Already own 3 bikes: Need advice on buying a 4th bike for daily commute

This bike is primarily going to be used by me for the daily office commute and occasional luggage lugging during any modelling gigs I get.

BHPian Nayra recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Greetings! a long time lurker here, like 13 years long time. Grew up sitting beside my dad as he browsed the site when I was 9 and now I am the 22 year old browsing as his dad sits and watches beside him.

Well let me start off by giving some context to you all. We have always had a bunch of vehicles numbering close to absurdity, though Covid-19 hit my dad’s collection hard and we ended up selling a lot of them off but things have changed and now we need another two-wheeler. Why? well for one our total daily usage between my dad and I is pretty high, almost 100+ km per day minimum and can be as high 200km and the bikes we do possess right now are not really economical. Let me elaborate.

We currently own:

• Kawasaki Ninja 300: Exclusively used for highway runs.
• Yamaha RX100: A legacy piece with over 1.5 lakh km on the odo. Not used much owing to old age and has been mostly retired from service
• Aprilia SR150: The daily work horse and honestly the only bike which can be used daily.

As you can see, the less I say about the mileage we get from our vehicles the better and when my dad takes the SR150, I am forced to ride the Ninja around in Bangalore traffic which is about as horrendous as it sounds.

So here is our conundrum. We need a bike, a scooter, anything with two wheels and an engine and the major requirements are that:

It has to be robust, reliable and really REALLY good mileage.

This bike is primarily going to be used by me for the daily office commute and occasional luggage lugging during any modelling gigs I get. I am tired of getting a mileage in the 20s and want something different for once.

We have been looking around the entry level commuters for example Splendor, Platina etc and scooters like the Activa and Access but the sheer number of options coupled with the lack of solid reviews regarding the bikes in this space have left us confused.

There you have it! Any thoughts and suggestions?

Here’s what BHPian nitro.100bhp had to say on the matter:

Check out the Suzuki Burgman. My 3 yr old scoot has been ultra reliable except once during covid time I changed oil at a shell pump and they cross threaded the bolt and there was some oil leak, fixed it at the auth service centre for peanuts. Another time a rubber tube going from air filter to carb had a little tear and it won’t start. Fixed for under 20 buks.

It’s super comfy due to the stretched out position, can put your legs forward like a cruiser and this ensures you don’t slide forward under braking. I fill up the tank and forget for about 2 weeks. My running is not so high but still I guess it gives between 50-60 kpl. Rear suspension is hard but so are all scoots with small wheels. For outright comfort and efficiency and for blore’s amazing roads id suggest xpulse 200, nothing comes close. Fix a top box and you have an unbeatable, practical and comfy commuter.

Newer Burgmans come with fi and Bluetooth with turn by turn nav. Not so keen on the BT but fi will ensure zero cold starts and even better performance and mileage than mine.

All the best.

Here’s what BHPian Starkiller had to say on the matter:

Here are a bunch of options that come to mind:

• Raider 125 – Good bike. Period.
• Aerox 155 – It’s liquid-cooled, has a CVT transmission, and is a Yamaha so good looks as well as reliability. Besides, people have even done intercity rides with this little monster and come out very happy. The only con I can think of are its stiff suspensions.
• MT-15 – The Aerox’s streetnaked brother, this one is also a looker while being a reliable workhorse. It is very good for highway runs as well, and I honestly can’t think of any con at this point. Yes, Yamaha.
• Hornet 2.0 – I own this one and it is pretty much tuned for the city. It’s got great mileage, great torque even at lower revs, and is a Honda, so you’ve got reliability right there. The negative is that given this was not a part of Honda’s BigWing line-up, getting it serviced can be taxing on the person’s patience because you’ll be stuck behind a long line of commuters that are there to be serviced before you. Also, stiff suspensions.
• TVS Ronin – Very tractable motor, very comfortable ergos, fat handlebar with adjustable brake lever (to the best of my knowledge). From what I’ve heard, it has good mileage too but can’t confirm about that. It is also very good for luggage lugging.
• Xpulse – Very good off-roader, can function well in the city as well. Tall and comfy seating position.
• Hunter 350 – Kind of obvious. Extremely VFM, has great torque, and the J-platform is kind of like a modern ol’ reliable at this point. Besides, the Hunter is a very pretty boi.

Other options – Duke 200 (even though it is often the choice of squids), Duke 250, Scram 411, Gixxer 150 and Gixxer 250, Dominar 250, the RTR 4Vs (160 and 200). All of these will give you good mileage and good to great reliability. However, I will always be a bit biased towards the Yamahas despite being a Honda fanboy.

Here’s what BHPian WhiskeyTangoFox had to say on the matter:

My thoughts would be to get a bike over a scooter any day if your commute extends beyond 10km per day. They are infinitely more comfortable and you can figure out storage on a bike vide the many solutions (top box etc).

My suggestion would be to pick the TVS Ronin. My friend who commutes around 40km per day in BLR traffic, averages 40-45kmpl mileage. For storage you can get a top box/panniers and this would make for a great city motorcycle and an occasional touring motorcycle as well.

Here’s what BHPian ToThePoint had to say on the matter:

Considering that you also need to haul luggage along with fuel efficiency consideration, it would be best to stick to scooter. You can have a look at Honda Activa, Suzuki Access or Yamaha Fascino.

Or if you can use your existing Aprilia when you need to carry luggage, you can look at bikes like Honda Livo/Shine or Hero Splendour/Passion.

All are pretty fuel efficient, especially the bikes and won’t pinch your pocket .

Take a test ride and decide.

Keyword: Already own 3 bikes: Need advice on buying a 4th bike for daily commute