Quote:
Originally Posted by vroom77 Amit, sure. Its a good exercise now as I clearly understand there is no perfect bike.
I have to ride not more than 2 kms a day.
.... I will be riding with the likes of CBR 250 and other bullets when we go on long rides. |
I really don't know whether I am confusing you more or helping you
1) If your daily ride is 2 kms only with pillion.- You can go for any bike except new R15 its just too high for a pillion and looks odd with a pillion especially wife!
2) If you have back pain - I would say rule out all the sporty posture bikes like- R15,CBR 250, Apache series.
3) If you want fun to ride bikes - its again R15,CBR 250, Apache series. Add Pulsar 200 NS to the list.
4) Low and mid-end torque bikes: Pulsar 200 NS, Unicorn, GS150, Apache RTR 180.
5) Good ride experience- Basically what you want here is more commuterish seating position- Unicorn and GS150. Slightly less relaxed positions: ZMA and then Pulsar 200NS.
6) Dont want to be a frequent Garage visitor- I think you are here comparing to your Bull experiences. I would say that nearly all bikes mentioned here are more or less equally reliable and you wont be in big trouble after purchasing these bikes including Pulsar 200 NS (considering that its made from borrowed technology from proven KTM, but yes I have to accept that confirmed data is not there for this bike yet due to it being newly launched.I conservatively bet its reliability should be better than older Pulsar's).
7) If you want keep up with CBR 250 and Bullets in touring and not racing then GS150 or Unicorn should also be sufficient because there would hardly be a difference of 10-15 minutes to you to reach the same place. Also note that you are not going to tour more than 300 kms so its fine.
Looking at your requirement it seems you need a GS150 or Unicorn with a 250cc engine! which is not available.
Refinement means a lot to many people but basically engine refinement means how it performs on the NVH front. N- Noise, V-Vibration and H-Harshness.
N and V are still acceptable in some cases but not Harshness.
For eg. some people including me are fine with RTR''s Vibration. Its loud noise is a pleasure to our ears but then Harshness of the engine lets it down. Harshness means you will get the feeling that something harsh is going on inside the engine and gearbox. The sound will feel like more friction and not so pleasant sound from inside.
Handling- Bike able to maintain the same line you intend to stay.
Cornering-Easy to get in and out of corners with extreme leaning of the bike.
Flickability- Light weight bike easy to flip from one side to the other as in changing lanes in fast moving traffic without any scare.
Stability- Bike maintains its line on straight roads irrespective of mild sidewinds and under hardbraking.
(Well above meaning are what I understand, it might be different for different people!)
Tyres- I agree that Old R15 tyres although skinny were able to give a good grip because of the soft compound. Disadvantages- They get punctured easily.
So I prefer Medium compound tyres and fat ones (to compensate for the soft compound) so that they stay puncture proof and still provide reasonable grip levels. But in an RTR 180 which comes with the worst tyres on earth (Real hard compound tyres which are allergic to wet roads) there is hardly any space between the swing arm and the tyres to upgrade. Also even if the swing arm has space for upgradation the bike comes with thin width rims that make the tyre bulge prohibiting the use of the full width of the tyre. You can refer this thread for more info:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ompared-4.html