Welcome to BikeAdvice again. Here I come back with the 17th round of Question and Answers. Hope you have a good time reading through and I wish our comments come handy when you finally zero in on the bike of your choice.
I would also like to thank everyone who has written to us. I apologize to everyone whose questions have not been included in this round and urge them to write back to us again. For any further queries and questions you can revert back to me at saad {at} BikeAdvice.in. Keep writing and happy reading!
1) Sir I want to buy a new bike in Hyderabad. I am confused whether to buy a passion or Honda shine i had booked a shine but the waiting period is 45 days some of my friends said me that shine will shake in speed and don’t have better look and don’t have good mileage too when compare to passion where I have to continue with a decision to buy a shine or i have to shift to passion will u plz suggest me and send me a mail I will be thankful to u. –SHAHED
BikeAdvice: Hi Shahed, Shine is a better bike than Passion for almost all the practically worth considering factors apart from fuel efficiency (which is obvious). Passion, simply put, is overpriced. Shine doesn’t ‘shake’ under higher speeds. In fact it is capable of better speeds (along with ease of riding) and more stable than Passion. Looks is a personal choice. Fuel efficiency of Passion is slightly better since it is a smaller engine and low on power. Expect 65-70 kmpl from Passion and 62-67kmpl from Shine. Our suggestion would be to simply keep your booking and rest assured you are buying a better and more value for money bike out of the two!
2) How is Mahindra rodeo? Does it have high maintenance cost and bad mileage? — CHITRA
BikeAdvice: Hi Chitra, Mahindra Rodeo is one of the most nimble and swift scooters in the market at the moment due to its better power to weight ratio. It is lighter and hence apt for girls, easier to handle – both while riding and while parking. It comes loaded with very good and useful features along with a big boot (space) to keep your luggage under the seat. Maintenance would be regular and not a bother if you take proper care of your scooter but yes it needs little more care than the Honda Activa/Suzuki Access. Expect fuel efficiency around 35-40 from the scoot under our kind of city driving conditions. Whether you should buy it? Our answer: Definitely Yes. And then take good care of it, rest assured it would take you places without much ado.
3) a) I want to buy ss125 bike from Yamaha next month, could you please give details about the bike’s engine, performance and mileage. – MANISH KUMAR
b) I would like to know a review about Yamaha SS125 (Gladiator). I am planning to buy it. — Ashwanth
BikeAdvice: Hi Manish & Ashwanth, Recently Yamaha stopped their Gladiator and relaunched it under a different badge –SS125 for reasons best known to them. It is a 125cc 11 ps bike which is capable of producing 10.4 Nm of decent torque. Performance of this bike is pretty impressive and the engine is pretty refined as well. Expect it to return 60 kmpl to every liter of fuel. Overall a decent bike with good offerings at its price point.
4) I am planning to buy Hero Honda Pleasure. I would like to know from you if I would be a good decision. What is your opinion about Flyte. I am looking at these vehicles basically because they are comparatively lighter. – GURU DUTT
BikeAdvice: Hi Guru Dutt, Pleasure is one decent scooter in the market with the same Activa’s earlier 102cc refined engine. It has pretty decent pulling power and good ride quality. But one good factor which tilts in its favor is its price which makes it the lowest priced Honda 100cc engine. Flyte/Rodeo are very fine scooters from Mahindra. They definitely have much more agility and the ease of riding them in traffics makes them better (than pleasure) on roads. Downsides (of Rodeo/Flyte) include higher upfront cost as compared to Pleasure (which is obvious since you are buying a bigger and more powerful engine), lesser fuel efficiency by almost 3-5kmpl (Pleasure: 40 kmpl, Flyte/Rodeo: 35-40kmpl), more attention and care and not so widespread spares and sales network. If you want a hassle free scooter Pleasure it has to be. But if you want a more powerful and scooter which would be easier on roads, Rodeo/Flyte it would be
5) Hi suggest me a bike between apache 180rtr, Yamaha FZS, Bajaj avenger
I am 5’11” well built. Budget upto 80k. I want looks comfort and a descent mileage. pls help. – SUVIR SINGH
BikeAdvice: Hi Suvir, All the 3 bikes you mentioned belong t different segments. Apache RTR 180 is a performance sports machine, FZS is one handsome looking young naked streetfighter city bike and Avenger a big 220cc cruiser bike. At your height and built you might feel a little cramped on the Apache. We would suggest the Avenger 220 to you. It has been recently upgraded to the 220cc engine borrowed from Pulsar 220 albeit under a lower tune. The improved power and more importantly torque seems tailor made for your kind of well built physique and provide the bike with enough ammunition for a plusher ride. It is the most comfortable bike of the lot with one of the best cushioned seats. Being a cruiser, it would also provide you ample amount of room to stretch your legs. Expect fuel efficiency to linger around 30-35 kmpl under our kind of busy city rides. A little ‘different’ among the normal sports commuters, Avenger also has pretty good road presence.
