I think getting cheap with your bike would be the BEST way by far to screw up your holiday.

There are many reliable 150 -200cc machines that will run with the traffic all day, with adequate levels of performance in terms of braking and suspension. All of which, the Velocity and the Boss just won't do. If you plan to run in the city only, they are OK, for the highways they are dangerously inadequate (as is any other 100cc bike).

There are enough people who will be happy to "lend" you their bike for a price (bureaucracy hasn't gotten around to regulating lending yet). If you can arrange to buy a new bike, nothing like it - you just need to be able to sell it back to whoever you bought it from in the first place. You will definitely pay more than the rental charged by kinetic, but hey, at least you will not have to drop to 45kph up inclines and into headwinds!

Rental/sale/"borrowing are best done in the cities of Delhi and Mumbai, to some extent in Goa as well. Bikes to look at are the pulsar200/180/150, the HH Karizma/CBZ, Honda Unicorn and TVS RTR. Any of these bikes, new will be problem free. Used, avoid the Karizma (you'll get V strom parts faster than parts for this bike) and the Pulsar 200 (uncommon, compared to the other pulsars). Remember, 2 up running will degrade performance some for these as well.

Easiest availability of parts - pulsar 150.

Enfields. Lottery. You get a good one, you'll wonder why people keep trashing them. A lemon (and this is not uncommon AT ALL) and enfield mechs will be the single largest group of people you meet during your stay. If you must - go for a 350 cc Machismo/electra (high torque compared to the rest mentioned above, adequate stopping power - discs up front). Avoid the new flagship LB500 model - some units have recurrent engine issues the company is completely clueless about.

The only problem is, in majority of the cities, the only option available is Bullet. Arranging for the bikes Arn has mentioned, while not impossible, would be a little tough and would most probably would end up costing more, both in effort and money.

I wouldn’t recommend Kinetic bikes, unless you are planning to stick to the city!

__________________
My travelogues | Ladakh travel guide | India travel forum

How could you consider touring India on anything other than an Enfield?

__________________
If you think you are too small to make a difference you have never spent the night with a mosquito.

Well interestingly enough I did it two up on an aircooled RD350 in '77. Some bike exec must have spotted me because lo and behold Yamaha did a joint venture with Rajdoot and released the same bike on the Indian market in the early '80s.

For any Indian bike enthusiast the old RD is still considered king of the superbikes.

Garry from Oz.

__________________
Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

first of all, thanks a bunch for all the replies. ill never tire of saying howmuch i love this friggin forum!!

Don't get me wrong guys. i certainly see the romantic side of touring india on an enfield, and if i had 6 months to spare, it would be a no-call. but i only have a month, maybe a month and a half, and after reading all the reports, im afraid id be spending a great deal of my trip trying to put back bits that have fallen off. that's the factor that makes me lean toward the jap bikes, its simply an issue of time. nonetheless, i havent exactly written it off yet, and im still open to suggestions.
as far as lending/renting/buying from a private... how long do u reckon it would take to arrange the deal once in place? do you guys know anyone i could contact in advance to start planning ahead?
So far i have contacted lalli singh, who has a buyback scheme for enfeilds, and who comes highly recommended, but so far no answer.

Approximate dates? And start point?

In Mumbai you could try contact indiabikes.com or Allibhai Premji Tyrewalla - Motorcycle and Scooter Dealers

Perhaps you could communicate your needs to them and take it from there.

ok guys. ive found a pretty good buyback scheme on a 2005 karizma. very good price indeed!
jst one question though... does the karizma have the gearshift on the left or the right?

I'll be there on my 1965 Ducati 250cc in May. Well, the bike probably won't show up until June, but I don't sweat the small stuff. If I wasn't planning on a bike that would break down, I'd go Japanese or local. Once you're there you'll be able to find out what people are riding.

If I blow up the bike again, it's Enfield 350 for sure. I'm a sucker for punishment.

--Dave

__________________
Not Ted Simon since 1970!
http://nokilli.com/rtw

+1, If you need to travel a lot of highway, dont get a scooter like Kinetic nova. Its good for the beaches of goa but not good for the high passes of himalayas.

Hope you get the point.