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**xBhp** · 12-17-2019, 08:09 PM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

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**Gollum** · 12-18-2019, 01:01 PM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Originally posted by iamskg View Post

Hi,
I am on the lookout for a commuter motorcycle under 2 lakhs (Ex-showroom). I am 180cm tall and weigh 110 kgs. Please suggest a bike focusing on seating comfort, relaxed riding posture, pillion comfort, safety in terms of braking, reliability of the engine and the overall bike, manoeuvrability in traffic to cut through it, and heating issues in traffic. My daily commute will be 35-40kms total in Pune in peak office time traffic which translates to 1 hr on each side.

A little introduction on me and my bike riding experiences. I started on an M80 and rode it for 4 years. Then I rode a Shine 125 for 4 years. Next was my brothers unicorn 150 for 6 years. According to me the Shine has a lower road-grip with a tendency to skid. Bu the deal breaker is the lack of comfort and hard suspension especially on bad roads. Also the braking does not inspire any confidence. The Unicorn feels a little underpowered in the low end with uncomfortable seats. Especially I feel the pickup of the bike is less given its weight. The ride is fairly comfortable in bad roads though.

Although my personal preference is Yamaha MT15, but for seat comfort Yamaha FZ25 is better and comes with more power and is cheaper.

**Ankey** · 12-18-2019, 02:53 PM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Sir, you have quite a good budget, don't go for 150CC engines.
They will always feel underpowered with your stature, add a pillion to it and it will be even slower.

Check out the 200 CC bikes.

RTR 200 : The new BS6 Apache has proven its worth in the past years, a very good bike with good power, cornering and safety features. The new one comes with LEDs on both ends, Dual channel ABS and a good strong engine. Looks really good and a head turner. A very good option for someone looking for an upgrade.

Xtreme 200 and S : The naked version is plain jane and if you don't care about looks and all you need is a good bike with decent usable power and reliability, this should be the one to choose. The low end torque is good for city commuting and relaxed ride. The faired version is down right ugly, but hey, its all subjective. Checks out these twins as well and take test rides, you might be surprised.

NS200 : The evergreen pulsar. Has proven its worth, is powerful, is liquid cooled (the above two are not), has 6 speed gearbox (the above two have 5 speed), has ABS and has Bajaj service network which gives peace of mind in a long ownership. A very good option.

Gixxer 250 Naked and SF : I am not sure if these come strictly in your budget or not, but is will be very close to 2 lakhs. Very very good bikes, Japanese reliability and robustness, LEDs on both ends and enough power to keep you happy. Do check the on road price in your state and take test rides, you might extend your budget a bit if you like and they will be worth the extra money.

**iamskg** · 12-18-2019, 11:56 PM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Thanks for the all the suggestions. It would be really helpful if you could elaborate on the clutch of the recommended bikes. I shift gears a lot in traffic. So I would prefer if the clutch is light. Also for the bikes with single channel ABS like Xtreme 200R and NS200, what about rear wheel skids during braking?
And please also comment on the service network of the bikes in Pune.

**Gollum** · 12-19-2019, 07:34 AM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Originally posted by Ankey View Post

Sir, you have quite a good budget, don't go for 150CC engines.
They will always feel underpowered with your stature, add a pillion to it and it will be even slower.

Check out the 200 CC bikes.

RTR 200 : The new BS6 Apache has proven its worth in the past years, a very good bike with good power, cornering and safety features. The new one comes with LEDs on both ends, Dual channel ABS and a good strong engine. Looks really good and a head turner. A very good option for someone looking for an upgrade.

Xtreme 200 and S : The naked version is plain jane and if you don't care about looks and all you need is a good bike with decent usable power and reliability, this should be the one to choose. The low end torque is good for city commuting and relaxed ride. The faired version is down right ugly, but hey, its all subjective. Checks out these twins as well and take test rides, you might be surprised.

NS200 : The evergreen pulsar. Has proven its worth, is powerful, is liquid cooled (the above two are not), has 6 speed gearbox (the above two have 5 speed), has ABS and has Bajaj service network which gives peace of mind in a long ownership. A very good option.

Gixxer 250 Naked and SF : I am not sure if these come strictly in your budget or not, but is will be very close to 2 lakhs. Very very good bikes, Japanese reliability and robustness, LEDs on both ends and enough power to keep you happy. Do check the on road price in your state and take test rides, you might extend your budget a bit if you like and they will be worth the extra money.

Rtr 200 4v also has slipper clutch.
No other bike in the service list has one.
This word result in very light clutch lever tension.

**road_ripper** · 12-19-2019, 11:55 AM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Stay away from NS200, suspension is ridiculously stiff and also low end torque is non-existent for city runs. NS200 is more suited for highways.
I had a short ride in FZ250 and the engine was smooth and torquey, suspension was softer compared to NS200. Do take a test ride of FZ250 in potholed roads and compare with other bikes before you zero in on any bike.

