[W16rocks]

Hey guys,
I searched through the forum and could not exactly find a thread with this question.
I am turning 18 in jan 2023, and the biking bug has bitten me, my family has two cars in our garage but no two wheeler since 2004 as my father has since upgraded to cars.
But my father is also a bike lover he had a yezdi and a bullet during his army days, so even today he loves to talk about them, and throughout my childhood he has told me about the bikes.

Now coming to the present situation, on my 18th birthday I was thinking of getting a bike, this will be my first motored two wheeler, as I am also a cyclist and love cycling.
Me and my father both love the retro themed bikes and have always craved for those, even booking a Harley Davidson Street Rod 750 in 2014 while on a Walk(yup that’s the love my father has for bikes and me ) but then my mother stepped in and bought us both to reality that the bike will just be kept at home like a white elephant and not be used as I was small, and my father too busy with his office, So we cancelled the booking.

Even though I have always been more of a car guy but the constant talks about how bikes are the first step to motoring, has somehow given me a craving for bikes.

The question is which bike is right for a beginner as well as for after a year or two when I become an experienced rider. Also I would like to ask the experts here whether I should just leave bikes altogether and continue with cars only, also is getting a bike a good idea If I can just learn to drive a car?

As this bike would stay with us for quite a while(5 years at least) I would like a bike that is a keeper and also has some style and Snob value.
The requirements are pretty general:
- I am a 70 kg 5.10 boy so would like a bike fitting for my height.
- I nor my father want a bike with sporty design we both love the laid back designs of retro themed bikes.
- please suggest bikes which are reliable and also whose service centres are accessible in most places.
- The bike has to be new as it will stay with us for long.
- The bike has to be relevant 5 years from now too as it will probably stay with us for that long.
Budget: Not a rigid budget but bikes around 3 lacs are preferable.

As I am still a newbie around the bikes scene I have very little idea about bikes and their drivability so the suggestion of the experts and riders would be welcome.

My basic list of bikes that I prepared with my limited knowledge is as follows:-
- Honda CB - 350, RS300: From what I have heard about the Honda motorcycles is that they are refined and reliable, now that is the perfect combo ain’t it, but am still a little reluctant with big wing, also don’t know whether these bikes have the road presence of the RE bikes.

- Royal Enfield - Meteor, Scrambler, Himalayan etc: The RE stable is the best selling of the lot with a lot of variety available nowadays, from classic to scrambler. I feel the Classic is very common, I have more interest in Scrambler and Himalayan, but I am worried about the reliability as I have read in the forum that there have been many reliability concerns in the Himalayan. The 650 twins are great but want to ask you guys can they be considered for beginners like me, as they are Great otherwise.

- Jawa - 42: recently saw it at the showroom, had a mediocre experience at the showroom, worried about aftersales service as the brand is new and has low sales.

- Yezdi - Scrambler: Looks smashing and great but the reluctance over after sales and also low sales of the brand, but considered as my father had the yezdi during his army days so the nomenclature brings back a lot of memories to him, want to know if it is worth going for.

- Suzuki V-strom 250: The newbie in the list, has great reviews and Looks great from the front but don’t like the back design of the bike looks as it pretty common, also Suzuki does not feel so special and is not retro themed so will only consider if the bike is really great.

Looking forward to hearing from you guys.
Cheers
W16Rocks

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle section!

As I frequently advise 18-year-olds on cars, be sure to get something with ordinary levels of power (or even something that's underpowered). A fast car / bike is too dangerous for a newbie driver / rider. I started driving in an underpowered Maruti 800 & Premier Padmini, while I started riding on a Kinetic Honda (more noise than progress from 0 - 30). No better way to hone your skills than with a slow vehicle.

[Turbohead]

Get yourself a good second hand 100-125cc bike. Learn all the nuances of riding and maintaining a bike.After 2 years, you'll know exactly what you want and how to keep it in top shape.

Sounds like the worst idea but you'll thank me later.

[antz.bin]

Turning 18 and going to college, right?

For the next 3/4 years, college is the only place the bike will probably regularly go to. Max it will go to the hangout places or to one of the forts in and around Pune. You don't need 3 lakhs worth of machine to be able to do that.

Steer clear of anything heavier than 160-165kg. Ideally this should have been 150kg but modern bikes are much heavier than they used to be. And Light bikes are FUN!! Lighter the better. Heavy bikes are for old people like me (I am 2x your age) whose reflexes are slower.

