Rs 70.00
Volume 5 Issue 003
October 2009
EXCLUSIVE! FIRST RIDE MAHINDRA DURO & RODEO SCOOTERS
MUSCLE POWER
V-ROD vs V-MAX vs ROCKET III
INTERVIEW
ONE ON ONE WITH HARLEY’S INDIAN HEAD
TO THE ALPS
KTM 990 SMT
MODDED YAMAHAS
R15 & FZ16 GET PERFORMANCE EXHAUSTS
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Because this magazine is yours. Because we salute your spirit, your passion and your enthusiasm. Because we know that we are nothing without you. Send us your pictures, so that we may put them here, before everything else, and express our gratitude to the love and admiration you have bestowed on us. Thanks a lot, bikers!
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CONTRIBUTORS BUNNY PUNIA BIKE ADVENTURE ALPS ON A KTM
THE DUKE OF ALPS Two countries, twenty-three mountain passes, the mighty Alps and one great motorcycle. Bunny Punia pens down memories from a seven day trip astride the KTM 990 SMT
To BIKE INDIA Issue 051 October 2009 The way things are moving in the automobile industry globally, India seems to be the place to be in. All the major players of the North American market are all of sudden heading to India. Initially, it was the world’s largest car manufacturer, Toyota getting serious about the Indian market for the first time in the last ten years and now Harley-Davidson has entered the Indian market. Finally, motorcycle racing fans in India got a taste of real track racing at the Chennai racing circuit after ten long years. The fourth round of the FIM Asia road racing championship on the 6th of September, 2009, saw the best Asian talent on display. There has to be special mention made of Dinesh Reddy, the owner of Red Rooster Racing, for fielding a two man team in the Asian FIM championship. The cost involved in running a team with two riders over the entire championship is unimaginable and the best part is that
he is not even connected to the automobile industry. It is only his passion for the sport and desire to promote Indian talent that drives him to spend this sort of money. I hope two-wheeler manufacturers read this as this is what they should be doing and take a cue from Dinesh Reddy. I would like to congratulate the entire Red Rooster Racing team for their commitment and a commendable performance. During my visit to Chennai, I met up with Subash Chandra Bose, an
I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE ENTIRE RED ROOSTER RACING TEAM FOR THEIR COMMITMENT AND A COMMENDABLE PERFORMANCE old time friend and fellow motorcycle racer from my time. I mentioned my last month’s editorial on motorcycle riders riding on the streets with no consideration for other road users and giving motorcyclists a bad name. It seems according to Subash at least three to four bike riders lose their lives every week. We at BIKE India will try our best to improve our reader’s riding habits.
PREFACE =Vk^c\ idjgZY >cY^V ZmiZch^kZan! > d[iZc ldcYZgZY ]dl ^i ldjaY WZ id ZmeadgZ di]Zg Xdjcig^Zh ZheZX^Vaan i]Z :jgdeZVc cVi^dch dc ild l]ZZah# > ]VY ]ZVgY V adi VWdji i]Z _Vl Ygdee^c\ k^Zlh! i]Z bV_Zhi^X 6aeh! i]Z WjiiZg hbddi] Xjgkn gdVYh VcY d[ XdjghZ! i]Z WZVji^[ja aVY^Zh d[ i]Z LZhi# L]Vi [daadlh dc i]ZhZ eV\Zh ^h V gZhjai d[ bdci]h d[ eaVcc^c\ l^i] ^bbZchZ ]Zae [gdb i]Z \jnh Vi @IB# GZVY dc Vh > igVkZa [dg Vc Zci^gZ lZZ` VXgdhh i]Z 6jhig^Vc VcY >iVa^Vc 6aeh dc V bdidgXnXaZ i]Vi XdjaYc»i ]VkZ WZZc V WZiiZg XdbeVc^dc ¶ i]Z cZl @IB ..% HBI#
Zell Am See : 1st & 6th night Solden: 5th night
Corvara: 3rd night
Arabba: 2nd night
Livigno: 4th night
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SARMAD KADIRI INTERVIEW ANOOP PRAKASH
Ready to HOG Thanks to the amazing Indian mangoes, the American heavyweight is finally here! To get some juice, Sarmad Kadiri rides along with Anoop Prakash Harley-Davidson India MD Strange as it may sound, most Indian cruiser aficionados’ affinity for mangoes has increased to unimaginable heights. Back in ‘07, the Indian government gave the go ahead for Harley-Davidson to enter the country in exchange for Indian mangoes. However, it took two years of R&D for H-D to make an official announcement about their debut here. With India’s 3,500,000 kilometers of great (and some not so great) highways and a brand built for open roads, this was just a matter of time. We caught up with the Managing Director of Harley-Davidson’s Indian subsidiary, Anoop Prakash and asked him to throw some light (prakash!) on the way forward. So, let’s get this straight. We give mangoes and get Harleys in return? When you think about it, it is a trade deal between two national icons. Indian riders get to enjoy Harleys and American foodies get to enjoy Indian mangoes. It’s a brilliant opportunity for both sides. Hmmm...that sounds good but why did you make us wait for so long? (Laughs) We are sorry to make you wait, that is the best I can say. Actually when the barrier (which stated that no bike of 800cc and above will be allowed to be imported in India) was lifted in 2007, it was only then that H-D could start investing in the strategy. We wanted to do things right, have a long term strategy and come here with some gusto. And now you see it being fulfilled.
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Was it difficult to meet the Indian norms? How do you like our tax and duty structure? We applaud the Indian government for having the foresight to choose an international standard like the EURO 3. This way manufactures have to meet one standard in their drive cycle and they can sell their products internationally and customers can also benefit because they don’t have to pay an additional cost for R&D. We already meet the requirements, as we are selling bikes in Europe. As far as the tax structure goes, that’s going to be difficult. I politely disagree with the government’s take on it because they can’t argue that it is a protectionist rule since there are no domestic 800cc manufacturer and above segment. So, what’s happening is that Indian enthusiasts are being deprived of access to heavyweight motorcycling. We hope that we can help continue to fight that battle and if we can’t work it out with the government, we have to do it through our pricing strategy.
Actor Dino Morea and a bunch of lucky owners went cruising on the first lot of Harleys in New Delhi
We wonder how do the front number plates and the saree guards look on a Harley. We have 12 Harleys registered in Delhi and they do have fairly robust license plates (laughs) for the RTO. This is okay because in some cases it fits nicely on the front forks. As far as the saree guard is concerned, what we found during the homogenization was that the heavyweight motorcycles seem to have been forgiven that feature mainly because it’s not particularly safe for a
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Ex Page 3 writer goes the whole ‘HOG’! Err, we mean Sarmad Kadiri chit-chats with Anoop Prakash - Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India on page 50. Having recently shifted base from our Mumbai office, he is making quite an impact and quite literally ‘hogging’ the limelight here. Besides making sure our website remains updated with the latest news, he handles various assignments ably.
AJAY JOYSON FIRST RIDE DURO & RODEO
Tale of two scooters
Mahindra adds two new scooters to its portfolio. Ajay
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One of the better aspects of being our Assistant Editor is being sent on plum assigments. Take this month’s seven day tour on a KTM 990 SMT across the world’s best motorcycling roads - the European Alps. The globe trotting Bunny Punia also rides the most awaited revamped model in the Indian bike market, the Hero Honda Karizma ZMR. Well, he does work hard as evident on pages 32, 38, 44, 62, 84 and practically this entire issue.
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ASPI BHATHENA EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Mattighofen - KTM Factory
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It was like this: Mahindra recently unveiled their brand new gearless scooters in Mumbai. With only three hours to spare to reach Andheri from our Pune office, Ajay turned out to be our knight in shining armour and took himself and our cameraman, Sanjay there in the shortest amount of time. Read his views on the latest scoots (not the shortcuts he took) on page 56. An avid F1 fan, his race reports are spot on. Flip to our Sports section to find out.
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CONTENTS LIRJB ƒ PPRB ˆˆÂ
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EXCLUSIVE! FIRST RIDE MAHINDRA DURO & RODEO SCOOTERS
MUSCLE POWER
V-ROD vs V-MAX vs ROCKET III
INTERVIEW
ONE ON ONE WITH HARLEY’S INDIAN HEAD
TO THE ALPS
KTM 990 SMT
MODDED YAMAHAS
R15 & FZ16 GET PERFORMANCE EXHAUSTS
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Design: Ramnath Chodankar Photography: Sanjay Raikar
16 NEW METAL
VMax comes to India
2010 Honda models
2010 Yamaha lineup / Limited Edition FZs
12 LETTERS
Harley-Davidson finally here
14 TECHNO MAIL
Mahindra’s new scooters / Electrotherm’s latest eScoots
ION electric motorcycle / TVS’ latest scoot spied
KTM’s India gameplan / F800R Chris Pfeiffer Special Edition
ISSUE 051 october 2009
P …ˆ’ˆˆ
IGNITION
REGULARS 06 You!
16 IGNITION 36 MOTOWARE 38 READERS’ PAGE 40 hero honda ride safe
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FEATURES 44 KARIZMA ZMR cover feature
Hero Honda’s flagship motorcycle gets a style check and more goodies
50 interview with anoop prakash A candid conversation with Harley-Davidson India’s Managing Director 54 HONDA ACTIVA DELUXE We analyze the new Activa’s assisted braking system 56 MAHINDRA’S NEW SCOOTS We bring you an exclusive cover feature review on the new 125cc Duro and Rodeo scooters
BACK END 62 CONQUERING THE MIGHTY ALPS The KTM 990 SMT ridden around the Austrian and Italian Alps for a week 72 SIZE DOES MATTER The new Yamaha VMax takes on the H-D V-Rod and the Triumph Rocket III
84 BI GARAGE 88 fim aSIAN GP - CHENNAI 92 INDIAN SPORTS 94 MOTOGP INDIANAPOLIS 98 MOTOGP SAN MARINO 105 WSBK NURBURGRING 106 GBU
80 MODDED YAMAHA BIKES The R15 and FZ16 get going with our performance exhausts. The results are shocking!
Think you know all about Bikes ?? SMS ‘BIKE’ to 55456 & find out! Exclusively for Idea subscribers Charges Rs.3/ SMS
October 2009
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LETTERS
STAR LETTER wins a 1-litre pack of Motul 300V
To dad, with love
More local motorsport From: Aman Bahl, via email I love all the issues or BI magazine but your August anniversary issue took it to another level altogether. It surpassed all your previous issues in the variety of content and the amount of detail that was featured. It started with the stunning Dani Torres leapfrog stunt and got the adrenaline pumping. The rest of the content vrroomed from 0-100km/h and kept it there. The stories ranged from road trips to the top five of everything to Power Personalities ‘09. I particularly liked the feature on the 0-100-0 testing on all major bikes. Braking is something we tend to ignore in the fastest-
in-class bike wars. I follow the Indian racing circuit and keep visiting racetracks in Chennai and Coimbatore. I really appreciate you giving it space in your magazine, however, I’d suggest/request you to give it little more well deserved coverage. Thanks for making reading worth its time. Thanks for your encouraging words. Local motorsports has started picking up well in India though the percentage of readers who would really be interested in knowing more about it is still not clear. If we do get requests from our readers, we would be happy to feature more pages on the same
STAR LETTER
From: Joshua Pereira, Goa
I am writing to you guys because I feel this is the best place to reach out to the large number of bikers out there. This letter is also a tribute to my dad who over the years has customized many bikes and cars. For as long as I can remember my dad has known almost everything about cars and bikes. He owned his own garage for cars and bikes in Bandra, Mumbai and everyday he would come home on a different car or bike. I want others to know of the amazing talent my dad possesses when it comes to any kind of vehicle. I have attached a picture of his own ‘92 Royal Enfield Bullet which he has modified himself. From widening the tank, the side panels, both front and rear mudguards, custom side boxes, fitting a new exhaust and lengthening the frame by 3 inches, everything was done by him in his garage. I hope that someday I am able to modify a bike that can come close to this one. My elder brother and I waited eagerly to see who the bike would be passed on to. Sadly, it was given to him but I still have hope that one day the bike will come to me. Here’s to you dad, keep up the awesome work. Thanks for everything.
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KNOW SOMETHING THAT THE OTHERS DON’T? BIke India welcomes the views of its readers. Pen down any witty, logical or informative idea that hits your brain, and mail it to: Bike India, Next Gen Automotive, 401B, Gandhi Empire, 5th Floor, 2 Serene Estate, Kondhwa Road, Pune - 411 040, India. Fax: +91 20 26830465 or email bikeindia@nextgenpublishing.net Don’t forget to write your full name and address!
Road safety From: Pervez Dupetawalla, Mumbai I have been a passionate rider since I was a little boy. And I am passionate about BI as well. Every month, I look forward to getting my salary as soon as possible just to buy your magazine first. I have a P150. I have met with lot of accidents not due to a lack of riding sense but because of stupid people who walk on the roads, cyclists and those stupid bikers and drivers who don’t have any traffic sense. People cross roads like they are walking in the park and those who ride or drive have got their licenses by bribing the agents and mamus. Even driving schools do not teach road sense. They are just doing their business for money. For all this, the government is responsible for issuing licenses to run these schools. I am a non-educated person (SSC failed) but I have a driving sense as well as road sense, thanks to you. I have done lots of outdoor trips including going to Srinagar which is 2100km from Mumbai. The message that I want to give to everyone is that guys ride safely and with responsibility. And for you guys at BI, you all are great. Two-stroke revival From: Anirban Dey, Assam The problem of carbon emissions of two-strokes has been studied by a firm named Envirofit International and they have developed a Direct In-cylinder (DI) fuel injection retrofit kit for two-stroke engines that is cleaner and more fuel efficient than the replacement four-stroke engines. In a DI system, the carburetor is eliminated and the fuel is introduced into the combustion chamber via an injector mounted in the top of the chamber’s cylinder head. This allows exhaust products to be scavenged from the cylinder using air only. Fuel is injected into the cylinder later in the cycle, greatly reducing the amount of unburned fuel that is allowed to escape during scavenging. Scavenging losses of unburned fuel are virtually eliminated, resulting in much lower hydrocarbon emissions and more efficient fuel consumption. The DI process allows for a locally rich region around the spark plug, eliminating the need for enrichment of the entire cylinder to achieve stable combustion. Elimination of rich air/fuel ratios significantly reduces carbon monoxide emissions. Envirofit has now developed and carefully tested a retrofit kit for two-stroke motorcycle engines which are commonly used throughout Asia for commercial transportation such as tricycle taxis. The first production kit will be implemented on the Yamaha RS 100T motorcycle. In addition to the custom engine calibration, the Envirofit kit utilizes a reengineered cylinder head, air compressor,
chocolate heroes
B M DU Adhish took these photos at the last place on earth. You’d never guess it - just outside the Sriperumbudur racetrack near Chennai. Yes, you heard it right, these jerks had the audacity to strut their bare essentials at the motorsports mecca of the country. While safety was of paramount importance on the racetrack, these dudes were in every sense an insult. Safety first. Mind it!
wiring harness, and custom bracketry. If South East Asian nations consider their customized two-stroke motorcycles as a symbol of their national identity why has our government always been selfishly honouring the needs of auto rickshaws which are fitted with 175 two-stroke engines? Even that is hampering the air isn’t it? But these rules are only applied for the Yamaha RX100 and all other two-stroke classics. Envirofit has introduced its products for cook stoves in India with which are especially designed to be environmentally friendly. I am sure they would have tried them on the two-stroke Yamaha if they were in production. BI devotee From: Rajneesh, Jodhpur I have been a big fan of your magazine since I was 15. One thing I noticed was that there were no emails to you from Jodhpur, so I am
sending you one. Your magazine has given me and many other people good knowledge and guidance for biking. The most amazing sections are the ‘Ride Safe’ and the ‘Readers’ Page’. I just want to say that, this magazine is amazing and we love it. I am also sending you some of my stunt pictures on my Honda Stunner. Thank you for publishing a magazine like BIKE India. MV Agusta special From: Sunny Taneja, Meerut This is my first letter to you and I am really excited. Your August issue was really great and so was the September edition. I especially liked the article on the Ninja evolution. I am a simple boy who is very passionate about motorcycles. I currently have a Hero Honda CBZ and I love it. I want to use this letter to express my views. I respect all the effort that the people at BIKE India are making in order to improve the standard of motorcycling in India. I used to be very careless in my early stages, but your magazine provided me with knowledge and helped me to understand my responsibilities regarding safety of others including my own. So far, I have collected over 23 issues of your magazine. I have a request - can you please publish an article on MV Agusta regarding the evolution of the F4 and the Brutale models? I will feel obliged. Lastly, I would like to say only one thing, “Ride hard or stay home.” October 2009
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Q&A RTR FI PERFORMANCE I have a second-hand Apache RTR FI which I bought when it had 2500km on the odo and it has clocked around 12,000km now. I have had few issues though like the following: 1. The bike seems to jerk a bit (like when the petrol runs dry) but this is not due to less fuel. After servicing, the bike seems to be fine but again after four-five days the jerks begin. I guess it has to do with the fuel injection itself. The power from the throttle seems to be fine but I get a feeling that the petrol is not reaching the engine properly through the injection. Can there be some kind of block in the injection? Even the guy from whom I bought the bike told me it is a stock problem with the fuel injections. I am not sure if others who use the fuel injected version face the same problem and whether bikes with fuel injection have the similar issues. 2. The gear seems to be too hard. It is hard to get the bike into neutral easily. 3. Are the tyres on Yamaha FZs and R15s completely rubber or tubeless. I was wondering if i could have one on my bike. Perhaps then I should not have any problems for some time. Andrew Kotian, via email
Got a question or a problem? We’ve got the answers Write to: Q&A, BIKE INDIA, 401B Gandhi Empire, 2 Sareen Estate, Kondhwa Road, Pune 411 040. Or email us at: bikeindia@nextgenpublishing.net
the clutch lever to around 5mm. 3. There’s no tyre which is completely made of rubber. The FZ16 and the R15 have tubeless tyres. You could replace the Apache’s front tyre with the FZ’s front tyre. However, the rear tyre of the FZ won’t fit the narrow rim of your bike. On the other hand, the R15’s rear tyre will be too narrow for the Apache. KARIZMA MECHANICAL ISSUES I own a 2004 Hero Honda Karizma. The digital console (including the rpm and speedometer) on my bike doesn’t work properly. Sometimes it displays and works fine for a week and than the next week, it goes blank. My local mechanic tried his best, but it was in vain. It seems the main wiring to the console has been damaged but we could not find the exact spot. Another problem that has been bothering me is the high rpm. We cannot lower the rpm and when I ride for sometime the accelerator seems to be stuck at high race. We checked and cleaned the accelerator wires and I also replaced the entire accelerator housing but to no avail. The problem continues to persist and so my engine heats up. Amit Dewan, via email The problem might be due to a cold solder with a loose contact. Try and use an instrument console from another bike and check if the problem still persists. Then you can ascertain whether the problem is in the meter console or in the wiring. The high idling rpm is most probably due to a leak in the intake manifold system. Get it checked from a competent mechanic. RX-100 UPGRADE I am from Bangalore and own a 1993 model RX-100. I want to convert my bike into 135cc machine. My mechanic says that changing the bore, the borehead and the crankshaft will be enough. Will this have any problems in the future? Please give me some suggestions. Ranganath R, Bangalore
1. Take out the fuel filter before the fuel pump and clean it thoroughly. 2. Change the engine oil. Adjust the free play in
Converting your bike to a 135cc will actually decrease the performance of your bike as the 135cc engine is more heavily restricted for
emission norms. The best option we can suggest for you would be to port the engine and increase the size of the intake, transfer and exhaust ports.
DIO UPGRADES I bought a Honda Dio in April 2009 and it has clocked 2500km so far. I normally drive at around 70-75km/h but I am not satisfied with its performance. 1. Can I fit a K&N filter and a NGK iridium spark plug? Is there a need of retuning/ rejetting the carburetor? Many guys open the filter cover for more sound. Is it advisable for performance? 2. Which engine oil is good, synthetic or semi-synthetic? And which brand, MOTUL or Mobil1? Many people say it is harmful for the engine. Is it true? 3. Which fuel can I use to get maximum performance? 4. Can I fit fatter 100/90 tyres on both rims? 5. Can I use HID? Where will I get it in Pune? 6. Any other upgrades/suggestions from your side? Anand Arkasali, via email Simply a K&N filter and a NGK iridium spark plug is not going to give a big boost in performance. Opening the filter cover is not advisable as the filter will get dirty faster. You can use wider tyres but at the cost of performance. HIDs are not feasible on the Dio because its electrical system does not rely on the batteries that are a must to power the HIDs. You could try a free-flow exhaust system for better performance.
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Loose cannon
One of the worlds’s maddest bikes goes on sale in India
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Yamaha rolls in the big daddy of motorcycles, the VMax. Do we already see other SBKs shivering? If you don’t know why the tachometer gets pride of place on this bike’s console, then boy, this is so not the bike for you
This is the view most mortals will have of the mighty VMax. We can’t say about the gods though
Y
O PANSIES, GET OUTTA MY WAY, I STOP FOR NONE. SCORCHED RUBBER marks will soon be a common feature on Indian roads. Keep your children and your belongings indoors for the world’s meanest streetbike is here. Put your children to sleep, hush up the missus, fasten your windows securely and go to sleep with a prayer and battleaxe by your side. The streets of India are no longer safe because the world’s baddest, scariest bike is now going to prowl our streets at a sticker price of Rs 20 lakh - that’s ex-showroom mind you! A legend in its own lifetime, the VMax has garnered respect worldwide ever since its inception and now is available across selected Yamaha dealerships in India. Powered by a World War III ready V4 engine displacing close to 1700 ccs, the VMax churns out 167Nm which does a good job of ripping out the 200 section rear tyre to shreds even before its first service is due. Even at standstill, the bike commands respect and submission in a way no sportsbike can ever dream of emulating. This is the bike that Mephistopheles would ride were he to ditch his archaic inverted bowl for something a bit more modern. A complete road test of this bad ass bike awaits our readers in the next issue.
October 2009
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Honda announces 2010 lineup Some interesting stuff coming for fans of the wings
2010 CBR600RR CRUISER LINEUP: Honda introduces the new Shadow VT750 Black Spirit for 2010 which sports a 52 degree, fuel injected V-twin engine and features a maintenance free shaft drive. What is interesting is the bike’s ’50s character that it carries through the absence of the front fender and the cropped rear fender which had initiated the custom craze back then. The VT750CS Shadow, the Black Spirit’s sibling, gets Honda’s optional Combined-ABS system. Apart from that, the CB1000R and the CBF600S get new paint schemes for 2010 without any technical changes in the bike. CBR1000RR FIREBLADE: The Fireblade gets slight modifications in the form of an updated tail unit which is now sharper than before and houses a new clear glass 2010 VT750CS SHADOWN
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tail lamp. The exhaust muffler now sports an aluminium cover. On the inside, the inertia mass of the crankshaft has been improved and the increase in weight has been compensated with lightweight components elsewhere in the bike. This modification is expected to deliver a better throttle response. Apart from these changes, the Fireblade gets a set of new paint schemes. CBR600RR: The CBR600RR gets a new trademark tricolour scheme to celebrate the supersport’s success in WSS. The other new colour options include a stunning white and black bike sporting bold female face graphics across the fairing. The C-ABS version of the CBR600RR will come with an optional ECU to suit circuit use. 2010 CBR100RR
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Yamaha releases 2010 model lineup Yamaha has released the final details and pictures of the five bestselling models in its lineup that have been revamped for the year 2010
R1 Rossi Edition: Unlike the previous Rossi Limited Edition (LE) that broke cover in 2006, the coming year’s R1 will not get any mechanical upgrades like Ohlins suspension or Marchesini lightweight alloys. What you see is what you get here - the Fiat Yamaha-Rossi-46 livery mash up that has been made famous by the Italian virtuoso. For added authenticity, his signature graces the rear of the fuel tank too. This exclusivity comes for Rs. 10,26,800.
