Re: Attaching a bike with bike rental companies

GBD Approved

Interesting. But i wouldn't want a bike which has been rented out for 3 years! The condition of it will be trash!

I rather invest money in the stock market, get 50% returns and buy whatever i want with the money i make...

Triumph Street Twin or Harley Street Rod

Hello all
I have read the relevant threads on this topic, but my question is slightly unusual.

An acquaintance who is into renting out bikes wants a new 'big' bike. I am thinking of buying one and investing with him. Do note that I won't be riding it, though I might own it after 4-5 years. Maintenance is entirely at my expense.

The options I have been given are Triumph Street Twin, T100 and Harley Street Rod. So no Kawasaki 650 (I have heard its maintenance costs are prohibitively high) or Honda 650 (out of production). No Ducati Scrambler either.

Factors that I need help with are :
a. Which of HD and Triumph has lower maintenance costs? How much does it come to per year say for 15'000 Kms per year? Labour and spares wise. I have heard bad stories about Kawasaki's ownership.
b. How easily are spares available? HD Street Rod is made in India, so I suspect its spares to be available quickly. Triumph Street Twin, I am not sure. Downtime is expensive in terms of foregone income.
c. How expensive are repairs - we are talking about accidents that Insurance may not cover?
d. In case I own the bike after 4 years, I want one that wont stress my knees - forward set pegs are welcome. In this respect the HD loses out to the Triumph Street Twin.
e. The engine has to be absolutely smooth, no vibrations and have generous torque. I am no fan of speed - 80 Kph is my comfort zone.
f. Engine braking is a no-no. Which is why I like the Enfield 350 engines compared to the 500s. I have heard the Bonnie is better in this regard.
g. Excellent all round quality - and please don't laugh - my Unicorn still continues to be the yard-stick by which I measure. Positive gear clicks, refined motor, no vibrations.
h. Good low end torque.
i. Easily accessible to my saree-clad mother (over short distances, of course).
j. Liquid cooling - which both have.
k. Good brakes with ABS - both have ABS but the HD has twin disks with 2-pot calipers on each disk. How bad are the Triumph'e brakes?
l. Cost - upfront cost is one part of the investment. The HD Street Rod is cheaper by 1.5 compared to the Triumph Street Twin. But long term maintenance expenses are going to be significantly heavy. How 'heavy' is what I am trying to assess.
m. Good service centres. I hate it when ASCs lie and obfuscate issues saying "that is how this model is built".

Please help me with your experiences.
Personally, I like the Triumph - it keeps things simple, with the flat seat, relaxed seating, good low end torque, engine refinement.

P.S : The biggest bike I have ridden so far is the TB500 (which I hated, I much liked the 350 Electra and test rides confirm this feeling) and the fastest is about 95 Kmph on my humble Gixxer SF. (The unicorn was sold - a decision I regret most deeply).

Also this is primarily going to be a decision driven by the brain - I will need to take a loan to pay for the bike and service the loan using income generated.

Re: Triumph Street Twin or Harley Street Rod

Topic approved.