All Apache RTRs are really nice. If you are feeling more ambitious, pick up the Yamaha MT-15 / R15. You absolutely DO NOT NEED anything more powerful than KTM 200s / Suzuki 250s.

Ideally, if I were recommending a bike to my own nephew who is 1 inch taller than you and will turn 18 in Jan 2024, I would have him stick to 125cc. The TVS Raider 125 is *THE BEST* 125cc bike to ride even though I don't find it particularly pretty. This is for his own safety.

The weight criteria effectively excludes all the Royal Enfields, Jawas, Honda 350 and any of the bigger motorcycles which you don't need anyways.

Whatever you pick, take an OATH to always wear a helmet *before* you start the engine. Doesn't matter if you are just moving the bike in the parking lot.

Godspeed & Ride safe.

[ishan12]

As a motorcycle enthusiast myself, who started riding right at the age you are in. I would suggest get something in the 250cc or under segment. Exception being the RE 350s, if you can manage the weight. It will have enough oomph to keep you engaged, would not feel underpowered and will keep you satisfied for the next 3 to 4 years. This would be enough time for you to mature in terms of skills and also mentally in coming to terms with the risks associated with a motorcycle and handling them as a responsible rider. A 250cc motorcycle would also be enough to get you some traction from the opposite gender sitting pillion, and also respect from your friends.
Would highly recommend to stay away from the larger motorcycles. Even with 15 years and thousand of years of riding experience, I still get carried away with the smooth and linear torque on my Inty 650, and have to come back to my senses looking at the speedo

Now that you will soon be 18, you have the best years of your life ahead in college and no place better than Pune for that. Enjoy to the fullest, study hard and party hard. Ride safe! All the best!

[deep_bang]

Out of the bikes you listed the best one I would suggest is a 350 cc RE of any avatar. The RE is sufficiently retro, reasonable power but nothing that makes it dangerous for a first timer.

If you are learning from scratch, do learn on some rental 100cx bikes first. An RE is definitely not a bike to start learning. It's very heavy and falls can be worse on this than other smaller bikes.

[Roads&Wheels]

Welcome to the world of motorcycle ownership in advance!

Please don't judge motorcycles by their specs on paper. Take a test ride of all the motorcycles you think you might like and see which one connects to your individual taste and requirements. Motorcycling is not just about numbers, it is a lot about the feel and emotions as well. Ride all and then take a call.

I would highly recommend not going for something ordinary and boring which doesn't excite you and can put brakes on your two-wheel enthusiasm.

Your presence on this forum makes us assume that you will ride sensibly and develop your skills gradually. And please get some good riding gear.

Best wishes!

[nitro.1000bhp]

Get a used or new KTM duke 125. Its one of the best bikes for beginners globally.

Its a fat tyred, full size bike with good brakes, pliant suspension and a well balanced chassis minus the big horse power. Also its pretty light for its size.

Fat tyres means it wont be affected by road undulations like ruts and tram lines and other "features" you are sure to find on our great roads. Fat tyres also mean more grip in turns and better braking. Four pot radial brakes with big discs and abs mean the stopping power will be phenomenal (more important than speeding up is the slowing down bit). The suspension, although on the firm side is pliant and wont give your wrists any rude shocks. The light weight and balanced chassis means it is quite flickable and will hold a line through a turn without skidding about.

The bikes you have shortlisted are all good in their own right but if you want a bike to learn the art of riding as a beginner, I doubt anything comes close to the Duke 125.

Cheers and all the best.

[boniver]

Find a nice Yamaha RX100 and you'll spend the best days of your life on it!

[W16rocks]

Originally Posted by GTO

As I frequently advise 18-year-olds on cars, be sure to get something with ordinary levels of power (or even something that's underpowered). A fast car / bike is too dangerous for a newbie driver / rider. I started driving in an underpowered Maruti 800 & Premier Padmini, while I started riding on a Kinetic Honda (more noise than progress from 0 - 30). No better way to hone your skills than with a slow vehicle.

Thanks a lot for your Advice GTO, the only reason I wanted a Retro bike was because they are slow and don’t have the dynamics to perform any dangerous stunts. I am also learning to drive a car on my old Chevrolet Aveo as it is slow and compared to cars nowadays underpowered.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Get yourself a good second hand 100-125cc bike. Learn all the nuances of riding and maintaining a bike.After 2 years, you'll know exactly what you want and how to keep it in top shape.

Sounds like the worst idea but you'll thank me later.

