Best bike for mixed city–village commutes under Rs 1.6 lakh

My daily commute is about 35kms each way, split between city traffic and some rough village roads. I need a bike that’s fuel-efficient, comfortable, and tough enough to handle broken tarmac without constant repairs under Rs 1.6 lakh.

Karthik Sharma, via email

Autocar India says: For your use case, we’d recommend the Honda Unicorn. It’s not flashy, but its suspension is plush, the seating is roomy, and it has Honda’s solid reputation for reliability. The 162.7cc engine delivers smooth performance with good low-end torque, perfect for slow village stretches or quick overtakes in the city. Fuel efficiency hovers in the mid-40s to 50kmpl range, depending on how you ride. If you want something slightly more sporty-looking, there are multiple options like the Pulsar N160, TVS Apache RTR 160 4V and Hero Xtreme 160R 4V, however they will give you more performance at some expense of fuel efficiency and comfort.