This thread is to solicit opinions from you, which should help me select a new motorcycle. Thanks in advance.
A bit about me first:
Let's put the gory details aside right at the start-
- I'm 40
- I'm married with a kid
- I am still working 9-6 to earn my living
- I don't have a girl-friend
- I don't earn a ton of money, and neither care too much
Now, for the better part-
- I'm 40 and reasonably fit (now)
- I'm married, and my family is more or less supportive of what I want to do
- I work 9-6 only, which leaves me with a lot of time to pursue my other interests in life, e.g birding, exploring jungles, a bit of off-roading at times, diving etc. etc.
- Have a few lady-friends, but ...

- I earn enough to fund most of my interests, but cannot afford to splurge
And, a bit of history -
- I got my first bike in 1994, and it was a Suzuki Shogun. Yes, I bought that over the de facto standard those days - the RX100, and absolutely loved riding it till 2003. In between, for about 1.5 yrs. I had exchanged my Shogun with a friend's RD350 LT, coz' he couldn't handle that machine. I made a number of long distance rides in those days, on both those machines.
- In 2003, I bought an Enfield TB 350, and still have it. It's RC recently expired, and I don't even want to get it renewed - may just scrap the damn junk. During this time, I got married, travelled etc. etc., and the uncomfortable, unreliable, finicky and rickety nature of the Enfield made sure that I gradually forget the joys of motorcycling.
So, WHAT NOW -
Since the last 3 years I put in a lot of effort into regaining my health and fitness, and now I can confidently return to more consistent motorcycling, so I need a machine that - retains the Big Bike feel, good looks, refinement, City Ride-ability and is absolutely NOT AN ENFIELD.
My expected Use Case shall involve a few city rides, but on relatively good, fast roads, and maybe weekend trips of max 100 km one-way. I don't expect to be carrying a pillion too often, and certainly don't want to encourage it either. I will CERTAINLY NOT be touring long distances.
Psychologically, I have been open to a budget of 2.5 to 5.5 lakhs, but would want to spend as little as I can, for the maximum value that I can derive. I know it is a large range, but please understand the "value" aspect that I am looking for. I would love to limit my spend (including good quality riding gear) to about 4 lakhs, if possible.
So, here's what I understand of my choices, and this is where I am seeking the opinion of the forum.
Within my budget sweet spot -
KTM 390 twins (2.8 OTR) - Pretty much the de facto choice, helped by the fact that the nearest showroom/service centre is less than 2 kms. away from my house. I feel more at home with the riding position of the RC, than the Duke, though. However, these machines don't seem to be too happy (based on my short test rides) in city conditions, plus I don't have the mindset to continuously rip the throttle.
Dominar 400 (Doesn't matter) - Good on paper, value factor, comfortable ride (not very refined though) but just can't digest the fact that the looks of that bike will only reinforce the fact that I'm ageing and ... . Out!
Apache RR 310 (2.6 OTR) - Fell in love with the looks of this bike - who hasn't? Would love to own the one in Red. I haven't test ridden one yet, but even current owners are advising me against it. I would have still taken a plunge with this, if it were cheaper perhaps, but it's getting uncomfortably close to the RC. Should I seriously consider this at all?
N 300 (3.7 OTR) - I have test ridden the older edition and although I like the geometry and posture more than the RC, I am not too happy about the fact that the bike only comes to life at higher RPM's. I love this a lot for it's smooth and refined ride thouh.
R3 - Not considering, because I just don't like that front end, although I concede that it is a lovely product. Also, it's a bit too expensive for what it offers. If only there were good discounts on this for me to take a harder look at it.
New Benelli's - No. Horrendous parts pricing and maintainability stories. But, I know these are also machines that fit me very well, so am looking for deals in the Used market.
CBR 250 Repsol (2.2 OTR) - Don't want to settle for a 250, and this bike stopped making sense about 2 years ago. But, I know this is a nice bike, and may actually be the one ticking most of my boxes. But, you know the way of the heart, and that thing between the legs!
BMW 310 twins?
A bit of a stretch -
N 400 (5.1 OTR) - Love the KRT colours, but it's a bit too track oriented, and then the Z650 is within striking range.
Z650 (5.6 OTR) - Makes more sense than buying the N 400, looking at factors like performance, image and depreciation losses. But, also concerned that I will end up spending more than I WANT TO, and the fact that it isn't city friendly either.
Also, did I mention NO CRUISERS?
So guys, what do you think I should do? I didn't post this on TBHP, because I don't wish to be relegated to 4 wheels!

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