BMW bikes in India (19)

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a proven commodity in our marketand it is a fairly capable city machineso long as you get used to its weight. Since it uses a big 648cctwin-cylinder engineits fuel economy isn't its strongest suitalthough that's par for the course for an engine of this size. The Interceptor is the most affordable RE 650 modeland since it is a simple machineservicing and maintaining it shouldn't be too expensive. 

Since the BMW F 450 GS is yet to launch and we also haven't ridden itwe can't comment on what the bike will be like to ride or to live with. We recommend you wait until media and owners' reviews are out before making a decision.

Do bear in mind that BMW's dealer and service network is far smaller than Royal Enfield's expansive dealer network across the country. 

The KTM 390 Adventure is a thoroughly competent machineand if you are satisfied with its riding experienceit will make for a good adventure bike in the class. Plusall Bajaj-made KTM 390s and Triumph 400s will be downsized to 350cc to better comply with the new GST normsso now is a good time to buy the 390 Adventure while you can still get one. 

Coming to the BMW F 450 GSit will be considerably more expensive to purchase and maintain than the KTMowing to its twin-cylinder engine and the Bavarian brand's reputation for rather high ownership costs. We would also urge you to wait until media reviews and customer feedback of the F 450 GS emergewhich will take some time. 

Another option to look at in this class is the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. Its strong points are its magic-carpet-like ridepunchy performance and a widespread sales & service network. Its heavy kerb weight and oddball styling are some reasons to not get one. 

A test ride of the KTM and the RE will help you make up your mind if you want to buy a bike right away.  

The Honda NX500 is a smoothprovenand reliable package as an ADV tourerand is something you can't go wrong with. Its few drawbacks are its steep price tag and a shock that rebounds a little too quickly for comfort. Since it's a Honda bikeit's likely to last a long time without major issues and also be fairly easy on the wallet to maintain. 

Since we have not ridden the BMW F 450 GSwe can't comment on its strengths or weaknesses. We recommend you wait until the media as well as owners' reviews of this bike are out before making a purchase. 

If you want an adventure bike that is E20 compliantyou will need to either purchase a new bike or search the pre-owned market for a lightly used model manufactured within the last 1 or 2 years. 

If you are looking for a new bikewe would recommend paying the high initial purchase price of the twin-cylinder Honda NX500. It is a rather sorted machine in almost every regard and will feel like a nice step up from your single-cylinder KTM. And since you're familiar with the trouble-free Honda big bike ownership experiencethe NX500 makes for a logical step up. 

If you decide to go for something a little less priceythen bikes like the latest KTM 390 Adventure models and the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 are also options worth looking at. 

You also have the option of waiting for the new BMW F 450 GSalthough its pricing will be similar to the Honda bike rather than the single-cylinder models mentioned above.

A test ride of everything you shortlist should help you make a decision. 

There's no way to accurately portray how much the maintainance cost of the BMW F 450 GS will beas it is yet to be launched. HoweverBMW bikes have a reputation for being a little pricey to live witheven the smaller 310s. You shouldn't expect the F 450 GS to be as easy on the wallet as its peerslike the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450KTM 390 Adventure models or even the Honda NX500. 

We recommend you wait a while before you buy the F 450 GS so that you can see thorough reviews of the bike. Alsoyou can speak to actual owners of the machineand then make an informed decision.