6) I want to know practical riding review of Suzuki sling shot. — PANKAJ
BikeAdvice: Hi Pankaj, We have already posted a road test of SlingShot. Please check out for that. It would clear majority of your doubts/points about the bike. In summary, SlingShot is a nice little practical 125cc bike which compromises a little on power and is a little conservative in looks but that is all! It returns pretty good fuel efficiency figures in the range of 65kmpl, does all the jobs it is put to with assurance. And most importantly, Slingshot is the lowest priced bike in its segment which provided this bike a fantastic value for money factor.
7) Plz tell me when KTM will launch there dirt bike in India with Bajaj or some other co. – ROHIT MALIK
BikeAdvice: Hi Rohit, KTM and Bajaj are working on the little nitty-gritties of the alliance and studying the market. A few KTM prototypes have been spied while testing around Pune. The latest buzz is that KTM would be launching the 200 Duke for us, the Indians. If this is the bike which finally makes into our market, rest assured it would be a revelation. We expect the bike to be producing more than 20 horses which, with a low weight would render a grand power to weight ratio. The bike would be manufactured in Bajaj Auto’s Chakan Plant in Pune. No official word from Bajaj or KTM has been made regarding the launch in India. We expect the Austrian fire crackers to be on Indian roads by the end of 2011.
8.) Hello Sir I m buying pulsar 180cc. Please tell me is it good or not and how can I maintain it for getting good average. — ROHIT
BikeAdvice: Hi Rohit, Pulsar 180 is one of the best and most balanced bikes from Bajaj’s stable. You get best of both the worlds – power and fuel efficiency and good pricing comes as an icing. Its latest iteration is pretty smooth and vibration free. Expect the bike to return fuel efficiency figures of over 40kmpl under typical city conditions. Take good care and service the bike regularly at authorized/ reputed service stations (in front of you). Change engine oil on a regular basis. Use good quality of fuel. Read and follow the owner’s manual carefully. Rest assured your bike would run in pristine condition for years altogether.
9) I am planning to buy a bike. Which bike should i go for. I like the bike Karizma and Thunderbird. In the both two which one will have a good performance. I want to know the advantages of both the bikes. Pls let me know. – KARTHIK NATARAJAN
BikeAdvice: Hi Karthik, Both the bikes are completely different in character, where Karizma is a sports commuter, Thunderbird is a cruiser bike. If you consider straight line ability as ‘performance’ than Karizma is faster than Thunderbird. However, if you want a real thumpy machine which can pull heavier pillions (or even single) with absolute aplomb without the need of frequent gearshifts, Thunderbird it is. First make up your mind as to what exactly are you looking for. Karizma needs relatively lesser care than a Thunderbird and is more refined. Thunderbird is a little raw in nature but that ‘rawness’ is what provides it a real character. Thunderbird will also need more care but is more attention seeking than Karizma. Fuel Efficiency of both the bikes are almost similar (in the range of 28-32 kmpl). Take a pick!
10) I m planning to buy a 250-300cc bike. Which is the best bike for me. I like Ninja250 as well as cbr250 or Mahindra mojo? — JIM
BikeAdvice: Hi Jim, Only Ninja is available in the Indian market for sale currently. Neither CBR nor Mojo has made it to the market yet. Let the bikes come first then we can compare between them. However, let us also keep you informed that Ninja would be one up against these bikes as it is a twin cylinder, more powerful and acclaimed bike. If money is not an issue, simply go for a Ninja right now.
– Answers by Saad Khan
