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**xBhp** · 04-04-2019, 11:58 AM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

Thread approved.

**ashwinprakas** · 04-08-2019, 12:38 PM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

When I was 18/19 I started with the best in class HH Karizma R, and now 8 years later I've done my longest hauls on 100cc's and I regret not having gone for a 100cc when I was younger and had a lot of free time at my disposal, money was short, but with a 100cc even when riding at WOT I can travel twice as much as I could on a 150cc+ motorcycle and even thrice as much on quarter liter options.

Hence my suggestion would be to stick to the commuter class and forgo the displacement game, you have more fun, you cover more miles, you'd be a bad-ass by default and the commuters unlike the sport bikes are meant to handle abuse like no other, hence why you hear a Dominar or Himalayan chassis break but nothing of the like when it comes to decently maintained commuters.

I have a P220 as well, but that is rarely used in comparison, my CT100B just turned 2 years old and she has almost the same odo(30~40k) read as of now as my P220 which is running its 5th year.

Cheers,
A.P.

**rreneav1987** · 04-08-2019, 05:01 PM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

Originally posted by ashwinprakas View Post

When I was 18/19 I started with the best in class HH Karizma R, and now 8 years later I've done my longest hauls on 100cc's and I regret not having gone for a 100cc when I was younger and had a lot of free time at my disposal, money was short, but with a 100cc even when riding at WOT I can travel twice as much as I could on a 150cc+ motorcycle and even thrice as much on quarter liter options.

Hence my suggestion would be to stick to the commuter class and forgo the displacement game, you have more fun, you cover more miles, you'd be a bad-ass by default and the commuters unlike the sport bikes are meant to handle abuse like no other, hence why you hear a Dominar or Himalayan chassis break but nothing of the like when it comes to decently maintained commuters.

I have a P220 as well, but that is rarely used in comparison, my CT100B just turned 2 years old and she has almost the same odo(30~40k) read as of now as my P220 which is running its 5th year.

Cheers,
A.P.

While your advice is good and appreciable, I beg to have a different opinion.

No doubt a smaller displacement bike is good. However, the fun you get at reaching your destination at the time you want makes the bigger cc bikes better. If one doesn't mind about FE, I wouldn't go for a 100 cc bike. On the Other Hand, maintenance of a higher cc mill will be a little more expensive.

To answer the TS, I would suggest a 150-160 cc bike as it will be easier on the pocket. coming to looks, I find the RS200 over done. while the NS200 is a beauty and eye catchy. people might look at the Rs200 but they might not look at it the way you expect.

Test ride the bikes and then decide. R15S is a good bike and I would suggest you have a test ride and decide

**Neo77k** · 04-08-2019, 08:44 PM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

Originally posted by 0Kysh0 View Post

Hi there!
I just found this forum today and have been scouting all over "What Bike" for similar posts, but I thought making a personalized thread would be better. To start,

1. Budget : 1-1.5L

2. Age : 21

3. Height : 169cm

4. Weight : 73

5. Intended usage : Daily Commute to office (10-12km), roaming around Gandhinagar during weekends

6. Fuel Efficiency requirement (approx., if any) : At least 35 kmpl

7. City & Highway percentage usage : 90/10 (Haven't ever thought of solo expeditions, but I might once I have the vehicle for it)

8. Approximate Daily / Monthly running : Not sure. First vehicle

9. City / Town /Village of residence : Gandhinagar, Gujarat

10. Brand / Bike type preference (if any) : Been eyeing the RS200 for a while now.

To elaborate on my preferences, I have to speak about my experience. I have been riding a passion plus(dad's) for over 5 years now, and do have experience driving in highway traffic. Since it's my first bike I wanted to go big and hence the budget and preferences. I have a couple of doubts here.
* Would I be facing difficulty initially moving from a basic 100 cc bike to a much more powerful 160-200cc bike? Or can I expect a somewhat smooth transition?
* Would a fully faired bike be much more difficult to ride than a naked one? I borrowed a friend's NS160 and felt it to be very easy to maneuver and flickable. Please do advice on this.

Coming back to the preferences, I want to go for a slight "head-turner" of a bike, and in my opinion a faired bike does fit that part of my needs. I checked the R15 v3.0 reviews and concluded that the riding stance is too aggressive and is too uncomfortable. The Gixxer SF's reviews say that it's a bit underpowered (It's a different price range I know) and even though I'm sure I'd be mostly in the economy range of 60-80 most of the time, I want to look at something that is capable at the top-end.
Pillion seat comfort is not required, but if it's there that's cool.

