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S. Muralidhar

I own a TVS Suzuki Samurai, which I have been using for the past six years. I commute 10-30 km daily. I want to now purchase a cruiser-style bike; price is not an issue for me. I am 5 feet 3 inches tall and weigh 65 kg. Which cruiser bike will be comfortable for a person of my height and with an expected usage pattern of about 250-300 km in and around the city every week? I have considered the following options: Yamaha Enticer, Kawasaki Bajaj Eliminator and Enfield Bullet Thunderbird.

Dharmendra Rawat

Each of the three cruiser bikes that you have listed has specific focuses and their own list of pluses and minuses. The Yamaha Enticer is the cheapest of the three and has been a favourite amongst cruiser bike buyers, who want the style and comfortable riding posture of a cruiser, but who can not handle a heavy, powerful bike and/or are restrained by a tight budget.

The Enticer's 125cc, 11bhp engine may feel a bit underpowered, particularly if your performance expectations are high. There has also been market feedback about a few peripheral maintenance hitches that the Enticer tends to run into after a couple years. But quality matching the price is an inevitable equation in any product.

The Kawasaki Bajaj Eliminator is a bike that focuses on quality that can match with the Pune-based two-wheeler maker's Japanese technology collaborator — Kawasaki. This cruiser bike with a 175cc, four-stroke engine that puts out about 15bhp of power also offers excellent build quality. Overall, the Eliminator can offer one of the best economy cruiser biking experiences amongst the ones currently available.

However, the Enfield Bullet Thunderbird is the only true cruiser of the three. The Thunderbird offers all the best features that the bullet series has to offer. It is clearly the most powerful cruiser available in the country. It is the poor man's Harley. But what you may have to consider here are the higher price, the higher power (350cc engine, 18bhp) and thehigher weight. If these are not issues for you, the Thunderbird will be able to offer blue-blooded cruiser performance.

The bikes' saddle and seat positions are low slung and may suit your height; the Thunderbird's seating may, however, be a tad bit higher than the others.

Another point you may want to consider if you are hamstrung by budget is that Bajaj is set to launch the Avenger — an Eliminator clone with the 150cc DTSi engine that is currently available in the Pulsar. This bike is expected to be priced lower and may actually improve the power-to-mileage equation that the Eliminator could not score on.

I am planning to purchase a used Maruti Suzuki Esteem. I would like to know what are the advantages and disadvantages of the Esteem AX when compared to the Esteem VX.

Bhavani Tadavarti

The new version of the Maruti Suzuki Esteem, in every trim level, has much more value than the one that it replaced. But, that apart, the difference between the older version's VX and AX variants is simply that the former is the top-end, manual transmission variant and the latter is the automatic gearbox variant.

The price difference between the two — VX and AX — in the used car market would have narrowed considerably compared to the about Rs 70,000 price difference that would have existed at the time of purchase from the showroom. The automatic transmission variant of the Esteem is not readily available at the showrooms and is now produced only based on specific orders. So, benchmarking the price difference may require you to do a bit of homework.

The Esteem AX may also fall a little short on the features list compared to the VX variant. But the lower trim and the price difference would not have been an issue for the original buyer, who must have chosen the AX variant for the convenience that an automatic gearbox offers.

You may have to decide if that advantage is all-important for you and if you are willing to compromise on the extra bit of mileage that you will be able to get from the manual transmission variant. The Esteem AX features a three-speed automatic gearbox and is a breeze to drive, unlike in a manual, frequent shifting of gears in city traffic will not be required. However, automatics by nature are less fuel-efficient than manuals and may even up to 10-12 per cent lower mileage.

So, the case is laid out clear for you. Choose the AX if a bit of premium pricing and lower fuel efficiency is acceptable and if you need the driving comfort that an automatic offers. Else, choose the Esteem VX.

Is it true that the TVS Max 100R line of bikes is being phased out?

Sandeep Srinath

Yes, the TVS Max and Max 100R are being phased out. They were bikes that featured two-stroke 100cc engines and though the engines could have been modified to enable them meet the new, more stringent emission norms, TVS Motor Co. has deemed it fit to withdraw the bikes altogether.

The new TVS Star and Star Deluxe have replaced the Max 100 bikes as the new entry-level 100cc bike models. The new bikes were launched a couple of months ago and it is unlikely that you will be able locate the old Max 100 bikes in any of the TVS showrooms now.

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