YZF-R6: Noise restrictions had detrimentally affected the performance of the present R6. For the 2010 R6, Yamaha has revised the ECU while the exhaust muffler has been made 100mm longer for reduced noise and excellent power characteristics. Bizarrely, no specific improvements are claimed in the performance department yet. The new R6 is priced at Rs 7,43,100. VMax: The mighty VMax gets a new colour scheme in vibrant red but no mechanical changes. Not that it really needs one - if 200bhp is not sufficient for you, we really don’t know what is. The 2010 model comes for Rs 9,47,000, but we feel that gargantuan tyre bills are what you should be really bothered about, not the initial price.
FZ6R: For all those Yamaha sportbike enthusiasts who do not want a bike as track focused and edgy as the R6, there is always the new FZ6R with new colours and graphics. Like the rest of the ’10 bikes, the mechanicals remain unchanged, nonetheless, it is an affordable option to the sharper R6 at only Rs 3,60,000. FZ1: The 2010 FZ1 gets new colours and revised ECU mapping for improved throttle response in the low to mid rpm range. The suspension, powertrain and chassis remain unchanged and the new version will be available from February 2010 at a list price of Rs 4,99,000 in the US market.
Limited edition Yams for India All three 153cc bikes get a new colour option
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part from launching the VMax last week in Delhi, Yamaha also rolled out limited edition variants of the FZ16, FZ-S and the Fazer. This they say is intended to make the customers feel exclusive and special while creating pride of ownership in them. Well, the FZ series has been doing fairly well for the Japanese giant in India. What better way to cash in on the success than to launch such special variants? Only 3,000 units of this white colour Limited Edition FZ16, FZ-S and Fazer models (with golden calipers) will be produced and will be priced at Rs. 66,500, Rs. 68,500 and Rs. 73,500 respectively. Hurry up before they are picked up.
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Make way for the Harleys Forget McDonalds and Coca-Cola, the ultimate American brand is here with a long term strategy and some gusto
H
arley-Davidson is going all out in India and has just one objective - crank the throttle and stir some Indian souls! The company has already established its subsidiary in Gurgaon and is in the process of finalising its dealers. Anoop Prakash will be acting as the custodian of the brand in India as the Managing Director. Speaking to BIKE India, Prakash confirmed that H-D will be setting up shop in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and one in either Chandigarh or Ludhiana. He adds that there is no better motorcycle than HarleyDavidson to ride on the open roads of India. Harley-Davidson Motor Company President and Chief Operating Officer, Matthew Levatich reveals further details of the company’s plans to bring a substantial part of its worldwide motorcycle range, accessories and riding gear to the country. They will continue to evaluate how best to evolve their approach to the market as HarleyDavidson’s business in India grows. The firm will be launching between 12 to 15 models from the H-D family, namely Sportsters, Dynas, Softails, Touring, V-Rod and CVO (Customized Vehicle Operation). Our insider disclosed that the American heavyweight has finalized Night Rod Special, Fat Boy, customized model Legend Harley and Roadster amongst other models. What’s more exciting is that in spite of over 100 percent taxes, the H-D range will be between Rs 7 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. Talking about the company’s other brands Prakash said, “As we see opportunities we would love to introduce the Indian enthusiast to MV Agusta and down the road possibly Buell. But initially it’s only going to be Harley-Davidson.” Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Buell Motorcycles, MV Agusta and Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS).
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IGNITION
NEW METAL
Mahindra launches new gearless scooters The Nashik based auto major unveils the Rodeo and the Duro
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s we reported earlier, Mahindra Two Wheelers has unveiled two new gearless scooters - the Rodeo and the Duro. The former is mainly aimed at the young urban male. It is packed with features and is powered by the 125cc, 8bhp engine which does duty in the Flyte as well. Apart from the telescopic suspension and bigger 7AH battery, the scooter also has some interesting goodies like a colour changing digital console, trip meter, clock, tachometer, digital speedometer
and odometer and a USB port (optional) cum mobile charger to keep you connected even on the move. Thumbs up to Mahindra for this! The Rodeo is competitively priced at Rs 41,299 (ex-showroom, Pune). The Duro, as the name suggests, looks sturdier and has the same 125cc engine as the Rodeo. This nifty scoot sports a powerful battery, wide brakes, a large fuel tank, the longest wheelbase and a generous storage space to carry your world with you. At Rs
38,299 (ex-showroom, Pune), the Mahindra Duro is a good value for money proposition. ‘Mahindra will design and market a range of scooters, value engineered motorcycles and high-end motorcycles for the Indian and global markets, helping it establish a robust, end-toend two-wheeler business in every segment of the industry.’ Read the Press Release issued by Mahindra. We sure are keeping our eyes open for the ‘value engineered motorcycles and high-end motorcycles’.
New electric scooters Electrotherm introduces two electric two-wheelers
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lectrotherm (India) Ltd, the country’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, has launched two new electric two-wheelers, the YO Electron and the YO Xplor. They are the firm’s latest offerings in the NO License-NO Registration category. The new models will also be offered in the energy efficient Extra Range or ER variants. The YO Xplor ER is battery operated and hence a zero polluting (at least in the short term) two-wheeler which runs on a 33Ah rechargeable battery and a 250W motor. According to the
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firm, once fully charged the eScooter can run up to 105-110km. The bike is also available with 24Ah battery options which as per company claims can travel up to 70-80km per charge. The YO Electron ER is powered by a 24Ah, VRLA battery and a 250W motor which as per the firm gives a range of 95-100km in a single charge. The YO Electron is available with a 20Ah battery option that can travel up to 70-75km per charge. Both the models have been cleared by ARAI for exemption from CMVR and hence do not require a driving license and RTO registration.
TRENDY YO The Electron and the bold YO Xplor are set to take on the eScooter market
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ION power
A not so famous person builds an electric motorcycle
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ver heard of Tom Micelli? Now don’t sit there scratching your heads like that. No, he isn’t the one who invented tubeless tyres or some crazy engines. In fact, Michelli has invented nothing to date (now you are scratching). Tom is just another kid from stateside, but unlike other kids of his age, he has just built an electric motorcycle. One that runs properly and is quite a looker too! With a BS in Industrial
Design tucked in his pocket, Tom Micelli showed off his ION electric motorcycle at the Southern Energy and Environment Expo 2009. The ION is powered by a 46bhp AC motor linked to an 84 Volt, lithium-ion battery. It produces an earth shattering torque of 142Nm which is even more than a Harley V Rod! Being an electric motorcycle and considering the torque it produces, you can be assured of eye popping acceleration, however, the top speed is estimated to be about 128km/h. The ION can do nearly 100km on a single charge and also has a regenerative braking system integrated within in order to restore energy to the battery whenever possible. Bearing in mind that the ION was conceived, designed, and constructed within just six months and with not much moolah to spare, we must say the bike is pretty impressive indeed. And by the way nice name too.
New TVS scooter spied We catch TVS scooting around on their latest offering for India
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s reported by BIKE India earlier, TVS is armed and ready with their latest ‘big’ scooter for India. K Srikanth, our eagle eyed colleague from Bengaluru, spotted the new scooter and shared this amazing picture with all of us. We have confirmed news from sources that the engine will be a 125cc unit - the reason why the test scooters managed to overtake Srikanth while he was doing 85km/h! The front tyre looks delightfully wide compared to the previous models and even the engine looks bulkier than older models in the other pictures we have with us. So, we are sure the scoot is big on power as well. The rear of the spied scooter resembles the Honda Activa to a large extent. Although the front looks comparatively tiny, we feel the company is using a dummy front body for testing purposes. We reckon the scoot will boast great styling, going by TVS’
recent launches and because of the existing competition in the market. The new scooter will compete with Honda Activa, Suzuki Access and the likes. The company which already has two models in the gearless scooter category, the Scooty Pep and the Scooty Streak, and is looking at getting a bigger market share in this segment.
Yes, that’s a dummy front end!
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IGNITION
NEW METAL BIKE India Magazine, 401B, Gandhi Empire, 5th Floor, 2 Sareen Estate, Kondhwa Road, Pune 411 040. INDIA Tel: +91-20-32930291 / 2 Fax: +91-20-26830465 Email us at: bikeindia@nextgenpublishing.net
KTM firms up plans for India
The firm will diversify into motorsports as well
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HILE THE PUNE BASED COMPANY, Bajaj increased their share holding in the Austrian firm in the meantime, no concrete plans were shared with the media. However, here is an exclusive preview of what both companies have in mind for the next year. The development of the Bajaj-KTM small capacity bikes is in full swing and the official launch will take place in the first quarter of the next calendar year. As for India, KTM will begin their foray into the domestic superbike segment with the launch of the 690 Duke early next year followed by other bikes.
KTM also wishes to ride in full throttle and have serious plans for bringing in their full range of riding gear as well as accessories. Apart from this, the company will also be getting their famous KTM Adventure Tours arm to India and will organize motorcycle tours for Indians as well as enthusiasts abroad. There are also firm plans for having at least a round of the world famous Red Bull X-fighters Championship right here in our country! KTM it seems wants to leave no stone unturned to mark their presence strongly and will also be participating in local racing as well as motocross championships. Spot on!
Chris gets his own F800R BMW unveils 68
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Contributors to Ignition :
ADVERTISING Regional Mktg. Mgr. Ellora Dasgupta (North & East) Regional Mgr. A. Mageshwaran (Tamil Nadu & Kerala) Asst. Mgr. Advertising Chanchal Arora (Delhi) Area Advt. Mgr. Niladri S Majumder (Mumbai), Pramod Udupa (Bangalore), Y. Lingeswaran (Chennai) Sr. Response Executive Vidya Venkatesan (Mumbai), Sachi Kumar (Delhi), GROUP ART DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION IN-CHARGE Atul Bandekar ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Marzban Jasoomani
BIKE INDIA REGIONAL MARKETING OFFICES: NEXT GEN PUBLISHING LTD. 24 & 30 Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III, Okhla, New Delhi - 110020, India Phone +91 11 42345678 Fax +91 11 42345679 NEXT GEN PUBLISHING LTD. # 903, 9th floor, ‘B’ Wing, Mittal Towers, MG Road, Bangalore -560001, India Phone +91 080 66110116
bike is an instant eye-catcher. The lack of a headlamp fairing on the special edition emphasises the purist look and shows the bike’s close connection to stunting. The front wheel is painted white and the rear is black, just like Pfeiffer’s own bike. The powerful sound of the exclusive road legal titanium Akrapovic sports silencer is pure aural pleasure. These exclusive 68 pieces will be available from early next year. The Chris Pfeiffer Edition is not just BMW’s way of saying thank you to Chris’s numerous achievements, but it is also a unique opportunity for fans to make this distinctive style their own.
Adhish Alawani, Ajay Joyson, Bunny Punia, Monica Thakkar, Saeed Akhtar, Sarmad Kadiri, Sawan Hembram
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Hoshang S Billimoria Aspi Bhathena Navroze Contractor
BIKE INDIA MARKETING OFFICE MUMBAI: NEXT GEN PUBLISHING LTD. 2nd Floor, Khatau House, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai – 400016, India Tel +91 22 43525252 Fax +91 22 24448289
exclusive F800R Chris Pfeiffer Edition
HRIS PFEIFFER IS THE ULTIMATE IN stunt riding, just like his F800R which is the ultimate riding machine (BMW to you). And now to honour the four-time World and European Stunt Champion, BMW have announced the F800R Chris Pfeiffer Special Edition. To be fair to the special tag, BMW will be selling just 68 units of this replica. With a striking sporty look provided by the three-colour paint scheme of BMW Motorsports, Chris’s personal autograph on the fuel tank, official sponsor stickers, subtle LED direction indicators, shimmering red spring strut and pillion seat cover, the
EDITORIAL Executive Editor Aspi Bhathena Assistant Editor Bunny Punia Copy Desk Monica Thakkar Editor At Large Navroze Contractor MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley Art Director Ramnath S Chodankar Senior Designer Ravi Parmar Designer Ajit Manjrekar Assistant Designer Varun Kulkarni Senior Correspondent Sarmad Kadiri Staff Writers Sridhar Chari, Adhish Alawani, Ajay Joyson, Saeed Akhtar Staff Photographers Sanjay Raikar, Sawan S Hembram Production Executive Dinesh Bhajnik Administrative Executive Roshni Bulsara Contributors Nikhil Raghavan, DPPI, Marc Willing
NEXT GEN PUBLISHING LTD. Unit No. 30, 3rd Floor, Modern Towers, No. 35/23 West Cott Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600014, India Phone +91 44 39149889 Fax +91 44 39149892 NEXT GEN PUBLISHING LTD. Chandan House, 3rd Floor, Mithakhali Six Roads, Ahmedabad - 380006, India Tel +79 40008000 SUBSCRIPTION & CIRCULATION National Manager Circulation & Subscription K Srikanth Asst. Circulation Manager Operations Sanjeev Roy Asst. Circulation Manager Kapil Kaushik Subscription Supervisor Sachin Kelkar Tel +91 22 43525220 Fax +91 22 24448289 PUBLISHER Khushroo Bhadha Published by Khushroo Bhadha Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd Floor, Khatau House, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai - 400016. Printed by Khushroo Bhadha Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd Floor, Khatau House, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai - 400016. Printed at Kala Jyothi Process Pvt. Ltd, 1-1-60/5 RTCX Roads, Hyderabad - 20. Published at Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd Floor, Khatau House, Mogul Lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai - 400016. EXECUTIVE EDITOR Aspi Bhathena
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SPECIAL FEATURE MY FLYTE OF STYLE
My Flyte My Style Reinforced by the Mahindra brand, proud Flyte owners share their first hand experience FEMME HUSSAIN MBA STUDENT Buzzing with energy, this 25year-old student is grooming to become a MBA. Femme had been on the lookout for a gearless scooter that could meet her expectations for almost six months and has spent relentless hours surfing the net for information. After reading reviews on www.bikeindia.in and some other online communities, she finally put her finger on the Mahindra Flyte. In spite of being a couple of
thousand cheaper than the competition, the Flyte offers a great combination of performance and style. She especially digs the fuel cap which is situated in the front because she doesn’t need to get off the bike while refueling. Femme can’t get enough of her new wheels as the scooter gives her over 42kmpl while she hustles between her college, multiplexes and coffee shops around town. Watch out, she could just be whizzing past you on her prized Flyte.
THE MIGHT OF MAHINDRA NOW ON TWO WHEELS 30
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Suhrud Wardekar Sound Engineer Suhrud couldn’t decide whether he should buy a motorcycle or a gearless scooter. But after checking out some dealerships and taking a zillion test rides, he couldn’t resist the practicality that the Mahindra Flyte offers at its price. The telescopic front forks, sporty seating position, self start, wide seats and several cubbyholes for keys, mobile, etc. are some of the features that convinced this radio
professional that the Flyte was the obvious choice. He believes that the Flyte is the most powerful scooter in this price bracket and makes full use of the power available as he zips ahead of the traffic. In fact, he was very impressed with the dealership as well because they called him a week in advance to remind him about the scooter’s service and took the booking over the phone. Suhrud is happy that he made the right choice, even though it was not his first.
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IGNITION
Bunny Punia
From the saddle
Superbikes equal super wastage? Can you really extract a superbike’s potential on Indian roads? I remember a highly placed official from an Indian motorcycle company recently commenting on why there is no scope of superbikes achieving huge sales in India. While I don’t remember the exact quote, what he meant was that there aren’t proper roads around to do justice to these super powered motorcycles. After my seven day road trip across Austria and Italy, unlike thousands around, I don’t beg to differ at all. It’s not just the lack of good roads but a dozen other genuine reasons on why I don’t see the Indian two-wheeler market witnessing a respectable number superbike sales even five years down the line. Even if an owner manages to find a good stretch of highway near his city, the fact is that unlike most other major superbike infested cities around the world, on an Indian highway, there will be every probability of traffic coming from the opposite direction. And then there are the holy cows and man’s best friend. If you escape being hit by a drunken truck driver, these animals will surely make you hit mother earth. Unmarked diversions, cuts in the middle of the road every now and then and pothole infested stretches even on parts of the over hyped Golden
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Quadrilateral ensure that you will end up braking more than you will be able to accelerate. Even if the government works hard on fencing major highways and makes sure that no animals wander around these routes, there is still another reason why I don’t think it is safe to ride a big bike at even 50 percent of its true potential. In India, the mentality of an average Indian driver / rider is to stick to the right lane. Even if two left lanes are completely empty, he will always stick to the right one. I have seen numerous cases of slow moving taxis in the fast lane, chugging along at 80 kays, ignoring the honking and flashing of fast approaching cars. I have also seen these old buggers suddenly weaving out of their lanes to the left and vice-versa. Imagine yourself heading in the fast lane at a hundred miles suddenly to find an old rickety car in your lane. Say things do change five or ten years down the line and drivers become educated and stick to their respective lanes, I am sure their will be every probability of them still not respecting or taking note of the presence of a biker around. During my trip, almost each and every car I approached from the back on the highways made way
for me. They either slowed down or moved slightly to the right to let me pass. In India, even a superbike on the streets is looked down upon. Instead of giving way for you to move ahead, they try racing with you or worse still, keep staring at the bike in their rear view mirrors ignoring all the honking and flashing. There is a reason why passing a simple driving test abroad is very difficult. It is common for aspiring drivers to fail their tests often. The trainers are very strict and even the slightest of mistakes means you have to take the test again. The basics of driving / riding are taught with attention to the minutest of details – respect for others on the road, sticking to speed limits, following traffic laws, giving way to traffic on a roundabout, et al. All this shows in the way people behave on the road abroad. In
my seven days of riding, I didn’t hear even a single honk. Every vehicle on the road stopped for pedestrians to cross – the exact opposite of what you can expect in India. I didn’t see anyone overtake on curves or corners and proper use of indicators was made while overtaking. When will this kind of education come to India among the masses? When will an owner be able to park his brand new Rs 12 lakh motorcycle in a supermarket parking lot and walk away without having the fear of not seeing his bike again? When will a rider be able to wring the throttle of a superbike to enjoy at least half of its power without being concerned about a stray canine being responsible for his six month hospital visit? I am afraid, the answer to these questions my friends is probably never. b.punia@nextgenpublishing.net
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IGNITION
Glynn Kerr
Guru GLYNN
Drawing the Line Can a lack of symmetry in design make a motorcycle stand out from the crowd? Motorcycles are made up of numerous small, sculptural volumes, many of which can be created in a single moulding and areas of bodywork are often separated by large mechanical expanses. There’s usually enough going on to stop a bike looking boring. By comparison, cars have a large single body mass, so
shut-lines (the gaps between the various body panels) play a vital role in breaking up the volume. On a motorcycle, the need to break up the surfaces generally happens with models with larger or more complex bodywork, so shut-lines typically play a greater role on tourers and scooters. But shut-lines exist wherever two
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panels meet, so there are more examples on motorcycles than meets the eye. The windscreen line is a good example, which tends to go unnoticed as one of the parts is clear. As motorcycle design becomes ever more complex, even naked bikes employ panel splits to divide colour or texture, or to allow intricate detailing which would otherwise be impossible to get out of the mould. Compare the plastic tank on the new Ducati
Monster to the old metal design for a good example of that. Not all shut-lines are made into features. In fact, certain manufacturers hide them completely through plastic welding, while some areas, such as a central joint line on the tail section, are sometimes minimised by designing tight tolerances with minimal radii. Some attempts at this work better than others, and bad examples tend to look as if the part has split. My own principle
1 Shut-lines can be used to illustrate or even emphasise the body forms 2 Motorcycles often use panel splits for a change in colour, texture or material 3 Thoughtless shut-line on the Suzuki GS150R side panel lets down the whole design 4 Advertisement goes to lengths to cover that shut line on the side panel 5 BMW K1300R uses the tank shut-line to continue the theme of asymmetry from the headlight
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4 3
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6 The thinking behind the panel relationships on the Kawasaki 1400GTR is hard to comprehend 7 Shut line designs on early sports bikes were pretty basic 8 Multi-piece plastic tank cover on the new Monster allows greater complexity of form. Colour and texture changes mask the carefully placed panel splits 9 Stylised shut-lines give a technical look to the rear of this scooter 10 Shut-lines even feature on domestic product designs
is “if you’ve got it, flaunt it”, so I prefer to make a feature of any panel joint than trying to hide it. In many cases, shut-lines on motorcycles are used to create a change of colour, material or surface finish, so we don’t read them in the same way as when they’re slicing through a singlecoloured surface. If the colour or texture changes between two parts, we read the block of colour. When the colour is the same, we read the line between the parts, so its width and indent become more important. In both cases, every panel split should add to the overall look of the bike, either by following the general flow of the body lines (on sports bikes, this is usually the “down-force line”, sloping down towards the front), or by deliberately running against them to break up a larger surface into smaller components. Even here, there needs to be some order to the chaos, otherwise the line will look out of place. A perfect example is the little Suzuki GS150R available in certain regions. Overall, this
is quite a nicely balanced piece of design for a small commuter, except for one screaming flaw - the shut-line between the side panel and the rear bodywork. It follows no other line on the bike; it’s at exactly the wrong angle and splits up the rear bodywork into awkward proportions. Almost any other location and any other angle would have been better - a fact presumably acknowledged by Suzuki as advertisements for this model do their best to cover that particular feature. Kawasaki is another producer of curious panel fits. The lines between the tank and side covers on the 1400GTR defy both logic and good taste, with varying widths and little sense of order. It gives the impression that several different designers were at work on the bike, and rarely communicated with each other. The fairing sides are full of tight, fussy detail, with straight lines and sharp edges, while the tank, seat and side covers are bland and droopy. There really is very little correlation between the various
parts, and once you start to read the gaps between them rather than the parts themselves, the depth of confusion becomes clear. Considering that Kawasaki’s design boss Shunji Tanaka spent much of his time designing cars at Mazda, you’d expect better. Because of their preference for single colour schemes, and the extensive use of plastic covers in their designs, BMW has become quite a master of the shut-line. Having a long-established car division no doubt helps too. So confident have BMW’s designers become with this skill that they are now using shutlines to deliberately tease our expectations of symmetry, the lopsided look having become an integral part of that company’s devotion to individuality. Whereas this was previously confined to the headlights, the K1300R takes this one step further with a fore-to-aft split in the tank running slightly off centre before snaking around the fuel filler cap and exiting on the opposite side. The line itself is
fresh and innovative, and doesn’t really disturb our predisposition towards balance, although the fuel cap also situated slightly off-centre, looks a little odd. BMW’s design chief Dave Robb has been justifying this styling direction recently by pointing out cases of asymmetry in nature, but in animals - and that’s what a motorcycle is most frequently likened to - lopsidedness is usually the result of deformity or injury. Around the face, it becomes particularly disturbing, so the K1300R’s mismatched headlights, which essentially represent the eyes, continue to be controversial. Further down the bike, asymmetry becomes less of an issue - after all, plenty of bikes have single-sided exhaust cans or swingarms without looking out of place. So although the mismatched headlights more or less work on the tractor-like GS models, the K1300R would be better off with something more balanced. The off-set fuel cap is tolerable, but that S-shaped shutline on the tank is truly inspired. October 2009
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IGNITION
MOTO WARE
The brand synonymous with racing spirit and orange colour, KTM has some equally steaming products
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01 COFFE MUG
The orange coloured coffe mug is imprinted with the automaker’s logo. Every cup of coffee will remind you of your dream bike from the KTM stable that is until they screech their tyres on Indian roads.
02 BOTTLE ALU
The light aluminium sports drink bottle is durable and comes in handy on long rides. It scores over plastic bottles by maintaining hygiene and keeping liquids odour free. It can be an ideal companion during track days as well.
