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BouncyJellybean
BouncyJellybean
Thoughtworks

Which two wheeler should I buy?

29M here. I live in 4km radius of my workplace and have previously enjoyed living in 2km & 180m radius of my workplace in HSR. I’ve been in Bangalore(HSR) for 6+ years and have never needed to own a vehicle(thanks to Ola/Uber/Rapido, BMTC, Bounce, Vogo, Yulu, Drivezy, and a couple of friends). I often walk back from office as time consumed by bus+wait time = walking back home+5mins. Besides busses are a bit unreliable & often too crowded. I used to work in a startup so I had very little free time to venture out & I’ve been very frugal with money even though I have decent income. I’m fully I’ve always lived way under my means like a tech-bro. 🥲

I’m now willing to purchase one for office commute & to enjoy some solo trips as I might get married by next year. I sort of feel not owning a vehicle(preferably car) could be a potential red flag for the girl(&her judgemental parents; AM sucks, lol) but I’m planning to hold off a car as my commute time(&⛽️₹) will increase and buy a working scooty/bike which can sort of ferry me quickly and cheaply to local meet-ups, relatives’ homes for free food/celebrations. I feel I might miss out on crucial contacts, awesome learnings & above all time(the most expensive resource) if I don’t own a reliable 2wheeler.

Two wheeler expectations:

  • comfortable city driving; expecting to not ride more than 20km/day(Scooty wins here hands down as I have a decent place to throw in the laptop bag and keep my spine straight)
  • okay road trips for maybe once every two months(sports bikes rule here, no gf sadly🥲)
  • low servicing overheads(rules out 2nd hand vehicles, as 2nd hand vehicles as they are expected breakdown more frequently & recurring servicing cost) (EVs win here, until🔋😒)
  • as low cost of ownership+purchase as possible (basic bikes like Pulsar/Platina could be a good choice, Ather 450 gets booted out as it’s ₹1.6L)
  • likely not an EV(coz once a while I’d like to hit the highways & I hate surprises so no Ola)

Please guide me peeps🙏

17mo ago
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ZestySushi
ZestySushi
Amazon17mo

For ICE scooters, TVS Jupiter 125 wins hands down.

  • largest under seat storage (fits 2 half face helmets / medium laptop bag)
  • longest seat (you'll have separation between rider and pillion) . Nice digital + analog instrument console . Although suspension not as soft as Jupiter 110 (I haven't tried adjustments though)
BouncyJellybean
BouncyJellybean
Thoughtworks17mo

Thanks, I’ll add get a test drive for it. Is the servicing good? I’ve been to Honda service center and it almost sucks up 1hour to drop the vehicle.

ZestySushi
ZestySushi
Amazon17mo

I've owned 2 Honda Activas (1st and 2nd gen) before coming to 2 TVS Jupiters (110 and 125), and I can say service experience is equivalent. It depends more on the city / part of city where service centre is located

DancingLlama
DancingLlama
Bosch17mo

Since I work in the 2 wheeler industry let me throw in some perspective.
-Ride quality + comfort + least maintenance : go for Yamaha entry level bike or scooter. Honda is close second. Whatever floats your boat and riding hunger. Only advantage would be your wife can drive the scooter later.

-EV: low running cost + very good ride quality + dashboard tech (map navigation + call receiving) + great torque and power delivery. Only Ather qualifies here. Rest are still in learning + development phase. Downside for EV: arranging the charging infra + range anxiety + battery will have to be replaced some years down the line so drastic drop in resale value as well.

-ICE : good part is there is a definite distinct feel to riding an ICE + geared vehicle which I suppose you ain’t much inclined for looking at your expectation list. So you can go for a entry level bike between 100-160cc.

You would still have to put aside between 1-1.3 lakh (on-road) so better buy a long term bike so that you can still carry on riding your 2 wheeler in Bangalore traffic + get a car later on which your wife can use for her office. Bangalore traffic bike riding in current infra situation demands regular maintenance so better go for reliable + good handling experience bike/ scooter.

Go with your gut feeling bro. Let us know what you zeroed in later on.
Cheers

SparklyBoba
SparklyBoba
MPL17mo

I am probably in the same boat. have been holding out buying a vehicle, which yamaha bike would you suggest?

DancingLlama
DancingLlama
Bosch17mo

If you looking for entry level bike, eyes closed go for FZ 150cc variant. Need power? Take the 250cc version. Suzuki bikes are also good if you want to explore more.
I went without needing a service for 1.5yrs without going to the service centre so I can vouch for Yamaha built and reliability.

PerkyMarshmallow
PerkyMarshmallow
Razorpay17mo

TVS is releasing a fab new bike on 23rd. Wait for it.

CosmicLlama
CosmicLlama
Freelancer17mo

No EV.... that's a good decision.

BouncyJellybean
BouncyJellybean
Thoughtworks17mo

Honestly I love Ather’s design, feels and the smart features(I hope it’s not paywalled) but EVs have a long way before they go mainstream & battery tech seems uncertain tbh. If Ather had more range and clarity about battery life I’d have not even thought about buying Activa.

WobblyPancake
WobblyPancake
Dukaan17mo

Buy a TVs heavy duty mopet

BouncyJellybean
BouncyJellybean
Thoughtworks17mo

I have money in Yulu app for this 😅

SquishyNoodle
SquishyNoodle
Stealth17mo

Jupiter 125 hands down. No comparison.

MagicalBagel
MagicalBagel
Walmart17mo

Pretty satisfied with avenis so far. 48kmpl mileage, 90kmph top speed, relatively maintenance free.

Since you mentioned highway trips, perhaps you could consider ntorq

SqueakyJellybean
SqueakyJellybean
Hindalco Industries17mo

Got a Suzuki Access 125 recently. Least wait time + cheap. It was just 4k over Jupiter 110. Ntorq or Burgman if you're going to hit the highway.

GroovyBoba
GroovyBoba
Goldman Sachs17mo

get a platina

PrancingKoala
PrancingKoala
Hindustan Times17mo

TVS Raider, Amazing bike with sporty look...
50+ milaga

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