[shravansp24]

Hello bhpians, need your help with my next motorcycle purchase

Short story :

As the title says, I'm planning to sell my R15 v3 to buy a motorcycle with a more upright riding stance for weekend and longer rides

Brief story :

Always wanted a R15 ever since the v2 released in 2011, but mum and dad had other ideas and got me a duke 200 which I immediately fell in love with after taking a first ride.
46000km and 4 years later, got my first job and frequent visits to KTM svc made me change the motorcycle and got my childhood dream, the R15 v3(initially was skeptical as it felt like a downgrade, but after a short test drive, immediately bought it)
15000km and 2.5 years later, after thoroughly enjoying the motorcycle enough and even though I'm completely satisfied with the city/highway performance, after sales and service, I've planned to change again to a more comfortable motorcycle as the riding stance is keeping me from riding outside the city(100+ kms)

My requirements :

A motorcycle that costs within 3 lakhs OTR having upright riding stance, short stroke motor, engine that can comfortably cruise at 100-120kmph preferably under 6.5k RPM

Motorcycles not interested in :

TVS RR310 - One test ride, lost all interest, little vibey and almost like a sports tourer stance, also unreasonable cost of spares(BMW effect?)
Bajaj Dominar 400 - Haven't ridden, Is the long term reliability good as I'm planning to keep my upcoming purchase for a very long term
RE Interceptor 650 - Haven't ridden, long stroke engine, tube-spoke tyres and basic everything-else are keeping me off this one
BMW G 310 GS - Haven't ridden, High cost of maintenance and lack of spares readily(based on reviews) is making me uncomfortable to consider this one though the motorcycle in itself suits my requirements

Motorcycles in mind : Yamaha FZ-25, Honda CB-300R, Suzuki gixxer 250, KTM Adventure 250

FZ-25 : Practical and simple motorcycle, felt nice in the city(couldn't take the test drive to the highway), cost to buy and ownership is very less but lack of a 6th gear makes me question it's cruiseability at 100kmph and also if it has any reserve power at such speeds for any highway overtakes

CB-300R : Haven't ridden but Looks retro-modern, bullet proof engine bored out of cbr250r, comfy seats, enough power to comfortably cruise with more power on tap for comfortable overtakes but I'm assuming it will be much costlier than FZ-25(BS4 was CKD and was priced close to 3L OTR, Honda confirmed this time that it will be made in India and prices will be announced next month, but still due to inflation, I expect this one to definitely cost around and if not higher than the BS4 model)

Gixxer 250 : Haven't ridden but based on the reviews I see that it basically overcomes the shortcoming of FZ-25 with a 6th gear and more fun to ride motorcycle alike the KTMs but haven't seen many suzuki motorcycles recently much on-road apart from the scooters and not sure about the service quality and cost of ownership

KTM Adventure 250 : Haven't ridden but having owned a KTM before, is making me consider this one as it's basically a jacked up duke 250 but long term reliability with my experience earlier is questioning this one too, though recently I am seeing lots of KTMs with more than 50k on the odo doing just fine

Questions and clarifications :

1. is FZ-25 good enough to cruise at 100-115kmph and will it be able to overtake bigger trucks at ease? Asking it in a safety point of view as I don't want to chug along in the blind spot of a much heavier vehicle trying to overtake hence bringing the other motorcycles into the picture

2. How is the aftersales experience of Suzuki and cost of spares/paid service etc

3. If the answer to 1. and 2. is not positive, Is the Honda CB-300R worth the premium over the FZ-25 and the KTM adventure 250 or would the KTM be a more sensible option between these 2?(the heat and vibes makes me inclined towards the Honda even if it's a little bit costly)

Heart is bleeding Honda red, Brain is bleeding Yamaha blue and the Austrian orange somewhere in-between.

Thanks!

[NaXal]

May I suggest one wild card entry?

Why not MT15?

It is your R15 but with upright seating position.

Thanks.

[shravansp24]

Originally Posted by NaXal

Why not MT15?

Hey NaXal, Thanks for your suggestion!

MT-15 was the first one that came to my mind, but I decided to consider the FZ-25 over the MT-15 for the following reasons:

1. MT-15 has shorter gearing(bigger rear sprocket) than R15, coupled with BS6 power reduction, similar weight and less aerodynamics, I doubt if it can cruise like my R15 at 100kmph for a long time.

