Top 10 Most Affordable Off-road Bikes In India: Under Rs 3 lakh

Off-roading is slowly picking up in India and if you’ve any interest in the genre, it’s a great time to be a motorcyclist in our country, for you’re spoilt for choice. Here we’ve listed 10 of the most affordable off-roaders currently on sale in India and right from casual weekend tools to properly serious off-roaders, this list has it all. Let’s dive right into it: 

Think about off-roading in India and the first bike that comes to mind is the XPulse 200 4V. The XPulse 200 has been the OG affordable off-roader in India for quite a while now and there’s a reason it’s up there. It’s affordable to buy, maintain and because it’s so light, it feels extremely friendly for all sorts of riders. Every time any generation of the XPulse has come to the BikeDekho office, things almost take a violent turn because pretty much everyone wants a piece of this Hero. 

Get accurate & latest updates from BikeDekho!

Hero XPulse 210 - Rs 1,62,065 onwards 

The XPulse 210 ticks all the boxes that the XPulse 200 does, while taking things up a notch in a couple of other departments. That said, it might be heavier than the 200 on paper, but the 210 just doesn’t feel it. The liquid-cooled, more powerful 210cc engine will definitely keep the more experienced lot entertained for a longer period of time. And at Rs 1.75 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi, even the XPulse 210 is delightfully well priced for what it has on offer. 

Let’s first just talk about how good the Yezdi Scrambler looks. It’s arguably one of the best looking of this lot. Off-roading bikes have a certain rugged aura to them, and that, the Yezdi Scrambler has plenty. And while the bike’s first generation had its fair share of issues, Yezdi has addressed a lot of them and as of now, the Scrambler is quite a nice choice to start your off-roading journey on. And its sub-Rs 2 lakh price tag means it’s still excellent value for the money it’s asking. 

Talking about sub-Rs 2 lakh price tags, next on the list is the Yezdi Adventure. The Yezdi Adventure, too, has been refined a lot in its latest generation and it has become a bike we can finally wholeheartedly recommend. While it is a bit heavy, its dynamics are excellent and you don’t really feel much of that weight the moment you pick up even a bit of speed. And the engine has become a lot more tractable as well, meaning you can take the Adventure to those slow-speed, technical trails where you’d otherwise not dare to take such a big bike. 

The Kawasaki KLX 230 is arguably the most thoroughbred off-roader on this list. While it might not sound impressive on paper, the KLX 230’s trump card is its lightness. At 139kg, the KLX 230 is lighter than a Yamaha R15 V4 and that shows. It feels pretty much weightless and that means all sorts of riders will have tremendous confidence to take it anywhere they want to. The engine doesn’t make a lot of power but the lightness makes up for that too. It’s so accessible and genuinely fun to ride that whether you’re riding to the off-roading spot early in the morning, actually riding off-road at the location or coming back after a couple of tiring sessions, the KLX 230 will put a smile on your face, no matter what your energy levels are. 

If you miss the older Himalayan 411, the Scram 440 is the closest you can get to it, since its 440cc engine has been derived from the 411. And while that bike was slow and dated, it had its own charm which you just cannot deny. The engine had a tremendous amount of torque, meaning the bike just kept chugging along without you having to modulate the clutch and throttle all the time. And that’s a priceless thing to have when going off-road. It’s heavy, yes, but Royal Enfield bikes feel well balanced and that means they will feel lighter than what the spec sheet suggests. 

The Suzuki V-Strom SX can be a nice weekend tool for you if you’re just casually stepping into the off-roading world. While it’s not as off-road ready as some of the other bikes here, it still has plenty of ground clearance and suspension travel to not feel out of place if you do take it soft-roading. The V-Strom SX is also light and super narrow, two great things to have on off-roading bikes, meaning most people will be able to hop on it and have fun. In short, while it’s primarily a road bike, it shows that when the road ends, the fun doesn’t have to. 

The 250 Adventure is also road-biased but it’s still based on the KTM 390 Adventure, meaning it has the same amount of ground clearance and suspension travel. So if you’re on a budget and can’t extend till the 390 Adventure, the 250 can prove to be a playful puppy when you decide to venture on some unknown territory on it. While it's not a hardcore off-roader, it won’t mind a bit off-roading. 

Another extremely handsome bike on this list is the Triumph Scrambler 400 X, arguably the best scrambler in India as of now. This Triumph does exactly what a scrambler should: be a good road bike but have more than enough off-roading credentials too. The 400 X has excellent suspension and feels quite light, two things that make it quite a nice thing to go off-roading on. 

Taking the Himalayan 411’s off-roading legacy forward is the Himalayan 450. Yes, it’s heavy and feels top-heavy at low speeds, meaning new riders will find it intimidating to go off-roading on, in the fear of dropping it. But the flip side is that if you bring a bit more experience, the Himalayan 450 will show you that it has a lot of capability. Be it light off-roading on weekends or even hardcore trail riding, riders across India are doing everything with their Himalayan 450s and it goes to show that the bike itself has tremendous potential. 

BONUS: KTM 390 Adventure - Rs 3,03,768 onwards 

If you can stretch your budget slightly over Rs 3 lakh, the 390 Adventure is a good option. . The 390 Adventure feels like it weighs nothing and the engine feels very easy to ride. In fact, we don’t often recommend buying a 400cc off-roader as your first bike but given how well made and easy to ride the 390 Adventure is, we’ll have to make an exception this time.