Second hand bikes were my first choice, but my family has a strict no used policy, so can’t go for second hand ones, also as this bike will stay with us for long can’t really go for old bikes as they may be unreliable.

Originally Posted by antz.bin

Turning 18 and going to college, right?

All Apache RTRs are really nice. If you are feeling more ambitious, pick up the Yamaha MT-15 / R15. You absolutely DO NOT NEED anything more powerful than KTM 200s / Suzuki 250s.


Whatever you pick, take an OATH to always wear a helmet *before* you start the engine. Doesn't matter if you are just moving the bike in the parking lot.

Godspeed & Ride safe.

Thanks a lot for your advice and even my parents have restricted me from even riding a bicycle without a helmet, so for bikes I will surely take all the precautions possible.
Apaches are great but the bike will be kept for long we won’t really be changing it till at least four year so I wanted to go for what I like, the retro cruisers, also I don’t like the looks of sports bikes like mt-15/R15.

Originally Posted by ishan12

As a motorcycle enthusiast myself, who started riding right at the age you are in. I would suggest get something in the 250cc or under segment. Exception being the RE 350s, if you can manage the weight. It will have enough oomph to keep you engaged, would not feel underpowered and will keep you satisfied for the next 3 to 4 years. This would be enough time for you to mature in terms of skills and also mentally in coming to terms with the risks associated with a motorcycle and handling them as a responsible rider. A 250cc motorcycle would also be enough to get you some traction from the opposite gender sitting pillion, and also respect from your friends.
Would highly recommend to stay away from the larger motorcycles. Even with 15 years and thousand of years of riding experience, I still get carried away with the smooth and linear torque on my Inty 650, and have to come back to my senses looking at the speedo

Now that you will soon be 18, you have the best years of your life ahead in college and no place better than Pune for that. Enjoy to the fullest, study hard and party hard. Ride safe! All the best!

Thanks a lot for your suggestions, we visited the RE showroom, and even we feel that meteor 350 will suit the needs the best, also meteor has the looks which will keep me satisfied for at least 3-4 years.

Originally Posted by deep_bang

Out of the bikes you listed the best one I would suggest is a 350 cc RE of any avatar. The RE is sufficiently retro, reasonable power but nothing that makes it dangerous for a first timer.

If you are learning from scratch, do learn on some rental 100cx bikes first. An RE is definitely not a bike to start learning. It's very heavy and falls can be worse on this than other smaller bikes.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions buddy, The RE meteor 350 cc is the top contender, also yeah I may actually rent a bike and learn on it then start with meteor 350.

Originally Posted by Roads&Wheels

Welcome to the world of motorcycle ownership in advance!

Please don't judge motorcycles by their specs on paper. Take a test ride of all the motorcycles you think you might like and see which one connects to your individual taste and requirements. Motorcycling is not just about numbers, it is a lot about the feel and emotions as well. Ride all and then take a call.

I would highly recommend not going for something ordinary and boring which doesn't excite you and can put brakes on your two-wheel enthusiasm.

Your presence on this forum makes us assume that you will ride sensibly and develop your skills gradually. And please get some good riding gear.

Best wishes!

Thanks a lot for your suggestions, I will surely take all precautions while riding a bike. The thing is I am a huge fan of RE bikes from an early age, even my father, so we both wanted to get a bike which will actually be exciting for us, that’s why instead of something sporty we wanted a retro cruiser.

Originally Posted by nitro.1000bhp

Get a used or new KTM duke 125. Its one of the best bikes for beginners globally.

Its a fat tyred, full size bike with good brakes, pliant suspension and a well balanced chassis minus the big horse power. Also its pretty light for its size.

The bikes you have shortlisted are all good in their own right but if you want a bike to learn the art of riding as a beginner, I doubt anything comes close to the Duke 125.

Cheers and all the best.

Thanks a lot for your suggestion, Even though Duke is a great bike, but personally I don’t really appreciate the design of the bike, I prefer the retro theme a lot more also due to duke’s sporty characteristics I feel it is a lot more dangerous to drive.

Originally Posted by boniver

Find a nice Yamaha RX100 and you'll spend the best days of your life on it!

I would love to, but My family has a strict no second hand policy, also don’t know about the reliability and maintenance of these bikes, so i would steer clear of them as reliability is top priority.

[saikishor]

I started my biking journey with a pre owned Duke 390. FYI, I'm 19 and I felt the 390 will be the best bet for me and I don't regret it one bit.

