SAGARAGAS

I have always wanted to have the thrill of riding the bike. That dream is now reality and I cannot express how excited I am to get my hands on my new bike. Since this was my first bike and I do not have any experience in bike riding…. I decided that it should not be heavy on price, pockets and to ride…

Before I began my search for the bike I was very clear about few things.

• The bike should be very stylish (Most important factor for me).
  
• Do not spend too much on the first bike. Should b within the budget of Rs 50k – Rs 70k.
  
• The bike will not be of TVS or Bajaj. (did not want Indian companies)
  
• It should be a city bike and not with too much power.
  
  

Keeping in mind these aspects I began my search for my first bike. I visited the websites of all two wheeler players in India (Hero Honda, Bajaj, TVS, Yamaha, Honda). Frankly I was really disappointed to see that there were hardly any bikes which were STYLISH. The bikes I shortlisted on the style factor were: Hero Honda Karizma, Yamaha FZ16, Honda Stunner and Bajaj Pulsar.

I also tried reading reviews about these bikes on the blogs and websites. I found http://bikeadvice.in/ quite useful for bike reviews. The on road prices for the bikes were Karizma (85,000), Yamaha FZ16 (77,000), Pulsar 150cc (67,000) and Stunner (60,000). Since I did not want to spend too much on the bike I had shortlisted Honda Stunner and Bajaj Pulsar.

I asked a few dealers and coupe of my friends who have been riding bikes for their opinion. They said that Pulsar has very high maintenance, very common on the road and accident prone. In fact you will see that 1 in every 3 bike on the Mumbai roads will be Pulsar. Stunner on the other hand was very stylish, lighter and cheaper compared to Pulsar. Hence, I went for Honda Stunner. Yes, my first bike is Honda Stunner.

Honda Stunner comes in four colors, Black, Red, Yellow and Grey. Black and Grey were quite dull and do not stand out. Red and Yellow are catchy but since red was quite common I went for yellow. In fact, to select the colour I went to the Honda godwon at Cotton Green. I booked the bike last week and expecting the delivery this Saturday. This is what it looks like.

Some Tips

• Honda Unicorn is the latest bike which every dealer/biker recommends and it is giving tough competition to Bajaj Pulsar. If not for style I would have gone for this bike. It costs Rs 68,000.
  
• Buying a bike is not the same as buying a car. There are very few company owned showrooms. You will find dealers selling more than one brands.
  
• Use www.justdial.com to find the two wheeler dealers in your area.
  
• In case you want special number be ready to shell out minimum of Rs 300.
  

Will post my review on the bike in few days.