Questions And Answers – Round 1 (General)

Dear BikeAdvice reader! I am happy to let you know about a new feature that we have introduced in BikeAdvice. You may have already noticed a new link in the navigation bar – Ask A Question. Now you can ask questions regarding bikes to our experts and the answers would be published in our blog as the one below. Right now there are two categories namely Technical and General. Technical questions regarding the bike you own will be answered by Chinmay and General questions about what bike to buy, upcoming bikes etc will be answered by Saad.

We answer the questions in such a way that it is useful to all the readers and not just the asker. Here, I present you the first round of Q & A.

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1. I am planning to buy Scooty Pep+. As I know it is a nice scooter but some of my friends do not agree with me. So I just wanted to ask that please tell me the plus points as well as the minus points of Scooty pep+, along with the price and other details. – Deepika Sharma

Hi Deepika, Scooty has been a hot favorite among girls for quite sometime now. Recently TVS launched the upgraded Scooty Streak with the same engine and a few added features. No doubt Scooty is a good scooter but at this price point we would recommend the Honda Dio. Dio has a bigger engine, more power, smoother engine, better load pulling power and very good handling along with similar fuel efficiency. Scooty pep+ costs close to Rs. 40,000 with Dio being 2000 rupees dearer than the TVS.

2. I am looking forward to buy a 150cc bike. I am 167cm in height and I weigh 60Kgs with soft physique. I need a bike with good mileage, low maintenance, trouble free, stable at high speeds. It should also be vibe free and comfy for long rides .I have shortlisted Hero Honda Hunk, CBZ Extreme and Pulsar 150. Is hunk OK for me? Please give its mileage and other details. Are its mileage and quality less than that of Pulsar? I have also heard that Hunk gets off in rains. Is it true? – Doraswamy

Hi Doras, Pulsar 150: One good bike which has been recently revamped with goodies from bigger siblings. It comes loaded with the typical Bajaj goodies like digital meter console, Exhaustec, which helps in enhancing low and mid range torque for lesser gear shifts, Gas Charged Nitrox rear shock absorbers for a smooth bump free ride. Expect fuel efficiency to be between 45-50 Kmpl in city and above 55 Kmpl on long rides. Spare parts are also cheaper than the competition. It is priced around Rs 66,000 on road Pune.

CBZ Extreme & Hunk: Both these bikes share the same 150cc engine upgraded from Honda Unicorn, more powerful than Pulsar with better rideability in city traffics. Broadly speaking, apart from the looks, they are same machines in different clothes. Expect fuel efficiency to be a little less than Pulsar and they do not come equipped with digital goodies as well! They are priced around Rs 65,000 on road Pune. Hunk doesn’t have ‘getting off in rain’ issues!

Choose Pulsar if you are that hooligan type of a fellow who likes to have all the goodies and grunts from his bike. Choose Extreme/ Hunk if you want a sedate performer with little issues bothering you. We would also recommend you the Suzuki GS150R. It’s a complete package but service and spares are an issue as the company is expanding. Test ride these bikes and go for the one which you feel is more comfortable for you and do inform us about your choice.

3. Hi guys, I went through a couple of articles in your website and I find them really useful. Hats off to you.. you’ve done a really good job….I’m planning to buy a bike in a couple of weeks. My criterion are good performance and decent mileage. Should be good-looking as well. So, suggest me some good bikes. I’m looking for bikes with >= 125cc. A quick response would be really appreciated. Thanks. – Balaji

Hi Balaji, Thanks for your compliments! Since you have mentioned good performance as your prime criteria we would shortlist the following bikes for you.

• Apache RTR 160: The best performing machine in this segment (barring the Yamaha YZF R15),Looks good and expect the mileage figures to hover around 42-45kmpl in city riding. Negatives include irritating vibrations past 5000 rpm and very puny rear seat which probably is one of the most uncomfortable seats in India. Price : Rs 67,000
• Apache RTR 180: A sheer performance oriented 180cc bike. One helluva rev hungry bike which gives jitters to some bigger bikes in the market today when it comes to outright performance. Negatives remain the same as in Apache 160. Price: 72,000.
• Pulsar 180: At a tad over Rs 69,000 on road Pune, this bike is easily the best value for money in the market in this segment. For a complete comparo between Apache RTR 180 and Pulsar 180 2009 Edition please refer to our article: TVS Apache RTR 180 vs Bajaj Pulsar 180.

Our advice among these would be the Pulsar 180 if it is under Rs. 70,000 in your city else go for the Apache RTR 180.

4. Which one is a better choice between Bajaj Pulsar 180 and TVS Apache RTR 180 with respect to value? – Indrajit Das & Arul Prakash

Hi Indrajit/Arul, Please read our exhaustive comparo between Apache RTR 180 and Pulsar 180 2009 Edition and make an informed decision: TVS Apache RTR 180 vs Bajaj Pulsar 180

5. What is the difference between Hero Honda CBZ Extreme and Hunk? – Rishiraj Rana

Hi Rishiraj, Engines of both these bikes are exactly the same with exact power and torque outputs. Getting down to the smallest of points than Hunk becomes vibrating above 70 Kmph at above 6k rpm. Also the fuel efficiency of Hunk is just a tad lower than CBZ Extreme. Extreme has a slight advantage on the performance front as well whereas Hunk has Gas Charged Shock Absorbers at the rear whereas Extreme does with the tradition rear shock absorbers. Hunk is heavier than Extreme and has a better knee recess. Talking about practical aspects, both are similar bikes under different clothes.

6. When is Honda CBR 150 going to launch in India? – Anil

Hi Anil, There hasn’t been any official word from Honda as of now about the launch of CBR 150, so we cannot comment much about it but we do not expect the bike to be in the market within the coming 3-4 months. But yes a Karizma upgrade is definitely on the cards pretty soon.

7. I want to know the bikes that come in the range of about 1 lac, which are available in India and well can be used on Indian roads. – Kashyap

Hi Kashyap, Around 1 lakh, we have the following bikes in India

• Yamaha YZF R15 – Rs 1,10,000
• Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi – Rs. 90,000
• Royal Enfield Electra 5S / Machismo / Thunderbird Twin Spark – 1,00,000 to 1,11,000

All these bikes have totally different characters and all can be driven on Indian roads and hence is the reason they are here for sale.

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