Need a motorcycle for a tall guy weighing 100kg for short city commutes

Currently I use a car but it is proving to be cumbersome. I have a Honda Activa too but it is very uncomfortable for me.

BHPian the_joker recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I'm 6' tall and weigh 100 kgs. So, I'm big and fat.

I will be using the bike for 20 km a day on weekdays in the city, plus 50km once or twice a week. Currently, I use a car for these activities, but the car is proving cumbersome because it takes a long time to park and walk to all my destinations. I plan to get the bike at the end of May.

I currently have a Honda Activa. I'm looking to buy a bike because:

• The suspension of the Activa is very bad. I get back pain if I need to go more than 2 km. It is also very short, so I need to bend which leads to more pain.
• Activa has no power. It is happy at 40 kmph. People travel at 60 kmph with occasional jaunts to 80 on the roads here. It is scary on the Activa when people whizz by.

I'm looking for (in order of preference):

• Good ride quality.
• Must be powerful enough to ride at 60 - 80 kmph all day.
• Upright riding stance, non-sporty bikes.
• Refined and vibe free at the above speeds.
• Nimble to ride in the city and not unnecessarily heavy.
• Budget up to 3 lakhs (Can relax 50k for very good bikes).

So, the questions I have are:

• Will a 125 cc bike (not counting KTM 125) be sufficiently powerful?
• Will a 150 cc class bike (not counting Yamaha R15) be sufficiently powerful or will I need to look at 200 cc and above?
• I shortlisted Shine, Unicorn, Xpulse, CB350/RS, Hunter 350, Classic 350, V-Strom SX for now. Any opinions on these? Should I add any other motorcycles to my shortlist?

Here's what BHPian AtheK had to say about the matter:

My vote for city riding will be very much towards Hunter 350, it's a great bike and very nimble too. One other bike that is missing from your list is Apache RTR and Ronin, great city bikes again.

Here's what BHPian neil.jericho had to say about the matter:

Purely from a ride quality perspective, you should be strongly looking at the Himalayan / Scram 411 and the BMW GS310.

Also, with your requirements, I would say skip the lower-capacity motorcycles and look at the 200 to 400 cc options.

Here's what BHPian shancz had to say about the matter:

A 125cc will do what you need it to do but strictly so. I would suggest getting something in the 150-200 range considering your weight. Plus the bike has to be large enough to comfortably accommodate you with room to spare.

Inputs

• CB Shine : not enough power
• Unicorn : suits your needs but quite old to buy in 2023
• 350s : why waste fuel on extra cc if you don't intend to use them? But if you like any, by all means, go ahead.

Suggestions : grouped by brands, to be test ridden

• Bajaj P150 : lacks dual channel ABS, comfortable and better FE expected.
• Hero XPulse 200T 4V : lacks dual channel ABS but has tubeless alloys over the tubed-spokes the 200 4V
• VStrom SX : seems like an overkill for your needs but you might end up liking it due to the higher seat and its benefits in traffic. Watch out for suspension stiffness.
• KTM 250 Adventure : since you're looking at the VStrom. Watch out for suspension stiffness.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.