Delhi

•46w

I own a V-Strom 650 with about 50,000 km since 2022. The bike is great, but it has a buzz and vibrations around 100 km/h that disappear after 120 km/h, yet I typically cruise around 100 km/h. I want to upgrade to a 1000cc+ bike for highway touring with a seat height under 835 mm. I am considering the Kawasaki Versys 1100 (2026), BMW XR, and the BMW R 1300 GSA. My priorities are long-term ownership, riding comfort on Indian roads (including routes like Spiti), ease of maintenance, and strong road presence. Please advise.

•46w

Between the three options you've considered, we'd advise picking between the Kawasaki Versys 1100 and the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure. These are powerful, comfortable, refined long-distance touring machines which will serve you well, although neither is going to be affordable to maintain.

The BMW S 1000 XR is a sportbike on stilts, and the 1000cc four-cylinder engine from BMW isn't the smoothest motor, so we'd advise you to look elsewhere.

If you're open to looking outside the ADV bike spectrum, the Ninja 1100SX makes a solid case as a road-going touring bike as long as you're mindful of the ground clearance over bad roads.

And if you're not hung up on having a '1000cc+' bike only, the Honda XL750 Transalp is a wonderful road-touring machine. It is friendly, approachable, refined and will be by far the most affordable to buy (even if you put the Africa Twin's tubeless rims, extra luggage and protective accessories) and maintain of the lot.

Try to take test rides of all the bikes listed here before making a decision.

Explore bikes mentioned

Kawasaki

Versys 1100

from ₹15.11 Lakh

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Ninja 1100SX

from ₹15.80 Lakh

•3w•

I am looking to upgrade from Himalayan 450 to bigger 1000cc bike which has long touring comfort for both my wife and me. Pillion comfort for long tour with comfortable seat and relaxed foot pegs are important to me. Also inline 4 cylinder and reliability along with service support matters. Also comparably less service cost in the segment is preferred. In my mind I have options like Kawasaki Versys 1100, Triumph Tiger 900, BMW 1200GSA and Honda Africa Twin. Which will be the ideal bike among them ?

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•18h

Kawasaki Z300 is launched in India at more than 3 lakhs. Do you think this makes sense and will people buy it?

•1w

Hi Autocar, I want to buy a bike. I'm 6ft tall and want something that won't cause leg or back pain. Which should I choose: the Honda Unicorn, Yamaha FZ V4, Yamaha XSR 155, or any other bike? Please advise.

•1d

The Honda Unicorn is a no-nonsense, reliable commuter which will serve you well and keep you comfortable. It is not the flashiest option in today's marketplace but will do the job, and do it well. If you want something just slightly flashier but similarly capable, the SP160 (the Unicorn's platform sibling) is a good alternative.If you want something a bit sportier, then the Bajaj Pulsar N160 SS is a good option to look at. It is still comfortable and fuel-efficient like a commuter should be, but packs in more features and a dash of sportiness. Take test rides of these options before making your decision.

Hi Autocar Team, I currently own a 2021 Hero Super Splendor. The most annoying aspect of my bike is its gearbox, which frequently experiences missed shifts and false neutrals. A few months ago, I decided to upgrade to a 160cc motorcycle. However, my neighbour recently bought a Hero Xtreme 125R, and it seems to have similar gearbox issues. Why has Hero been unable to provide a consistently smooth gearbox experience? If I upgrade to the Hero Xtreme 160R, am I likely to face the same issues? Please advise.

•1d

On most Hero motorcycles, as you've pointed out, the gearbox is quite notchy & lacks a snick, precise feel. While we can't comment on why the company has been unable to solve this issue, we can say that the latest Xtreme 160R 4V doesn't seem to suffer from this issue - at least our experience from the first ride event tells us that it doesn't. We'd recommend you get an extended test ride of the bike to properly try it out before going ahead with your purchase, or look at alternatives like the Bajaj Pulsar N160 or TVS Apache RTR 160 4V.

Hero MotoCorp Xtreme 160R 4V

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Popular discussions right now

•2d

Hi, I am planning to purchase the new Dominar 400 (350) but since Bajaj is rolling out a new 5-inch TFT, Golden USDs and new colors in the bike, I am waiting for its update. Do you think that it is worth waiting for? What could be the expected launch time for the updated Bajaj Dominar 400 with the new 5-inch TFT?

•1d

It is reasonable to expect that the latest slew of updates to Bajaj's motorcycles will eventually make their way to the 350cc Dominar 400, although the brand has made no indication towards this actually being the case. Its platform sibling, the Pulsar NS400Z, recently received this same update as well. If you are planning to purchase the Dominar, we'd recommend you go ahead with your decision because there's no confirmed information regarding when the bike will receive these features and you could potentially be looking at rather a long wait.

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