03 COOLING CHAIR
The folding stool can be easily carried anywhere, be it to the track or on outings. What’s more, it features an integrated cooling bag to keep your drinks chilled. The imprinted KTM logo makes it look like a pro-racer’s kit and a class above the rest.
04 RACING WATCH GUN PLATED
This ultra desirable quartz wrist watch has a gun metal coloured, steel-plated housing with a black rubber strap. The 45mm diameter time machine has Citizen Miyota movement and features an integrated stopwatch. The racing watch is water resistant up to a depth of 50 metres.
05 SANDALS
These pair of footwear will come to the rescue when you want to get out of those tiring, stuffy riding boots and want to stroll around for some fresh air. Lovely and comfortable chappals to wear at beach parties as well.
06 RACING TOASTER
KTM’s Powerwear Orange equipment range includes a hot stuff, literally. The two slot toaster from the automaker can actually create a KTM logo on your toasts.
07 ZIPPER LOCK
The KTM zipper lock can prevent quick entry to your bags from unauthorised persons thereby limiting thefts. The combination lock is one useful stuff for your tank bag or backpacks.
08 PITLANE UMBRELLA
The large 150cm diameter umbrella in orange looks cool with two big KTM racing prints. The original KTM throttle twist grip infuses that true racing spirit in this powerwear kit.
October 2009
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IGNITION
readers’ page
your trips Who are we? Niranjan Skoda and Nagaraj Bikes : Honda Unicorn Trip Log : I (Niranjan Skoda) and my pal Nagaraj went on a road trip from Bangalore between July 30 and August 6, 2009, covering about 1900km on a Unicorn. On the first day, we started at 6 am and only stopped at the majestic Jog Falls in Shimoga about 420km away. On the way, we covered the Netravathi valley, the tiger and lion safari in Tavarekoppa and stayed for the night in Sagara. On the second day, we went to see the Agumbe rain forest and viewpoint (a distance of about 200km) passing through Thirthahalli where the roads are rubber plantation roads. It started raining in the morning and continued to pour heavily in Agumbe. At the time we didn’t know the reason for the torrential downpour, but after the trip we came to know that this place receives the second highest rainfall in India and also has the largest population of king cobras in Asia. The third day saw us going to Udupi to see the Lord Krishna temple. We rode through ghat roads in continuous rain and stayed in Mangalore. It was raining again on the fourth day when we went to Coorg. Here the roads are superb and the rain
forest is excellent, however, the cold starts creeping in because the altitude is 6000 feet. We stayed in Madikeri that night and the next morning went to Talcauvery - where the Cauvery River is born. On the way, we covered Bhagamandala, a holy place where three rivers meet. On the sixth day, we went to see a Tibetian settlement in Kushalanagar. After visiting the Golden temple in the monastery, we continued towards Ooty – the queen of hill stations at an altitude of 8100 feet. It was bitingly cold here. On day seven, we traveled to the Coonoor tea plantation, the Mukruthi National Park, the Silent Valley in Kerala and stayed near Nagahole National Park. On our way back the next morning, we covered the Himad Gopalswamy hill, the Chamundi hill, the Mysore zoo, the palace and the KRS dam before reaching Bangalore at 8pm.
The duo’s eight day trip on the Unicorn covered everything from waterfalls to scenic, foggy conditions and temples!
YOUR STUNTS net, with the subject line, ‘Your Stunts’.
SEND US YOUR PICS! Get digital. Email your pictures to bikeindia@nextgenpublishing.
(Anti- clockwise from top left) : Sunny Ghosh from Kolkata and the founder of Hell Riders club shows off on the Bajaj Pulsar followed by a wheelie through a puddle of water on the TVS Apache 180. Supreet from Lucknow performing a free style Endo and a second gear rolling wheelie on the Yamaha FZ16. Chandra from Street Demonz Ranchi pops a 12 o’clock wheelie on the FZ. Team-mate Sumit joins in later for a side-by-side wheelie. It is our request to all the readers to kindly send us only unedited, high resolution pictures for this section.
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your trips Who are we? xBhp.com Bangalore members Bikes: 30+ motorcycles Trip Log :Every year as our great nation welcomes its Independence Day, we at Xbhp Bangalore, strive to make the event special for ourselves and for the people around us. This year, saw a massive turnout of 45 bikers proudly flaunting the tricolour on a 320+ km ride through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Our destination was Krishnagiri dam and we met at 5:30 am at the Silk board junction in Bangalore. Even a rained out night and drizzling early hours, did not extinguish the fire in our hearts to ride with the tricolor. After a quick session of group riding rules and dividing into smaller sub-groups, the majestic display of biking etiquette to the world began. Perfect formations and hand signaling followed with experienced members leading and sweeping each sub-group. The first halt was to stop a rumbling of another kind, our tummies! The bikes lined up at the parking area of A2B were indeed a splendid sight. We were knights on our steeds riding for the country. An elaborate photo session followed and then it was time to head towards our final destination. Again, on to the GQ, we rolled with children cheering us on with loud and exited voices making us feel special. The Krishnagiri dam is a marvel. We rode towards the catchment area and parked our bikes close to the water. After a good long chat, we regrouped and headed back via a totally
different route through Kanakpura. If the trip so far was great then this was a double treat! We ended up going through some beautiful curves, mountain highs, intense jungles and even crossed a stream with a collapsed bridge. It was late at around 10 pm before all us arrived back and crash landed our sore you-knowwhat’s to bed. The massive turnout and impeccable formation riding awed people everywhere we went. As our nation turned 63, we were there doing what we do best, representing our nation and spreading the pride of the tricolor. Jai Hind.
The Bangalore chapter of www.xbhp.com celebrated Independence day in style with over thirty riders actively taking part in the ride
(Clockwise from top left) : Vignesh on the Pulsar 200 pulls a neat stoppie. Azhar Khan displays a great one hander stoppie on the FZ-S. Navneet Bhahuguna on a modified Pulsar rolls off on one wheel while Prashanth Peter from club Raging Demonz, Bangalore finishes off with a standing wheelie.
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IGNITION
RIDE SAFE
When you ride alone, you feel one with your bike and have a good understanding of how your machine responds and behaves in a variety of situations. In simpler words, you feel totally in control to manoeuvre easily. If you have a rear seat passenger, a lot of factors right from the power-to-weight ratio to the centre of gravity changes. They directly affect the stability and the behaviour of a bike. Thus we need to be more cautious and take extra measures while riding with a pillion. An even more important factor is the co-rider’s faith in you.
If you put yourself in the pillion’s shoes you can immediately understand that it’s pretty tough for a passenger to trust the rider in control. Every time you accelerate, cut through traffic or apply the brakes, you speed up the heart rate of your pillion. Similarly, a corider may panic when you are overtaking vehicles on the highway. If you are a pillion, have faith in the rider. After all, he would not like to put himself in a critical situation. Here are a few basics for safe riding with a co-rider.
PROTECTIVE GEAR FOR A PILLION Like the rider, the pillion must also wear adequate riding gear. Within city limits, a helmet is a must and while on long rides, additional gear like a riding jacket, gloves, ankle protecting shoes should be seriously considered. The rider in control of the bike may react instantly to any eventuality but that’s not the case for the pillion whose field of vision mostly remains blocked by the rider in front. Besides, the loss of a bike’s stability can cause panic and very often, the passenger takes unexpected evasive actions. In a nutshell, a pillion is always more vulnerable to eventualities than the rider in control.
STIFFENED REAR SUSPENSION
TYRE PRESSURE
Two riders means a heavier load. This can throw the preset suspension out of shape and it can prove to be too soft. Most modern bikes come with an adjustable suspension setting at the rear. You need to go for a harder setting that can deal with the weight of two persons. Both the riders should get on the saddle and simulate a jerking action with a powerful downward force. If the shock absorbers shrink well yet do not bottom out, it’s an optimum setting.
Tyre pressure plays a vital role not only in traction but also for the fuel efficiency of your bike. Refer to the bike’s user manual or any sticker on the vehicle mentioning optimum pressure for one and two riders. Follow it accordingly and you will notice significant improvement in the bike’s behaviour. It is recommended that the tyre pressure should be slightly low if riding on wet roads.
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Riding with a pillion With a passenger occupying the rear seat of a bike, the centre of gravity changes thereby greatly affecting normal vehicular dynamics. Keep the following tips in mind when you are required to ride with a pillion
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IGNITION
RIDE SAFE
Relaxed pillion
Bracing against the fuel tank If your pillion is a novice, you need to take extra care. Tell him/her to have faith in you and your riding skills. Trust plays a major role if you ride with a pillion. If required, you should tell the person how to mount and dismount on bike without destabilising it. Novice pillions also tend to put their feet on the ground whenever the bike stops even for a brief period such as at signals. In such cases, the passenger becomes a secondary controlling factor which must be avoided. Also let the pillion speak up whenever he/ she feels uncomfortable with anything.
In case of big bikes especially with inclined rear seats, pillions may find it difficult holding onto the grab rail. A better posture for a pillion in such cases is to brace against the fuel tank with both hands. This will aid significantly against sliding forward every
now and then. It also saves from banging helmets in case of hard braking. This may need a little practice to make it a spontaneous habit. Nevertheless, it’s worth it as this posture and method comes in handy while cornering too.
Holding the grab rail You may suggest your co-rider holds the grab rail of your bike. This way he/she will feel more confident even at considerably high speeds. Holding onto the grab rail in conjunction with the feet firmly set on foot pegs aids in case of a hard braking scenario. Nevertheless, the rider in control must try his best to avoid jerking and sudden manoeuvres that could send panic signals. It’s suggested for a pillion to clamp his knees against the rider’s hip or thigh. This way, the co-rider’s knees are less vulnerable to external elements. Remember that a pillion finds it a lot harder to maintain a posture for a long time. That means you should consider more stops on a long ride as compared to when you ride alone.
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Feet firmly on the foot pegs
Non-verbal communication
Tell your co-rider to set his/her feet firmly on the rear foot pegs. This is a basic but important requirement as it helps the pillion to maintain balance while riding and aids while cornering as well. In case of hard braking, a firm foot on the pegs effectively resists the sudden forward movement of the passenger. Another point to remember is that the pillion should not place his foot on the exhaust pipe. With any unexpected manoeuvre, the passenger may try to push against the pipe. This in the long term may result a breakdown in the worst case scenario. Moreover, an unprotected hot exhaust may burn his/her shoe. Remind your corider not to put their feet on the ground unless the bike comes to a complete halt.
A rider and pillion must be able to non-verbally communicate with each other. A rider may have to take his eyes off the road in order to speak with a passenger - something that must be avoided. The two of them may need to invariably talk to each other on many occasions. On a fairly open road, you may need to tell your pillion that you want to zip ahead fast. Or your co-rider may want to shift back a bit or want you to stop for something. Prior to going on a ride, discuss and decide basic communicating signals. Consider tapping twice on the left thigh as an intention to accelerate ahead, tapping the pillion’s right knee would signal him to keep his knees closer to the bike in heavy traffic, tapping your right shoulder thrice would mean a request to stop, etc.
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Leaning on curves Around curves and corners, riding with a passenger can be tricky. Encountering corners requires you to lean your bike. You as the rider may feel it’s very natural to lean and turn. But your co-rider should be aware of your manoeuvring style and the extent of you lean angle. Ideally, you should talk to your passenger beforehand about this aspect. If your co-rider is a novice, explain to him/her the requirement of leaning to tackle curves but do it at a slow speed. The pillion too should lean in parallel to the rider for the best manoeuvre. If you have an experienced co-passenger, you may turn at a considerable speed. Tell the pillion to hold just below your waist. This will let him/her know the extent to which you will hang off the saddle so that he/she could imitate you rightly. A pillion must remember not to over lean in comparison to the main rider.
No stunts please Even if you are good at stunting, you must realise that a pillion’s additional weight changes the dynamics. Pulling a wheelie may be too easy, but bringing your front wheel down could be too tough. Losing stability is common when a pillion sits on a bike.
Avoid sudden acceleration Stoppies can be even more dangerous. The co-rider might fly over you to kiss the ground in front. Avoid any freak movements or else you might be responsible for your co-rider’s injury. No pillion would want to hit ground with his tail bone.
Never accelerate all of sudden. You may be unaware of your passenger’s mood. Instant acceleration will definitely send a shiver down his/her spine. If the pillion is absent minded, he/she may fall off your bike. Also note that the passenger’s load at the rear wheel may cause a wheelie inadvertently. So it’s better to ride smoothly when with a co-
rider. Similar consideration should be given to braking. A heavier load means higher momentum. Hence, it would take a longer time and distance to stop as against riding alone. Look ahead in terms of time factor. Experts suggest looking 12 seconds ahead for an effective evasive manoeuvre. This way, you can keep yourself away from mishaps.
Editor’s Note In India, a motorcycle is often seen as a mode of transport for more than one person. Most bikes you see on the road have the rider’s better half or a family member sitting on the rear seat. Riding with a pillion is often considered easy, but it isn’t especially on a low powered bike or in congested city traffic. The extra weight of the pillion affects the way a bike handles. While the rider has the handlebars for support and knows what he is doing at every point, the pillion is often left at the
mercy of just the grab rail. Sudden acceleration and braking can cause a lot of discomfort to the pillion. In our opinion, every rider should try being a pillion once to see how difficult it is for the person sitting on the rear seat to adjust frequently as per the changing riding conditions. A rider should always be generous and adjusting. Speaking to the pillion beforehand, making sure no sudden changes happen in the riding pattern, etc. can go a long way in making him or her feel comfortable.
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FIRST RIDE HERO HONDA ZMR
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THE KING RETURNS! A heavy dose of cosmetic as well as engine updates mark the birth of the new Karizma ZMR. Bunny Punia gives it the stick to see if the bike has been worth the wait Photography Sanjay Raikar
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he previous night had been very interesting with a live band and an open bar taking care of a select few journalists who had been flown in for an exclusive first ride of the new Karizma. No matter how much I pestered the Hero Honda guys to divulge some dope on the new bike, it was futile. It was half past six in the morning the next day when I was about to finish my second cup of hot tea in order to awaken my half sleepy brain that I happened to hear a rather familiar exhaust note. Minutes later, the first look of one of the most awaited upgrade in the Indian two-wheeler industry more than livened up the lazy bum in me. A full body kit, exciting graphics and tweaks here and there - the wait for the new Karizma, or the ZMR as the company puts it, seemed worth it. The sharply designed front headlamp looks great and seems to have been inspired by the Suzuki GSX-R and the Triumph Sprint. The slot for the pilot lamps is swept back giving a sporty
look. The black visor is probably the biggest on any Indian bike and the fairing mounted rear view mirrors not only look good, but as I found out on the ride, serve their purpose well. The same airintakes on either side of the lamp and the “oilcooled” stickers hinted at a more powerful engine. Side on, the indicators are integrated into the panels like the current bike and the fairing ends near the brake lever like commonly seen aftermarket jobs. The difference here, however, is the quality – the plastics seem durable with an up market fit and finish. The side panels are the same with a slight bulging rear and the new split grab rail along with the striking LED tail lamp assembly give the rear a pleasing look. The spoilsport here is the skinny rear tyre. This will be the first modification most owners will end up doing, I reckon. With a rather muscular and big fairing, fitting a wider, say 120mm rear tyre would have added more muscle to the overall look in my opinion. You can’t help but notice
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FIRST RIDE HERO HONDA ZMR
the rear disc brake and the GRS equipped rear shock absorbers. The changes don’t stop here. Swing a leg over the bike and once seated in the comfortable well padded seat, you will notice the forged aluminum clip-ons. As with Hero Honda, the execution is superb but what really strikes you is the complete digital display unit. A la Hunk styled chromed counter in the middle serves as a tachometer with a display for speed (ourtesy the contact less magnetic sensor, the speedometer is very accurate) on the left, fuel in the middle and trip meter and a real time fuel economy display on the right. There is also a programmable welcome display which can be altered as per the owner’s requirement. Want to impress your girl? You can get her name to be
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displayed each time the ignition is switched on! Thumb the starter and the engine fires into life. The Karizma has always been a smooth operator and with Honda’s famed PGM-FI finding its way in here, the 223cc engine feels a touch more refined. Yes the engine capacity remains the same, however, there are a lot of changes to the motor. The idle air control valve ensures automatic stabilization of rpm over all terrain (a boost for tourers), the FI unit eliminates the need for a choke and the twelve Orific injector nozzles ensure a highly atomized air-fuel mixture for better combustion and efficiency. All this along with other high tech features in addition to a slight retuning sees the maximum power go up marginally to 17.6bhp or 17.84PS at the same
rpm. The maximum torque remains the same though. These figures might be disappointing for those seeking more juice from the Karizma. The ECU unit also has six sensors for various functions including intake air temperature, oxygen sensor, etc. The Karizma’s motor has always been in a relatively soft state of tune. This one too feels the same. The throttle response isn’t very sharp or jerky, the way it gains speeds in any gear is seamless and the engine seems to be barely bothered even when pushed near the redline. The slight increase in power can hardly be felt and this is reflected in the performance figures that I managed. A 4.9 second 0-60km/h timing with me on board is more or less the same as the
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GEAR CHECK Rider: Bunny Punia Helmet Jacket Gloves Boots
Sparx S07 Pow Blue KRP Blizzard DSG Spidi XPD XP5
l to r: The fully digital speedometer console gets a real time fuel efficiency display as well. The rear LED tail lamp along with the split grab rail looks great. The bike also gets a Nissin disc brake at the rear along with an i-GRS suspension
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THIS ENGINE IS ONE OF THE MOST RELIABLE MOTORS OUT THERE. IT CAN HANDLE ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT A RIDER THROWS ITS WAY - LIKE THESE ROLLING CIRCULAR BURNIES!
previous bike’s 4.7 second timing with a 70kg rider. What has changed though is the way the bike reaches high speeds and its ability to maintain the same for prolonged distances. The icing on the cake comes in the form of better efficiency and we won’t be surprised if the ZMR manages 45kmpl in the city with ease. This bike remains a stunter’s delight – wheelies, stoppies and rolling burnouts – it delivers when given the stick as is evident from the pictures on these pages. The handling remains as sweet as ever, though in the wake of increased competition, the front seems a tad too soft for serious riding around the twisties or on the track. However, the suspension shines when ridden on broken roads and the bike’s ability to dismiss such patches with ease is hard to match by the competition even today. The rear now gets the GRS suspension from the Hunk and is a step in the right direction. The rear disc brake, a Nissin unit, works well and the feedback is great. The front tyre has been made slightly wider (80mm against the older 70mm) and the ZMR runs on tubeless tyres. The bike now sports a louder dual horn for keeping away
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heavy traffic on the highway. With all these changes in place, we expect a premium of around Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000 over the current Karizma that will continue to sell alongside the ZMR. This will make the bike close to a lakh on the road. Perhaps the enthusiasts who have been waiting for something powerful might not feel the price tag to be well justified. Nonetheless, visually and technologically, the ZMR is a huge step forward. The list of standard features is impressive too. Watch out for an exhaustive road test in our next issue. Visit www. bikeindia.in for more pictures and videos.
SPEC SHEET Hero Honda Karizma ZMR Engine type Displacement Maximum power Maximum torque Fuel Metering Ignition Kerb Weight Front tyre Rear tyre
Oil-cooled single cylinder 223cc 17.84 PS @ 7000rpm 18.35 Nm @ 6000 rpm PGM-FI , Programmed Fuel Injection DC Full Transisterized Ignition System 159 kg 80 / 100 x 18 - Tubeless 100 / 90 x 18 - Tubeless
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INTERVIEW ANOOP PRAKASH
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Ready to HOG Thanks to the amazing Indian mangoes, the American heavyweight is finally here! To get some juice, Sarmad Kadiri rides along with Anoop Prakash Harley-Davidson India MD Strange as it may sound, most Indian cruiser aficionados’ affinity for mangoes has increased to unimaginable heights. Back in ‘07, the Indian government gave the go ahead for Harley-Davidson to enter the country in exchange for Indian mangoes. However, it took two years of R&D for H-D to make an official announcement about their debut here. With India’s 3,500,000 kilometers of great (and some not so great) highways and a brand built for open roads, this was just a matter of time. We caught up with the Managing Director of Harley-Davidson’s Indian subsidiary, Anoop Prakash and asked him to throw some light (prakash!) on the way forward. So, let’s get this straight. We give mangoes and get Harleys in return? When you think about it, it is a trade deal between two national icons. Indian riders get to enjoy Harleys and American foodies get to enjoy Indian mangoes. It’s a brilliant opportunity for both sides. Hmmm...that sounds good but why did you make us wait for so long? (Laughs) We are sorry to make you wait, that is the best I can say. Actually when the barrier (which stated that no bike of 800cc and above will be allowed to be imported in India) was lifted in 2007, it was only then that H-D could start investing in the strategy. We wanted to do things right, have a long term strategy and come here with some gusto. And now you see it being fulfilled.
Was it difficult to meet the Indian norms? How do you like our tax and duty structure? We applaud the Indian government for having the foresight to choose an international standard like the EURO 3. This way manufactures have to meet one standard in their drive cycle and they can sell their products internationally and customers can also benefit because they don’t have to pay an additional cost for R&D. We already meet the requirements, as we are selling bikes in Europe. As far as the tax structure goes, that’s going to be difficult. I politely disagree with the government’s take on it because they can’t argue that it is a protectionist rule since there are no domestic 800cc manufacturer and above segment. So, what’s happening is that Indian enthusiasts are being deprived of access to heavyweight motorcycling. We hope that we can help continue to fight that battle and if we can’t work it out with the government, we have to do it through our pricing strategy.
Actor Dino Morea and a bunch of lucky owners went cruising on the first lot of Harleys in New Delhi
We wonder how do the front number plates and the saree guards look on a Harley. We have 12 Harleys registered in Delhi and they do have fairly robust license plates (laughs) for the RTO. This is okay because in some cases it fits nicely on the front forks. As far as the saree guard is concerned, what we found during the homogenization was that the heavyweight motorcycles seem to have been forgiven that feature mainly because it’s not particularly safe for a
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INTERVIEW ANOOP PRAKASH lady wearing a saree sitting sideways on an 800cc or above bike. All bikers may not have lakhs of rupees stashed in their bank. How do they buy one of your legendary bikes? Our goal is to tie-up with a bank in India and provide very competitive retail finance for Indian enthusiasts. We haven’t secured that partnership as yet but we are in the early stages of starting those conversations. The worst thing I can imagine is for somebody who has a life long dream of owning a Harley to run into any kind of challenge on the financing side. (We already like this guy!)
NO FANCY ADVERTISING, ARBITRARY WRITE-UPS OR FAKE STUDIO PHOTO SPREADS. IT’S ABOUT GETTING OUT IN THE HEAT AND DUST AND CRUISING
Now that the finance part is taken care of, what are the options in your Indian portfolio? We are looking at launching between 12 to 15 models in India, representing every family that H-D has i.e. Sportsters, Dynas, Softails, Touring, V-Rod and CVO (Customized Vehicle operation). We are finalizing right now using feedback from the website, the riders and the product clinic that we did earlier. We hope to make that announcement by January 2010. We heard that you might have some models for as low as Rs 7 lakh? Yes. Right now we are working at the price model and I am going to do everything I can to make it accessible. We have to be considerate about leaving enough dealers’ margin because a dealer is also going to invest in the experience that every Harley rider has. At the same time, we are going to be very aggressive in our pricing. When and where can we check the bikes out? We are looking at establishing up to five dealers by 2010. We’d like to have dealers in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and one in either Chandigarh or Ludhiana. Soon thereafter, we will be building the next set of dealerships for 2011. We are planning to bring in pure Harley into pure India, no short-cutting or holding back. Everything is going to come in full throttle.
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Okay, getting a bit greedy...are there any plans to get your other brands here? Currently our portfolio is Pure-Harley-PureIndia. But as we see opportunities, we would love to introduce MV Agusta and down the road possibly Buell. But initially, it’s only going to be Harley-Davidson.
