I have been in this turmoil for quite a long time so let me share my experience. I'm more a cyclist than mobiker and have been happy with the Bajaj Boxer and brother's Honda Unicorn. One fine day my friend goes absconding from the cycling scene and a year later, he's gone through the bug bite from sport bikes. His journey Pulsar AS200 >> KTM RC390 >> Dominar 400 >> CBR 650F >> Africa Twin. I was planning on picking up a continental GT650 and after talking with this friend, early this year, I was invited for a short test ride and I was expecting the Dominar 400. However, to my surprise when he offered the CBR650F. Looking at the bike you think Bah.. its just another 'big bike'. The feel once you're on it and this one with full system Akrapovic, words are hard to find to describe the feeling. That was the start of the fun and we rode till Confident Amoon on Hoskote road and decided to turn back. The second major surprise was us switching bikes and this time I got to ride the Honda Africa twin on the return
As we returned, we headed straight to the RE showroom on ORR as he urged me to ride the GT650 and that's it. The RE was out of my consideration. I have to triple up on my savings to even think in the CBR650 territory. 8 months later, I'm now leaning more towards owning a bike (new/used) rather than picking up a rental. A few more reasons here:
1. I was lucky to book an almost brand new Interceptor (4k kms run) via Royal Brothers. Rode to mullayanagiri and back. Excellent bike for that budget.
2. Hired an RC390 from RB again and this time a night ride to CCD on Bellur cross on Hassan highway. The bike was not in a good shape. The bike wobbled quite bad. You could see dings and dents expected of a rental KTM (that are usually abused). My brother rode along on another rental RE 350 Redditch edition. This was fine till we joined the NICE road on the return where the bike would switch off every 3-5kms. Stop for a couple of mins and it starts ok.
3. Rented a Himalayan. The resource from RB was clear about the condition of this specific bike and suggested the newer Yamaha Fazer 250 instead. Very nice gesture however, my intent was to experience the himalayan so rented this anyway and rode to Maravanthe. There was oil leak. The rear wheel bearing gave way and luckily I was able to manage riding to a mechanic and he had the wheel bearing. Got a bill for this and the same was refunded by RB. Also ended up with a flat front tyre but this is possible with any bike and it is the responsibility of rider to be prepared of this basic occurence when touring anyway.
4. KTM 250 and dominar 400 from ONN bikes. Inconsistent throttle response on the dominar but the KTM 250 was quite good (the dash although had a warning/possibly service due indicator).
After all of the above, reading through many articles and watching tons of videos on youtube i've decided a liter class for me is an overkill (even if a seconds Yamaha R1 is within reach) . A 600 cc is plenty good and I've my eyes set on a target. Now it's just a game of wait and watch and save up enough to take the big bite.
Reasons why I would NOT choose rental:
1. Worst case scenario if you have a accident and bike is damaged the depending on the policies from each rental either you bear the cost full/partially or the company takes care of the same. Either way more legal issues on rental compared to your own bike.
2. You can decide if/when you want to repair based on availability of funds/insurance claims etc. Not the case with a rental, you are answerable to the rental company and you never know if they're out to drain your pockets.
3. The rentals are used by many and the regular/timely service is totally questionable.
4. The emotional bond with a bike. You treat the bike right the bikes has your back when you are in dire need.
Reasons why I chose a rental:
1. You aren't bound to a specific bike. Variety of bikes to try. Good for short trips. Extended version of a test ride. All within the rules/limits mentioned by the rentals.
2. No cost of ownership. No insurance hassles. No yearly maintenance costs. Sometimes a single ride doesn't give you the clear picture of how the bike feels/handles on long rides/tours. Try bikes over several days over different terrains and conditions to give you the real world feel of owning a specific bike.