Style and substance
I am planning to buy the Royal Enfield Classic 350 Chestnut red. Is it worth buying or should I go for the Benelli Imperial 400? My priorities are low running costs and resale value.
Vinu, Bengaluru
The Benelli is a better choice than the current Classic 350. However, we would recommend that you wait a little more for the next-gen Classic 350. Its launch is due soon and it is based on the Meteor 350 platform, which is a huge improvement over the current Classic 350. The new platform has proven to be quite reliable so far, so running costs should be kept under check. The Classic 350 also commands decent resale value, so that should hold true for the next gen bike as well.
Tall order
I want to purchase a bike that can deliver high performance, good efficiency, offers a comfortable highway performance and serves as a good city commuter. I have shortlisted the Royal Enfield Meteor 350, Honda CB 350 RS and BMW G 310 R , but I am not sure which to go for. Budget is not a concern.
Hitesh Kulkarni, Ahmedabad
It’s going to be very hard to find a bike that meets all those criteria — if you want high performance, you have to give up some efficiency. The Meteor and CB are both quite refined, but they are not exactly ‘high performance’. Of the two, the CB is more efficient.
The Interceptor is a great choice, but it is a heavy bike. Expect no more than 25kpl on city commutes with the RE. The BMW is another good all-rounder, but it doesn’t have the smoothest motor out there and service costs are high. We would recommend you also consider the KTM 390 Duke and 390 Adventure. They have the best performance here, but expect no more than 25-28kpl in real world riding.
Hormazd Sorabjee is the editor of Autocar India. Mail your feedback and queries to roadshow@thehindu.co.in