So, will we be bombarded with slick TV commercials, print ads and the drill? I’m a rider and I want to get people on bikes, period. My emphasis is to get as many people on bikes as soon as possible. I have 12 bike demo fleet registered and we took riders and enthusiasts out in Delhi and have received a great demand. We hope to do another ride in Mumbai and some other cities as well. No fancy advertising, arbitrary write-ups or fake studio photo spreads. It’s about getting out in the heat and dust and cruising. Great! But what about the promised inside juice? We will be appointing the dealers in the first quarter and hopefully have the dealerships opened by third quarter so that you can have bikes by the festival season. (We’re buying extra firecrackers next Diwali) How does it feel to be leading the Harley crew in India? It’s extremely exhilarating, challenging and rewarding. It’s just a dream job. It’s the greatest motorcycle brand in the world and this is the greatest market in the world. What could be better?
Here’s a question from the Union guys - do you plan to start manufacturing in India? We are helping write the second chapter in India which is leisure motorcycling. If we see the demand, then maybe in the long term we could consider that option. But as of now there are no such plans. With my salary, I’ll surely buy one of those mean H-D jackets. Will you be getting them here as well? When we open our dealerships, we will also have riding gear and accessories. We are planning to offer the full HarleyDavidson experience. How can you enjoy the motorcycle without having the jackets, the armour, the helmets and the gloves? We’ll be all in.
Talking about salary, Harley recently had to cut jobs back in the US but you are investing in India now. We have been looking at India for a very long time as rightly speculated by your magazine. With the changing economy and the increasing infrastructure in the country, this seems like the right time for the brand. Moreover, this is independent from what’s happening in Milwaukee. The Asian market is growing faster and what you are seeing in the US and Canada is that the markets are maturing and the year over year growth is flat but fairly steady.
Biography • This NRI is the Managing Director for Harley-Davidson India. • A former U.S. Marine Corps Officer, Prakash holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Public Policy as well as a MBA degree. • He formerly served as Senior Executive Service appointee in the administration of former US President, George W. Bush. • Prakash has now shifted base with his family to Gurgaon.
Now that you’ll be living in India, are you prepared? My family is from Delhi and I have been coming here all my life. It’s like a second home for me. I have settled in Gurgaon with my wife and kids and we are getting used to the rhythm of life here (says with a smile on his face). In the US, you start craving for kebabs and kulchas. You go to a second rate place only to discover that they don’t know what they are doing. In India, you get full access to all the good stuff and can watch cricket during the normal hours of the day. There are a lot of good things about being here. Of course, I am excited to ride here and bring H-D to Indian communities. We want to establish a long term relationship for the next 100 years to come. (We say amen to that)
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FIRST RIDE ACTIVA DELUXE
BRAKING DISTRIBUTION Saeed Akhtar scrutinizes every nut and bolt on the Honda Activa’s Combi Brake system
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HEN THE average Indian buyer goes out to buy a twowheeler, he employs a reverse thought process i. e., he looks for fuel efficiency and price first. Safety features, that have already become standard elsewhere, have to take a backseat here because they jack up the price and hence few people care to have them. Therefore, it is heartening to learn that Honda has introduced a new variant of its bestselling Activa with a neat little system that applies a modicum of front brake even if one uses only the rear brake. Now, most riders in India predominantly use the rear brake while applying little or no front brake at all. A dangerous thing, but then, it is easier for a man to burn down his own house than to get rid of his prejudices. In fact, the thumb rule is to use the front brake on dry tarmac or concrete and the rear on a wet surface or on gravel. Honda’s Combi Brake system is discernible by the presence of two brake cables leading to the front brake assembly as compared to the regulation single one. Look closely
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at the mountings and you will notice that the ends of the brake cables are housed in floating brackets of different sizes - the shorter one stacked on top of the longer one. The former belongs to the front brake and the latter to, well, you know. In theory, when the front brake lever is applied, only the respective lever is pulled and the front brake is applied accordingly. It is when the rear brake is deployed that things get somewhat more
The Combi Brake’s advantages are discernible while rear braking on wet or gravelly surfaces
interesting. Of course, the rear brake is engaged but, courtesy their link, the front brake pivot is also pulled and engaged. Simple and neat, really. In operation, there is no discernible difference in normal city riding where most Activas will be ridden. However on deliberately poking the rear brake, the scooter showed remarkable composure, trying its best to adhere to the straight marked line in our office parking lot. The system doesn’t (and isn’t meant to) stop the wheels from locking up, but distributes the brake load so that chances of skidding on gravel or wet surfaces are reduced. And it works, but only on such surfaces. The benefits are not very palpable on smooth stretches or on the highway. However, the Deluxe variant is also equipped with the antitheft keylock and sells at a premium of only a thousand bucks or at Rs 46,464 (OTR, Pune) thus making it quite a good proposition. A front disc brake, at least as an option, (like the optional inner box) would have really helped spice up the deal though.
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FIRST RIDE DURO & RODEO
Tale of two
Mahindra adds two new scooters to its portfolio. Ajay 56
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scooters
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TOP TO BOTTOM: The new digital instrument cluster on the Rodeo comes with interchangable backlight colours. Speed can be displayed in mph or km/h. The Rodeo gets a trendier grab rail as compared to the Flyte. The rest of the rear is largely the same. The 12V power outlet near the four-in-one ignition key
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F YOU ASK A COMMON BIKER about Mahindra, he might have heard of the brand but in all probability, he would have no clue about its qualities or value. He may have read the name a zillion times in his rear view mirror, but would not be acquainted with the brand or its heritage. However, that is all set to change. After acquiring the erstwhile ailing Kinetic Motors, Mahindra two-wheelers has certainly gained momentum by launching two new models in the market called the Rodeo and the Duro. If you are looking to flaunt you ride, then the Rodeo is the obvious choice. Though largely based on the Flyte, the new scooter has some interesting styling cues that make it stand apart. A front mudguard, a slightly revised front end and new turn indicators differentiate the Rodeo from the Flyte. Apart from this, the rear grab handle, the colour scheme and snazzy decals are also new. However, what really makes the Rodeo unique is its fantastic digital instrumentation display. Apart from the usual speedo and fuel gauges, it also offers a tachometer (the only production scooter in India to have this), a trip meter, an acceleration indicator and a clock. What bemused us is the option to change the colour of the scoot’s LCD backlight - green, blue, orange, red - you name
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it and at the press of a button the backlight can be changed to match the colour of your shoes, fingernails or hair. Mahindra has also given the Rodeo a 12 Volt power socket for charging your mobile phone or other electric devices on the go. Features don’t end just there as the scooter also gets a side stand warning buzzer as well as an illuminated underseat storage area. The Rodeo has the Flyte’s novel front fuelling system which has indeed found quite a following. It retains the smart mirrors that fold inwards in the event of an impact resulting in almost no damage - a feature earlier seen on the Flyte. The four-in-one antitheft key by which one can start the engine, open the fuel filler cover, engage the handle lock and secure the keyhole with a magnetic key lock also finds its way into the Rodeo. This scooter is powered by the same 125cc engine that
WHAT BEMUSED US IS THE OPTION TO CHANGE THE COLOUR OF THE SCOOT’S LCD BACKLIGHT GREEN, BLUE, ORANGE, RED, ETC.
SPEC SHEET Mahindra Rodeo Engine type Maximum power Maximum torque Kerb weight Wheelbase Tyres (F&R)
124.6cc 4 stroke 8.11PS @7000rpm 9.0Nm @ 5500rpm 106kg 1245mm 3.5 X 10”
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FIRST RIDE DURO & RODEO
TOP TO BOTOM: Utilitarian looking headlamp. The Duro boasts of a huge underseat storage space. A conventionally located fuel tank. A simple and legible instrument cluster proudly displays the Mahindra logo
SPEC SHEET Mahindra Duro Engine type Maximum power Maximum torque Kerb weight Wheelbase Tyres (F&R)
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124.6cc 4 stroke 8.11PS @7500rpm 9.0Nm @ 5500rpm 105kg 1290mm 3.5 X 10”
does its duty on the Flyte. The engine feels silky smooth to rev and the power and torque figures at 8bhp and 9Nm are quite respectable for its class. The rest of the underpinnings remain identical to the Flyte and the new model is quite able-bodied in the ride and handling department, if not exceptional. The ergonomics, fit-finish and overall quality are also satisfactory. The Duro, on the other hand, is strikingly similar in looks to the old Kinetic Nova. But that’s where the familiarity ends because underneath the innovative body is a completely new engine. Additionally, unlike general comprehension, the basic frame of the Duro also differs from the older Nova. The new scooter gets the same 125cc SYM engine found in both, the Flyte as well as the Rodeo, producing 8bhp and 9Nm of torque. At 1290mm, the Duro has one of the longest wheelbases among Indian scooters. This along with wide 3.5inch rubbers gives the scoot good stability and road holding capabilities. The saddle is also comfortable for two average sized adults. Although the legroom is ample, on our short first ride, we found the riding position to be a little bit of a concern for tall riders as the handle tends to come in contact with the rider’s knee especially when negotiating U-turns.
GEAR CHECK Rider: Ajay Joyson Helmet Jacket Gloves Boots
Daijya XEQTR DSG DSG RoadMate Walkboots
Compared to the Rodeo, the Duro has fewer goodies up its sleeve since it is conceived as a no-nonsense scooter for the masses. Although it comes with a conventional underseat fuel tank, the storage space is very generous and even large helmets fit in easily with space to spare! The rest of the scoot is pretty basic. The instrument cluster that houses a speedo, a fuel gauge and the standard array of telltale lights is simple and legible. The manufacturer has played the pricing game competitively for both the scooters thus ensuring that they have mass appeal. The Duro is priced at Rs 38,299 (ex-showroom, Pune) which is very compelling for a 125cc scooter. The swankier Rodeo retails for Rs 41,299 (exshowroom, Pune) which is also quite appealing. Mahindra vehicles have always been applauded for their robustness and vigour and these traits find their way into their newest offerings as well. Check out more images and videos on www.bikeindia.in
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BIKE ADVENTURE ALPS ON A KTM
THE DUKE OF ALPS Two countries, twenty-three mountain passes, the mighty Alps and one great motorcycle. Bunny Punia pens down memories from a seven day trip astride the KTM 990 SMT
PREFACE Having toured India extensively, I often wondered how it would be to explore other countries especially the European nations on two wheels. I had heard a lot about the jaw dropping views, the majestic Alps, the butter smooth curvy roads and of course, the beautiful ladies of the West. What follows on these pages is a result of months of planning with immense help from the guys at KTM. Read on as I travel for an entire week across the Austrian and Italian Alps on a motorcycle that couldn’t have been a better companion – the new KTM 990 SMT.
Solden: 5th night
Corvara: 3rd night
Livigno: 4th night
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Mattighofen - KTM Factory
Zell Am See : 1st & 6th night
Arabba: 2nd night
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BIKE ADVENTURE ALPS ON A KTM
L to R: My first lake of the trip Mondsee on day one. An old Honda VFR and a Yamaha FJR gave the SMT company on the first night. Taking shelter at a bus stop on day two. Time for a self-timer shot en route Arabba my stay for the second night
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DAY 1: 195km Mattighofen – Zell Am See The first view of the orange KTM logos on the neck band that Michael wore livened up my tired and sleep deprived soul instantly as I landed at nine in the morning at Salzburg airport. Within half an hour, we reached the company’s engine manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Mattighofen. The first sight of the sexy RC8 gave me goose bumps, however, my eyes were searching for the bike that would be my machine for the coming
few days. The 990 SMT (SuperMotard Touring) is one of the newer bikes from the Austrian manufacturer and is claimed to combine the best of both worlds – the fun factor of a super-moto and the comfortable mile munching abilities of a tourer. What better way to see if the bike delivered what it promised than to take it around these two countries in the next week. It took me a while to get all my stuff into the three soft saddlebags that the good guys at KTM provided. Additionally, there was a huge tank bag plus my backpack for other smaller
the road to stelvio pass is full of hairpin bends and this is where the ktm 990 smt proves its mettle. the lc8 engine is simply fabulous and sends the front wheel airborne easily
stuff. It was a quarter past eleven when I finally managed to get going. This was it. It was finally happening. I had waited for this ride for months and here I was all by myself, cut off from the world, office duties, deadlines and tensions, ready to roll. Having ridden and driven on the wrong side of the street on numerous occasions, it was easy for me to quickly adjust to the different road manners here. Honking is a big no-no and almost everyone sticks to the speed limit seldom driving recklessly. At Strobl, I took a detour via a paid private road (this is common) to Postlam around 4500 feet above MSL (mean sea level) which gave me my first real look of the scenic Alps. One more point worthy of a mention is the number of motorcyclists I came across. Almost every one of them acknowledged other fellow bikers with a wave of the left hand. I also rode across my first European mountain pass, the Lueg pass which, surprisingly, is just 1825 feet above MSL. By six in the evening, I had managed to reach the lake side town of Zell Am See. It took me a good twenty minutes before I managed to find a hotel, rather a Bed&Breakfast house that suited my budget well. DAY 2: 230km Zell Am See – Arabba (Italy) After a typical European breakfast, I set out for a rather eventful day’s journey. It was drizzling when I left for Mittersill and hardly a half hour into the ride, the drizzle turned into a heavy shower. I had inadvertently
forgotten the inner lining of my jacket back in India which meant that in minutes, I was wet to the bone. Even my riding boots gave up and soaked my feet completely. I couldn’t stop in the numerous tunnels I passed through as it is against the law. I finally managed to find a rest house for tourists and took shelter there for an hour. While on the journey, the fuel light came on at 245km which meant stopping for a refill. This again was different than filling up in India. You have to refuel the bike yourself, go to the counter and mention the pump number to the owner and pay. Brilliant! The rains continued to play spoilsport but it wasn’t long before I reached Brunico (where I also got lost for a good fifteen minutes) and sunshine came my way. My next stop was the little town of Corvara which at 5000 feet is nestled in the heart of the Italian Alps. I continued towards my second pass of the trip, the Campolongo pass at 6185 feet. The road leading to it was full of hairpins and gave a bird’s eye view of the Corvara town below. My stop for the night was Arabba which is considered a gateway to the Dolomites, the Italian Alps. I had pre-booked Hotel Mesdi which was bang on the main road and served as a more than welcome place for my tired and half wet body. Dinner was in the form of not so tasty pasta in melted butter, however, the sweet dish with wild berries has to be the best dessert I’ve had till date. DAY 3: 275km Arabba – mountain passes – Corvara This was a day I had planned to
L TO R: A small band performing in Arabba. This town is considered the gateway to some of the most fascinating Italian roads in the area
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BIKE ADVENTURE ALPS ON A KTM spend riding around Arabba and exploring the umpteen mountain passes around the place. This place is a biker’s heaven and the number of motorcycles easily outnumbers cars and caravans. I started with riding to the Pordio pass at 7400 feet followed by the Fedaia at 6800 feet. The latter pass offered a sight that had me awestruck me for minutes – a huge dam with pristine crystal clear waters. I rode on the narrow stone road above the dam waters to the other side, spending a half hour clicking pictures of the reflection of the huge mountains in the blue waters. Backtracking to Canazei, I continued towards the third pass for the day, the Pelligrino at 6330 followed by the Valles at 6700 feet. However it was the Rolle pass at 6550 feet that had the best roads – the views were simply mind blowing and mountain peaks covered in clouds were visible everywhere. It seemed the more I explored the Alps, the more surprises it held in store for me. It was a downhill ride to Siror which also doubled up as my lunch break that consisted of a typical European style sandwich and a glass of Pepsi. My next pass (the sixth for the day) was the Cereda at a low 4500 feet followed by the Duran at 5300 feet. As I rode to the Staulanza pass at 5850 feet, the fuel light came on! To my
SPEC SHEET KTM 990 SMT
dismay, the Giau pass at 7400 feet was yet to be covered. Nonetheless, the views en route as well as from the pass had to be the best in the past three days. With the bike parked by the road, I almost went hysterical clicking photographs of the clouds hugging the peaks around. I am sure a lot of bikers might laugh at my activity, but hey, for an Indian biker this place seemed nothing short of heaven. I had to ride down the pass in neutral for fear of the bike running dry and finally saw the board to Cortina. I filled up five liters from the first pump and started searching for a hotel. After four failed attempts (pricey accommodation), I decided to ride to Corvara for the night. This meant negotiating two more passes and it was already past six when I started my ride towards the Falzarego pass at 7000 feet. It was seven by the time I reached there and the SMT’s onboard display showed eight degrees! Within a couple of kilometers, I came across the Valparola pass at 7200 feet. The sun was almost down and it was a shivering ride all the way to Corvara. I had already ridden 275km today and wanted to stop at the first decent hotel. As I entered the city, I saw a ‘Bikers Welcome’ sign on a hotel’s wall on my right and instantly parked the bike there. The next ten minutes saw me having a much deserved hot water bath with the memories of eleven mountain passes etched in my mind. DAY 4: 285KM CORVARA – LIVIGNO (NEAR SWITZERLAND)
Engine: Liquid cooled twin cylinder Capacity: 999cc Power: 116Bhp @ 9000 Torque: 97Nm @ 7000 Gear: 6 Front brakes: 2 x 305mm dia discs Rear brakes: Single 240mm dia disc Tank capacity: 19Liters Fuel economy : 16-17kmpl Front tyre: 120/70 ZR17 Rear tyre: 180/55 ZR17 Weight: 191kg Top speed: 222km/h
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After yet another bland European breakfast, I set out on a long ride towards the East near the Swiss border. I filled up the bike at a pump nearby and surprisingly, the SMT was delivering around 16-17km to a litre. Not bad considering the punchy engine and the way I had been riding it around the twisties. My first stop today was the Grodner pass at
almost 7000 feet above MSL. The temperature was quite low but the number of vehicles, mostly bikers, heading up astonished me. It seemed half of Corvara was on their way up the pass. The views of the peaks in my rear view mirror kept getting better with each corner and I couldn’t help but stop for numerous photo-ops. On the other side of the pass, the streets were in a sun-shadow area which meant the temperature display showed around ten degrees. The roads, however, were fantastic and I gradually climbed up to 7400 feet at the Sella pass. The vistas here were even more fantastic but the numbers of tourists in everything from convertibles to caravans made me continue ahead without spending much time on the top. The third pass for the day, the Costolunga at 5800 feet wasn’t great and it was all downhill riding to the big city of Bolzano. The temperature began rising to 30 degrees as per the display and the traffic increased. En route, it was fun racing with two naked bikes, one of which was a Beemer. Both bikes had loud aftermarket exhausts and the riders seemed to be skilled but the SMT turned out to be a hoot around tight corners. They were usually exited in first with the front wheel going airborne on full throttle. The short gearing was made full use of and it wasn’t long before they gave up the fight. That ten minute fast riding stint was refreshing and helped me forget the warm temperature. I desperately wanted to gain altitude again but it took a good half hour of riding through apple orchards before I hit the road to the Mondela pass which at 4500 feet is more like a small town. The Tonale pass at 6200 feet had a different approach - there were more uphill straights which allowed for quicker speeds, however, the pass itself didn’t have anything special to offer. Hence I moved onto what turned out to be one of the best mountain pass rides ever. The stretch to the Gavia pass was
initially very narrow with hardly any room to pass even for two cars. The route also included a lot of scary blind corners with a huge drop on one side which meant that a lot of bikers were riding on the wrong side! The mountain sides were barren with no vegetation and the roads went from bad to worse with numerous undulations and small potholes – surprising for this part of the world. Suddenly, I saw a small isolated lake on the left with a small dirt path leading to it. My off-road instincts came alive and it took a five minute standing-on-the-peg ride to reach the lake in the middle of nowhere. I saw two cars parked there but couldn’t see anyone. However, while shooting the bike with the lake in the backdrop, I happened to see a couple between big rocks, lying cozily on a bed sheet indulging in well, some intimate moments! Instead of them, it was me who was embarrassed for disturbing them. I soon continued back onto the main road towards the pass. At over 8750 feet, the Gavia pass turned out to be the highest altitude road on my trip so far. This was a rather isolated pass and I loved spending a few moments at the top staring at two classic convertibles which had been driven all the way from UK! At Bormio, I turned left for Livigno which was to be my night stop today. Livigno is a taxfree zone on the border of Switzerland with cheap fuel, booze, chocolates and perfumes. The SMT was refueled here at just 90 cents a litre and the evening was spent indulging in shopping, however, I had a tough time getting everything stuffed into the luggage bags of the bike. DAY 5: 240KM LIVIGNO – SOLDEN (AUSTRIA) The day started with me stopping on three occasions for adjusting the stuff in my backpack. I even had to tie a big pullover around my waist over the jacket! To add
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En route the Gavia pass
Chatting with a few bikers at the top of the Pordio pass This sheep wouldn’t let me click a snap of the bike!
Lunch break at Siror Exotic beauties driven all the way from Britain
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L to R: This part of Europe is famous for two legs! My third night’s hotel parking had a trial bike. Restaurants are beautiful in these areas. It’s also common to see couples astride big (and heavy) BMW R1200GS’ riding around the Alps
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to it, as I rode down to Bormio, the temperature started increasing and made the entire ride a little irritating. However, once onto the road to the famous Stelvio pass, the marvelous views and the inviting twisties more than diverted my mind. I wanted to stop for pictures, but with each passing curve and rising altitude, the landscape just kept getting better and better. The mountain sides turned barren and a continuous lineup of tunnels started. What I saw after the third (or was it the fourth) tunnel was something that made me stop for
a picture. The umpteen hairpins going up the pass from a distance seemed like a serious of zigzags carved into the mountain walls. As I switched off the bike, silenced crept in. Not for long though – the Stelvio pass at 9100 feet above MSL is one of the most visited passes by bikers in this part of the world. From big Goldwings to small classic twostrokes, there were bikers everywhere. As I was standing between two tunnels, the reverberating exhaust notes of the various machines turned out to be pure music to my ears. After making full use of my zoom lens,
the smt attracted A lot of attention. although a relatively new bike in europe, it is already known to be a sporty tourer that offers oodles of fun
I continued further. Once past the hairpins, a short rider with full leathers on a CBR600RR happened to pass me at a rather fast speed. Well, it was time for some fun I thought and made full use of the LC8 motor. The tight twisties helped me a lot as the SMT’s short gearing allowed me to close in on the rider. Plus the slightly uneven straights meant the relatively soft and absorbing suspension of my bike coped well. Speeds regularly hit in excess of 140km/h on short straights and I finally managed to out brake him (the Brembo brakes on the KTM are simply fantastic). Feeling triumphant inside my lid, I realized ten minutes later on the top of the pass that the rider was a young girl. Gosh! We both exchanged smiles and a few words before I walked up to the hotdog stand for a much needed lunch. The ride down was even better with huge chunks of snow on the right side for company. It was a fast ride to Merano but an annoyingly slow one till St. Leonhard. It was en route the Timmelsjoch pass that I took a break after a continuous hot weather ride of an hour. The fatigue from riding the bike for five days seemed to be showing now. With my jacket on the grass for protection from the insects, I took a small nap which refreshed me for another scenic ride ahead. As I have mentioned earlier, the more I rode, the better the vista seemed to get. I entered Austria en route after passing a couple of waterfalls. At 8300 feet, this pass is also known as the Rombo pass. On the other side though was a little surprise for me – a typical Himalayan like stream flowing by the road with sheep grazing
around – this definitely called for yet another break. After paying a toll of 11 euros for this road, I rode down to Solden, a small town for the night. Dance bars are pretty famous in Europe and I came across two huge billboards that depicted the same in a rather clear manner! DAY 6: 305km Solden – Zell Am See The morning started with the most boring breakfast of the trip yet. While filling up the bike at the fuel pump, I picked up a sandwich and a cold coffee bottle for a brunch during the ride. I had a fast non-stop ride to Oetz where I left the main highway and took the small narrow road to Innsbruck. Road work was going on in full swing and at one point, I was party to a small ten minute traffic jam as well. I enjoyed my packed brunch after I cleared the jam, on the top of a small hill overlooking a long straight – perfect to see cars and bikes passing by. A kilometer ahead, to my surprise, was a dam which I later realized would have been a better spot to sit and grab a bite. A few kilometers before Innsbruck, I took a diversion to Axam through very narrow village roads – a worthwhile detour for the view which was (yet again) breathtaking. Before coming to Europe, I had done some research on the Stubai glacier, the road leading to which is a 60km detour from Innsbruck. In the end, it didn’t seem worth it as reaching the glacier involved taking a lift as well. I returned back to Innsbruck dejected and decided to take the Autobahn all the way to the Buch exit. Speeds increased from 80-90km/h to
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I must have come across a hundred tunnels on my ride. This one was en route the Stelvio pass. The reverberating sound of motorcycle exhausts turned out to be music to my ears
120km/h and the bike’s long sixth gear meant that the motor was spinning lazily at a shade under 4500rpm. My projected destination for the night was the same as the first one – the lakeside town of Zell Am See. After refueling at Mittersill (average fuel economy rose to 18kmpl), I was in the parking of the same hotel I stayed at previously by 6 pm. Dinner consisted of a hot chicken cutlet and a sandwich. The heavy downpour during the night seemed all set to deter my plans for the last day of the trip.
