Buying? OR Renting? a 2nd hand motorbike in india

In 2 and a half months, im heading back to india but with six weeks on my hands a motorbikes looking more and more promising. The problem is, which is better, renting or buying? Last time i was there a bike averaged 100-150 rps a day. even over 42 days thats a pretty good deal. however ive heard that pondicherry (below Madras) is where a lot of bikes are made, so it'd cool to land in delhi, train it slowly to pondicherry, buy a bike, ride to the south tip, then slowly make our way back up to delhi via the west coast.

i'll have bout 15000 - 17000 rps to spend on a bike. Can anyone tell me if ive got no hope or if thats a reasonable amount? the dude im meeting there is a motorbike mechanic, so if the bike has a temper, should be ok.

I will be interested to see what additional information this thread throws up since I will be buying a bike out in India next year for several months of touring round. Previously I have rented for one month trips.
I too have rad that Pondicherry is a good place to pick up bikes cheap. I guess due to the proximity of Auroville but during my visit there were no obvious signs that it was the mecca of motorbike sales.
The Enfield is manufactured north of Madras and a trip round the factory is a fun way to spend a few hours (or it was for me having been involved with automotive OEMs for the past 15 years).
The renting costs you quote seem OK for a small bike but whether you would want to travel long distances on such is up to you. As for the purchase cost it looks a little light unless you are looking at an old small bike.
If you look at some of the other threads there is a wealth of information including a link to a site advertising bikes for sale / rent
Hope these comments help a little and hopefully someone elce will jump in with a wealth or much more accurate information than I.
Snowy

hi
if u guys want a bike in delhi , i can get u one.
its the hero honda karizma motorcycle, a 223cc single cylinder four stroke. very modern (by looks and performance)
beats a enfield in terms of performance/efficiency/maintainance

i think the on-going rent is something like 200-225 per day

for Rs15K to 17K (USD350), you'll probably get only a used bike.. some things are cheap in india, but not that cheap.. i think most new bikes cost about Rs50K

Check the Enfield website - new 58-70Krp. I believe 2nd hand you pay more than half for anything worth living with.

Baldy

thanks for the info guys,

the mate im travelling with is a motorbike mechanic, so 2nd hand bikes will be fine. just as long as they get us from a to b at over 60km hour, doesnt really matter if they're flogged by the time we're finished with them. two and a bit months to go. when it all goes through ill post the experience,

chow for now,
cam

A decent 2nd hand Enfield 350cc would cost you Rs22000 to Rs 25000 in Delhi.

You can easily get a good condition Yezdi Road King for about 12-15K anywhere in Bangalore and Mysore or even Chennai. Never heard of Pondicherry as a hub for motorcycles.

Yezdi Road Kind is a good 250CC low maintainence bike based on the Jawa bikes of the 60s from Czech Republic. It's a rugged bike perfectly suited for Indian roads. You might find it a little difficult to find some parts at every roadside repair shop, particularly in north India, but there are always places where you'll find everything, like Karol Bagh in Delhi. Anyway, this shouldnt worry you if you're buying a good piece. Just make sure the engine is in good condition.

I have a 95 model [bought at Bangalore for 20k back in 2000] on which I recently had a paint job done. It's as good as new. I love my bike... too bad that I dont get to use it much.

This is what a Road Kind looks like. To find out more, you can visit this Yahoo group of Yezdi fans.

xbhp.com speaking about Delhi and bikes... i've heard you can up a range of Brit bikes anything from Pounds 500 up to 3k.
Is that right?
DAK

I remember Pondicherry was VERY cheap for hiring a 'gearless' 50cc - around 80rs day if that's a guide.

Does anyone have an idea what I should be paying for a basic 'working' Bajaj 125 scooter second hand ? ( I'm in Kerala ) What about the price of a 50cc - I've seen very few around here..

Butterball, a Bajaj Chetak from mid 90s could be anywhere between 5-15k depending on the condition. Are you sure you want a scooter?

I believe you need something cheap for city riding? You might want to go in for a Bajaj M-80 if you dont want something as powerful as a bike or as heavy as clumsy and heavy as a scooter. But M80 isnt a moped either and is unlike any other scooterette...more like a cross between all the above.

Here's a picture and a description.

Btw, I visited your gallery the other day. Good pictures!! Any chance we'll get to see your Kerela pics soon?

Thanks for the kind comments soulfood..

Many pictures from TN are sat on my laptop hard disc here waiting a ne web design - which I've come here to take time on working on, and more will be comming from Kerala ove the nex weeks - including some sound works... I'm trying to srt out a Reliance R-Connect line at this very moment. Just takes time !

Re the Scooter, thanks for the link - looks like what we in London call a 'Granny Bike' ! Still, I thinkn a 50 cc might be what I'm loking for..

Keep you posted...

bb

BB, I look forward to your TN pics. PM me when you have them online.