Hello, I have been riding a TB350 for the past five years and have been happy with it for my regular work commute, city rides, and occasional long trips. Recently, I have started doing slightly longer intercity rides, and the bike feels underpowered. As you know, it struggles beyond 80 km/h and vibrations begin to set in. I am planning to upgrade to something that can comfortably cruise at 100–120 km/h when required (for overtaking or maintaining speed on a freeway where permitted). My natural instinct is to consider the current Meteor lineup, but I am unsure whether the vibration issue at higher speeds has been resolved. I am comfortable with the height, weight, and ergonomics of the Meteor (TB) series. Lately, the Harley X440 has also caught my attention, but I am wondering whether its higher cost justifies my needs and if it truly offers value for money. Please suggest a good cruiser similar to the Meteor 350, or in the same category, that can cruise comfortably at 100–120 km/h without vibrations or rider fatigue. Thank you.

Autocar India

•2d

You've test ridden many 300-400cc machines and have a good understanding of what you like or dislike in each machine, so that's a good place to start. We still believe that the Himalayan 450 is your best bet because aside from its weight (which you will learn to work around, over time) there are no significant drawbacks here. And this is not a case of settling for a machine with an innate flaw. Instead, riding the Himalayan 450 day in and day out, will automatically make you more cognizant of its weight and you'll start to manage your starts and stops better as well as improve your slow speed balance on the bike, given some time and a little bit of practice.We would also recommend you look at the Scram 440 because while this bike weighs as much as the Himalayan, it is a much shorter machine so its weight doesn't feel top heavy like the Himalayan. It has good highway legs up to 100-110kph and with long travel suspension and neutral ergonomics, it will be a good city commuter and highway mile muncher.Take a test ride of the Himalayan again and see if looking past its weight, is doable for you. Also spend some seat time aboard the Scram before you make a decision.

Autocar India

•1d

Both the machines you've shortlisted are great ones for commuting within Mumbai but have different characters. The Royal Enfield Classic 350's smooth thumper is known for its low-end torque and encourages you to ride in a relaxed fashion. Its seating posture and suspension comfort both are excellent at keeping the rider shielded from road imperfections and should be good enough for you. We'd also recommend you take a look at the Honda CB350 models if you want a similiar riding experience with a little less weight and clutch effort. If instead, you want a quicker and more modern-feeling machine, then the TVS Apache RTX 300 is a great option to consider. The RTX has a tractable engine but its smaller motor cannot be lugged around in higher gears like the Classic's engine can. However, the Apache has a much higher performance ceiling and a lot of electronic features (including a bidirectional quickshifter, from the Top variant onwards) if that sounds appealing to you.You should also consider the Hero Xpulse 210 because this bike has lovely suspension and upright, commanding ergonomics - both great attributes to tackle Mumbai's largely subpar roads. The Xpulse will be slower than the RTX but quicker than the air-cooled 350s and you can expect it to be the most fuel efficient of the lot, when ridden sensibly. A test ride of these bikes should help you decide which is the best fit for you.

Autocar India

•2d

Since you liked the Bullet 350 on your test ride, sticking with it for your next purchase would be a good idea. Inside the city, this Royal Enfield bike will return better fuel economy and will be easier to manage than the Himalayan 450, although the latter is unquestionably a more capable motorcycle. Coming to the Himalayan, this machine has a greater spread of abilities than the Bullet but there are trade-offs. Its size and heft may get tiring after a while, especially in staccato city traffic. And like you pointed out, the warmth from its radiator is also noticeable. However, we'd advise you to not write off the Himalayan because of some warm air. Ask yourself if you're willing to put up with this one trait to gain spades of comfort, capability and performance because the Himalayan genuinely has a lot to offer. Since you're browsing through the RE stable already, the Scram 440 is another machine that deserves your attention. It has more performance than the Bullet and its suspension is compliant too, making it a good city companion. Should you want to browse through the catalogue of other brands, Honda's CB350 is an excellent city bike too. With its smooth engine, light clutch action and comfortable seating position, the air-cooled CB makes for a good commuting partner too. A test ride of the Scram and CB350 would be our recommendation so you can make a more informed decision. Also, take another test ride of the Himalayan and pay deliberate attention to the heat you're feeling in traffic before you rule it out.