2. Assuming it to be having a 3 month/3000km service interval(like my R15) is a bit too frequent compared to FZ's 6 month service interval

3. FZ's engine feel more comfy for sustained higher speeds than MT-15 (based on reviews)

4. I have kept the R15 BS4's real world performance the minimum performance requirement that I'm looking for and considering the lack of fairing and bigger rear sprocket, I think the MT-15 would feel underpowered as the speed climbs and above 70kmph(based on YouTube MT-15 vs R15 drag races)

But I do like to keep MT-15 on my list as I love the way the faired sibling handles and growls at the top end. Will definitely take a test drive of MT-15 before purchasing if this thread inclines towards FZ-25 more than CB-300R or the KTM

Thank you

[mithun]

FZ-25 is more or like in a commuter territory. This is based on my experience with my bro's FZ-25 which had clocked 20K+ KMS.

Why not consider the Duke 250?

Pros:

Refinement + slick gear shifts
7500 KMS service interval
Cheaper service
More power and 6 gears
30-35 KMPL

Cons:

Expensive

...but this costs <3 lakhs OTR and is having upright riding stance, short stroke motor and an engine that can comfortably cruise at 100-120kmph under 6.5k RPM

[TorqueMonster]

I would say that you should have an upgrade over the R15. The FZ25 is a nice bike, but ergonomics aside, the R15 you have will wash it off completely. I think you should go with the CB300R or the KTM/Husqvarna/Bajaj 250 lineup (Would prefer the KTM out of these 3, but all these 3 have different ergonomics and design too).

[Rama Naveen]

FZ25 ------ Any given day.
Been riding the bike for a year and I love it.

Yes it can comfortably cruise at 100/hr and things I love on this bike are :-
1) Torque
2) Suspension
3) Mileage
4) Style

The bike keeps you happy in City and I use it to drop my kids to school.

Few mods which I have done are
1) Fork Raiser
2) Back seat to support my kids or piliion rider
3) Handle Bar Riser
4) After market less weight Exhaust
5) After market lights ( as stock ones are hopeless)

I have completed round trip from Hyderabad to Shirdi( solo)--- total 1270 kms.
I used Motul 10w50 and it's splendid.
I definitely get 40km/hr in city and highway.

FZ25 is value for money as opposed to Gixxer or ktm as its pocket friendly in terms of maintenance too.

[VW2010]

Save up a bit more and jump into KTM 390 adv. It is loaded with tech and a brilliant machine in all aspects. Do not rush through the decision and see if you can cut expenditure for a few months and save up, to properly jump to a better machine and slightly better class. With a 3l budget saving up for another 1l should be a goal that you should relish to take up and jump guns to 390 adv.

If it's urgent check the Dominor. Very potent 390 engine in a comfortable package. It looks stunning, specially the green color and the engine is all but the ktm 390. The bike can tour and is very comfortable as well.

[shravansp24]

Originally Posted by mithun

Why not consider the Duke 250?

Having owned d200 before and for the current OTR of d250, I feel the CB-300R would be worth the premium over d250 considering Honda prices the motorcycle right. I do have the ADV 250 in my shortlist just incase Honda spoils the pricing

Originally Posted by TorqueMonster

but ergonomics aside, the R15 you have will wash it off completely. I think you should go with the CB300R.

Thank you for your suggestion. Hopeful for a good pricing by Honda as they're localising the manufacturing now

Originally Posted by Rama Naveen

FZ25 ------ Any given day.
Been riding the bike for a year and I love it.

Yes it can comfortably cruise at 100/hr

FZ25 is value for money as opposed to Gixxer or ktm as its pocket friendly in terms of maintenance too.

Cool, but have you ever felt the need for the 6th gear? And during your extra long rides, were you able to overtake the heavy vehicles and trucks comfortable or does it need a well planned overtake by downshifting a couple of gears?

Originally Posted by VW2010

Save up a bit more and jump into KTM 390 adv. It is loaded with tech and a brilliant machine in all aspects. Do not rush through the decision and see if you can cut expenditure for a few months and save up, to properly jump to a better machine and slightly better class. With a 3l budget saving up for another 1l should be a goal that you should relish to take up and jump guns to 390 adv.

If it's urgent check the Dominor. Very potent 390 engine in a comfortable package. It looks stunning, specially the green color and the engine is all but the ktm 390. The bike can tour and is very comfortable as well.

Thank you VW2010 for your suggestion but I feel the power of the 390s over the 250 adv is something that I don't need and not a fan of the tech stuff either apart from the slipper clutch and TC. Regarding Dominar 400, the long term reliability is the one field that's holding me back from considering it

[Sahil00090]

I have been riding Dominar 400 since more than three years and one thing I truly appreciate about the bike is that it has never failed me on long rides or short rides. Every part works as expected no fault nothing.

The planted ride feeling it gives when cruising 110-120 kmph. The stance is also good. This is a really solid bike and wil definitely help you to reach places. Bajaj service is very affordable as well

[ashwinprakas]

The MT15 behaves more like a short stroke than a FZ25.

The FZ25 though a short stroke is configured to put out all its steam at lower speeds.