**Ankey** · 12-19-2019, 01:05 PM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Originally posted by iamskg View Post

Thanks for the all the suggestions. It would be really helpful if you could elaborate on the clutch of the recommended bikes. I shift gears a lot in traffic. So I would prefer if the clutch is light. Also for the bikes with single channel ABS like Xtreme 200R and NS200, what about rear wheel skids during braking?
And please also comment on the service network of the bikes in Pune.

The clutch are more or less same on the bikes, no major difference there.
As Gollum sir advised that the RTR will be the best one as far as clutch smoothness is concerned, due to the slipper clutch.
My advice will be to take test rides and then make an informed decision. A good long test rides will tell you how the bike behaves in real world traffic, how the initial acceleration is, how good the brakes bite, how smooth is the clutch etc etc.

A single channel ABS is not as good as a dual channel one, it is just provided to ensure the govt. mandated law and nothing else. But in my experience (and I'm sure a lot of experienced rider will agree, including you), a rear slide is easy to control. You will have no problems on a rear slide and will recover 95% of times, Unless of-course you are leaned in to a corner. Whereas if the front washes out, the rider will fall every single time. So even a single channel ABS is not as good as a dual channel one, it is still better than having no ABS at all. At the end it is your choice. If dual channel ABS is a must have, ignore the Xtreme twins and check out the other options.

The Service network of Hero and Bajaj is the most wide spread and you will always find a service center you like. where people are decent and solve your issues. TVS comes third and Yamaha comes last in this. You will have to see that for yourself that which showroom/Service center is closest to you and which one has good reviews.

When you go for the test rides hang around the service center (which is usually right behind the showroom), Talk to the owners who have come to service their bikes, ask them about their experience with that particular showroom/service center and you will have good enough info to make a well informed decision.

**iamskg** · 12-19-2019, 03:42 PM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Thanks for the valuable inputs. I am inclining towards the APACHE 2004v as long as the riding posture will be comfortable. Second choice will be the FZ25 as long as it gets updated to the BS6 version. I am put off with the FZ25 due to the poor finish quality of the bike like loose panels and the service of YAMAHA. Otherwise it fulfills all my requirements.

**hellgate** · 12-20-2019, 11:53 AM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Originally posted by Gollum View Post

Rtr 200 4v also has slipper clutch.
No other bike in the service list has one.
This word result in very light clutch lever tension.

From what I know, only slipper clutch will not ease the clutch lever tension. It has to be a slipper clutch with assist cam.
Having only slipper clutch with help prevent wheel lock when downshifting from higher revs, however the downside is reduced engine braking.

**Ankey** · 12-20-2019, 01:25 PM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Originally posted by iamskg View Post

Thanks for the valuable inputs. I am inclining towards the APACHE 2004v as long as the riding posture will be comfortable. Second choice will be the FZ25 as long as it gets updated to the BS6 version. I am put off with the FZ25 due to the poor finish quality of the bike like loose panels and the service of YAMAHA. Otherwise it fulfills all my requirements.

I had a short ride on the RTR200 and it felt fine to me, but then again I'm much shorter than you 5'7. You might feel a bit cramped on it, but will get used to in few days.

FZ25 is also a very capable bike, it will be upgraded to BS6 sooner or later as it is going to be mandatory.

Take long test rides of RTR and Fz25 and then make the decision.

Best case would be that you like the RTR and get it soon.
Worse case scenario would be that you might have to wait for the BS6 Fz25 for a couple of months.

Happy bike hunting.

**krishna77** · 01-02-2020, 09:14 PM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

I too think you should take a look at the upcoming BS VI version of the FZ 25 which o doubt is a very good bike.

**Zapps** · 01-03-2020, 11:31 AM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Bro, it's not like people were skidding left and right before prophet ABS enlightened our world.

Originally posted by iamskg View Post

Thanks for the all the suggestions. It would be really helpful if you could elaborate on the clutch of the recommended bikes. I shift gears a lot in traffic. So I would prefer if the clutch is light. Also for the bikes with single channel ABS like Xtreme 200R and NS200, what about rear wheel skids during braking?
And please also comment on the service network of the bikes in Pune.

**Greymatter** · 01-03-2020, 11:45 AM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

I'd suggest you to take a look at Bajaj Avenger 220 Street and Hero Xtreme 200T. Both are really comfortable bikes, ride quality is plush and gearshifts are smooth aswell. If Dual Channel ABS is what you want then FZ25 makes alot of sense but the suspension is firm compared to both Avenger and Xtreme 200.

**Zapps** · 01-03-2020, 01:25 PM

Re: Best commuter under 2 lakhs

Pulsar 220 is also s good choice with its low end.

Originally posted by Greymatter View Post

I'd suggest you to take a look at Bajaj Avenger 220 Street and Hero Xtreme 200T. Both are really comfortable bikes, ride quality is plush and gearshifts are smooth aswell. If Dual Channel ABS is what you want then FZ25 makes alot of sense but the suspension is firm compared to both Avenger and Xtreme 200.

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