5 Best Bikes For Beginners: You Will Love These & So Will Your Parents!

School is finally behind you and college life is about to start. Or should I say THE college life. The life you’ve always dreamt of. Travelling to college every day, hanging out with friends, those late night errands and if you’re lucky, having someone special to sit behind you. But for all of that, you need a bike. And not just a bike, you need something with which you’ll stand out, but also something that’s safe enough for your parents to like it. A bike that makes you feel excited but also something that’s practical. Too much to ask for? Not really! Because here’s a list of 5 really good bikes, all of which can help in convincing your parents to get you one. Thank us later! 

Hero Xtreme 125R

The Xtreme 125R has what’s arguably Hero’s boldest design language of late. And what that means is that everyone will be taking notice of your bike, be it when you pull over in the parking lot, when it’s parked, or when you zoom away from the college later in the evening. It’s a classic case of ‘you can hate me but you can’t ignore me’.

The aggressive headlight, tank extensions and sporty stance make it look fast and quite premium. And when needed, the bike backs it up with performance too. So on those early morning college visits on empty roads, when your friends are still chugging along gently on their Activas and Splendors, you’re whizzing past them on this fast little 125cc bike. 

But if you’re worrying that those looks and performance will put your parents off, don’t worry. Its prices are competitive (Rs 98,425 onwards, ex-showroom Delhi), it has a segment first ABS (more peace of mind for parents) and most importantly, it has the Hero badge on it, which stands for frugality and an easy ownership experience. So if you can just butter them up a little bit more, you could have this very cool 125 in your garage. 

KTM 160 Duke

It’s a KTM! Need we say more? 

Jokes aside, we recently rode the 160 Duke and it was a seriously impressive bike. Every time you ride it, it’ll put this long smile on your face and isn’t that what motorcycling is all about? And if you too watch a lot of KTM reels on Instagram, seeing how fast their bikes are and daydreaming about owning one, the 160 Duke is the best way to be a part of the orange family! In fact, owning the 160 Duke might even put you in quite an exotic place. There aren’t a ton of KTMs out on our roads, so if you’re on one, you’d almost automatically feel like you’re a part of this exclusive group. 

The 160 Duke looks aggressive and there’s nothing else quite like it. And if that puts your parents off, explain to them that it has dual-channel ABS, something that’ll keep you super safe. And that it’s a 160cc, at the end of the day. Just enough power to have fun but nothing that’ll be overwhelming for you even if you’re a new rider. And at Rs 1,84,998 (ex-showroom Delhi), while it’s not the most affordable of the lot, it’s something that’ll keep you entertained for a bunch of years. 

Yamaha R15 V4

If you too grew up watching John Abraham ride the Suzuki Hayabusa in Dhoom, impressed by his sheer aura, there’s only one bike on this list which’ll make you happy: the Yamaha R15 V4. It looks nothing short of exotic and up close too, it can easily come off as a much bigger bike. In fact, it’s one bike which would keep you entertained even when you’re not riding it, for you’d wanna keep staring at it for quite a while. Imagine those evenings when you and your dad are sitting on your front jhoola, sipping on some tea, both of you bonding over how good the bike looks. Yeah, paint that picture to your dad!

And if its looks haven’t impressed you yet (which, I doubt), the engine will do the job. It’s a rev-happy engine which will have you laughing inside your helmet each time you open the engine up. Those early morning rides to college will be delightful and by the time you reach college, you’ll be fresher and in a better mood than your peers. 

Hero Xtreme 250R

After the Xtreme 125R, the 250R is Hero’s second boldest design and the bike does look the part. And this isn’t as polarising as the 125R, so we’re sure a lot of your friends would come up to you, complimenting your bike. And the best part is, it looks just as fast as it goes. The 250R is quick through traffic and because it’s light and manageable, you’d have no issues having it as your daily rider. 

The icing on the cake in the Xtreme 250R’s case is its Rs 1,79,900 (ex-showroom Delhi) price. It’s on par with the R15’s base model, meaning you get a 250cc bike for the price of a 150cc. A ‘40 percent discount’ is a deal that’d definitely attract your parents’ attention. And again, being a Hero bike means parents would be that much quicker to trust it as well.  

Hero XPulse 210

If you’re someone who enjoys standing out from the crowd, the XPulse 210 makes for a very interesting choice. Most of your friends will be on scooters, with the occasional guy having a sportbike or a street naked. And in this circle, you being on an adventure bike means all eyes would be on you. And that’s also because given how comfortable and capable the XPulse 210 is, you wouldn’t be stopping for any speedbreaker or pothole at all. Seeing you fly over everything while the sportbikes and scooters have to slow down for everything would be quite a sight to see. 

And when all of the fun and excitement is over, the XPulse 210 is still a brilliant bike. Take your mom shopping that evening and she’ll love how comfortable it is back there. So of these, the XPulse 210 might just be the easiest to convince your parents for. And if you are eventually successful, you’d have a fantastic commuter in your hands