In your case, since you seem to have an inclination towards retro themed bikes, I would suggest the Meteor 350 or the upcoming Hunter 350. Meteor is a beautiful bike, I had ridden it thrice. It has a nice and low cruiser position which feels less intimidating. But when you flick it around, it rides like a naked! All credits to the new J platform. I noticed this during a test ride.

Another bike you should consider is the H'ness from Honda. Beautiful bike with a beautiful engine.

Happy shopping!

[GreasyCarb55]

Originally Posted by W16rocks

Looking forward to hearing from you guys.
Cheers
W16Rocks

I'm in the same situation as you, but I'm a year older (I turned 18 in February this year) and a heavyweight (5'11" at 110kg). I am also looking for a first bike (although I do have some experience with riding bikes on empty village roads). I have ridden a FZ-S, my grandfathers Hero Honda Splendor + (which I learnt how to ride on) a few Classic 350's and some miscellaneous bikes here and there.

I'm personally choosing between a KTM Duke/RC 390 and the Royal Enfield Interceptor/Continental GT 650, my CBSE exams ended today on the 13th of June so I'm waiting for my motorcycle license to take test rides of the KTM 390 and the Royal Enfield 650 Twins.



Now these are not my opinions but what I have been able to gather from reviews, combing through TeamBHP and speaking to people IRL.


I would personally look into these bikes:

• Yamaha MT 15 V2 and R15 V4.
  
• Any of the 300-350cc retro bikes (RE 350's, Honda CB350, Yezdi Scrambler/Roadster).
  
• Suzuki 250's (VStrom SX250 , Gixxer 250 and Gixxer SF 250)
  
• KTM Duke 200 or Duke 250/250 ADV.
  
• Honda CB300R
  
  
  

[Axe77]

I think the CB 350 RS is a good bet. (Alternately other similar models from the Honda ~300/350 cc segment).

Great design, retro looks, utterly reliable, will be cheap to run and cheap to maintain (always nice features for a youngster / student), smooth, not overwhelming to drive for a newbie etc. It will not call upon needless mechanical intervention which you may not be experienced enough yet to have. Truly a fill it shut it kind of machine. Test ride to see if it appeals to you.

It will have decent levels of components as well from a safety perspective in terms dual channel ABS and Honda selectable torque control (traction control in plain speak) - all handy features especially for a newbie rider. The thing with going too far down on the power quotient on bike purchase is that they correspondingly also have lower segment components / safety assist features. I feel the CB 350 RS strikes a good balance of going up the CC segment a bit and getting the benefit of the superior tech but in a bike that will not “bite” and will be easy to adapt to.

Riding gear
I would say when you’re setting the budget for a bike, work towards choosing one which will leave you a decent sized budget for good quality gear. At a minimum that means a full face helmet, riding pants, riding jacket, gloves and some riding boots if possible.

Training
Invest in good quality riding training. I’ve been riding for 27 years now and I am still up for learning and training sessions on how to be a better rider.

Speak to folks like Top Gun (Vikrant, now based in Pune). He has great one day sessions where he teaches street riding techniques. I can’t recommend the value of that enough. I’m sure if you investigate you will find other options too. Feel free to DM me if you need his contact details.

[Sudarshan42]

My first motorcycle was a Gen 1 RE Thunderbird, had tons of fun on it. Don't worry about the weight of the motorcycle; the weight is something we all get used to, even if you drop it at low speeds once or twice early in your ownership. (I was a skinny dude, with mosquito bites for biceps) Get a bike that makes you smile, practicalities can follow later.

I'd recommend the Meteor 350 too, but the Hness 350 steps in with 3 vital improvements- traction control, for that developing right wrist (may not be necessary, even the Meteor has relatively lazy power delivery), lighter weight if it matters, and a light slipper clutch for ease of use in city traffic. Choose whatever makes you happy

[Indraneel Bhat]

@W16rocks - I am a proud owner of a Jawa 42 v2.1
If you are only worried about after sales, then I have not faced an issue as yet with Shakti Motors in Baner, Pune.
However since you are 5'10", I would not recommend the Jawa for you. Try the Yezdi Roadster. Of the 3 Yezdi models, this seems to be the most complete package and will suit your height and size as well.

If Jawa is not for you, then obviously the 2021 RE Classic 350 and the Honda 350 twins are the only options.
My only real advice is - TEST RIDE THE BIKES and your heart will tell you which one fits you. That's how I chose the Jawa when it was not even on my list.