In a one-bike garage for someone moving up in the motorcycling world, a 300-400cc sport bike makes more sense as a stepping stone.
I own a Yamaha R15 V3 and I plan to upgrade to a larger capacity bike. I am fond of sport bikes and want to move in that category only. I am confused about whether I should jump directly into the 600-700cc segment or if I should first upgrade to a 300-400cc bike?
Abhishek Upadhya, via email
Autocar India says: If you plan to use the bike on a regular basis, especially within the city, a 300-400cc bike will be an ideal upgrade. They’re a lot easier to ride in our hot and traffic-heavy conditions and they are also easier to live with in terms of things like tyres, service and spare parts. Of the current 300-400cc sportbikes, the KTM RC 390 is our clear choice. Since you’re already in the Yamaha fold, you could also wait for the Yamaha R3, which is expected to make a return to our market soon.
However, if you’re keen to go to a multi-cylinder 600-700cc sport bike, you currently have two options – the Kawasaki Ninja 650 or the Honda CBR650R. Of the two, the Honda is considerably more expensive, but also more powerful, more special feeling and more exciting with its 4-cyl engine. If you can make the stretch, the Honda is a sweet motorcycle that is sporty, but not too hardcore. It also has a great reputation for relatively low running costs and will be more affordable to service than the Kawasaki. The Honda 650s tend to hold strong resale value as well.
