Looking for a reliable highway tourer in the Rs 2 lakh budget

I have a budget of Rs 2 lakh and I’m looking for reliability, adequate performance, highway touring ability and yet enough sportiness to enjoy the ghats, which I frequently ride to. I’ve narrowed it down to the CBR250R. What are the pros and cons, and reliability issues regarding the bike? Are there alternatives?

Jayakar, Vijaywada

AAA - The CBR250R remains an adept motorcycle after all these years, but the downside is that this is a very dated product. There are no major reliability issues, but some spare parts are more expensive than rival brands. The first option we can think of is the newly launched Suzuki Gixxer SF 250, which offers very similar levels of performance at a lower price. We’ve only ridden the Gixxer at the racetrack so far, but it has all the trappings of being an adept sports tourer. If you don’t mind sacrificing the fairing, the new Bajaj Dominar 400 is worth considering as well. It’s much more powerful than the CBR, has more features, and also costs nearly Rs 20,000 less. The Dominar makes for a very good tourer and is a confident handler as well, but it isn’t as light on its feet as the Honda and the Suzuki.