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Upgrading from a 150cc commutter. Please help.

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  • #1

    Upgrading from a 150cc commutter. Please help.

    Hi friends,

    I am new to this forum and posting my first ever query. Please find it below.

    I own a Honda Unicorn 150 cc 2013 model. The bike had done completed 24,780 km. A few months back, when I was riding my bike, a weird noise started coming from the engine and the bike stopped. I was not able to start the bike again. When I approached the nearby mechanic, he was also not able to start the bike. He said that there is no compression in the kickstarter. Therefore we push started the bike and I was shocked to see white smoke coming out of the exhaust and the bike sounded like an auto rickshaw. He said that the problem is with the engine and advised me to take the bike to service centre immediately. The service centre guys administered the bike and told me that the piston got jammed due to low engine oil level. They told me that the engine overhaul is to be done. The overhaul is done at 13k rupees. I was advised not to exceed 45 km/hr for the first 5000 km, change the engine oil every 2000 km and should not ride beyond 4000 RPM. I am now completely dissatisfied with the bike performance as it is not the same as it used to be. I can feel so much lag in the engine response. It is not revving smoothly. I think its due to new engine parts, correct me if I am wrong. It used to rev up to 5000 to 6000 RPM even at the slightest twist of throttle. But now with the same amount of twist it is reaching only till 3000 to 4000 RPM. I have ridden 1000 km post engine overhaul. But still not finding any improvement in performance but getting good mileage though. So I am planning to sell my bike and upgrade to a higher cc bike. I have shortlisted three bikes.

    1. Yamaha FZ 25.

    2. Apache RTR 200 4V.

    3. Pulsar NS 200.

    But I am unable to choose between these three bikes. 80% of my ride will be within the city. Highway rides and touring is occasional.

    My requirements are (Sorry if I am asking for too much):

    1. Mileage of 35+ within the city. 40+ would be great. Mileage should be consistent.
    2. Soft suspension(I have low back pain issues) and comfortable riding posture.
    3. Low maintenance and low service costs.(very important).
    4. Robust engine with a long engine life.(I am planning to keep the new bike for long term for another 6-8 years minimum)
    5. Better city handling.(Easy flickability)
    6. Excellent pick up and in gear accelerations.
    7. Comfortable for long rides.(Even though I ride mostly within city, I should be able to tour long distance if I want to)
    8. Pillion comfort.

    But many are advising me not to sell my bike as it is technically a new bike now. I am very confused whether to keep my bike for some more time or to upgrade. Because I hate riding a 150 cc bike at 45 kmph. And also I lost trust towards Honda I had for them for years because of my bike's engine failure that too at 25000 kms .

    Kindly provide me your suggestions if I have to keep my bike for some more time or to upgrade. If there are any other bikes that would meet my requirements, kindly let me know that also. Please help.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Upgrading from a 150cc commutter. Please help.

    Topic Approved.

    How about an intro in the "Who are you?" section bro?

    Anyhow, it seems like a problem connected to piston rings, because that's most often where bikes leak oil into combustion chamber from. The reason you see the smoke is this oil burning. or it could be the head.
    The overhaul was very much needed.



    You can't go wrong with either of these bikes, all are good for you, but you should be able to enjoy FZ's good city level torque.

    Even in terms of your requirements, FZ25 seems more suited, including comfort, city level handling, long distance riding, robust engine, etc.

    As for unicorn, Try getting carburetor tuned from a good mechanic in your city, that might help. Get an O2 check done, of the exhaust smoke. This will tell you if the AFR is mistuned.
    If the sound of your bike has changed, it could be an issue with either the air intake or exhaust.
    ---
    Brotherhood, Rules, Freedom. Xbhp.
    Indian riding = Alertness, Anticipation and Adjustment.

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    • #3
      Re: Upgrading from a 150cc commutter. Please help.

      My Choice would be FZ25, a better all around package than all three. Good performer, good seats, good handling and if you ride sedately superior fuel economy too.

      If you don't want pillion comfort that much, Apache 200 is also good due to slightly softer suspension hence has better ride quality than FZ25.

      Cheers!

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Upgrading from a 150cc commutter. Please help.

        Fz25 should be the first choice. Does everything you ask from it and keeps the rider comfortable, be it daily commute or tours.

        The NS200 should be the second choice, the liquid cooled engine and 6 speed gear box is fun to ride around in the city and makes the highway runs easy on tours.

        The RTR200 should be the third choice, the lack of 6th gear and liquid cooled engine is felt on straight highways, but the FI engine makes it up with the crisp throttle response. More fun to ride in city streets and daily commutes.

        My experience says that the Fz25 would be most comfortable for you owning to the back pain issues. The riding posture is neutral and the suspension is plush. The other two are naked street bikes and might feel a bit more aggressive than the Fz. Also no bike over 200 cc is going to give a mileage of 40+. all 200+ cc bikes give around 30-35, you would be lucky to go near 40kmpl figures. So you might have to keep the mileage expectations in check.

        Take test rides back to back and choose the one that suits you and your riding style the best.
        Last edited by Ankey; 03-21-2018, 12:45 PM.
        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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        • #5
          Re: Upgrading from a 150cc commutter. Please help.

          It seems like FZ25 is the winner here. But how about the service cost and maintainence cost of fz25? I heard that the costs to maintain are very high when compared to tvs and bajaj and service is also not that great. Also the cost of the spares are also on higher side?

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Upgrading from a 150cc commutter. Please help.

            Originally posted by vengymgen View Post
            It seems like FZ25 is the winner here. But how about the service cost and maintainence cost of fz25? I heard that the costs to maintain are very high when compared to tvs and bajaj and service is also not that great. Also the cost of the spares are also on higher side?
            Brother I don't own a FZ25 but have a March 2014 R15V2. I'll give you an estimate of the service cost of mine and you can estimate the cost of maintaining on that basis. I would also advice you to post this query in the ownership thread, there owners would be able to provide you with much accurate answers to specific queries.

            So the R15's service costs about 1600 to 1800 Rs, this is when no part is damaged or broken or pending to be replaced. So this service includes fully synthetic engine oil change, oil filter change, other fluids top up (coolant) and other normal service checkups. The brake pads cost about 850-1000 Rs and the cost of other spare parts is not that expensive. Maybe if you compare it to a Bajaj, you might find it a tab bit pricy, but the quality and the fit and finish is top notch as always with Yamaha. The parts too last a long time and unless you crash your bike every 2 months, there is nothing to replace. I have the R15 for more than 4 years now and all that has been replaced is brake pads.

            The bike is bullet proof and nothing ever goes wrong with it, fill it and ride it.
            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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