Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

Query Approved

You haven't specified what sort of mileage you are looking for. But if the Unicorn 160 is within your budget and mileage constraints, my recommendation would be this. Considering that your previous bike has served you well all these years, it is safe to assume that you take good care of your motorcycle. The Unicorn should therefore hold you in good stead for many more years to come

All the best!

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

If you want a 150 CC motor, Unicorn is the best choice.
Out of the 125 CC motors, Shine Sp should be the first choice, saluto should be the second choice.
The service centers for both Honda and Yamaha are equally useless and incompetent, but there are more service centers for Honda than Yamaha, so you can choose the one that gives the best service.

Take a look at new TVS Victor as well, a very good and comfortable bike.

Take test rides for and then decide.

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height


I actually misread the first line, how the hell did he get married at 18 years of age . Just kidding...

Unicorn here might be an issue with the height, budget will come close to 90k on road(I guess). If you are looking for just a commuter and constricting yourself to 150cc, you dont you give a try at the Avenger street 150 as well. Low seat height, should suit you.

If not the above one, Then Shine is a better buy. Better mileage with 125cc. Cannot be used for touring as it is meant to be used a city commuter.

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

As someone who was looking for a similar set of requirements. my experience, as you go up the price ladder, the seats get worse.
Personally I found the saluto RX seat to be the best

given your budget, would suggest the Yamaha SZ RR ( found the seat more comfortable than the saluto, but you may want to check out the height) & the TVS Phoenix.

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

I would say go for Avenger 150, it suited for your height and good machine with super comfortable seat in its segment.

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

Go for the new Tvs victor .. Very good bike .. Using it for the past 3 months .. Quite comfortable and best for commuter .. Starts in a single start or electric start in any weather conditions ..

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

Thank you Monk, am looking at around 55 KMPL. Yes, i do take good care of my ride. Now i rode Bajaj V15 (though not a fan of Bajaj) i liked the torque & looks of it. I felt it does good job in city commuting, also comes under by budget and other necessities. What would you suggest then?

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Thank you Ankey, yes you are right about service centres infact all the ones are alike. Recently i rode Bajaj V15 (as mentioned above) and found it ok with in city commute, it also falls in my price range, any suggestions?

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Thank you Archer84, Yes Bajaj Avenger 150 is good in all aspects. The one thing that concerns me is the pillion comfort, as am married pillion comfort becomes the major buying point of a bike now . I also rode Bajaj V15, itz good for city commute. what are your suggestions?

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Thank you gr33nhorn, i have to look into this aspect haven't really noted about this seat theory

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Thank you Neerajvayu, S Bajaj A150 will be a good choice. But as mentioned above the pillion comfort also comes into play, so how will that be?

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

IMO, both the pillion seats on Avenger and V15 looks same. I havent ridden the V15 nor travelled as a pillion on it. So I cant comment much on it. It is better to take your wife along with you and TD both the vehicles and get her opinion too.

Request the Sales guy for a good 5-6 kms, since short ones doesnt do any justice and you cant come to a conclusion either

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

being a newly launched bike, we cannot comment on how it will serve you in the long run. But early reviews and all the critics have praised the bike. And it suits all the needs of a daily bike. The fresh new looks are a added bonus. Don't expect the smoothness of Japs engines on a Indian motor. Compared side by side any Jap 150 cc motor will be more smooth than the Indian ones. If it suits your needs and you feel good on the V15, yes it is a good choice , looks really cool. Let us know what you decide. Feel free to ask any more doubts. We are happy to help.

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

Hi TheArcher84, actually i too felt the same but actually in real time Avenger 150 seat is a little narrower than V15, i just rode it for 2 kms as the sales person din't allow after that. I felt the bike has kind of punchy torque, can ride around 30kms in 4th gear itself, has comfortable height, seat n suspension. I know i cant expect sporty performance from it as it a commuter.

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Hi Ankey, True that Japanese engines are far better in smoothness, infact it increases as we move above the CC . With V15 from my test ride only thing that felt odd was gear shift was not that smooth, as i rode only for 2kms i couldnt get to know about the engine heating prob as few owners have raised. But apart from that it fits my bill. Again as you mentioned reliability & durability of the engine is the million dollar question here with Bajaj.! Longevity is not a concern as they have established an all new 150cc segment, with patriotism & styling (heavily inspired from Moto Guzzi V72) combined and with a success of over 1,00,000 selling they wont kill it.

But after combining with KTM, dont you think their bikes are getting better now?

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

Yes, the build quality and quality of components is getting better every passing day for Bajaj. But they still have miles to cover if they want to be anywhere near the Japs.

The test ride bike is usually abused and hence not in the mint condition, it may be the issue for the hard gear shifts. The new bike should not have any of those problems. Even if it does... it gets sorted out in the first service. Take a longer test ride from a different showroom to get a better idea.

As for heating, its normal for every new bike to heat up for a few thousand kms. Its the run in period and the engine polishes itself to perfection. Heating goes away after 2-3 thousand kms.

Yes, the bike is selling well and there is no chance of it dropping it by Bajaj. No worries there. As for the Patriotism, only a few ounces of metal from Vikrant is added to the metal which is used to make the fuel tank, that is all. so don't be confused, it should not be the deciding factor. If it is good, it is good... if it is bad, it is bad, no matter if it made up of kryptonite. Choose wisely..

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

Hi Ankey, regarding patriotism.. yes i knew that but Bajaj is doing one hell of a job in marketing using it. And yes definitely i wont buy any thing that has kryptonite.. You see am vulnerable to it .. #ManOfSteel
(Killing) Jokes apart., i need to know how to identify if the showroom is selling me the test ride bike, any easy way other than using chassis number?

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

Yes, Ask for a test ride of the bike, crash it moderately. later if they sell you the test ride bike, you would know immediately (Sorry Couldn't resist)

Jokes apart, on a real practical approach, i think it boils down to the reputation of the Showroom and to your rapport with their staff. Other than that i cant think of a fool proof way to tell the test ride bike and fresh bike apart. (ruling visual differences, disconnected speedometers, and what all and what nots)

Other than that, I think you have set your mind to the V15. Take a long TD along with a pillion rider (who is Not the showroom guy) and take it through good and bad roads. I am sure you will be able to make up your mind.

Other than that, Bajaj Bikes do live around in market for quite a long time and owners never face issue for spares or service in general.

Re: Commuter King for Indian Men's average height

Agreed, this is what makes a good businessman. They know India is a land where emotions always win over brains and they have made good use of it. But as I said before if something is good it will sell, no matter what it is made up of. Please take a long test ride again and if it suits you, go get it. Also you can check the ownership thread in the motorcycle ownership experiences section, to check how the owners are liking their V15 in day today life. Ask specific questions to them, if you have any. They will be a great help to make an informed decision. All the best.