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Jishnu Pranav

13w

I have very little experience with manual motorcycles and have only ridden scooters. I need a bike that I can handle easily, with low maintenance costs. I am considering the Hunter 350, Honda CB350 H'ness, Triumph Speed 400, and Yamaha XSR 155, but I’m open to other options that look good and ride well. I ride about 10-20 km per day with occasional long trips. Is it worth waiting for the upcoming Triumph 350?

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
12w

All the options you're looking at are really credible ones, but between them all, the Yamaha XSR155 makes the most sense. Since you have had little experience riding a geared motorcycle, something light, friendly, and easy to manage, like the XSR, is a safe choice.

 And because it shares a lot of its hardware with the proven Yamaha YZF R15 V4 and Yamaha MT-15 V2, it is bound to be reliable like its sportier siblings. 

Yamaha YZF R15 V4

Yamaha YZF R15 V4

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Latest questions people are discussing

DK

Dharmender Kaushik

5d

I want to buy a 125-150 cc bike. My height is 165 cm. I want it for the daily office commute. I want a bike with low seat height, not too high, with a refined engine, decent mileage of 45+ and with ABS.

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
14h

Pretty much every single 150-160cc commuter comes with at least single-channel ABS, so that won't be a deciding factor for you. Our top picks in this class are the Bajaj Pulsar N160 and TVS Apache RTR 160 4V if you want something sportier and feature-rich. If you want to stick to a simple, no-nonsense machine, then the Honda Unicorn remains a safe bet. If ridden sensibly, you should see in excess of 45kpl for all of these 150cc bikes.In the 125cc class, if having ABS is non-negotiable, then your options are restricted to the TVS Raider and Honda CB125 Hornet. Of these three, the TVS is our top recommendation. The 125s will be quite fuel-efficient, and you'll seldom see a mileage figure below 50kpl, no matter your riding style.You should first decide which segment you want to stick with and then take a test ride of the bikes accordingly before you make a decision.

TVS Raider
Bajaj Pulsar N160
TVS Apache RTR 160 4V
Honda Bikes Unicorn
Honda Bikes CB125 Hornet
RG

Ravi Ganesh

1w

I am a 42-year-old private company employee with a height of 5 ft 11 in and a weight of around 120 kg. I am looking to buy a reliable commuter motorcycle that can also be used occasionally for touring. My budget is around ₹1.5 lakh. Could you suggest a good bike that would suit my build, offer comfort, reliability, decent mileage, and low maintenance?

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
6d

Within your budget, you have three very different options you can look at - Yamaha XSR155, TVS Apache RTR 200 4V, TVS Ronin and Hero Xpulse 200 4V. The XSR is the least powerful but is also the lightest motorcycle here. It will also feel the sportiest to ride because its engine and underpinnings are derived from the popular Yamaha R15 and MT-15. The downsides of the XSR are that it is a rather petite motorcycle. For someone of large stature such as yourself, this will be a potential challenge, and its rear suspension is quite stiff. It can get uncomfortable over repeated bad patches. The Apache RTR 200 4V is another sporty roadster, and with its larger engine than the XSR, it will feel more at home at sustained higher speeds. Its suspension comfort and more spacious seats will also be helpful for your usage. The TVS Ronin is a relaxed roadster with its smooth and torquey engine and relaxed and neutral ergonomics. Also, plush suspension setup and relatively larger size - compared to the other two bikes here - the Ronin has the potential to be the most suited to your use case.Moving on to the Hero Xpulse 200 4V, this is the bike you should buy if you want to venture off-road on your long tours. It will have by far the most plush suspension of all the bikes here, although its on-road handling will leave you wanting once you pick up the pace. We'd recommend a test ride of all three before you make a decision. Also, do note that all four bikes are all slightly above Rs 1.50 lakh (your stipulated budget), within that amount, there's no credible option for your requirements.

Yamaha XSR155
TVS Apache RTR 200 4V
TVS Ronin
Hero MotoCorp Xpulse 200 4V

Posted on: 14 Dec 2025