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DAY 7: 147KM ZELL AM SEE – SALZBURG – MATTIGHOFEN The ride was almost over. These six days had been one of the best riding experiences for me till date. The bike too had lived up to all its hype and served me very well without a single issue. The ride till Lofar was pretty much downhill with an overcast sky. However, as I was nearing Salzburg, the traffic increased and so did the temperature. As my flight was scheduled for early next morning,
I decided to check out some hotels close to the airport and then carry on towards the KTM factory to return the bike. Being unfamiliar with the city, I was lost instantly. Within minutes I was in the middle of a long traffic jam with traffic moving at a snail’s pace. I was sweating inside the jacket and the heat from the engine made matters worse. It took me a good hour to cover five odd kilometers before I gave up and decided to head straight to Mattighofen. Speeds rose to a hundred and by eleven, I was at the place I started my journey from. The
guys at the engine manufacturing unit were more than happy to see me and the bike in one piece. Stories were shared and Martin from the marketing department was kind enough to accompany me to the main head office. I had a brief chat with Thomas Kuttruf, the PR manager, on their plans for India and the tie-up with Bajaj. These guys turned out to be the perfect host – a heavy discount at the KTM shop, an invite for a special killer machine the next time and a drop back to the pre-booked hotel in Salzburg. I couldn’t have asked for me.
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SHOOTOUT MUSCLE BIKES
DISSECTION Take 979kg of plastics and alloys, 5223cc of capacity, 402.96bhp of power and 442Nm of torque and you
From left: V-Rod, Vmax and Rocket III prepare to do battle at Bruntingthorpe
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N OF POWER
have three very serious motorcycles. Going extremely fast couldn’t be easier, could it? By Trevor Franklin
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SHOOTOUT MUSCLE BIKES
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uscle bikes: large capacity machines dressed in street cruiser clothing and producing serious amounts of torque and power. The mixture of chrome, wide bars and tyres bolted to a long wheelbase chassis command huge road presence even though bold styling means they are often mistaken for asthmatic twowheeled handbags. Big mistake! Yamaha’s latest Vmax is a victory for form over fashion. With a factory claimed output of 197.2bhp at the 1679cc lump’s crank, the 2010 version outshines Yamaha’s own 179.5bhp R1 superbike. In a nutshell it takes over the power mantle of the late 80s Vmax – and by some margin because it handles, too. Triumph’s Rocket III is another bike loaded with big numbers: 2294cc, claimed 140bhp, dry weight of 320kg. But even these pale when faced with the impressive given torque figure of 199Nm. This crushes even the Vmax’s claimed 166.7Nm. Harley-Davidson has a new V-Rod for this year. We welcome the V-Rod Muscle to the other 100 or so V-Rod titles… The Porsche-designed 1246cc engine has had a little work to ramp up the bottom end but, even so, its claimed 115.1Nm is down on the other two bikes here. Actual power delivery is a mystery. Investigate the bike’s spec and you’ll end up with zero because Harley doesn’t quote a bhp figure. Torque and power figures make for impressive
reading and bolster interest in any bike. But what is it like to experience large amounts of low rpm torque and horsepower? What goes through your mind when going from a standing start to flat out? What happens to your body? What happens to the bike? We’re about to find out…
FEELING THE BURN… Pain. Pain around the hip joint area but I’m barely crawling along in first gear to the starting point of a flat out, all-gear run. HarleyDavidson’s Muscle must be so-called because the strange seating position of bum flat on the seat, forward set and high footpegs along with wide flat bars hurts the hip joints and the fleshy parts attached to them. With time the human body will adapt, so I’m informed. Take it as read the water-cooled Harley lump is a happy chap and eager to put a smile on your face with a quick-revving engine and easy to shift gearbox. But for racing from the lights and lighting the rear tyre that seating position feels all wrong. It’s a long way to drag a supporting leg forwards and upwards with eyes focussed ahead, either on the two crows flitting about in the direction of aim, or the in-your-face tacho. Blip the throttle; the expected response of rorty power is dismal. A heavily silenced exhaust dilutes any expectancy of pulling arms from sockets and neck snapping. Muscle? Not quite. Fuel injection and modern ignition systems
are good. Forget about clean running, just give me instant connection between throttle and tyre, which is what should happen. Except there’s a short in the connection. Getting perfect drive with little wheel spin and crisp take off is a bitch, with a capital B. The clutch is light, slow to respond but doesn’t fade as you psyche yourself up. Remember where the right footpeg is placed; balance the bike with your right foot’s tippy toes, close visor and don’t forget not to breathe too hard – but don’t stop breathing. Here goes… A genuine, dyno measured, 109bhp at the rear wheel is let loose under the guidelines of plan A: with 3000rpm showing on the tacho, let go the clutch lever. The Muscle leaps forward then bogs. Bollocks. Start again. More revs equates to erratic wheelspin and smokin’ tyre. This is fun, but it’s a case of double boll…. Less revs more clutch slip and it’s a clean getaway but slow, so slow, and you can feel it. Try again. Back to plan A. Only a slight slow of motion before the Muscle gets in its stride with 104.5Nm of torque to drive it forward. Tucked forward while lifting booted foot back onto the right peg is bloody misery because speed is rising and second gear is calling. 96kmph is racked up in 3.93secs. Another gear, but which one? Wind noise from naff all frontal protection is starting to interfere with senses. Adrenaline is surging because of man’s natural
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The Harley V-Rod prepares to shred some rubber down the runway
Wind protection wasn’t high on the V-Rod Muscle’s list of priorities
default of wanting to win. Another gear. Hips are now hurting like hell. Those wide bars are now a tiller steering an oil tanker. The front end is getting lighter with forced air passing under it causing the front wheel to skip off bumps. The bars are starting to waggle. Only slightly, though. Tightening your grip against the strengthening windblast intensifies handlebar movement. Another gear. It’s got to be top by now, should’ve counted them but thoughts are elsewhere. Ease off the grip on the bars and the front end calms down. Either that or the bike is settling on the front springs because acceleration is easing. Engine power and consequently acceleration is dropping off. The speedometer figure is taking an age to crest 225kmph. 233kmph finally registers in 25.75secs; in true GPS measured speed it is only 225kmph. “COME ON, FASTER,” shouts the brain. Just as 241kmph registers the 9000rpm rev limiter cuts in. That’s it. There is no more to come. I’m a little deflated. Quarter of a mile from a standing start has taken 12.25 seconds. True top speed is 234.01kmph, and we’ve covered 2098.74 metres in 39.95 seconds. There are two other bikes that should mash the Muscle into bloody pulp and they’re waiting to do just that.
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You’d have to plant a forest to offset the carbon from the Vmax’s rear tyre
ROCKET TO ME BABY… Reading a bike’s performance specification is one thing. Having those specs ratified by dynamometer is another. A dyno will never lie and it has already said the Rocket III has enough torque thundering through its drive shaft to pull the UK economy out of the shit. Possibly. The dyno operator has also told me the Rocket III is proper loony in first gear – the result of the bike slewing sideways on the roller despite being strapped down tighter than a lab rat. Hmmm! Aware of the Triumph’s ability to kick off from zero revs it has ramped up the adrenaline level and fear factor brought on by the sheer bulk of the Rocket III. It’s a whopper. Balancing on one outstretched foot is a tough act for a 5ft 8in Fenland hobbit. What if all that torque, a rear tyre-to-tarmac scorching 187Nm at a fraction over 2000rpm, overcomes tyre adhesion and the rear end whips round? It could happen, along with several other potential mishaps being played through my head. The footpegs are at a slightly friendlier feetforward position than the Harley’s, but this brings little mental comfort. How much does this thing weigh, I ask myself again and again? Hunch forward and play silly buggers with the throttle. The typical three-cylinder whistle is loud. Airbox noise is slightly louder than my last gas
emission. If I can hold the clutch long enough not smear its friction plates into oblivion wheel and engine speed could harmonise with the torque level for a rewarding get away. This idea obviously doesn’t fit in with the Rocket III’s plans. That big weight figure means the rear tyre is hard shouldered into tarmac for instant grip and causes the front wheel to lift and lift. Bloody hell it’s alive! Take two and the Rocket II is away like… not quite a rocket, but damn near as good as. Bang! Second gear goes home at 87kmph and the Rocket romps forward. This is quick. How quick I’ve no idea. All I know is the squeal from the rear tyre has disappeared and we’re stomping onwards on another wave of that crushing torque. 129kmph has appeared in a blink of my eyes – and a huge bug has obliterated itself across my visor. The streams of yellow and red innards have dried before I realise the rev limiter has cut in. Only briefly, though, because intuitively my left foot hooks upwards to find third gear. The brief interruption is enough for the third cog to slot in without any clutch. Here we go again, yowza! Third gear now and 215.6kmph (206kmph actual speed) is showing before fourth gear falls into line. Any more speedo figures go
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SHOOTOUT MUSCLE BIKES Rear tyre struggles for grip as that monstrous 175bhp is unleashed
SPEC SHEET
Power (measured) Weight (claimed) Top speed 0-96kmph Standing ¼-mile Engine
Yamaha Vmax Rs 14.03lakh (in UK)
Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle Rs 10.51lakh (in UK)
Triumph Rocket III Rs 9.62lakh (in UK)
175bhp 310kg 226.84kmph (restricted) 2.94secs 10.78secs Liquid-cooled, 1679cc, V4 (90 x 66mm)
109bhp 307kg 234.01kmph (restricted) 3.93secs 12.25secs Liquid-cooled, 1250cc, 60° V-twin (105 x 72mm)
118bhp 362kg 219.31kmph (restricted) 3.47secs 11.88secs Liquid-cooled, 2294cc, triple (101.6 x 94.3mm)
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SHOOTOUT MUSCLE BIKES
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Vmax peak power = 175.68bhp Vmax peak torque = 150.09Nm
Triumph peak power = 118.01bhp Triumph peak torque = 187.46Nm
TRIUMPH ROCKET III Massive, 2294cc British triple is torque (and bulk) king. What it lacks in outright power (118bhp) is compensated for by immense (187Nm) low-down grunt.
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V Rod peak power = 109.27bhp V Rod peak torque = 101.54Nm
POWER/TORQUE (bhp/ftlb)
160
140
120
100
HARLEY V-ROD MUSCLE
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Latest refresh of Harley’s Porscheengined V-Rod faces tough competition here. ‘Muscle’ by name and fun and respectable in isolation, but its fairly average 110bhp/104Nm can’t push it fast enough to compete with the stupendous Rocket III and Vmax.
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40
20
0 0
2
4
6
8
10
RPM x 1000
out of the window. Concentration on the view ahead takes priority. The Hinckley hulk is bobbing over the surface. The softly set suspension is making itself felt over tramlines of tarmac joins. There’s a strange smell in my helmet. It’s a bad smell but it can’t be me because nothing untoward is happening. We’re tracking freight-train straight. It’s going to take a nuclear shelter to knock this bad boy off-line. Like the V-Rod Muscle before, the Rocket III’s acceleration starts to tail off. Being as streamlined as an open-topped bus is causing chaos. It really is a struggle to keep arms held up and in line with the bar grips for smooth air flow. Likewise keeping both knees tucked in against the sides of the bike. Perhaps taking off the knee sliders would have helped. Willing the Triumph on has no effect. There is definitely a ‘soft’ limiter restricting the engine in fifth gear. Retarding the ignition is a safeguard and it appeared at around 5600rpm. It’s annoying because even at its maximum recorded speed of 219kmph the engine doesn’t sound stressed. Taller gearing would kick out some big speed figures much, much more quickly – this 2294cc torque pump would easily pull it. But Triumph isn’t stupid. The Rocket III isn’t a sports missile, but a lazy lump designed for riding pleasure rather than drag strip antics. The fact it does quarters in 11.88 seconds and a 0-96kmph time of 3.47 secs is a bonus.
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TAKING IT TO THE VMAX Yamaha’s Vmax is something else. It tells you this within five metres of moving and during hasty blips of the throttle. It feels lighter and more agile than the other two bikes. It is a damn sight more comfortable, too – easy-reach bars, footpegs positioned in a normal way much like a commuter bike and there is the upright speedo/tachometer cluster to tuck behind. I’m actually nervous. Heat from the engine isn’t
The display on the Yamaha’s dash says it all. This bike eggs you on
THE VMAX ONLY TOOK 9.77 SECONDS AND A SHADE OVER 200 METRES TO HIT 209 KMPH TREVOR FRANKLIN
helping. Fingers and feet are a little hard to control by not responding instantly. Not as instant as the way the V4 engine responds. Where the Triumph and Harley internals give the impression they are forged and machined from lead, the Vmax’s guts could be megatitanium and other lightweight, expensive alloys. Christ, the engine does rev quickly. I do want to go wee-wee. That’s 175.68bhp waiting to show its worth through a small contact patch of rubber. So why nerves when the Rocket III has colossal torque? Because experience from riding superbikes says high horsepower figures at high rpm means that at some point wheelspinning horsepower will take over from the smooth rush of driving torque. The Yamaha could turn out to be a wheelie monster or a screaming, tyre-killing dervish. Snarl, snarl, snarl, goes the engine response to throttle misuse. Dump the clutch and the snarls become one raging shriek. There is obvious wheelspin care of a short squeal and the way the rear of the bike squats and unloads from torque reaction through the shaft drive. For the next 1.6secs or so there is clinical drive. Clever electronics have appeared and wafted a calming essence. The Yamaha’s electronics are only giving the power and torque it thinks you should have. It has detected the fast get away and, from its memory, has instantly dished up a pre-plotted
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YAMAHA VMAX Expensive maybe, but so exquisitely engineered and built and so dynamic a performer, it’s truly a class above the rest. Nor is the Vmax just about straightline Tomfoolery, the big Yamaha cruises, handles and brakes impressively, too.
first gear ignition and fuel map for the best forward drive. Very clever. There goes 96kmph in a flash at 2.94 seconds. Whooo! The next flash is the tell tale blue warning light at 9500rpm, advising it’s time to shift up a gear. The light, precise gear selector is a welcome joy at 103kmph – a fluffed shift into second can screw up a good launch time. With second gear in place the Vmax’s ECU acknowledges the rider is going for the big one. Speed is OK for the gearing, air and temp sensors are tickety-boo, so why not let the engine have its head? I can tell you why it shouldn’t: the acceleration rate overcomes rear tyre grip. Wheelspin is seen as a line of trashed rubber for around 40 metres and the rear of the bike arcing round to send the bike even further out of line. Whooeee!
It’s hard to tell if there’s wheelspin continuation when third gear goes home. The engine’s screaming so we can’t hear the squeals anymore. A long walk later showed there was a trace of rubber not far from where the first line ended. All this time the brain is being attacked by the maelstrom of info the bike is sending out: soft suspension soaks up bumps; two fingers on the front brake will call a halt to this party very, very quickly; ground and trackside furniture appear and disappear in the same moment. This is relentless, obscene acceleration at its finest. And boy does it rock. There’s a smile where a grimace figured when riding the Harley. The dyno recorded 175.68bhp in fourth, but it also showed a peak of 184.35bhp in third gear during a simulated standing start quarter of
a mile. How? Because the Yamaha reaches absolute running efficiency at the point where the engine is spinning freely with no load to hinder the crankshaft. A voluntary speed restriction curtails absolute Vmax fun. This is another bike that suffers from a soft limiter in fourth, coming in a little earlier and knocking back the ignition. But it is fifth gear that has the crippling official speed limiter which shows up around 8600rpm. The Yamaha’s top speed is recorded at 226.84kmph (239 on the speedo). It took 12.05 seconds and 547.26 metres to hit these figures. Okay, this is quick, but it could be so much better – it only took 9.77 seconds and a shade over 200m to hit 130mph. Even so, and though electronics means it never reaches its true Vmax, the Yamaha takes a dominant win.
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FIRST RIDE MODDED FZ-S
FZ GETS A BOOST BIKE India Editor and his brother team up to design an exhaust system to juice up the FZ Story: Adhish Alawani Photography: Sanjay Raikar
The disc brake at the rear is the same unit from the P220 and aids braking to a good extent
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The exhaust system is not very loud and gives a great performance in the higher revs
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he Yamaha FZ 16/FZ-S is one amazing street fighter. It has a low end grunt which every enthusiast loves in the urban scenario. Flicking the bike around the city chaos and getting the torque from the engine with a slight wring of the right wrist makes it the perfect urban tool. But then, the bike lacks a bit in the higher revs. A biker is not going to be riding in the city all the time. He will sneak out on weekends and do some highway runs. It goes without saying that he will also head towards the mountain roads where the FZ will do uphill climbs around the bends of the ghat sections. This is where the bike suffers a bit. It is strong enough till 5000 revs but after that it becomes a bit tough for the bike to match the expectations of an aficionado. To solve this very issue and make the biker
With the least amount of hesitation, the bike revs more in each gear giving a better top speed in every gear. this finally reflects in the top speed of the bike happy anywhere and everywhere he travels, BIKE India Editor Aspi Bhathena and his brother Sheri Bhathena sat down to design a free flow exhaust system. After tackling quite a few things, a completely new exhaust system was made which included the bend pipe as well as the end canister. The front bend pipe has been given a proper tuned length. The end can, unlike a regular free flow exhaust, has a specific degree and a newly calculated diameter and volume. This
has resulted in a uniquely customized system that, as we expected, performs much better than the stock one. It definitely impressed me once I rode the bike up and down the Dehu Road stretch. Pinning the throttle, the rev counter showed the needle going all the way past the redline and that too pretty freely. The engine didn’t feel stressed at any time throughout the rev range. In fact once past 5000rpm, unlike the stock FZ, the bike with the custom exhaust revs more happily. With the least amount of hesitation, the bike revs more in each gear giving a better top speed in every gear and this finally reflects in the top speed of the bike. To gauge the difference in the performance of the new exhaust and the stock one, we carried the stock exhaust along as well. Testing the same FZ with two different exhaust systems back-to-back left us with baffling results. The data recorded by our testing equipment showed that the stock bike managed 0-60km/h in 6.5 seconds where as the one with the free flow exhaust crossed the same mark in merely 5.2 seconds. (The figures of the stock bike are different from the one we tested earlier since this was a used bike and tested in a different environment than the one that we rode during our road test). Even the top speed of the FZ has gone up considerably from 110km/h (true) to 114.7 km/ h (true). While delivering the performance, the sound level has also been kept as low as possible for the free flow exhaust. Though it is louder than the stock one, it is not at all annoying for the rider, the pillion or the people around them on the road and in the neighbourhood. Apart from the performance gain achieved on the FZ, another modification has been done to the bike giving it a better braking ability. The rear disc break unit from the Pulsar 220 has been installed on the bike to improve the overall braking at higher speeds.
Prakash Kunthe lent his bike to Sheri Bhathena and Aspi Bhathena to carry out the exhaust operation on the FZ-S
For further details and to buy one of these for your very own FZ, contact: Prakash Kunthe +91 9822442911 Sheri Bhathena +91 9850057477 Pramod +91 9422080811
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FIRST RIDE MODDED YZF-R15
DOPED R15 Mulund lad, Gaurav custom builds an exhaust system for the YZF-R15. Adhish Alawani finds out if it performs better Photography: Sanjay Raikar
The exhaust system has a good finish and gives a considerable rise in performance
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amaha introduced the YZF-R15 with the intention of acquainting Indian bikers with hardcore performance. No doubt, the Japanese company successfully defined track performance with the R15 in India. However, most costumers in the country are going to use the bike in cities and for sport touring on highways. Like a trademark Yamaha race bike, the R15 has its power band in the higher revs, more precisely over 7500rpm. Riding the bike in such high revs is not practical on a daily basis in town. The R15 definitely feels a lot sluggish from the bottom end to the midrange making it a chore for tackling traffic. Gaurav, an avid BIKE India reader and a hardcore sports touring fan, decided to modify his R15 so that it would deliver a better midrange performance. To start the project, he made a new exhaust system for his YZF-R15. Obviously, he was not keen on making just a new free flow canister. Gaurav decided to
The rise in performance of the r15 can be experienced from around 5000rpm, unlike the stock bike which comes alive just after 7500rpm engineer the complete exhaust system which included the pipe as well as the end can. Getting help from some local mechanics for
the labour work, Gaurav managed to make an exhaust system for his bike which he felt was good enough to kill the stock R15 in straight line acceleration as well as top speed. So we decided to hook up our performance testing equipment on his modified bike and gauge its performance against the stock R15. Looking at the exhaust, you can immediately make out that this one is a bit smaller than the stock exhaust. However, it has the same cap on it that is found on the stock one making it look more familiar to a layman’s eye. Leaving aside the looks, I decided to do a couple of performance runs on the bike. The second run itself gave a 060km/h timing of 4.5 seconds. Just a new exhaust system has trimmed off more than over half a second in the 0-60km/h acceleration run. Even the 0-100km/h run showed us that the modified R15 managed the sprint in 12.5 seconds as against 13.2 seconds of the stock bike. As far as top speed is concerned, the bike recorded a top whack of 134km/h on the equipment. A slightly longer straight with lesser traffic to bother about would have raised the top speed further is what we felt looking at the few more revs to go in the top gear. This rise in performance of the R15 can be experienced from around 5000rpm unlike the stock bike which comes alive just after 7500rpm. The midrange of the bike was much stronger than the stock R15 which I am sure will make a positive difference for city riding. Also, the sound note from the free flow system is louder than the stock one yet much better and quieter than the other locally made exhaust systems.
Mulund based Gaurav is a hardcore sports tourer. Having traveled across the Golden Quadrilateral, he is one of few R15 owners with maximum mileage on the bike. The exhaust system has been designed by Gaurav himself
This exhaust system for your R15 can be bought at a humble price of Rs 9000 (includes the pipe and the canister) Contact: +91 9819003637
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OUR BIKES WHEEL SPIN Adhish’s Yamaha R15
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he long wait for my most anticipated long term bike finally came to an end when Aspi got a call from the Yamaha guys who asked us to pick up the R15 from their local company showroom. Dressed in the new racing yellow colour, the bike looked amazingly good. Though I have always wanted the R15 in the true Yamaha blue colour, the bike clad in yellow, taking cues from the Kenny Roberts paint scheme, was more than pleasing. From day one, the bike had been kept under 5000 revs. It was definitely tough for me to hold myself from twisting my wrist. However, since I am too keen on maintaining the bike and running it in properly, I decided to take the first 500km easily. A trip to Mahabaleshwar took care of most of the initial running. With the six-speed gearbox, the bike cruises at 70km/h under 5000rpm making it pretty easy to run in the bike at decent speeds. I always had doubts about the bike’s sporty sitting posture on long rides. However, the Mahabaleshwar ride showed me that the R15 can be comfortable while touring as well. The sporty posture, though, can be a bit uncomfortable in traffic situations where a lot of braking and clutching leads to a pain in the palms. The brakes have been spongy from day one. Maybe I’ll get them fixed during the first servicing. Apart from that there are no issues with the bike. Of course there shouldn’t be any as it has just run over 700km so far.
