I have low back listhesis and ride about 80-100 km per week. The roads I use have potholes and rough patches. Please suggest a smooth bike that won’t aggravate my back. I’m 52 years old.

autocar.india

•2d

Since you have had a long and drama-free stint with your Shine, the logical next step to make would be the Honda Unicorn. For your use case, which is mostly inside the city with short weekend leisure rides, the Unicorn makes for a good fit. It will offer a noticeable step up in performance and comfort compared to the Shine with only a small drop-off in fuel economy. The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 is lovely if you want a relaxed bike with new-age reliability and old-school feel, but since you have mentioned you are on the slimmer side of the spectrum, its weight could be a problem at slower speeds and its fuel economy will also be noticeably lower.If your landlord and the building you reside in, don't have a problem with you installing a charging solution at home, you can consider electric scooters like TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak, Ather Rizta and Vida VX2. If not, stick with a petrol-powered bike for now.To decide between the Unicorn and Bullet, we'd recommend a test ride of both since they are very different machines.

autocar.india

•5d

Thank you for your appreciation. We will continue to keep putting out content that resonates with the public at large.Coming to your query, it will be the Royal Enfield Classic 350, which will be the better machine than the Meteor for your usage, and it all comes down to how you sit on the bike. On the Classic, you're sitting higher and in a more upright position with your knees at an almost 90-degree bend going down to your feet. This is the sort of riding position that distributes weight evenly across your joints, which, over bad roads and on longer journeys, will feel more comfortable overall. Whereas, on the Meteor, most of your body weight is on your tailbone owing to the position of the footpegs and handlebars. This means that over road imperfections, most of the shock will be transmitted to your spine, which isn't a pleasant feeling.Take test rides of both to see if you resonate with what we are saying, and then go ahead with your purchase.

autocar.india

•5d

Between the 350cc versions of the Triumph Scrambler 400 X and the KTM 390 Adventure, we'd recommend you pick the Scrambler over the Adventure. It is the easier bike to use in tight city traffic and is also a good highway bike. The 350cc 390 Adventure has a noticeable amount of vibration at all touch points and below 7,000rpm feels quite mellow - especially if you've ridden the 398cc version prior to this. You could also choose the 398cc variants of the KTM bike and get more performance at a significantly higher price if that's what you prioritize. Do bear in mind that inside the city at slower speeds, the big windscreen on the 390 Adventure models really blocks a lot of cooling air coming toward you and if you spend a lot of time in this situation, then it will get uncomfortable. Take test rides of both bikes to see which one you find easier to live with before you go ahead with your purchase.