Autocar India

•2d

In the relaxed neo-retro space, you've already ridden the TVS Ronin and the Honda CB350 H'ness, that are two of the best bikes available in the class. We would also recommend you look at the Royal Enfield Bullet / Classic 350 because these bikes still remain the benchmark in the class, in our opinion. Especially since you've mentioned you're a heavier person and carry a pillion regularly. The Classic and Bullet both have lovely seating comfort, sorted suspension and neutral ergonomics. Pair that to a torque-rich engine and lovely fit and finish and you have a concoction that's hard to top - unless you're looking for more performance, that is. In that case, the 350cc Triumph Speed T4 makes a good case for itself although do bear in mind, it isn't as large a machine as the Honda bike or Royal Enfield 350s and could feel cramped for a larger rider as well as pillion. If you're open to considering ADVs, the Hero Xpulse 210 makes a compelling case for itself and will offer you more comfort and fuel economy than any of the machines listed above. Take a test ride of these bikes and compare them with your notes of previous test rides to see which one you like best before you make a decision.

Autocar India

•2d

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla comes with a 452cc engine, whereas the Triumph Scrambler 400 X now comes with a 349cc engine so its no surprise that the Triumph didn't feel as sprightly in comparison. However, for your usage, should you be willing to sacrifice some pep, the 350cc Scrambler 400 X is actually a great all-rounder. Especially since you're a novice and want to get into off-roading. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is a great bike but we'd advise you to not consider this bike, at least not if you plan to start your off-roading journey with it. At 196kg, the Himalayan is a heavy machine and with its fuel tank full, it also feels rather top heavy, which could get challenging for a beginner to manage at crawling off-road speeds. However, for city commuting and highway journeys, this Royal Enfield bike will be quite nice - its only off-roading where its weight will be a serious deterrent.The 350cc KTM 390 Adventure would be a good middle-ground option between the two aforementioned bikes - in theory, at least. Its lighter than the Himalayan and has more power than the Scrambler. A test ride should shed more light on whether this KTM bike is the one for you. Since you said you're looking to get into off-road riding, we'd be remiss if we didn't recommend the Hero Xpulse 210 to you. Now, the Xpulse is definitely a smaller and slower machine than all the machines listed above but if you genuinely want to hone your craft and get better at off-road riding, there's genuinely no better place to start than here. City commuting is another strength of the Xpulse, although on the highway, its engine feels a little stressed post 100kph. If you don't mind compromising on outright performance on the highway, then the Xpulse will be a good option for you. Some other benefits of choosing the Xpulse would be that it returns excellent fuel economy - much higher than all other options - and it costs much less to buy too.You need to evaluate your priorities and make an informed decision after test riding all three bikes. Best of luck!

Autocar India

•1d

Between 160 and 200 Duke models, we'd steer you toward the 200 Duke because it seems like you're looking for a fun machine and since you already have a bigger machine at home, the 160 could feel a little bland as time wears on. The 200 Duke has a rev-happy nature like the 160 Duke and with its added firepower, it makes for a good second machine, especially considering that the price difference between the two isn't all that large. If we're being honest, you should actually also take a look at the 250 Duke because it is a genuine step up over the 200 and if you're going to keep the bike for a while, go the whole hog and get something that will keep you entertained for a longer period. In our experience, we've found the latest-gen 250 Duke to be a sweet middle child of sorts in the KTM lineup, which offers everyday versatility with engaging performance when you want it. Over the 200 Duke, the 250 also doesn't cost a lot more and we'd recommend you stretch your budget if you can and get the quarter-litre Duke if you can.Take a test ride of the 250 Duke to see if you resonate with this KTM bike and then make your decision.