I felt probably my passion pro engine was a lot powerful than this.

Unicorn 160 - Disregarded right away since I found out that the new model is a failure and the erstwhile 150cc version takes ages to be delivered(30-45 days)

I was finally left with Yamaha FZ, SZ RR, Hero Glamour and pulsar 150.

Since I was looking for a 150 cc engine, considering the driving comfort and mileage, I chose Pulsar 150(black). Its been a week since I bought it and am pretty satisfied with its performance.

Thanks all for your kind suggestions and hospitality!

Admins may close this thread!

Cheers,
Chaitanya.

Re: Suggest a bike for daily commute with decent performance

Hi Chaitanya, congrats on your steed!
Ride safe.
@The Monk .. please close this thread as per the request of the thread starter.