Please do let me know if I'm missing out on any models at that price range, and the budget is not fixed because I'm planning on taking a personal loan for this.
Also, do tell if I'm taking this all in the wrong way and if a naked bike would fit my intended purpose. I just chose the fully faired way for the looks of it.

Thanks

Hey buddy,

I got an RS200 in Feb. I'm 188 cm and 82 kg. So yea it is a sure head turner, the power delivery is linear and kinda beginner friendly, ABS is a boon too. Mileage has been between 28-42kmpl on my bike depending on how I was riding it. However, I would strongly suggest checking out the Hornet 160 and FZ-s ABS too. Those bikes look good on people too, you get good pictures, good looks, convenient performance and a good mileage as well. I don't favor 100 cc ones for us but 150s are not bad. Test drive the vehicles and see what suits you best. Also have a friend click a picture of you on the bikes. You can also try R15 S, killer looks, solid performance and much better riding position compared to V3 as far as we're talking about comfort. Oh and that bike easily crosses 140 so you have the grunt, full fairing, Yamaha engine. Pulsar RS 200 is wonderful, I'm enjoying every bit of it but it's just a little bigger.

Happy riding

**ashwinprakas** · 04-08-2019, 09:54 PM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

Originally posted by rreneav1987 View Post

I beg to have a different opinion.

Buying is the easy part of motorcycling, running and maintaining is the hard part.

A younger enthusiast who got himself a FZ25 had asked my opinion about the Platina 100 Comfortec and other such commuters as after putting about 30k km's on the motorcycle he found maintaining it quite unreasonable as his travel range went up, hence was contemplating selling it off and buying a 100cc commuter instead.

An older and seasoned enthusiast had sold his UCE Bullet 500 and got himself a CT100, believe I've shared the pictures in the CT100B thread of both our motorcycles. Reason for selling the motorcycle was long term maintenance cost and tank-full travel range and cost.

Hence for comparison sharing my CT100B's consumable prices,

Air Filter: 75/-
Engine Oil: 250/-
Spark Plug: 100/-
Chain Set: 800/-
Front End(Cone-set, Seals and Consumables): 500/-
Battery: 800/-
Tires(Front and Rear): 3000/-

The reason I've not accounted for labor charges is because I DIY, speaking of which is a walk in the park on bare-essential motorcycles.

On the other hand, I recall being charged 6k at the SVC for overhauling the R15v2's front end back in 2015 at Bangalore.

If other users could share similar ownership costs then it would help the OP decide, because going by a few ownership threads where 4k per paid service is seen to be the reasonable norm might not be so for someone whose looking out to get their first motorcycle, that is if hauling miles is a priority.

Else if only for bling then any motorcycle would do, ownership costs does't come into the picture for a motorcycle that barely does a few thousands a year.

Just saying.

**rreneav1987** · 04-09-2019, 11:47 AM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

Originally posted by ashwinprakas View Post

Buying is the easy part of motorcycling, running and maintaining is the hard part.

A younger enthusiast who got himself a FZ25 had asked my opinion about the Platina 100 Comfortec and other such commuters as after putting about 30k km's on the motorcycle he found maintaining it quite unreasonable as his travel range went up, hence was contemplating selling it off and buying a 100cc commuter instead.

An older and seasoned enthusiast had sold his UCE Bullet 500 and got himself a CT100, believe I've shared the pictures in the CT100B thread of both our motorcycles. Reason for selling the motorcycle was long term maintenance cost and tank-full travel range and cost.

Hence for comparison sharing my CT100B's consumable prices,

Air Filter: 75/-
Engine Oil: 250/-
Spark Plug: 100/-
Chain Set: 800/-
Front End(Cone-set, Seals and Consumables): 500/-
Battery: 800/-
Tires(Front and Rear): 3000/-

The reason I've not accounted for labor charges is because I DIY, speaking of which is a walk in the park on bare-essential motorcycles.

On the other hand, I recall being charged 6k at the SVC for overhauling the R15v2's front end back in 2015 at Bangalore.

If other users could share similar ownership costs then it would help the OP decide, because going by a few ownership threads where 4k per paid service is seen to be the reasonable norm might not be so for someone whose looking out to get their first motorcycle, that is if hauling miles is a priority.

Else if only for bling then any motorcycle would do, ownership costs does't come into the picture for a motorcycle that barely does a few thousands a year.

Just saying.

