[ramki.grandhi]

Hello fellow bikers, I’ve started looking for a motorcycle but I’m not a young like most of the members here. Could you please suggest me a motorcycle based on below requirements?

Little bit about me
1. Have decent budget, up to 5-6 lacs
2. Im 40 years old, full time dad, uncle etc.
3. Not well built, but recently joined gym and making slow progress.
4. Targeting to be fit by year end and reward myself with a bike.
5. I generally drive extremely careful and I've never broken a road law/rule. --> I've an official certification about this from my wife
6. I already have activa and xuv700

My requirements
1. Want to keep the bike for very long and pass it to my children in a decent condition
2. I’ve experience with 150cc bike during college days and till 30years age
3. Bike has to be free from rusting issues and must have good service support.
4. Not interested in crazy electronics and features.
5. There is no definitive use case for bike, but it should be suitable to shitty bangalore roads and ocassional short highway drives.
6. Should be easy to drive and not keen on aggressive driving posture.
7. Not interested in bikes that aren’t successful and may get discontinued. As I’m looking for long term.
8. "You don't need a new bike, bla...bla...bla..." --> this is not an acceptable suggestion. Because I already have family, friends and colleagues for this.

so far I’m keen on upcoming mt03, 390 adventure x, Honda cb350 series, 250 vstorm. Thank you very much eveyrone, based on suggestions I will start test drives soon.

[Proxima]

If your primary purpose is highway rides, you cant go wrong with a pre-owned Versys 650. you should be able to get a good example at the higher end of your budget. It's comfy, has more than enough power and is very reliable. Service isnt too expensive at good independent garages.

If your purpose is mixed between city and highway, I'd recommend the Classic 350 (or wait for the upcoming Bullet 350). They will be well within your budget.

The Himalayan 450 looks promising as well and should be able to do well both in the city and on highways.

The KTM Adventure 390 is good but the engine feels very vibey/rough.

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

5. I generally drive extremely careful and I've never broken a road law/rule.
My requirements
1. Want to keep the bike for very long and pass it to my children in a decent condition
....
3. Bike has to be free from rusting issues and must have good service support.
.....
6. Should be easy to drive and not keen on aggressive driving posture.
7. Not interested in bikes that aren’t successful and may get discontinued. As I’m looking for long term.

Among existing bikes, it has to be HONDA CB350 (decent volumes, timeless design, HONDAs last for decades, have low maintenance).

However, I would suggest you to wait upto 3rd July (for launch of Bajaj-Triumph motorcycle launch on 27th June and Hero-Harley motorcycle launch on 3rd July) before committing, just to avoid buyer's remorse.

[ramki.grandhi]

Originally Posted by Proxima

If your primary purpose is highway rides, you cant go wrong with a pre-owned Versys 650.

I will see if there is any Versys 650 in pre-owned market. Only reason i'm not keen towards pre-owned is, i want to keep the bike for long. So it makes sense to purchase new. And are you sure if new age REs can last long?

Originally Posted by ajay0612

However, I would suggest you to wait upto 3rd July (for launch of Bajaj-Triumph motorcycle launch on 27th June and Hero-Harley motorcycle launch on 3rd July) before committing, just to avoid buyer's remorse.

Sure, i will keep an eye on upcoming launches, thank you.

[aston_martyr]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

1. Have decent budget, up to 5-6 lacs
2. Im 40 years old, full time dad, uncle etc.
3. Not well built, but recently joined gym and making slow progress.
4. Targeting to be fit by year end and reward myself with a bike.
5. I generally drive extremely careful and I've never broken a road law/rule. --> I've an official certification about this from my wife
6. I already have activa and xuv700

My requirements
1. Want to keep the bike for very long and pass it to my children in a decent condition
2. I’ve experience with 150cc bike during college days and till 30years age
3. Bike has to be free from rusting issues and must have good service support.
4. Not interested in crazy electronics and features.
5. There is no definitive use case for bike, but it should be suitable to shitty bangalore roads and ocassional short highway drives.
6. Should be easy to drive and not keen on aggressive driving posture.
7. Not interested in bikes that aren’t successful and may get discontinued. As I’m looking for long term.
8. "You don't need a new bike, bla...bla...bla..." --> this is not an acceptable suggestion. Because I already have family, friends and colleagues for this.

so far I’m keen on upcoming mt03, 390 adventure x, Honda cb350 series, 250 vstorm. Thank you very much eveyrone, based on suggestions I will start test drives soon.

