Delhi

•49w

I am 5 ft 11 in tall and currently own a 2018 Dominar 400. I plan to upgrade to a Bear 650 for my daily commute of about 60 km each way to an office on the Outer Ring Road. I am attracted to the Bear 650’s performance but am concerned about maintenance costs. Please advise whether the Bear 650 is the best choice, and suggest other 650 cc bikes with lower maintenance.

•44w

We would advise you to look at other options than the Royal Enfield Bear 650 because we found the rear suspension to be very stiff in our time with it. This means that on less-than-perfect city roads, your back will bear the brunt of the bumps, which won't be ideal given your long daily commute.

Instead, we would recommend you look at the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 because it has much better suspension comfort and will have exciting performance while also fitting in your price range.

If your heart is set on a 650cc bike, then the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is the best bet for city use with its supple suspension, neutral ergonomics and creamy smooth engine.

Take a test ride and decide before you buy.

Explore bikes mentioned

Royal Enfield

Himalayan

from ₹3.31 Lakh

Royal Enfield

Bear 650

from ₹4.03 Lakh

Royal Enfield

Interceptor 650

from ₹3.66 Lakh

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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?

•2d

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.

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•2d

I have been riding a RE Hunter 350 for the past 4 years and love its low-end torque and relaxed city character. However, I hope that it brings back the lightweight, punchy, "zingy" thrill of the old Yamaha RX 100/135. I have shortlisted KLX230 and have taken it test ride in Bengaluru on broken, waterlogged, pothole-filled roads and have thoroughly enjoyed it. The S variant wasn’t available for me to try. I enjoyed the deltabox/VVA engine of XSR155. Is it worth modding W175 to US LTD look? Dealer says it is off sale. SR250 fits my aesthetics, but I have doubts about its reliability and long-term ownership. Also, does a dual-sport or a light street bike like the XSR 155 make the ultimate garage companion to a Hunter 350? Is it worth holding out for/modding the W175 or trusting Keeway. Also, do the Yamaha/Kawasaki dual-sports beat them out-of-the-box for raw, lightweight fun?

•1d

Since you already have a Hunter, getting another road-oriented bike will give you largely the same experience and we'd recommend choosing a different form factor to broaden your horizons. From your shortlist, the Kawasaki KLX230 (and the lower seat height & suspension travel 'S' version) will be the best fit for your two-bike garage. In that same vein, we'd also recommend Honda's new XR300L & XR300 Rally because they will have similiar capability as the KLX but are far more affordable and will likely have a small performance edge owing to their larger-capacity motors. Once you're able to test ride the XR300s, pick between these & the KLX for your next purchase.

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•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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