Shailesh’s TVS Apache RTR 180
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fter ample usage of the TVS Apache RTR 180 for our fourth anniversary issue (the 0-100-0 test and the Aurangabad travelogue), the bike went for its second and much deserved servicing at around the 3000km mark. Soon after that, it served well as an additional bike for our lens man Sanjay Raikar in the 150cc bikes’ 1500km road trip (refer to the September 2009 issue). So it comes as no surprise that within just three months of being with me, it has already covered 5300km making it probably one of the most used Apache 180s out there. However, most of these kilometers have not been trouble free for me. The bike has a tendency to jerk when ridden at a constant throttle especially at low speeds. My colleagues tell me this might be due to either a clogged fuel filter or carburetor. Whatever the case maybe, it seems my troubles with the Apache lineup continues - my previous long term bike was the 160 FI. Apart from the above mentioned issue, there is a hint of strong vibrations from the 180’s body panels and the front fairing has a tendency to rattle easily. Nonetheless, the bike has been delivering close to 45km to a litre in town. The horn is loud, the blue backlit speedometer console looks fantastic and the ease with which the 180 negotiates city traffic is great. I guess all I need to do is give it an unscheduled service to get rid of the jerks while riding.
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Logbook Total Km to date: 5350km Kmpl: 42-44kmpl Date acquired: June 2009 Costs: Nil For: Looks & Performance Against: Vibrations
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OUR BIKES WHEEL SPIN Bunny’s Yamaha Fazer
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ince I parted ways with my long term Pulsar 220 a couple of months ago, I was solely relying on the Mahindra XYLO for my daily commute, personal grinds and shopping sprees. But my main issue was being deprived of a good motorcycle for weekend rides. We had been in constant touch with Yamaha
for the long term R15 and FZ16 over the past few months. Soon, we received good news in the form of their decision to give us, in addition to the R15, the new Fazer instead of the FZ. This was a better option for me. The orange coloured Fazer was picked up by colleague Adhish while I was away on the Karizma ZMR
ride. With just two kilometers on the odo, I am glad we were given a brand new bike. At the time of going into print, the Fazer had covered just 100km and obviously I need another month in order to pen down any fair conclusions about the bike. It looks great, rides comfortably well and is fuel efficient too extracting
close to 500km from a full tank. I especially like the placement of the rear view mirrors and the loud horn that should come handy once I hit the open highways soon. I only need to source a good non-magnetic tank bag because the bike’s tank is not made of metal and hence the Cramster tank bag seems to be of no use.
Sawan’s Honda CBF Stunner PGM-FI
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y initial days with the younger Stunner immediately confirmed that the bike is a head turner thanks to its metallic red and black colour combination. The very first feedback the Stunner FI gave me was its sprinty behaviour. In fact, it helped me to do my first proper wheelie. The second impressive feedback came from its engine which was very smooth. At an indicated speed of 70km/h, I was gliding over roads without any vibration through the body or the handlebars creeping in. I believe the added handlebar weights play a positive role here. Long rides are stress-free and comfortable. The bike tackled corners pretty well, however, city commuting was not as effortless as highway riding. The Stunner FI asked for frequent gear changing in city traffic condition. While I was okay with the preset rear suspension, the front ones proved to be soft. During occasional emergency braking, the bike sneezed till the front shock absorbers bottomed out with a thud sound. The new Stunner features a malfunction indicator lamp which thankfully hasn’t warned me yet even though a service is overdue now. The half chain case adds to the sporty style of the bike though it has allowed the monsoons to take toll on the chain. Circumstances required me to refuel it before the tank dried hence the exact fuel efficiency figure could not be determined.
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Logbook Total Km to date: 2820km Kmpl: approx. 60kmpl Date acquired: June 2009 Costs: Nil For: Looks & throttle response Against: Weak horn
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9/16/2009 12:55:04 PM
SPORT
T
indian sports
he typical hot and humid weather prevailed in Chennai as the FIM Asian GP round was nearing. Right from Monday, with just four days to go for the first official practice, rains made their evening visits a daily affair. The heavy showers on Thursday evening made it difficult for the teams to decide upon the setup for the bikes. Since all the teams are running on one make tyres, there was not much of an option either. However, come Friday, the sun was shining bright with no dark clouds in the vicinity. The weather forecast guaranteed a dry weekend at the Sriperembadur track near Chennai. The weekend was finally set for the biggest international motorcycle road racing event in India – the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). The ARRC Championship arrived in Chennai for the fourth
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round of the calendar. The season so far had included one round in each of the countries - Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia. PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Thailand team riders Chalermpol and Decha had already opened a huge gap in the championship points over others and were dog fighting amongst themselves with Chalermpol leading by two points from his team-mate. Red Rooster Racing team (RRR) is the only Indian team to be on the official participants’ list for the complete season with Preetham Dev Moses and Krishnan Rajini riding Yamaha R6s for the team. With local boys racing on home ground and a cut to cut battle for the championship lead, the weekend had all the ingredients to make it exciting. The foreign teams spent the first practice session on Friday to get aquatinted with the track and its racing lines while the home
boys put in efforts to set up their bikes. By the second session on Friday, Thai boys Decha and Chalermpol made their intensions clear by posting best lap times close to 1:xx. Riding for the first time on the track, the Thai and Malaysian boys left everyone awestruck with their amazing pace and adaptability to a new track. The second session on Friday was the first timed qualifying which saw Decha posting the quickest lap time. RRR boy K. Rajini managed to score the sixth fastest lap time while Preetham made sure he was eighth. With efforts going in to improve the performance of the bikes for Saturday, it was just a matter of time to witness the track lap timing records being broken. Saturday’s qualifying session saw Decha taking the pole position on his second lap of the timed session where he posted the fastest lap time of 1:45.6xx. The Thai boy,
however, crashed on the next lap as he overcooked the turn one after home straight and went straight into the gravel trap with the bike somersaulting a number of times. None of the other boys were able to match Decha’s fastest lap time even after his crash and he remained on pole for the Sunday’s races. Rajini got the seventh spot on the grid while Preetham had to be content with ninth. These were the best qualifying results for the Indian team so far in the championship. The sun shone brightly as all the riders lined up for the red lights to go off on Sunday morning for the race one. Decha’s bike had been fixed over the evening after his crash in the Saturday qualifying. The Thai boy was the favourite for the race while RRR riders Rajini and Preetham had a lot of pressure to perform well on home ground. With the lights going off, Decha
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Rajini takes the first podium for India Red Rooster Racing scores the first top three finish at an eventful weekend of the fourth round of the Asian Road Racing Championship Report: Adhish Alawani Photography: Adhish Alawani & Navroze Contractor
The Red Roosters Racing Team who helped Rajini get his podium finish
Rajini’s home track knowledge helped him claim the podium in race two
Team-mates Decha and Chalermpol dogfight for the lead in race two
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SPORT
indian sports Chalermpol, Zamri Baba and Rajini celebrate on the podium
Getting used to the track and the racing lines was not a big task for the first timers
took the hole shot and sprinted away to keep the lead. His teammate Chalermpol stuck behind him while Md Zamri Baba kept up the pace in the third spot. Rajini made sure that he didn’t lose his qualifying seventh spot and ran in that place for quite some time. Decha went on posting fast laps to increase his lead over Chalermpol lap by lap. The top three spots remained unchanged while some action was seen behind them. Rajini charged on to take Harlan Fadillah while Ahmad Zamani Baharudin closed on to Rajini riding the only Kawasaki on the grid. Though Baharudin managed to pass Rajini in the initial half of the race, he couldn’t keep the pace later on. Decha rode a comfortable race to go on to win the race 1 while Chalermpol finished in second.
Md Zamri Baba took the final spot on the podium. Ahmad Fuad Baharudin and K. Rajini finished the top five. Rajini brought home the best result so far for the Red Rooster Racing team in the ARRC season. With Decha taking the victory in race one, Chalermpol had lost the lead in the title run. He had to make sure that he finished ahead of his team mate to continue being in the lead for the championship. The race got a lot hotter than the first race earlier in the day. Azlan Shah, who had crashed out from the fourth spot in race one, once again crashed right on the first lap at turn nine after the fast back straight. Decha continued to be in the top spot, however, Chalermpol was much more aggressive this time and stayed right at his teammate’s tail. The fight for the third
spot stayed hot between Zamri Baba and Ahmad Fuad Baharudin. Ahmad Zamri Baharudin overtook Rajini midrace and kept alive a battle for the fifth spot. As the race progressed, Decha and Chalermpol got in a close dog fight for the lead and exchanged the lead a couple of times. Ahmad Fuad crashed out at the same turn nine as Azlan Shah and made it an easy ride for Zamri Baba through the remaining laps. Rajini kept himself behind Ahmad Zamri Baharudin for a few laps before he made his attack to claim the fourth spot. It seemed that Decha would claim his second victory of the day as he came leading on the last lap. However, the same turn nine claimed Decha as well as he tried to brake late and ended up in the gravel after losing his R6’s front
end. Unaware of what actually happened, Chalermpol’s fantastic ride was rewarded with a victory as his team-mate crashed out of the lead. That put Zamri Baba in the second place and shifted Rajini on to the final spot of the podium. Unfortunately, with mechanical problems, Rajini’s team-mate Preetham could not finish either of the races on Sunday. The eventful race two claimed many riders in crashes at various corners of the track. With Decha crashing in race two, Chalermpol now continues to have a lead in the title run and is comfortably 22 points ahead of his team-mate. The first ever podium finish in an international road racing event for Red Rooster Racing team leaves them in high spirits as the teams move on to China for the last two rounds of the season. Decha crashes out on the last lap of race two and hands over the victory to Chalermpol
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SPORT
INDIAN SPORTS
T
HE ASIAN ROAD RACING Championship came to Chennai with the elite race being the supersports class. However, a real close battle was enjoyed by the audiences in the underbones’ race. The extremely fast and highly competitive race spec 115cc air-cooled underbones managed to put up the most entertaining races in recent years for fans in Chennai. Affendi Rosli from Malaysia proved to be the star of the weekend riding a Suzuki. The Malaysian ace qualified fourth on the grid. With DNFs in the last two races of the season, Rosli wanted to make some points
in this round. He bolted out from the start line to take the lead on the first lap itself. However, he lost the lead later on the same lap. Things got worse as he started facing a loss of power from his engine on lap four. Without pushing too hard, the Suzuki rider managed to take one rider lap by lap and planned his main attack for the last lap. In the end, he managed to surpass everyone in front to take the chequered flag. Denny Triyugo put up an amazing show to climb up the podium for the second spot after starting the race in the late seventh grid position. Florianus Roy from Indonesia
finished off the podium by claiming the third spot in race one. Race two saw Md Iskandar Raduan climb the podium in first place after starting in the 15th grid position. Riding brilliantly throughout the race, the Malaysian took the lead on the last lap and then the chequered flag ahead of race one champion, Affendi Rosli. The third spot was also bagged by a Malaysian, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah, thus making it a complete Malaysian podium. With a victory in race one and a second spot in race two, Affendi Rosli now leads the championship battle.
Malaysians dominate in the UNDERBONES
Close action, dogfights and some real entertainment in the races of the ridiculously fast underbones
Honda One Make Race – Round 3 Honda attracts more and more riders as their One Make Races gain popularity
T
HE THIRD ROUND OF THE HONDA CBF Stunner got underway at the Kari racetrack on the outskirts of Coimbatore in bright and sunny conditions – perfect for a race weekend. The rising popularity of the One Make
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Race led to a great response from budding racers with more than 60 registrations. With almost a whole batch of 15 riders participating as first timers, it was clearly evident that the initiative taken by Honda is grabbing more and more
attention and is creating an urge in newbie riders to come and race on the track. Pole setter A. Prabhu made sure that he ran away with a clear victory in the first race of the Honda CBF Stunner. As many as nine riders crashed at the same chicane in various laps throughout the total race. Naveen Raj and Anand Kumar bagged the second and third place respectively. The podium was flocked by the same racers in race two with A. Prabhu continuing on the top spot and Anand Kumar and Naveen Raj exchanging their positions on the podium. The CBR150R race for the experts saw less participation than usual. With a major crash of the race leader in the initial laps, the red flag came out and the race was restarted. Some serious action up front was witnessed with rider’s dog fighting for the top spot. However, the top two riders crashed into each other in the latter half of the race giving A. Satiesh Kumar a chance to be on the top spot of the podium.
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RALLY MYSORE
TVS racing bags the top two podium slots
T
HE SECOND ROUND OF THE MAK INRC for bikes recently concluded in Mysore. The event provided enough challenges for the bikers who participated and loads of entertainment for the scores of spectators. The two day event ran over a distance of 156.2km with six special stages. The two special stages namely, the Cauvery and the Kapila, proved to be the most thrilling. At a little less than 13km, the Cauvery was a fast stage with riders dashing through the broad dirt tracks alongside a swiftly flowing canal.
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The Kapila stage at 7.8km was more technically demanding. With its inevitable jumps, dips, acute turns and blind corners, not to forget the dry sandy lanes, this stage was a crowd puller. Of the 37 entries only three bikes dropped out of the rally due to various technical reasons. Team TVS Racing, which dominated the first leg in Coimbatore in June winning all the three places on the podium, once again cornered the glory at this event. Pramod Joshua earned his second victory and Arvind KP made it a 1-2 win for TVS. However, it was local teenager Abdul Waheed Tanveer
who stole the limelight spoiling a podium sweep by Team TVS Racing. The defending champion HK Pradeep, also from Team TVS Racing, was in the second place after the first two stages, but suffered an incident in the third special stage and damaged his bike. Pramod now leads the championship table at 40 points ahead of team-mate Arvind KP. The third round of the five round championship will be hosted in Chikmagalur later in October. With its entertaining and exigent ghat section, Chikmangalur is sure to be a scorcher.
Battery for new generation bikes
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Mr. Dinesh Shrivastav: 9820053527 Tel: 022 26780032/4612 / 32441040 Fax: 022-66954788 Email: dineshbattery@yahoo.com October 2009
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SPORT
MotoGP - Indianapolis
Lorenzo captures one more land Pedrosa and Rossi err and crash to hand over a victory to Lorenzo who now closes in on the title chase against Rossi Report: Adhish Alawani Photography: DPPI
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D
ani Pedrosa dominated the practice sessions as well as the qualifying at the Indianapolis round of MotoGP. Getting pole position on the grid for the Sunday race was just a testimony of how fast the Honda had become. The only person to break his domination, and marginally at that, was Alex de Angelis who lapped quicker than Pedrosa in the warm-up session on Sunday prior to the race. As expected, Dani took the hole shot with the lights going off and started building up his lead. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo tried to keep up with the Honda in the initial laps. However, the FIAT Yamahas got the best chance to leap ahead when the RC212V in front lost its front end entering the final tight turn at the end of lap four. The Spaniard remounted his Honda and rejoined the race in a distant last spot. Valentino Rossi, who was riding a few tenths of a second
behind Dani Pedrosa, now took the charge of leading the race and was going strong till lap nine. Lorenzo started the race 50 points behind Rossi on the championship table. With an intention of closing in on the title battle, Lorenzo started pushing hard and overtook Rossi on lap nine. A lap later, Rossi ran wide and then kissed the asphalt on entry to turn two leaving his team-mate in the lead of the race. Lorenzo could not have asked for more than the top two guys crashing out in front of him and handing him over the lead. Valentino Rossi picked up his M1 and rejoined the race in 16th spot and struggled to extract performance from the damaged Yamaha. He finally retired after getting overtaken by Pedrosa on lap 13. This was the reigning world champion’s first DNF of the season. Lorenzo peacefully rode the rest of the race with no real competition to face and bagged 25 valuable points halving the 800CC CLASS position Rider
Timing
1 Jorge LORENZO 2 Alex DE ANGELIS 3 Nicky HAYDEN 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO 5 Colin EDWARDS 6 James TOSELAND 7 Loris CAPIROSSI 8 Mika KALLIO 9 Toni ELIAS 10 Dani PEDROSA 11 Chris VERMEULEN 12 Randy DE PUNIET 13 Aleix ESPARGARO 14 Gabor TALMACSI
47’13.592 47’23.027 47’26.539 47’27.070 47’39.846 47’46.000 47’47.992 47’48.448 47’58.597 47’58.969 47’59.070 48’05.886 48’17.144 48’28.678
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MotoGP - Indianapolis
Alex de Angelis and Nicky Hayden enjoyed the rostrum while Dovi had to settle for fourth
Rossi crashed on lap 10 and handed over the lead to Lorenzo Colin Edwards got a double setback with de Angelis and Hayden both passing him
Lorenzo passed Rossi on lap nine - a lap before Rossi crash`ed
Dani Pedrosa in lead during the initial laps of the race
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Pedrosa crashed out of the lead on lap four, remounted and finished 10th
gap between title leader Rossi and him in the championship standings. The title battle has now closed in once again with five more rounds to go. While Rossi and Lorenzo were initially battling for the lead, some action was seen behind them when Alex de Angelis, the jobless man for next season, took Colin Edwards and came into the third spot. Rossi’s crash later in the race handed over the second spot to de Angelis and he climbed the podium for the first ever time in his career at MotoGP. Nicky Hayden, who has been struggling throughout the season on the Ducati, was more than desperate to climb the podium on his home ground in front of his fans. With tough competition from Repsol Honda man Dovizioso, Hayden charged through the last stages of the races in best possible manner to finish in the third place. Dovizioso managed to cross the finish line in fourth spot, 0.5 seconds behind Hayden’s Ducati. Colin Edwards, the other American on home ground was rather disappointed with a fifth spot finish. Though running third at a point of time in the race, the Tech 3 ace had to lose positions to Angelis, Hayden and Dovizioso. Edwards’ teammate James Toseland scored equaled his best finish at MotoGP after finish in sixth spot. The Englishman had faced a tough fight from Italian Marco Melandri through the race. However, with the Hayate rider erring with just three laps to go and crashing out, Toseland got a clean run through to the sixth spot. Loris Capirossi claimed seventh spot on his Rizla Suzuki while Mika Kallio finished his second race at factory Ducati in eighth. Toni Elias had ran out of the track on to the grass in the initial laps and had come back to finish in ninth. Dani Pedrosa, who had crashed from the lead and rejoined in the last spot, made all efforts to climb up the standings and finished off in tenth as he took Chris Vermeulen just before the chequered flag.
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250cc race Jules Cluzel, riding his privateer Matteoni Aprillia, took a blazing start off the lights to take the lead for the first few laps until Marco Simoncelli overtook him in lap four. Cluzel tried to fight back as Aoyama and Meglio got the better of him. Simoncelli and Aoyama opened a comfortable gap by midrace over the rest of the riders. However, Mike di Meglio and Alvaro Bautista were charging with the latter doing a better job. Bautista managed to overtake Meglio and started charging on Aoyama. However, though he was fast, he couldn’t get more pace than the Honda rider and was always more than a second behind him. Aoyama had opportunities to take a shot at the top spot, however, with one bike crashed in the morning warmup, the Japanese championship leader was more interested in finishing the race safely in second. Bautista finally settled for the final spot on the podium. 250CC CLASS position Rider
Timing
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
45’43.599 45’45.542 45’48.260 45’56.375 45’59.074 46’03.070 46’06.281 46’16.408 46’32.920 46’33.444
Marco SIMONCELLI Hiroshi AOYAMA Alvaro BAUTISTA Mike DI MEGLIO Roberto LOCATELLI Hector BARBERA Lukas PESEK Hector FAUBEL Thomas LUTHI Karel ABRAHAM
125cc race A tough battle was seen in the 125s as six riders broke away from the rest of the racers right in the beginning with Nicolas Terol taking the lead for the initial laps. Bradley Smith, Simone Corsi, Espargaro, Julian Simon and Efren Vazquez followed Terol almost throughout the race. The five men behind the leader got involved in some hot racing among themselves and occasionally swapped places with each other. While the
chase for the lead was going on, Pol Espargaro made sure that he was the best of the lot and planned a move on each rider one by one. With just two laps to go before the chequered flag, Espargaro made his move on Terol and took charge of the lead and later claimed his maiden victory. In the last lap, Bradley Smith made his move onto the second spot. Terol finally managed to finish in fourth after having led the race almost throughout. 125CC CLASS
Espargaro taking his maiden victory
Position rider
timing
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
42’07.925 42’08.045 42’08.373 42’09.538 42’09.726 42’27.270 42’27.283 42’33.536 42’37.165 42’37.632
Pol ESPARGARO Bradley SMITH Simone CORSI Nicolas TEROL Julian SIMON Marc MARQUEZ Stefan BRADL Joan OLIVE Takaaki NAKAGAMI Dominique AEGERTER
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MotoGP - SAN MARINO
After his ignominious exit from the Indianapolis GP, Rossi turned up at his home track wearing a donkey on his helmet and broke his own race record by nine seconds Report: Mat Oxley Photography: DPPI
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DONKEY KICKS ASS India October 2009
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s In Rossi Land October 2009
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MotoGP - SAN MARINO
Dani Pedrosa led the race for the first few laps as Rossi struggled in the fourth spot
800CC CLASS
Eventually, it was Rossi flying ahead of Lorenzo and Pedrosa
R
ossi was under big pressure at Misano. His Indy mistake suggested he should go for safe points; but the crowd – mostly dressed in yellow – wanted something much more than that. Despite a bad start he handled the pressure brilliantly. Passed by Elias at the first turn and then by Lorenzo at the end of the first lap (Lorenzo had been lucky to survive de Angelis’ turn-two crash that skittled Hayden and Edwards), Rossi found himself down in fourth, with Pedrosa out in front. Pedrosa stayed ahead for the first quarter of the race, his RC212V delivering unbeatable punch out of the turns. Meanwhile Rossi gathered himself together. “I was in trouble, I found myself fourth and I didn’t feel confident with a full tank. So I took my time to put some more temperature in the tyres and then I attacked. Today, I was the flying donkey!” Rossi out-braked Lorenzo into turn one on lap five, then dived past Elias six corners later
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at Quercia, the tight, bumpy left-hander where most overtaking is done at Misano. Within two laps he was right with Pedrosa but made a couple of mistakes and it was another few laps before he finally grabbed the lead when Pedrosa ran wide at turn four. Now was his chance to make the break while Pedrosa held up Lorenzo, who was struggling to deal with the Honda’s acceleration. By the time Lorenzo did get into second at half-distance Rossi was 1.4 seconds in front. Would Lorenzo be able to close down his team-mate like he had done at the previous few races? No. this time Rossi kept stretching his advantage all the way, until he was three seconds ahead with four laps to go. “As the race went on I became more confident in my tyres and set-up, so my pace was faster,” said Rossi. “This win is more important than most wins because it comes after my Indy mistake. Today’s race was the
position Rider
Timing
1 Valentino ROSSI 2 Jorge LORENZO 3 Dani PEDROSA 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO 5 Loris CAPIROSSI 6 Toni ELIAS 7 Mika KALLIO 8 Marco MELANDRI 9 Chris VERMEULEN 10 James TOSELAND 11 Aleix ESPARGARO 12 Randy DE PUNIET 13 Niccolo CANEPA 14 Gabor TALMACSI
44’32.882 44’35.298 44’45.282 44’59.212 44’59.421 45’01.168 45’03.066 45’04.639 45’04.791 45’11.229 45’19.555 45’24.923 45’36.080 45’55.229
opposite to last weekend’s where I didn’t have Jorge’s pace, but today he was cleverer than I was because he made sure he got 20 points.” Lorenzo put a brave face on second place. “I did what I had to do,” he said. “I tried to put pressure on Valentino but it was a struggle and it was safer to close the throttle. It was difficult with Pedrosa because the Honda is very fast; we need to work on our engine.” Pedrosa was so fast that it ran out of fuel on the slowdown lap. “My machine had good acceleration but it was misfiring at several corners, even early on,” said the little Spaniard who hitched a lift back to the pits with Elias. Once demoted to third, Pedrosa found himself all alone and well ahead of Dovizioso who had his work cut out staying ahead of Capirossi and Elias. Capirossi was enjoying the improved GSV-R (with improved chassis balance for more consistent race-long performance) and inched closer to Dovizioso,
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The FIAT Yamaha teammates celebrate one more 1-2 finish for the team
firing his GSV-R past the RCV with four laps to go. But Dovi kept his cool and retook fourth place on the final lap, the trio separated by less than two seconds. Melandri did everything he could to wreak revenge on his former employers by beating Stoner sub Kallio. For a while it looked like he might get his Ninja past the Duke, but it wasn’t to be and he had to be content with eighth, 1.5 seconds behind the Finn. Espargaro had another impressive ride. The 20-year-old (using Casey Stoner’s crew chief Christian Gabarini) ran with Vermeulen and Toseland in the early stages, finally finishing behind them in 11th. There were only 14 finishers – de Puniet 12th after running off track after the turn-two pile-up, Canepa 13th and Talmacsi 14th.