I am exactly in the same boat as you. -5 on the age.
All your conditions apply to me as well and i am looking at the following options
CB350's - have heard good things and the ride does seem comfortable for Bangalore roads based on the short test ride i have taken.
CB300R - waiting for the BS6 phase 2 launch, the reason i am looking at this is because of its super light weight and predominantly my usage will be within city and the bike can manage occasional highway runs without any issue. Japanese bikes are built to last and i have no worries in passing either one of these on to one of my family members down the line.
Maintenance is also light on the pocket, however spares availability is a question mark for CB300R is what i hear.
Suzuki Vstrom 250 - Have not test driven this but have been a pillion on a highway drive, it was okay but runs out of breath with 2 of us is what i felt.
Hunter 350 - Very good driver ergonomics, perfect for city drives as per my older sibling who has booked one recently. Yet to take a test drive on this one myself.
MT-03 - Waiting for it like everyone else.
As an afterthought i might consider a used CB500X/Versys 650 if the above mentioned options do not workout for me.

[raja_ys]

My suggestion would be as follows:-

Daily Commuter (Reliable and easy on pocket)
RE Interceptor 650
Honda Highness 350

Adventure Category (For long travels & a bit offroad)
KTM 390 Adv X
Moto Morini 650 Cape X

Trendy (Makes you feel younger)
Kawasaki Ninja 300
TVS Apache 310

[//R]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

Hello fellow bikers, I’ve started looking for a motorcycle but I’m not a young like most of the members here. Could you please suggest me a motorcycle based on below requirements?

First of all, kudos to your decision of getting back on a motorcycle after years. Not many would understand the feeling of freedom and escapism that a simple bike ride is capable of rendering. Good thing is the market is flooded with different types of motorcycles nowadays and we, as customers, are getting spoilt for choices. For your use case I'd highly recommend either a Adventure bike for a lot of favourable reasons. Comfortable ergonomics, good suspensions to tackle the worst of Indian roads, very good rider's triangle for an upright seating position, versatility of riding it in city or on highways and they tend to age well too.

Since you mentioned you're planning to get it by the end of this year as a reward for your fitness journey, I'd advice you to keep an eye out for a handful of ADV bikes coming out this year:

KTM is already pushing out a diverse set of variants for its Adventure series (both 250 and 390) and we might see a 890 as well.

The Bajaj-Triumph bike is almost ready. We'll have a good bunch of reviews and feedbacks within months of its launch.

The Himalayan 450 is just around the corner too. I own a 2020 BS6 and an upgraded engine & suspension setup are sure to fix most of its shortcomings.

However, if you aren't too convinced on the ADVs as yet, may I suggest you go take a look at the RE 650s as well especially the new Meteor 650. It's a very comfortable and punchy tourer IMO. A few people from my riding group have bought it and it seems to tackle rough patches on the road pretty well.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

Hello fellow bikers, I’ve started looking for a motorcycle but I’m not a young like most of the members here. Could you please suggest me a motorcycle based on below requirements?.

Hi, maybe these threads can help you:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...-urge-age.html (What bike at 40? What do you call this urge at this age?)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...uld-i-buy.html (Lack of parking space inspired a midlife crisis. What motorcycle should I buy?)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...r-old-guy.html (What 150cc motorcycle for a 49-year old guy?)

