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Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

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  • #1

    Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

    Hi all, need your help choosing a commuter bike for my dad. There are plenty of reviews on the 150cc class bikes, but reviews on commuters are hard to find.
    The Details as per the xbp template
    1. Budget : 60-75K
    2. Age: 69
    3. Height: 5'8"
    4. Weight: 70ish + a 100ish Pillion
    5. Intended usage : Domestic use - Church, visiting Relatives, Shopping, small trips nearby
    6. Fuel Efficiency requirement (approx., if any) - Nice to have.
    7. City & Highway percentage usage : 100% city/Village with some pretty bad roads
    8. Approximate Daily / Monthly running: <100Km a Month
    9. City / Town /Village of residence: Trivandrum & Chennai
    10. Brand / Bike type preference (if any) Strictly Yamaha (may consider Honda)

    Other Relevant Details
    Ownership History - 1989- 2001 : RX100, 2001 - Current - Crux.
    Requirements
    Self Start - Needed, and the reason why I am buying a new bike for him, He finds it too hard to use kick start these days
    Very Nice brakes - even though he does not go above 40, he wants the best braking money can buy. Both his bikes ran the max upsized rear tyres.
    Rear Suspension - Apart from him, we as a family are rather well built, so the rear suspension keeps bottoming out and the rear tyre keeps hitting the mudguard (the fat tyres make things worse)
    Torque : 0-40 is all that matters to him & lugging us all up the steep roads in tvm near our home, so a torquey engine helps a lot.
    Nice Seat - The RX 100 seat is the gold standard, and even the crux seat could use some improvement as per him. most of the more powerful bikes have narrow and raised rear seats, which rules out the FZ and similar bikes.

    I had booked a saluto RX matte black at Raj Yamaha on OMR, and they had given a timeline of 45 days. It seems that I may need it earlier than that. I am not sure how easy it would be to cancel the booking - he's keen on black, and they don't have that colour in stock. Which leads me to my other alternatives
    Saluto Disc - Nice option, but reviews here seem to favour the SZ RR?
    SZ RR - is this thing in production? I am yet to see one of them at a dealership. Can i get one within a month?
    Are there any Hondas readily available & worth the hassle of cancellation (Dad's a Yamaha loyalist, so he would rather go with a yamaha)
    Now my constraint is time - As I need something in the next one month, I will probably have to go with something that they already have.

    What are my options? Thanks in Advance
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

    Query Approved

    I know it's out of your budget, nonetheless do test ride the Unicorn 160. Barring the cost restriction, i believe it should meet all the requirements listed out.

    And if you want to be adventurous, then go for the V15
    Biking is not about what you have between your legs, its all about how well you use it!!!!!!!

    Give your details here if you want to help your fellow xBhpian stranded in your city

    Touring Blog: Cycling in Mongolia!

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    • #3
      Re: Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

      Originally posted by The Monk View Post
      Query Approved

      I know it's out of your budget, nonetheless do test ride the Unicorn 160. Barring the cost restriction, i believe it should meet all the requirements listed out.

      And if you want to be adventurous, then go for the V15
      The unicorn was the other contender, but I believe it has a long waiting period (+ concerns about pillion seat height for mom) . Also, I had read reviews about more recent unicorns and hornets rusting - this bike will spend most of its time parked outside. The crux has lived a hard life, and only its front mudguard rusted (which has since been replaced with a plastic one)
      The V15 is honestly, perfect, except for the fact it is a bajaj, and dad wouldn't touch one with a barge pole. We had also considered the splendor classic, but there is no two seater version
      Last edited by gr33nhorn; 08-10-2016, 12:57 PM.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

        In What category you need? I mean 100cc-110cc or 125-150cc?

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

          You dont you consider the new Victor110, decent review, takes a beating , Spares and maintenance wont cost you a bomb. SVC centres are plenty for TVS.
          Has ES and pillion seating should also be comfortable for your mum.
          R15S - Current
          Honda Dio - Current
          TNT 600i - Sold
          Classic 500 - Sold
          Pulsar 220 dtsi - Sold
          Yamaha YBX125 - Sold

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          • #6
            Re: Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

            +1 for the Victor.
            A nice and safe option to consider.
            I think there is a version with front disc if you want one.
            Other than that, supremely reliable and comfortable workhorse.
            The maintenance and service is cheap and spare parts are easily available at authorized service centers.
            I would like to thank my legs for supporting me, my arms for being always by my side and my fingers; I could always count on them.

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            • #7
              Re: Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

              went to the dealership & found an SZ RR there. Had missed it earlier, and TVM dealerships did not have any stock, so had missed it. Looked quite handsome (apart from some bling tank extensions & graphics), Loved the dual meters in the console (much better looking than the FZ - I'm a big fan of analog meters - you should see my vintage audio stack!) & the bike had the 1 down 4 up pattern like the RX and the crux ( the salutos had the 4up pattern).
              The sales guy was a bit disappointing - I asked him what the SZ had over the saluto - all he could think of was the increased displacement
              After reading up, found out about the DC headlight, the 5th gear, saw the handle bar end weights, sweet looking console, but it comes with TVS tyres (the saluto comes with something else)

              Should be getting it this weekend!

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

                Took delivery of the bike today. Everything seems fine. Need to buy the standard accessories such as crash guard etc.
                This thread can be closed. Thanks for everyone who helped with their inputs, and apologies to anyone who may feel I may have made the wrong choice/not listened to them!

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Help With Buying a Bike for My dad.

                  Congrats!
                  Wise decision. Do the run in properly.
                  [MENTION=38603]The Monk[/MENTION] .. please close this thread as per the request of the thread starter.
                  A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.

                  Weekend Rides Around Kolkata
                  My Ride To Sunderbans -                   Hemnagar & Samsernagar
                  Saagar Kinare - Bakkhali Calling

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