I travel around 40km daily to the office on bumpy roads and have started experiencing back strain. Could you suggest a comfortable bike? My height is 175cm, my weight is 105kg, and my budget is ₹2-4 lakh.

Autocar India

•2d

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is one of the most sorted single-cylinder adventure bikes on sale, and aside from its portly kerb weight and large size, there are few drawbacks with this machine. It has excellent seating and ride comfort, a grunty engine, a plethora of official accessories, and RE's service network is one of the widest in the country. If you can make your peace with its size, the Himalayan is a hard machine to fault realistically, for most use cases.Today, KTM India will sell you a 390 Adventure with both 349cc and 399cc engines, and the price difference between the most affordable and most expensive model is over Rs 1 lakh. The 350cc 390 Adventure is a capable long-distance machine, and you won't miss the drop in outright peak power too much, especially if this is your first 300cc+ machine. The 399cc models are, of course, packing in better performance, and the higher variants even come with more adjustable and longer travel suspension. Owing to its lighter weight, the KTM is more lively than the RE in the twisties and is also easier to manage at slower speeds inside the city. Do bear in mind that no matter which version of the 390 Adventure you choose, you'll have to make your peace with some amount of vibration because these aren't the most refined bikes in today's market. Coming to the Norton Atlas adventure models, with their 585cc, twin-cylinder motors. These bikes are sure to be in a different segment when compared to the single-cylinder 350-400cc machines listed above. No realistic comparison between them would be a fair or straightforward one, and it's better to cross-shop the Atlas with the Honda NX500, Kawasaki Versys 650 and BMW F 450 GS - if at all. We're yet to ride and evaluate the Norton Atlas models, and even if they launch this year, it would be a wise move to wait at least 6 months - if not more - before investing in a brand-new platform from a new brand which has yet to establish a comprehensive presence in the Indian market.

Autocar India

•6d

Since you travel long distances every day, comfort should be near the top of your wishlist and under Rs 4 lakh, the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is the king of comfort. With your purchase, you can also bundle in the cross-spoke rims (priced at Rs 16,000, which is quite fair for what you're getting), which will give you the peace of mind of running tubeless tyres as well. The Himalayan's only major drawback is its large size and heavy weight, which can get bothersome for shorter riders.If you're looking for something more manageable, then bikes like the TVS Apache RTX 300 and 350cc KTM 390 Adventure are good options to consider. Both are comfortable, have gutsy performance and should return decent fuel economy too, while being easier to manage due to their low kerb weights. If you don't resonate with an adventure bike, then the 350cc Triumph Scrambler 400 models offer a good compromise with the plush suspension comfort you need, with more appealing style and less bulky bodywork.In case you decide you don't want to be at the upper limit of your budget, then neo-retro roadsters like the Harley-Davidson X440 T, 350cc Triumph Speed 400 / Speed T4 and Honda CB350 models are worth considering. These bikes have great comfort levels and will also return better fuel economy. Considering the very different nature of these bikes, take a test ride of all to be sure which one would be the right fit for you.

Autocar India

•1d

In the electric scooter segment, the TVS iQube and Bajaj Chetak models are hard to go wrong with, and no matter which one you choose, you're likely to end up with a safe purchase which will safely last you many years. Coming to issues with using the iQube during the monsoon, you're unlikely to have any - this is a scooter that has proven its mettle over the past 6 years that it has been on sale. The base 3.5 variant of the iQube in your shortlist, has a 650W charger as standard and it should be sufficiently quick for most daily needs. Its a similar story with the Bajaj Chetak. Any unfortunate battery issues you face will be covered under warranty and even so, these instances are few and far between, not widespread occurrences. The Chetak 3503 also has pretty quick charging times, with the Bajaj website stating a 3hr25min duration for a 0-80 percent top-up, which should be more than enough for your daily needs. Hero's Vida VX2 has come onto the scene relatively later but judging by the fact that these have started to become a fairly commonplace sighting on our roads, the market seems to have given it a good response. We'd recommend a visit to each scooter's authorized dealership and take thorough test rides to ensure you cover every aspect before you make your decision.