championship position Rider
Team
points
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Fiat Yamaha Team Fiat Yamaha Team Repsol Honda Team Ducati Marlboro Team Repsol Honda Team Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Rizla Suzuki MotoGP San Carlo Honda Gresini LCR Honda MotoGP Hayate Racing Team Rizla Suzuki MotoGP San Carlo Honda Gresini Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati Marlboro Team Pramac Racing Grupo Francisco Hernando Scot Racing Team MotoGP Scot Racing Team MotoGP Pramac Racing
237 207 157 150 133 123 97 88 88 87 84 80 78 73 51 35 12 12 9 8
Valentino ROSSI Jorge LORENZO Dani PEDROSA Casey STONER Andrea DOVIZIOSO Colin EDWARDS Loris CAPIROSSI Alex DE ANGELIS Randy DE PUNIET Marco MELANDRI Chris VERMEULEN Toni ELIAS James TOSELAND Nicky HAYDEN Mika KALLIO Niccolo CANEPA Sete GIBERNAU Gabor TALMACSI Yuki TAKAHASHI Aleix ESPARGARO
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MotoGP - SAN MARINO
250cc race Hector Barbera (Pepe Aprilia) and Mattia Pasini (Toth Aprilia) carried on from where they left off at Misano last year, engaging in another hectic duel, this time for the win. The pair swapped back and forth, Barbera coming out on top despite the best efforts of Pasini, who lives just 20 miles from the track. Earlier in the race it had been a three-way fight with Marco Simoncelli (Gilera) in the mix, but the world champ slid off, blaming a traction control problem. Simoncelli’s DNF put a major dent in his world title hopes. Another podium would have put him within striking distance of points leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) and Alvaro Bautista (Aspar Aprilia) who battled throughout for third place. Aoyama was faster through the turns on his sweet handling RS250RW but he didn’t have the power to beat Bautista to the finish line. 250CC CLASS position Rider
Timing
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
43’23.353 43’23.393 43’25.044 43’25.050 43’25.274 43’32.555 43’33.836 43’34.713 43’42.306 43’47.833
Hector BARBERA Mattia PASINI Alvaro BAUTISTA Hiroshi AOYAMA Mike DI MEGLIO Jules CLUZEL Alex DEBON Raffaele DE ROSA Hector FAUBEL Thomas LUTHI
125cc race Andrea Iannone (Ongetta Aprilia) confirmed his reputation for wildness with an out-ofcontrol last-corner move on leader Pol Espargaro (Derbi). Iannone crashed, taking Espargaro with him. There was no doubt that Espargaro deserved the win, the Indy victor coming through from 13th – after getting tangled up on the first lap – to hunt down Iannone and Julian Simon (Aspar Aprilia) who were duelling for the lead. Espargaro took the lead for the first time with three laps to go. The crash promoted points leader Simon to first place, his fourth win of the year, with Nicolas Terol (J&J Aprilia) and Bradley Smith (Aspar Aprilia) second and third. 125CC CLASS
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Position rider
timing
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
40’15.301 40’15.874 40’20.775 40’24.679 40’24.966 40’27.056 40’38.345 40’42.237 40’48.152 40’49.740
Julian SIMON Nicolas TEROL Bradley SMITH Marc MARQUEZ Sandro CORTESE Stefan BRADL Simone CORSI Joan OLIVE Jonas FOLGER Danny WEBB
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BIKESPORT MAT OXLEY
MadOX
MESSIN’ WITH THEIR HEADS
straight. These parries tricked Roberts into running a tighter-thanusual line into that corner which hurt his exit speed every lap. Then on the final lap Spencer switched to his ideal line and got a huge drive onto the straight, got alongside Roberts and out-braked him at the end of the straight to win the race and the title. Genius. Riders play similar tricks in practice. It’s easy – you use 500rpm less out of the turns and change your braking points. You rival will work Rossi’s secret isn’t just blinding speed, it’s his those facts into his race strategy, so when you’re together in the race love of leaving his rivals dazed and confused he’ll end up confused, possibly giving you a crucial advantage you wouldn’t otherwise have had. Racing is a thinking sport more than anything, so if you can mess The real joy in watching Valentino Rossi isn’t only in the obvious stuff: with a rival’s thinking process, you may gain an edge that will be those mercurial racing lines, the boyish delight he takes from crushing his rivals like ants. As the long, hot summer of his career drifts on an on worth a lot of talent or horsepower on the racetrack. Sheer speed isn’t everything in racing, race craft, and race craftiness, are just as like your first teenage holiday, the real fun comes from trying to work important…even off the track. out exactly what VR is up to: did he really mean to take that slightly I still feel slightly guilty about a trick I played many years ago at weird line, or is he just messing with a rival’s head? Did he really mean the Isle of Man TT. During practice I pretended I had run out of fuel what he said in the pre-race press conference, or is he merely trying to while attempting to do a three-lap race simulation. My biggest rivals confuse everyone? – all riding Honda NS250Rs just like mine – fell for the ruse and Rossi is brain-warp fast, bright as a boffin and indomitably stopped to refuel during the race. I did the tough, but he is also sly as they come. His whole three laps without stopping and won the race weekend behaviour is all smoke and thing. Ho ho ho. mirrors, laying down a trail of confusion and Legend has it that Barry Sheene used to misinformation wherever he goes. And when employ similarly devious tactics – he would he races no one knows what he’s up to – he scribble his preferred main jet sizes on a sliver changes his lines, adjusts his pace and plays of gaffer tape which he’d stick somewhere around with his tactics so his rivals can never on the fairing. Sharp-eyed – but possibly really nail him down. He’s been doing it so dim-witted – rivals would take note and seal long that it comes totally naturally and there’s their own downfall. Hopefully Bazza didn’t no doubt that he derives huge enjoyment from fool these people into going too weak on the playing these games. Of course, it’s the not the carburation; that would be really nasty. kind of thing he talks about; it’s all top secret, Once you have established a reputation for so we can only ever guess at what games he’s playing tricks, you can confuse people even playing. without doing anything. At this year’s German All good racers do the same thing. Freddie GP Casey Stoner accused Valentino Rossi of Spencer, another of history’s most talented trying to confuse his rivals by scrubbing the racers, had the same skill to ride on the brink of white paint from the sidewall of his front slick; disaster while dreaming up some little trick to the white paint denoting Bridgestone’s softer win the race. He beat King Kenny Roberts in compound tyres. In fact Bridgestone had run their unforgettable duel for the 1983 500 title by out of white paint (no, really), but the reality outfoxing Roberts on the last lap of the last but didn’t matter because Stoner was sat one GP. Spencer’s Honda triple was on the grid, convinced that Rossi slower than Roberts’ Yamaha V4 so Racing is a thinking sport more than was playing tricks when he should he had to work out a way of reducing anything, so if you can mess with a have been getting himself in the the Yamaha’s speed down the main straight. He followed Roberts for rival’s thinking process, you may gain zone, focusing on his own race. that’s what finally burned most of the race, always pretending an edge that will be worth a lot of talent Maybe Stoner’s brain and sent him running to shove it up the inside into the or horsepower on the racetrack home to mother… tight right-hander that led onto the
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WSBK
SPIES LEAPS INTO THE LEAD
The Texan takes the lead in WSBK as he clinches the Nurburgring round Report Adhish Alawani, Photography: DPPI
Race One: After a break of over a month, World Superbikes returned to work at Nurburgring. The battle for the title lead had already intensified in the previous few races. Ben Spies continued to showcase his top notch form once again by winning the race one at Nurburgring. The 12th victory for the Yamaha ace came after a tough fight between Spies and his championship rival Haga. Haga took a brilliant start on his Ducati and led till almost half-race. By that time, Spies managed to come close to Haga. The battle up front was on till two laps to go. With the pressure building up, Haga made an error and let Spies take an easy victory in the end. Hanspree Ten Kate Honda rider Carlos Checa held off his team-mate Jonathan Rea to capture the final podium spot. Max Biaggi, Leon Haslam and Micheal Fabrizio put up another fantastic fight for the fifth spot with Biaggi finally making it there. Jonathan Rea winning the race two at the Nurburgring
Race Two: Jonathan Rea rode amazing well during race two of the Nurburgring round of WSBK to take the top spot on the podium. Riding the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda Team bike, Rea finished just ahead of Spies. Rea did not get the best of starts and had to get a bit aggressive right at the first turn. The consequence of Rea’s aggression was a contact between his bike and Haga’s Ducati leading to the latter’s crash. Carlos Checa claimed the final spot on the podium making it a brilliant result for the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda team. With Haga crashing out and Spies finishing once again on the podium, the Texan has now taken the lead in the championship. Though the title run is still wide open, the 18 point lead and the Spies’ brilliant skills puts him in a stronger spot for the championship. Haga’s crash in race two helped Spies open up a lead in the championship
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Top Speed: 88.34km/h Tested: Sep ‘09
11112
We Say: Good commuter, high frequency handlebar vibrations. Also See: HH Splendor NXG, TVS Star City Discover 100
Platina 125 11112
Price 45,115
CC 94.38
Ps/rpm 7.7/7500
Nm/rpm 7.85/5000
FT 8
G 5
Top Speed: 87.05km/h Tested: NOV ‘08 We Say: The small big bike from Bajaj. 125cc heart in a 100cc bike, the Platina 125 offers a lot for your money Also See: Hero Honda Splendor NXG
Platina 125
XCD125 DTS-Si 11112
Price 44,455
CC 124.58
Ps/rpm 9.53/7000
Nm/rpm 10.85/5000
FT 13
G 4
SH 790
WB 1275
WT 113
0-60 7.65
KMPL 69.5
WT 113
0-60 8.05
KMPL 68.5
Top Speed: 89.69km/h Tested: OCT ‘07 We Say: Not as nifty a performer as we would have expected. Great commuter though. Also See: Hero Honda Splendor NXG, Hero Honda Super Splendor, Honda Shine
XCD 125 (ES)
XCD135 DTS-Si 11111 1111
Price 47,305
CC 124.58
Ps/rpm 9.53/7000
Nm/rpm 10.85/5000
FT 10
G 4
SH 790
WB 1275
Top Speed: 104.7km/h Tested: MAR ‘09 We Say: Nifty performer compared to XCD125, but stiff suspension has compromised the ride quality Also See: Yamaha Gladiator, TVS Flame, Suzuki Zeus, Honda Shine
Price XCD 135(Drum, Kick ) 48,445 XCD 135(Drum, ES) 50,660 XCD 135(Disc, ES) 52,865
CC 134.6 134.6 134.6
Ps/rpm 10.2/7500 10.2/7500 10.2/7500
Nm/rpm 11.58/5000 11.58/5000 11.58/5000
FT 10 10 10
G 5 5 5
SH 810 810 810
WB 1275 1275 1275
WT 116 116 116
0-60 5.96 5.96 5.96
KMPL 63.5 63.5 63.5
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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All the data and comments you need before you go out to buy a bike for yourself Discover 135 11112
Top Speed: 107.2km/h Tested: SEPT ‘08 We Say: Gain some, loose some. More power, less efficiency. No clear advantages of going in for this one. Also See:Hero Honda Splendour NXG, Hero Honda Super Splendor, Honda Shine
Discover (Drum) Discover (Disc)
Pulsar 150 DTSi 11112
Price 54,195 57,345
CC 134.21 134.21
Ps/rpm 13.10/8500 13.10/8500
Nm/rpm 11.88/6500 11.88/6500
FT 10 10
G 4 4
SH 798 798
WB 1305 1305
WT 133 133
0-60 5.93 5.93
KMPL 60 60
Top Speed: 113.64km/h Tested: DEC ‘06 We Say: Good fusion of performance, efficiency and looks. Cycle parts could be better built. Also See: HH CBZ X-treme, Honda Unicorn, Suzuki GS150R
Pulsar 150
Pulsar 180 DTSi 11112
Price 65,265
CC 149.01
Ps/rpm 14.09/8500
Nm/rpm 12.76/6500
FT 15
G 5
SH 785
WB 1320
WT 137
0-60 5.51
KMPL 55
Top Speed: 117.5 km/h Tested: JUN ‘09 We Say: Great performace, stunning looks and the good ’ol edgy box. Great value though. Also See: TVS Apache RTR 160, TVS Apache RTR 180
Pulsar 180
Price 68,560
CC 178.60
Ps/rpm 17.05/8500
Nm/rpm 14.22/6000
FT 15
G 5
SH 785
WB 1345
WT 147
0-60 4.98
KMPL 51
WB 1350
WT 152
0-60 4.7
KMPL 42.25
Top Speed: 132.5km/h Tested: JUL ‘09
Pulsar 220 DTSi 11112
We Say: More power at lesser price translates into great value for money. Also See: Hero Honda Karizma R, TVS Apache RTR 180, Yamaha YZF R15 Pulsar 220
Price 78,180
CC 220
Ps/rpm 21.04/8500
Nm/rpm 19.12/7000
FT 15
G 5
SH 795
Top Speed: 109.58km/h Tested: NOV ‘07
Avenger 200 DTSi 11112
We Say: Powerful and torquey, great combo of style and value. Pillion seat should have been more comfortable. Also See: Royal Enfield Thunderbird Avenger 200
Price 72,485
CC 198.80
Ps/rpm 17.51/8000
Nm/rpm 16.78/6000
FT 14
Your display here to grab the most eyeballs
G 5
SH 710
WB 1475
WT 152
0-60 5.90
KMPL 37
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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BI BUY-BOOK NEW BIKES MOTORCYCLES HERO HONDA
34, Community Centre, Vasant Lok, Vasant Vihar New Delhi - 110 057 www.herohonda.com
CD Dawn 11121
Top Speed: 84.9km/h Tested: NA We Say: All the Hero Honda qualities for cheap, and stop cribbing Also See: TVS Star, Yamaha Crux S, Bajaj Platina Price 36,317
CD Dawn
CD Deluxe 11111
CC 97.20
Ps/rpm 7.4/8000
Nm/rpm 7.50/5000
FT 10.5
G 4
SH 790
WB 1230
WT 107
0-60 14.20
KMPL 68.82
Top Speed: 92.90km/h Tested: JAN ‘07 We Say: There! You cribbed again. So here’s your all new bikini fairing. Also See: Hero Honda Splendour NXG, Hero Honda Super Splendor, Honda Shine
CD Deluxe
Splendor Plus 11111
Price 40,224
CC 97.20
Ps/rpm 7.4/8000
Nm/rpm 7.50/5000
FT 10.5
G 4
SH 790
WB 1230
WT 107
0-60 14.20
KMPL 72.75
FT 10.5 10.5
G 4 4
SH 775 775
WB 1230 1230
WT 117 117
0-60 12.30 12.30
KMPL 59.72 59.72
Top Speed: 82.50km/h Tested: NA We Say: Perfect commuter if you can do with the looks. Also See: TVS Star Sport, Yamaha Alba, Bajaj Platina
Price Splendor Plus (Spokes) 43,579 Splendor Plus (Alloys) 44,583
Splendor NXG 11111
CC 97.20 97.20
Ps/rpm 7.40/8000 7.40/8000
Nm/rpm 7.20/5000 7.20/5000
Top Speed: 96.92km/h Tested: JULY ‘07 We Say: The best seller just got better looks but at a higher price. Also See: TVS Star Sport, Yamaha Alba, Bajaj Platina
NXG (Alloys)
Passion Plus 11111
Price 44,583
CC 97.20
Ps/rpm 7.70/7500
Nm/rpm 7.60/60000
FT 10.3
G 4
SH 785
WB 1230
WT 107
0-60 10.73
KMPL 77
FT 12.8 12.8
G 4 4
SH 775 775
WB 1235 1235
WT 117 117
0-60 12.30 12.30
KMPL 59.72 59.72
SH 775
WB 1265
WT 117
0-60 7.50
KMPL 78.4
Top Speed: 85.3km/h Tested: JULY ‘06 We Say: A Splendor will save you three grand. Also See: Yamaha Alba, Bajaj Platina
Passion Plus Passion Plus Pro
Super Splendor 11111
Price 47,455 49,948
CC 97.20 97.20
Ps/rpm 7.50/8000 7.50/8000
Nm/rpm 7.20/5000 7.20/5000
Top Speed: 98.9km/h Tested: NA We Say: Splendor hops onto the ‘executive’ bandwagon. Also See: TVS Victor GLX 125, Yamaha Gladiator, Bajaj Discover 125
Super Splendor
Price 50,446
CC 124.70
Ps/rpm 9.13/7000
Nm/rpm 10.35/4000
FT 12
G 4
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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Glamour
Top Speed: 94.9km/h Tested: SEP ‘05
11111
We Say: The Glamour actually looks much better than the Super Spendor. Worth the extra dough. Also See: Baja Discover 125, TVS Victor GLX 125, Yamaha Gladiator Price 51,972 53,324
Glamour (Drum) Glamour (Disc)
CC 124.70 124.70
Ps/rpm 9.13/7000 9.13/7000
Nm/rpm 10.35/4000 10.35/4000
FT 14.6 14.6
G 4 4
SH 775 775
WB 1265 1265
WT 129 129
0-60 7.40 7.44
KMPL 72.74 72.74
Top Speed: 100.2km/h Tested: AUG ‘06
Glamour FI 11111
We Say: Fl, digital speedo, efficiency commuter, better throttle response. Buy only if the extra money doesn’t hurt! Also See: Bajaj Discover 125, Yamaha Gladiator, TVS Victor 125 Price 61,633
Glamour (Disc)
CC 124.7
Ps/rpm 9.13/7000
Nm/rpm 10.35/4000
FT 14.6
G 4
SH 775
WB 1265
WT 125
0-60 8.80
KMPL 80.75
FT 12.4
G 5
SH 800
WB 1290
WT 134
0-60 6.25
KMPL 57.5
FT 12.4
G 5
SH 795
WB 1325
WT 146
0-60 5.08
KMPL 51
WT 143
0-60 5.55
KMPL 60.25
WT 150
0-60 4.70
KMPL 43.42
Top Speed: 110.8km/h Tested: NOV ‘06
Achiever
11111 1111
We Say: Every bit a Unicorn, except for the ride quality. Also See: Bajaj Pulsar 150, Honda Unicorn, Suzuki GS150R Price 60,138
Achiever (ES)
Hunk
11112
CC 149.1
Ps/rpm 13.4/8000
Nm/rpm 12.8/5000
Top Speed: 107.16km/h Tested: DEC ‘07 We Say: Stunning looks, efficient engine and good performance. Also See: Bajaj Pulsar 150, Honda Unicorn, TVS Apache Price 64,275
Hunk (ES)
CC 149.2
Ps/rpm 14.4/8500
Nm/rpm 12.8/6500
Top Speed: 110.8km/h Tested: NOV ‘06
CBZ XX-Treme 11111 1111
We Say: Pricey but much better than the CBZ and the Achiever. Too skinny at the front. Also See: Bajaj Pulsar 150, Honda Unicorn, TVS Apache Price 64,591
X-Treme (ES)
Karizma R 11111
CC 149.2
Ps/rpm 14.4/8500
Nm/rpm 12.8/6500
FT 12.4
G 5
SH NA
WB 1325
Top Speed: 125.8km/h Tested: NA We Say: The most well-rounded performance bike around. Spares are an issue though. Also See: Bajaj Pulsar 200 DTSi, Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi Price 81,069
LEGEND
Karizma
y
apacit
bic c C- Cu
C
wer
Ps/
eak po rpm- P
Peak /rpm-
Nm
torque city
FT- Fu
capa el tank
CC 223
Ps/rpm 16.9/7000
Nm/rpm 18.3/6000
FT 15
a SH - S
eight ddle h
SH 795
WB 1355
)
se (mm
ars
. of ge G - No
G 5
(mm)
eelba B- Wh
W
(Kg) weight b r e K WT-
Your display here to grab the most eyeballs
ation
cceler
/h) A -60(km
0
iency
el effic
Fu Kmpl-
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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BI BUY-BOOK NEW BIKES MOTORCYCLES HONDA MOTORCYCLES & SCOOTERS Plot 78, Sector 18, Gurgaon(Haryana) 122 001 www.honda2wheelersindia.com
Shine
11112
Top Speed: 100.4km/h Tested: MAY ‘06 We Say: Short ratios make it really quick through gears. Top speed could have been better with taller gearing. Also See: Hero Honda Glamor, TVS Flame, Yamaha Gladiator
Price Shine (Drum, Spokes) 46,817 Shine (ES, Drum, Alloys) 52,427 Shine (ES, Disc, Alloys) 54,405
CBF Stunner
CC 124.6 124.6 124.6
Ps/rpm 10.4/7500 10.4/7500 10.4/7500