I think I have all the rights to talk about Ownership and maintenance

Yes, consumables will be on the higher side but then, it only matters if you cannot maintain.. I am able to maintain my bikes cos I save money for my family and for my bikes

nothing for myself..

**ashwinprakas** · 04-09-2019, 05:00 PM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

Originally posted by rreneav1987 View Post

I think I have all the rights to talk about Ownership and maintenance

Exactly my point!

You middle-aged men touring cross-country on your variety of Ninja's give us younger folk the illusion that premium motorcycling is an easy affair.

**sparky** · 04-09-2019, 07:18 PM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

You can't go wrong with either FZ150 or the RTR160.

**0Kysh0** · 04-10-2019, 09:27 AM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

Originally posted by rreneav1987 View Post

While your advice is good and appreciable, I beg to have a different opinion.

No doubt a smaller displacement bike is good. However, the fun you get at reaching your destination at the time you want makes the bigger cc bikes better. If one doesn't mind about FE, I wouldn't go for a 100 cc bike. On the Other Hand, maintenance of a higher cc mill will be a little more expensive.

To answer the TS, I would suggest a 150-160 cc bike as it will be easier on the pocket. coming to looks, I find the RS200 over done. while the NS200 is a beauty and eye catchy. people might look at the Rs200 but they might not look at it the way you expect.

Test ride the bikes and then decide. R15S is a good bike and I would suggest you have a test ride and decide

I agree with your point. I know maintenance of a higher cc bike would be obviously higher, but cruising on a faster bike is SO much better!
I see your point about the RS200's looks. They're very polarizing. I'll go to the showroom and see if I'm feeling the same way I feel when I look at pictures or videos. Will also check out the R15S. Thanks for your advice!

**0Kysh0** · 04-11-2019, 12:13 PM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

Originally posted by Neo77k View Post

Hey buddy,

I got an RS200 in Feb. I'm 188 cm and 82 kg. So yea it is a sure head turner, the power delivery is linear and kinda beginner friendly, ABS is a boon too. Mileage has been between 28-42kmpl on my bike depending on how I was riding it. However, I would strongly suggest checking out the Hornet 160 and FZ-s ABS too. Those bikes look good on people too, you get good pictures, good looks, convenient performance and a good mileage as well. I don't favor 100 cc ones for us but 150s are not bad. Test drive the vehicles and see what suits you best. Also have a friend click a picture of you on the bikes. You can also try R15 S, killer looks, solid performance and much better riding position compared to V3 as far as we're talking about comfort. Oh and that bike easily crosses 140 so you have the grunt, full fairing, Yamaha engine. Pulsar RS 200 is wonderful, I'm enjoying every bit of it but it's just a little bigger.

Happy riding

Hi there,
Thank you for your suggestions! Would the RS200 be too tall for me? Everything is right now on paper and I haven't yet visited showrooms, but I'll surely look around for more models. I saw your post in the RS200 Ownership Thread, and since you seem like you've done some research recently, what other bikes have you some across before settling for the RS? I probably would be holding off my purchase until August/September, so might as well wait for Bajaj's announcement in June. And yes the I haven't considered the R15S until now. Will note it down alongside. Thanks!

**Neo77k** · 04-11-2019, 12:19 PM

Re: Looking for recommendations for my first bike

Originally posted by 0Kysh0 View Post

Hi there,
Thank you for your suggestions! Would the RS200 be too tall for me? Everything is right now on paper and I haven't yet visited showrooms, but I'll surely look around for more models. I saw your post in the RS200 Ownership Thread, and since you seem like you've done some research recently, what other bikes have you some across before settling for the RS? I probably would be holding off my purchase until August/September, so might as well wait for Bajaj's announcement in June. And yes the I haven't considered the R15S until now. Will note it down alongside. Thanks!

Hey buddy,

The best way to know if it'll be too big for you is to actually ride it yourself, one of my friends rides it with me sometimes and he's below 5'10, doesn't face any issues but then again every person sits differently on a bike, like they prefer their own form of comfort.
It's a good thing you've decided to wait a little longer, a Suzuki 250 may be launched in May itself and yes the Bajaj Pulsar line-up is supposed to get something new, there's also CF Moto doing rounds on the internet and Hero motorcorp is coming with their own set of bikes. Pulsar 250 is also in the making but I doubt that'll come out this June.

Test ride all the bikes you consider and get the feel, I'd booked a Jawa and cancelled it after I took the test ride.

About my research, I just posted a detailed note in the RS200 ownership thread about how the decision came to be. Be sure to comment if you find it helpful.

Happy riding

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