Top 5 Bikes to Buy in Less Than Rs 1 Lakh in India; Your Worthy First 'Premium'
The sub-Rs 1 lakh motorcycle segment in India is arguably in its best ever
phase simply because of the number of options that are available for the
probable buyer. There are some wonderful value for money commuters, boldly
styled street-nakeds and even full-faired motorcycles that promise to give you
a proper performance. But when you have so many options to choose from,
deciding on the one that’s right for you can take a lot of time and energy.
We have put together a list of the top motorcycles that fall under the price
tag of sub-Rs 1 lakh and promise great value for money. These motorcycles are
also targeted at a wide range of audience and being unable to choose a
favourite, the list is in no particular order.
TVS Apache RTR 200 4V
1.
TVS Motor Company’s Apache line-up has been built with the sole purpose of
delivering performance at a budget. But given that there is an ever-increasing
love for 200cc motorcycles in India, they came out with their most powerful
motorcycle right now – Apache RTR 200 4V. We tested it out comprehensively
during our review and found out that not only is it their best Apache
yet, it is a great package overall.
It is available in several variants and starts at a price tag of Rs 89,200.
As you go higher in the variant chain, you will get options like Pirelli Diablo
Rosso II Tyres and dual-channel ABS. Inclusive of which, the bike will cost you
around Rs 1 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi) and we recommend going for
these add-ons as they not only improve the performance of the bike but also
makes it safer under extreme scenarios.
2. Suzuki Gixxer
Suzuki Motorcycles is the maker of the likes of legendary motorcycles like the
Hayabusa and the GSX-R1000, and from its stable, comes the Gixxer. That’s quite
a lot of expectations to live up to and the Suzuki Gixxer does that and more.
Powered by a 155cc engine, the Gixxer delivers enough grunt and power to make
your everyday commute pleasant and that’s not it, the bike has strong built
quality and an impressive fit-finish throughout. To top it all, it has a very
competitive starting price at almost Rs 78,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi)
There’s also the Suzuki Gixxer SF if you are one of those that preferred
full-faired motorcycles over street nakeds and both of these models recently
received the blessing of fuel-injection and rear disc brake variants. Something
that we highly recommend going for.
3. Bajaj Avenger
There’s always been a very selective segment of buyers in India who have
preferred the comfort of a cruiser right from the days of the Yamaha Enticer.
Currently, if you want to lay your hands on a cruiser then there’s nothing
better than the Bajaj Avenger. The bike has received a mid-life update recently
and feels a lot more refined to ride than before and is arguably one of the
most comfortable offerings in the sub-Rs 1 lakh segment and that ranks quite
high in terms of preferred characteristic of a motorcycle for a lot of buyers.
There’s no surprise then, that Bajaj has been getting good sales numbers from
the Avenger.
Available at a base price of almost Rs 77,000, the Avenger comes with a
150cc engine at its heart. There’s also the bright chrome-filled ‘Cruiser 220’
and the handsome ‘Street 220’ variants available for almost Rs 87,000 that come
with a bigger, more powerful 220cc engine.
4. Honda CB Hornet 160R
The Honda CB Hornet 160R is the second street-naked motorcycle to make it to
our list and there’s a very good reason behind it – looks. Now, if you are
spending this kind of money, you would want your motorcycle to look good and
right now, there’s isn’t any better-looking street-naked motorcycle in this
price segment. It is powered by a 162cc engine that delivers 15.5 horsepower
and 14.8 Nm of torque which makes the bike feel quite punchy during those quick
overtakes.
It has a starting price of Rs 80,000 and the one with the ‘Combi-Brake
System’ or CBS will cost around Rs 85,000 (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi). What
CBS does is that it applies both the brakes in a definitive ratio for efficient
braking even when you are using just the front brakes or the rear brakes,
making it safer than the base variant as the chances of locking up a tyre under
intense braking is lesser and the brake force is distributed. We recommend
going for the CBS variant.
5. Bajaj V
When Bajaj announced the concept of
V, which is, taking the metal that was used in the legendary INS Vikrant and
using it to make a motorcycle, the company had definitely caught everyone’s
attention. But they went on to sell 1 lakh of these motorcycles in just four
months, and that says a lot about the product itself. There’s no denying that
the Bajaj Pulsar is undoubtedly their most popular offering in the Indian
market but what V did, was to give potential Bajaj customers another option to
look at and stand apart from the massive number of Pulsars on the road.
It is powered by a 149.5 cc engine that delivers 12 horsepower and 13 Nm of
torque and is available at Rs 62,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi). It is the second
Bajaj in our list of top 5 motorcycles in under Rs 1 lakh in India and that’s
because the products from the company are backed by a large number of
dealerships and service networks along with the ease of access to spare parts,
which clearly works towards the advantage of the BajajV.
At the end of the day, all these motorcycles are really good at what they
were intended to be. What it comes to down to is what kind of a riding
experience that you are looking for and what your usage of the motorcycle is
going to be. Do you agree with our list or have any suggestion? Make sure you
put them in the comment section below.