[ramki.grandhi]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Hi, maybe these threads can help you:

Wow, these threads are a gold mine. Thanks for sharing.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

Want to keep the bike for very long and pass it to my children in a decent condition

Hello Ramki, good to hear you want to get back to biking. 40 is nothing, so don’t make or think yourself to be old For any bike today, leaving it for your children is a tall ask.

You have a healthy budget, I would suggest a BMW G310 GS brand new. It’s well within your budget and should fulfil your conditions for a bike. Take a test ride and go ahead. Don’t go into the second hand zone unless you know what you are doing or have someone trusted who does and can guide you.

All the best, do update us on your progress.

Cheers

[sreejithkk]

I was in very similar situation like you were in, 7 months ago (albeit with a limited budget of 3 Lakhs) and eventually settled for Honda H'ness 350. It is a great bike but in city traffic, the frequent gear changes required is an issue. In retro bikes in 300 to 350 CC, if the riding is more in city or slow moving traffic , Classic Reborn would be a better option. Since you have a higher budget, adventure bikes like GS 310 etc also would be a conformable options. I am 188 cms tall and, when I test rode most of the bikes in and around 3L mars, I found the posture comfortable only on retro bikes and ADV bikes. For most of the street/sports bike, I found the riding ergonomics is a bit too committed.

[adnaps]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

Hello fellow bikers, I’ve started looking for a motorcycle but I’m not a young like most of the members here. Could you please suggest me a motorcycle based on below requirements?

At 40 you are young. I restarted riding at 50 and did Upper Mustang at 61 and continue to ride long distances.

Being fit is a good thing but you don't have to be extremely fit to ride.

As far as a bike is concerned there is no perfect machine. The rider needs to adapt to the machine and finding an ideal machine is not practical.

My suggestion is go for the bike which you think is good for now, experiment and change/modify as per your needs and outlook towards biking will change as you mature. If you really get into serious biking , you will outlive any bike you buy today .

As the Ad goes "Just do it "

[SidharthaN]

If you want a good all rounder in the ADV space, Xpulse 200 4v can be looked into. Power is less as per feedback you will receive from different users. IMHO it runs till 90 comfortably. In Indian roads that is high speed considering the traffic we deal with. In city it's great, light weight, superb suspension and ergonomics, a bit tall for 5 feet 8 inches, awesome mileage. Spares are not off the shelf, they have to be ordered even in NCR, and dirt cheap to buy the bike itself.
I also have a 2016 RE Thunderbird at 1,28,000kms on the odo. She is a charmer and keeper. I still use it for long distance runs of 3k and above. Now this is something I can hand down to my child, except I don't have any. Old bullets never die !
By the way I am 45. You can buy any bike but if not used properly will be a sitting duck in the garage. People are doing Ladakh on TVS 50 moped at 50+ age, so don't be confused, think about the usage, and fun can be extracted from any machine.

[KPR]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

7. Not interested in bikes that aren’t successful and may get discontinued.

Since you had mentioned this clause I have to type here 'Don't buy that Ducati lookalike Yezdi Yellow Scrambler'.
It depends on what style you love. Cruiser, adventure, naked, sports etc., Don't forget to TD Scram411 from RE..

[shancz]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

Want to keep the bike for very long and pass it to my children in a decent condition

That's a good thought but do you really think whatever you buy now will be attractive 10-15 years down the line ? And more importantly will the then NGT rules allow it to even exist, regardless of the condition ?
I don't think so and I would suggest to take it as it comes and not look too long into the future

Some points :
1. Keep the weight on the lower side, try not to cross 180kgs wet weight.
2. Classify the features into what makes your life easier and what doesn't.
3. Finalize which type(ADV/retro/street naked/cruiser) you prefer and take test rides to get a feel of things, especially on city roads.
The impression I get is that you want a no-nonsense and enjoyable street naked but I may be wrong.

My suggestion :
- Take the test rides for now and finalize on the type (point 3 above).
- Wait till the end of this year and we should have the Himalayan 450, XPulse 420 and their derivatives launched.