You'd hit the figurative brick wall sooner on the FZ25 than the MT15.

Before getting hitched I used to clock 30k kms on motorcycles a year so I'm of the opinion that spare availability is the critical component determining the reliability of a vehicle and hence I'd always weigh a Bajaj product higher than the rest on that front.

But then again the Gixxer 250 fits your requirement to the T courtesy it's tractable power band, you have the FZ25's low end and the CBR250R's top end, not exactly the same but you get the picture.

I've not been able to ride the Pulsar 250 yet but if it is anything similar to the Gixxer 250 in terms of how it puts out power and torque then it's a no brainer.

Also, number of gears are irrelevant, do read up on how gearing works. I'd gone into detail about it a few times on this forum hence not repeating myself.

Cheers,
A.P.

[drt_rdr]

Any of the 250s can easily cruise around 100-110 kmph.

I believe service costs on the Gixxer are more or less in the same range as the FZ since it's also a similarly basic engine design, parts tend to cost a bit more IIRC. You do get a 5 year extended warranty on both bikes. Service quality is always YMMV with most manufacturers.

There's some things to consider about the seating of the gixxer though. It's inclined forward compared to the flat seating of the FZ. The seats and suspension are also hard on the Gixxer. While this may not be a bother for shorter trips, you'd more than likely prefer the softer suspension and flat seat of the FZ for longer rides. The inclined seat suits the SF model's forward leaning position well, but seems like a misstep on the naked. From what I remember, the seating and suspension on the CB300R is similar.

From a touring perspective, I think the FZ25 is a great pick. The character of the engine is well suited for it, just short shift keep going. The handling is quite stable in comparison to the dukes\r15\mt15, means you're less occupied with keeping it in line and get more mental space to enjoy the sights.

Have a look a the 250 pulsars too. I checked out the F250. The reach to the handlebar on that is a bit much for comfort. The seat seemed nice though. Haven't checked the N yet.

Another touring-worthy option is the Mahindra Mojo. Short stroke, high quality build, huge tank capacity, great seat. Minus points for weight.

If Honda manages to keep weight and price in the same range as the BS4 CB300R, this is THE bike to beat. But you'd likely have to get atleast the hard and angled seat worked on for it to be any sort of comfortable for long rides.

My personal pick of the lot is the Gixxer despite its shortcomings. From waht I've seen, heard and experienced, Suzukis are usually hardy construction and can tolerate a good amount of beating and weathering. There's signs of cost cutting here and there, but overall, it's very well built, and would likely last a long time.

[IshaanIan]

I have ridden my first and only bike, a BS3 RC390 for nearly 50k kms. Apart from the ABS failing I have not faced any other glaring issues. That said I maintain a good relationship with the guy that services my bike and I recommend that you do that too. As of my understanding, the second generation of KTM products in India have taken a leap forward in this regard (owner not having to be too proactive on maintainence). Why not try out the RC200? You may find the R3 uncomfortable only due to its rider triangle being better suited to shorter people. The RC series may be more aggressive but they also feel roomier and built for taller frames. The new one also has raised handlebars and a less aggressive stance. Not to mention loads of other cool new stuff like better brakes, lighter rotating mass etc. and also looks pretty cool in person

[PrasannaDhana]

A perfect upgrade to a r15 is a RC390. But you want an upright riding position.

If I were you I would either pick the Duke 390 or Interceptor 650. Both are fun to ride and are great mile munchers.

FZ25 is a brilliant cruiser too, but there will be no tangible difference in performance over the R15. It is a practical bike, no where close to "exciting".

Even better than all these will be an used bs4 R3. Excellent cruiser!

6th cog does matter when you intend to cruise longer distances. Doing 100 kmph at a 1000 rpm lesser engine speeds(than 5 speed) is always welcome,- lower NVH and better fuel efficiency.

[neo_narender]

Hi,

I own a FZ25 ABS BS4 from Mar 2019. And I am bored of it already in 11k km on the Odo.
Don't get me wrong, it is a good motorcycle in the city & an occasional tourer. I have done a road trip from Hyderabad to Coorg & back on it (1,800 km). Other than the lack of 6th gear & vibrations post 100kph, it is a gem.

But the excitement I had during the 6-month ownership has vanished now, craving for more power/excitement.

[Mr.Ogre]

Originally Posted by shravansp24

Hello bhpians, need your help with my next motorcycle purchase

Short story :

As the title says, I'm planning to sell my R15 v3 to buy a motorcycle with a more upright riding stance for weekend and longer rides

I would say Gixxer 250 followed by FZ25, but more towards Gixxer 250. Its reliable, refined, faster and quicker than your R15 while also being comfortable and also is fun carving corners.

Once you have spent a few years with it, you can keep it and get a bigger bike. But until then she is all the bike you will ever need.