Pan Himalayan trip Bike Choice Discussion Approved

You seem to be happy with the reliable performance of the Pulsars. I have been using Pulsars mostly for the past 6 years and I have similar experiences of reliability and good performance.

My experience can be said similarly for the Karizma as well that I have used on and off (from others) in very varied circumstances. Besides the high altitude spluttering, that is a very reliable bike as well. Only one hitch though... the Zma spares are way more expensive than Bajaj.

I personally feel that the Zma is more comfortable than any of the Pulsars.

@himahuja : If I were you, I would get an Xtreme for such trip....lot of mountainous trip, I may prefer torquey/powerful smaller CC'd than big ones....just my opinion....

> 150cc , good power to overcome tough terrains, Xtreme is very torquey in initial gears.
> Better fuel economy compared to bigger bikes, and slightly lighter too.
> Comfortable for long drives too(I suggest you test ride in case if you want to select Xtreme), riding position is relaxed (test it)
> Cruising/Highway riding is also a pleasure on Xtreme....
> saves money in terms of initial cost/better fuel economy

I have tested Xtreme on rough/tough barren fields in our village for two hours with my friends, the bike performed very beautifully.

You could also consider Unicorn.

If you get an Xtreme, be sure to get a foam padding under the rider seat. Will make a much more comfortable of the elsewise pain in the ass rider seat...

But like Ken said, I too feel the Zma is your best option here ...

You can go for the Suzuki GS150R or Unicorn. Both of them give good mileage and are comfortable for touring.

go for unicorn,Pulsar 220 or avenger...

My choice:

1) You already have a bike of 150 cc, I bet you wont feel good again riding a 150 cc you will always yearn for a higher cc.Also it will lack power for such long rides.
2) For long touring the more the cc the better.Karizma has 223 cc and the power taken out is quite less as compared to P220. So Although a bit slow than P220 the life expectancy factor of Karizma engine would be definitely better than P220.Higher cc also means less stress on engine and you can hold high speeds for longer time without overheating.Oh I also forgot that Karizma is a long stroke engine so you get Torque at lower rpm which is a boon for us.
3) I personally think Karizma has better suspension than P220.
4) Karizma engine is far far reliable and proven as compared to P220 which is quite new.Also as kms go by bajaj engines sound harsh and more vibration prone which does spoil the riding pleasure which is a must for long drives.
5) I would not suggest Royal Enfield (RE) at all for such a long ride bcoz reliability is the most important factor for such a ride and in reliability RE does not even come close to a karizma.Also the heavier weight of RE will be a big problem in offroading and when puncture occurs.Instead of going for RE the extra money can be spent on fitting tubeless tyres on Karizma which would surely reduce your risk in case of a sudden flat out at high speeds. Only negative against Karizma here is that it can carry less weight (luggage) as compared to RE. However if you decide for RE better go for twinspark because it gives a good mileage of 45kms/litre.Also i find AVL engines superior to cast iron ones in terms of reliability.(Again my opinion).
6) From past riders experiences long touring in India means a lot of offroading too especially himalayas.Heavy bikes like harley,RE etc are not meant for offroading particularly.The weight creates a lot of problems while offroading and also if bike falls or gets puncture you loose valuable energy in getting it right. I cant even imagine pulling a heavy bike in case for repairs or puncture.
7)I would say seating position is also imp. for long touring and so again I feel Karizma scores over P220.
9)Also I would not suggest a FI due to obvious reasons for such a long trip. I have never met a mechanic who is good at FI.
10)Karizma is a proven soul,reliable workhorse, the engine is not over stressed.It can withstand long hours of high speed cruising without getting overheated. Drawbacks are: Costly spares,In event of crash the fairing gets damaged,no crash guard,the fairing vibrates after some harsh use.
11)Apache 180 is a good bike, cheap spares, good handling,light, good power,pickup but the seating position is crap for long touring. Bajaj you were lucky with the reliability but not all are. I do not suggest below 180cc.Avenger,Eliminator and other cruising bikes are good for plain smooth roads like american highways.Luckily Himalays are not in America and so the roads are not the same.Low ground clearance, less travel of the suspension are the major problems with such cruiser bikes and therfore not at all good for offroading.
12) Regarding Fuel efficiency I have done calculation for your trip of 10000 kms and found out that you will save only @3000 rs while using between Karizma and a Pulsar.So its not much and so dont look at that factor.Karizma is 86k onroad and RE more than 100k(Twinspark) so you are already saving 14k.Isnt it good???.
Well buddy use ur brains and dont bring emotions like Thump etc etc.Emotions wont help but ur brains will. Best of luck for your ride,drive safe and spend good money on ur riding gear.

Thanks guys for such detailed responses! sorry for being late in replies as i was away on a short dussehra holiday.

@ ken - thanks for approving the thread. since i have an experience of riding pulsar for last 5 years and all over dirty, non -existent himalayan roads only, my dependability on Pulsar is high!

@zayan @ moeed @ kurtrules @ vipin_s - thanks for the advice guyz. i'm shortlisting focussing on - ZMA / P200

@ amit_purohit20 - thanks the detailed analysis man!

1. on Himalayan roads, CC should not matter, coz there are very few places/ stretches where u can zip. Otherwise most of the time, one is busy tackling the bends and curves almost continuously. Though, as you point out, a higher CC would mean less stress on the engine. Otherwise, I never found my P150 lacking in power ever.

Only last year, i did a four day biking trip from Dehradun to Sarahan(himachal-kinnaur) averaging 225 kms a day. You can see some pics on my facebook under id - himahuja.

2. Overall, your analysis is bent towards ZMA - as you find it more suitable and sturdy. Check out this guy's blog - he just recently finished a 175 day trip along the perimeter of India on ZMA. Wonderful and adventurous trip, i must say. He has also provided very critical data on that blog as - total kms, total fuel consumed, total expenditure etc. My Big Escapade - Destination Unknown...

So that also changes my dynamics of trip - 10k kilometres is dropped, as praveen did his trip in 25000kms/175 days. so I have to roughly double that estimate and plan for 50,000 kms in one year approx.

Thanks for the advice once again amit! I'm sure with the help of xbhp guys, I can plan a grand, adventurous, safe trip!