Nm/rpm 10.9/5500 10.9/5500 10.9/5500
FT 11 11 11
G 4 4 4
SH 790 790 790
WB 1265 1265 1265
WT 122 122 122
0-60 7.04 7.04 7.04
KMPL 78.75 78.75 78.75
FT 10 10 10 10
G 5 5 5 5
SH 790 790 790 790
WB 1271 1271 1271 1271
WT 129 129 129 129
0-60 6.57 6.57 6.57 6.32
KMPL 61 61 61 66
Top Speed: 100.8 Tested: SEP’08
11112
We Say: A worthy competitor to the Gladiator. Also See: TVS Flame, Yamaha Gladiator CBF (KS, Drum, Alloys) CBF (ES, Drum, Alloys) CBF (ES, Disc, Alloys) CBF FI (ES, Disc, Alloys)
Unicorn
11112
Price 56,009 57,574 57,955 72,846
CC 124.7 124.7 124.7 124.7
Ps/rpm 11.15/8000 11.15/8000 11.15/8000 11.76/8000
Nm/rpm 11/6500 11/6500 11/6500 11.2/6250
Top Speed: 111.3km/h Tested: DEC ‘06 We Say: One of the smoothest mills around. Great ride-handling combo. Almost indestructible. Also See: Bajaj Pulsar 150, HH CBZ X-treme, HH Achiever, Suzuki GS150R
Unicorn
CBR1000RR 11112
Price 64,070
CC 149.1
Ps/rpm 13.5/8000
Nm/rpm 12.8/5500
FT 13
G 5
SH 790
WB 1340
WT 146
0-60 6.10
KMPL 58.92
Nm/rpm 112/8500
FT 17.7
G 6
SH 820
WB 1410
WT 199
0-60 3.4
KMPL 15
Nm/rpm 100/8000
FT 17
G 6
SH 825
WB 1445
WT 217
0-60 3.7
KMPL 16
Top Speed: NA Tested: Jun ‘09 We Say: NA Also See: Yamaha YZF R1, Suzuki Hayabusa
CBR1000RR
CB1000R
11112
Price 14.46 lakh
CC 999
Ps/rpm 178/12000
Top Speed: NA Tested: Aug ‘09 We Say: NA Also See: Yamaha MT-01, Suzuki Intruder
CB1000R
Price 11.13 lakh
CC 999
Ps/rpm 125/10000
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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KANDA MOTORS
43, Shanivar Peth, Nav Maharashtra House, Pune 411 030 www.kandaex.com Top Speed: 82.8km/h Tested: JAN ‘06
Mission 100 11111
We Say: Surprisingly well built for a Kandaa though lack of power is nagging. Also See: Bajaj Platina, TVS Star, HH CD Deluxe Price 35,200
Mission 100
CC 100
Ps/rpm 6.6/7000
Nm/rpm 6.45/5000
FT 12
G 4
SH 760
WB 1320
WT 115
0-60 11.27
KMPL 67.25
ROYAL ENFIELD
Tiruvottiyur High Road, Tiruvottiyur, Chennai-600 019 www.royalenfield.com
STD
11111
Top Speed: 100.1km/h Tested: NA We Say: Too old and too slow for this day and age but do you have an option? Also See: No options, as there are no alternatives to a Enfield but an Enfield itself! Price 83,291
350 STD
Electra 5S 11111
CC 346
Ps/rpm 18.3/5000
Nm/rpm 32/3000
FT 14.5
G 4
SH 760
WB 1370
WT 163
0-60 7.7
KMPL 35.22
WB 1370
WT 170
0-60 7.1
KMPL 36.44
Top Speed: 103.7km/h Tested: SEP ’05 We Say: Chromed slug with a left foot shifter and a new five-speed gearbox. Also See: No options, as there are no alternatives to a Enfield but an Enfield itself! Price 98,909
Electra 5S (ES)
CC 346
Ps/rpm 18.3/5000
Nm/rpm 32/3000
FT 14.5
G 5
SH 780
Top Speed: 113.4 Tested: NOV ‘08
Thunderbird Twin Spark 11111
We Say: TBTS is a huge step forward in terms of performance. The best Bullet yet, well, almost Also See: You really want us to repeat the same line again? Price 1,09,290
Thunderbird
CC 346
Ps/rpm 20.07/5250
Nm/rpm 28/4000
FT 15.5
G 5
SH 770
WB 1370
WT 182
0-60 5.51
KMPL 36
WT NA 175
0-60 NA 5.15
KMPL NA 33.12
Top Speed: NA/120.54km/h Tested: NA/JULY ‘07
Machismo LB 11111
We Say: Expensive, but nothing comes in the zip code of this machine’s torque. Also See: You really want us to repeat the same line again? Price 1,06,500 1,17,700
LEGEND
Machismo 350 LB Machismo 500 LB
y
apacit
bic c C- Cu
C
wer
Ps/
eak po rpm- P
Peak /rpm-
Nm
torque
Ps/rpm 18.24/5000 24/5600
Nm/rpm 27.45/3000 40.85/3000
FT 13.5 13.5
S
H - Sa
eight ddle h
G 5 5
SH 835 835
WB 1370 1370
)
se (mm
ars
. of ge G - No
city
capa el tank
FT- Fu
CC 346 499
(mm)
eelba B- Wh
W
(Kg) weight b r e K WT-
Your display here to grab the most eyeballs
/h) -60(km
0
ration
Accele
iciency
uel eff
F Kmpl-
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
October 2009
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BI BUY-BOOK NEW BIKES MOTORCYCLES SUZUKI
Kherki Dhaula, Badshahapur, NH-9, Link Road, Gurgaon, Haryana www.suzukimotorcycle.co.in
Heat
11111
Top Speed: 101.11km/h Tested: JUN ‘06 We Say: Suspension on the firm side but a good buy at a 100cc price. Also See: Yamaha Gladiator, Hero Honda Super Splendour, Honda Shine
Heat (spoke wheels) Heat (alloy wheels)
Zeus
11121
Price 41,331 42,401
CC 124 124
Ps/rpm 8.83/7500 8.83/7500
Nm/rpm 10/3500 10/3500
FT 12 12
G 5 5
SH 800 800
WB 1240 1240
WT 110 110
0-60 8.69 8.69
KMPL 64.25 64.25
G 5 5
SH 790 790
WB 1240 1240
WT 120 120
0-60 8.01 8.01
KMPL 64.5 64.5
G 6
SH 790
WB 1340
WT 149
0-60 5.46
KMPL 59.75
FT 21
G 6
SH 805
WB 1485
WT 236
0-60 2.3
KMPL 15
FT 19.5
G 5
SH 705
WB 1710
WT 319
0-60 2.1
KMPL 13
0-60 9.5
KMPL 58
Top Speed: 101.33km/h Tested: JUNE ‘06 We Say: Very smooth engine and nicely equipped though pricey. Also See: Yamaha Gladiator, Hero Honda Super Splendour, Honda Shine Price 51,698 53,360
Zeus (Drum) Zeus (Disc)
GS150R
11112
CC 124 124
Ps/rpm 8.83/7500 8.83/7500
Nm/rpm 10/3500 10/3500
FT 12 12
Top Speed: 108km/h Tested: FEB ‘09 We Say: Well packaged all-rounder from Suzuki Also See: Bajaj Pulsar 150, Hero Honda Achiever, Honda Unicorn Price 66,981
GS150R
Hayabusa
CC 149.5
Ps/rpm 14/8500
Nm/rpm 13.4/6000
FT 15.5
Top Speed: 296km/h (Electronically Restricted) Tested: JAN ‘09
11111
We Say: One of the world’s fastest motorcycles, now on sale in India. Also See: Yamaha YZF-R1, Honda CBR 1000RR Price CC Hayabusa GSX1300R 13,63,000 1340
Intruder
11112
Ps/rpm 186.45/9600
Nm/rpm 146.02/8100
Top Speed: 209km/h (approximate) Tested: JAN ‘09 We Say: Extremely big and heavy. Attention magnet Also See: Yamaha MT-01, Honda CB1000R
Intruder M1800R
Price CC 13,63,000 1783
Ps/rpm 128/6200
Nm/rpm 160/3200
TVS
P.B. No 4, Harita, Hosur, Tamil Nadu 635109 www.tvsmotor.co.in
Star Sport
11111
Top Speed: 85km/h Tested: APR ‘07 We Say: Stylishly slick offering for those on a budget. Also See: Bajaj Platina, Hero Honda Passion Plus, Yamaha Alba
Star Sport CVTi
Price 38,389
CC 99.7
Ps/rpm 7.6/7500
Nm/rpm 7.5/5000
FT 16
G 4
SH 785
WB 1250
WT 112
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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Top Speed: 85.05km/h Tested: NA
Star City
11111
We Say: Adds style to your commute without being too heavy on the pocket. Also See: Bajaj Platina, Hero Honda CD Deluxe, Yamaha Libero G5 Price CC Ps/rpm Nm/rpm FT G Star City (ES,Spokes) 43,822 109.7 8.29/7500 8.1/5000 16 4 Star City (ES,Alloys) 44,703 109.7 8.29/7500 8.1/5000 16 4
SH 785 785
WB 1250 1250
WT 110 115
0-60 NA NA
KMPL NA NA
WB 1320 1320 1320
WT 121 121 121
0-60 7.45 7.45 7.45
KMPL 68.5 68.5 68.5
WB 1300 1300 1300
WT 136 136 136
0-60 5.04 5.04 5.56
KMPL 50 50 55
WT 137
0-60 4.64
KMPL 45.25
Top Speed: 101km/h Tested: JUN ‘08
Flame
11111
We Say: Good city bike, but refinement goes for a toss when pushed hard. Also See: Hero Honda Glamour, Suzuki Zeus, Yamaha Gladiator, Honda Shine, Bajaj Discover Price Flame (Drum, kick-start) 49,531 Flame (Disc, kick-start) 51,751 Flame (Disc, Elec-start) 54,705
Apache RTR EFI 11112
CC 124.8 124.8 124.8
Ps/rpm 10.5/8250 10.5/8250 10.5/8250
Nm/rpm 10/6250 10/6250 10/6250
FT 8 8 8
G 4 4 4
SH 812 812 812
Top Speed: 119km/h Tested: JAN ‘08 We Say: Stunning looks, nimble traffic carver and a punchy ride overall. Also See: Bajaj Pulsar 180, HH CBZ X-treme, Honda Unicorn
Price Apache RTR 65,086 Apache RTR (rear-disc) 67,374 Apache RTR EFI 73,998
Apache RTR180 11112
CC 159.7 159.7 159.7
Ps/rpm 15.4/8500 15.4/8500 15.92/8500
Nm/rpm 13.1/6000 13.1/6000 13.1/6500
FT 16 16 16
G 5 5 5
SH 790 790 790
Top Speed: 124km/h Tested: JUL ‘09 We Say: Great looks, nible traffic carver with power through the complete rev range. Also See: Bajaj Pulsar 220, HH Karizma R, Yamaha FZS, Yamaha YZF R15 Price 72,110
Apache RTR
CC 177.4
Ps/rpm 17.3/8500
Nm/rpm 15.5/6500
FT 16
G 5
SH 790
WB 1340
YAMAHA
A-3, Surajpur Ind. Area Noida Dadri Road, Surajpur - 201 306 www.yamaha-motor-india.com
Crux S
11121
Top Speed: 93.95km/h Tested: OCT ‘05 We Say: Excellent gearbox, but lacks appeal and doesn’t excel at anything else. Also See: Hero Honda CD Dawn, Bajaj Platina, TVS Star
Crux S
Alba 106
11111
Price 38,000
CC 106
Ps/rpm 7.3/7500
Nm/rpm 7.7/6000
FT 11
G 4
SH 775
WB 1260
WT 0-60 105.5 9.9
KMPL 62.52
G 4
SH 800
WB 1290
WT 119
0-60 14.2
KMPL 67.5
SH 800
WB 1290
WT 119
0-60 11.8
KMPL 66.64
Top Speed: 83.67km/h Tested: JUL ‘07 We Say: Libero reincarnated but with added style and presence. Also See: Hero Honda Splendour NXG, Bajaj Platina, TVS Star Sport
Alba 106 (ES)
Libero G5 11121
Price 44,511
CC 106
Ps/rpm 7.6/7500
Nm/rpm 7.8/6000
FT 13
Top Speed: 86.8km/h Tested: AUG ‘05 We Say: A good all round performer but pricey for a 100cc. Also See: HH Passion Plus, HH Splendor NXG, TVS Star Sport, Bajaj Platina
Libero G5 (ES)
Price 46,000
CC 106
Ps/rpm 7.6/7500
Nm/rpm 7.8/6000
FT 13
G 4
October 2009
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BI BUY-BOOK NEW BIKES MOTORCYCLES Gladiator
11112
Top Speed: 108.2km/h Tested: JUN ‘06 We Say: Big bike feel, great performance. Mid-range torque should have been stronger. Also See: Suzuki Zeus, Bajaj XCD 125, Hero Honda Super Splendour, Honda Shine
Gladiator SS Gladiator RS
FZ16
11112
Price 52,914 53,500
CC 123.7 123.7
Ps/rpm 10.8/7500 10.8/7500
Nm/rpm 10.4/6500 10.4/6500
FT 13 13
G 5 5
SH 800 800
WB 1300 1300
WT 123 123
0-60 7.55 7.55
KMPL 67.5 67.5
Top Speed: 110.9km/h Tested: OCT ‘08 We Say: The best looking naked bike in the country. Will definately work wonders for Yamaha’s future in India Also See: Hero Honda Hunk, TVS Apache RTR
FZ16 FZ-S
Fazer
11112
Price 72,856 75,116
CC 153 153
Ps/rpm 14/7500 14/7500
Nm/rpm 13.6/6000 13.6/6000
FT 12 12
G 5 5
SH 790 790
WB 1335 1335
WT 136 136
0-60 5.51 5.51
KMPL 43.5 43.5
FT 12
G 5
SH 790
WB 1335
WT 141
0-60 NA
KMPL NA
FT 12
G 6
SH 790
WB 1290
WT 131
0-60 5.12
KMPL 42.6
Top Speed: NA Tested: NA We Say: Also See: Hero Honda Hunk, TVS Apache RTR
Fazer
YZF R15
11111
Price 80,800
CC 153
Ps/rpm 14/7500
Nm/rpm 14/6000
Top Speed: 130.2 Tested: AUG’08 We Say: Indian performance biking taken to the next level. Also See: Hero Honda Karizma, Bajaj Pulsar 220
YZF R15
YZF R1
11111
Price 1,08,807
CC 149.8
Ps/rpm 17/8500
Nm/rpm 15/7500
Top Speed: 290km/h Tested: JAN ‘08 We Say: One of the best supersport bikes in the world. Now officially on sale in India. Also See: Suzuki Hayabusa, Honda CBR1000RR
YZF R1
MT01
11111
Price CC 12,81,000 998
Ps/rpm 180/12500
Nm/rpm 112/10000
FT 18
G 6
SH 835
WB 1415
WT 177
0-60 2.68
KMPL 13
FT 15
G 5
SH 825
WB 1525
WT 243
0-60 NA
KMPL NA
Top Speed: 210km/h (claimed) Tested: NA We Say: Naked street fighter with tons of torque. Also See: Suzuki Intruder, Honda CB1000R
MT01
Price CC 12,81,000 1670
Ps/rpm 90/4750
Nm/rpm 150/3750
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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NEW BIKES SCOOTERS
SCOOTERS BAJAJ AUTO
Mumbai-Pune Road, Akurdi, Pune Maharashtra - 35 www.bajajauto.com
Kristal 11111
Top Speed: 82.5km/h Tested: FEB ‘07 We Say: Good performance but mediocre build quality, plastics and stiff ride quality. Also See: Honda Activa, Honda Dio, HH Pleasure, TVS Scooty Pep+ Price 39,620
Kristal
CC 94.86
Ps/rpm 7.2/7500
Nm/rpm 7.66/5500
FT 4.5
G V
SH 760
WB 1250
WT 99
0-60 11.60
KMPL 49.12
HERO HONDA
34, Community Centre, Vasant Lok, Vasant Vihar New Delhi - 110 057 www.herohonda.com
Pleasure
11111
Top Speed: 80.90km/h Tested: FEB ‘06 We Say: Great looks and goodie-loaded, this is the ideal jump for the econo-commuter who wants more. Also See: Honda Activa, TVS Scooty Pep+, Bajaj Krystal Price 40,842
Pleasure
CC 102
Ps/rpm 7.1/7000
Nm/rpm 7.8/5000
FT 10
G V
SH 750
WB 1240
WT 104
0-60 12.18
KMPL 47
HONDA MOTORCYCLES & SCOOTERS
34, Community Centre, Vasant Lok, Vasant Vihar New Delhi - 110 057 www.honda2wheelersindia.com
Activa
11112
Top Speed: 89km/h Tested: May ‘09 We Say: Revived the scooter market and is an improvement over the old Activa. Also See: Bajaj Krystal, Honda Dio, TVS Scooty Streak, HH Pleasure Price 45,575 46,464
Activa Activa DLX
Dio
11112
CC 109 109
Ps/rpm 8.1/7500 8.1/7500
Nm/rpm 8.8/5500 8.8/5500
FT 5.3 5.3
G V V
SH 765 765
WB 1238 1238
WT 106 106
0-60 10.79 10.79
KMPL 53.5 53.5
FT 6
G V
SH 762
WB 1235
WT 107
0-60 10.9
KMPL 49.52
FT 6 6
G V V
SH 790 790
WB 1256 1256
WT 102 102
0-60 11.78 11.78
KMPL 46 46
Top Speed: 78.7km/h Tested: OCT ‘06 We Say: An Activa with good looks. Pillon foot rest is a pain though. Also See: Hero Honda Pleasure, Kinetic Nova 135, Honda Activa Price 41,125
Dio Deluxe
Aviator
11112
CC 102
Ps/rpm 7/7000
Nm/rpm 7.8/5500
Top Speed: 83km/h Tested: FEB ‘08 We Say: Positioned for the premium market. Good but expensive. Also See: Suzuki Access, Kinetic Flyte
Aviator (Drum) Aviator (Disc)
Price 45,347 49,446
CC 102 102
Ps/rpm 7.2/7000 7.2/7000
Nm/rpm 7.8/5500 7.8/5500
Your display here to grab the most eyeballs
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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BI BUY-BOOK NEW BIKES SCOOTERS MAHINDRA 2WHEELERS
Mahindra Towers, Worli Mumbai 400018 www.mahindra2wheelers.com Top Speed: 67.5km/h Tested: AUG ‘05
Kine’
11111
We Say: One of the last two-strokes available. Pulls nicely for its cubic capacity. Also See: TVS Scooty Teenz Price 32,028
Kine
4S
CC 71.5
Ps/rpm 4.3/5500
Nm/rpm 5.7/4500
FT 4
G V
SH 770
WB 1235
WT 82
0-60 13.10
KMPL 70.89
Nm/rpm 7.7/5000
FT 7
G V
SH 760
WB 1260
WT 104
0-60 12.92
KMPL 45.75
Top Speed: 77km/h Tested: NOV ‘05
11111
We Say: Old wine in old bottle. Also See: Honda Dio, Honda Activa Price 42,791
4S
Flyte
CC 113.1
Ps/rpm 7.3/7500
Top Speed: 83.8km/h Tested: OCT ‘07
11112
We Say: Zippy and comfortable scooter. Great choice for city commutes. Also See: Honda Aviator, Suzuki Access, TVS Scooty Streak Price 44,250
Flyte
Nova
CC 124.6
Ps/rpm 8/7000
Nm/rpm 9/5000
FT 5
G V
SH 760
WB 1260
WT 105
0-60 13.02
KMPL 41
Nm/rpm 10/4500
FT 6
G V
SH 760
WB 1250
WT 103
0-60 12.30
KMPL 40.17
0-60 NA
KMPL NA
Top Speed: 82.9km/h Tested: OCT ‘06
11111
We Say: Fast, pricey and thirsty. Also See: Honda Activa, Honda Dio, Bajaj Krystal Price 44,455
Nova
CC 135
Ps/rpm 8.6/6500
TVS
P.B. No 4, Harita, Hosur, Tamil Nadu 635109 www.tvsmotor.co.in Top Speed: 74km/h Tested: NA
Scooty Teenz 11111
We Say: The good old scooty lives on with a cosmetic makeover. Also See: Kinetic Kine
LEGEND
Scooty Teenz
rque
acity
cap - Cubic
CC
er
Ps/
w eak po rpm- P
Price 29,990
eak to rpm- P
Nm/
el FT- Fu
ity
apac tank c
CC 59.9
Ps/rpm 3.5/5500
Nm/rpm 4.5/5000
rs
a . of ge G - No
mm)
ad SH - S
ight ( dle he
FT 4.5
G V
SH NA
WT 83
)
e (mm
elbas - Whe
WB
WB 1220
ht (Kg) rb weig e K T W
tion
celera
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0-6
iency
el effic
Fu Kmpl-
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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Scooty Pep+
Top Speed: 74km/h Tested: NOV ‘05
11111
We Say: An engine upgrade makes it even more desirable. Also See: Bajaj Krystal, Honda Activa, Hero Honda Pleasure Price 38,998
Scooty Pep+
Scooty Streak
CC 87.8
Ps/rpm 5/6500
Nm/rpm 5.8/4000
FT 5
G V
SH 740
WB 1230
WT 95
0-60 12.2
KMPL 50.67
WB 1230
WT 96
0-60 11.48
KMPL 51
Top Speed: 78.4km/h Tested: May ‘09
11111
We Say: NA: Styling updates and sticker works gives it a new lease of life. Also See: Kinetic Flyte, Bajaj Krystal, Honda Activa, Hero Honda Pleasure Price 41,236
Scooty Streak
CC 87.8
Ps/rpm 5/6500
Nm/rpm 5.8/4000
FT 4.7
G V
SH 740
SUZUKI
Kherki Dhaula, Badshahapur, NH-9, Link Road, Gurgaon, Haryana www.suzukimotorcycle.co.in
Access
11112
Top Speed: 91.78km/h Tested: DEC ‘07 We Say: Really quick and a nimble handler but priced higher than the competition. Also See: Kinetic Flyte, Honda Aviator
Access
Price 48,295
CC 124
Ps/rpm 8.71/7000
Nm/rpm 9.8/5000
FT 6.4
G V
SH 780
WB 1250
WT 109
0-60 11.58
KMPL 42
ELECTRIC SCOOTERS AVON
G.T. Road, Ludhiana, Punjab 141003. www.avoncycles.com Top Speed: 25 km/h Tested: MAR ‘09
AVON E-SCOOT
Avon E-Scoot
Price 30,321
Voltage Power 48V 250W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT 85
0-30 11.16
RANGE 50-55
BSA
Post Bag # 5,M T H Road, Ambattur,Chennai - 53 www.bsamotorsindia.com
Roamer +
Roamer +
Top Speed: 39.8km/h Tested: MAR ‘09
Price 36,600
Voltage Power 48V 800W
Torque -
FT -
Your display here to grab the most eyeballs
G -
SH -
WB -
WT 107
0-30 7.68
RANGE 40
Contact: BIKE India Marketing Office Mumbai: +91 22 67525252 Delhi: +91 11 42345678 Bangalore: +91 80 66110116/7 Chennai: +91 44 39149889
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BI BUY-BOOK NEW BIKES ELECTRIC SCOOTERS EKO VEHICLES
Bhoruka Park, WhitefieldRoad, Bangalore560048 Web: www.ekovehicle.com
Top Speed: 56.14km/h Tested: MAR ‘09
EV-60
Price 38,800
EV-60
Voltage Power 60V 1878W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB 1240
WT 93
0-30 9.49
RANGE 60
HERO ELECTRIC
50 Okhla Industrial Estate Phase III New Delhi 110020 Web: www.heroelectricindia.com
MAXI
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: MAR ‘09
Price 29,400
Maxi
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT 65
0-20 7.84
RANGE 70
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT 83
0-20 7.84
RANGE 70
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT -
0-20 -
RANGE 70 100
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: MAR ‘09
OPTIMA PLUS
Optima Plus
Voltage Power 48V 250W
Price 31,900
Voltage Power 48V 250W
Top Speed: NA Tested: NA
WAVE DX
Price Wave Dx 33,450 Wave Dx(With Extra Miles) 36,650
Voltage Power 48V 250W 48V 250W
INDUS
72, Palodia, Ahmedabad 382 115 Gujrat www.induselectrans.com
YO Speed
YO Speed
YO Smart
YO Smart
118 118
Top Speed: 45km/h Tested: NA
Price 39,950
Voltage Power 750W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT -
0-20 -
RANGE 70-75
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT 75
0-20 4.5
RANGE 60
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: FEB ‘07
Price 29,970
Voltage Power 48V 250W
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YO Spin
Top Speed: 24.28km/h Tested: FEB ‘07
Price 26,990
YO Spin
Voltage Power 48V 250W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT 75
0-20 6.14
RANGE 45
KABIRDASS, MOTOR COMPANY
16, Poonamalee road, Velappanchavadi, Chennai 600077 www.kabirdass.com
K100 LA
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: NA
Price 26,000
K100 LA
K103 LA
Voltage Power 48V 250W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT NA
0-20 NA
RANGE 60
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT NA
0-20 NA
RANGE 75
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: NA
Price 32,000
K103 LA
Voltage Power 48V 250W
LECTRIX MOTORS LTD.
C-8/C-9, Community Centre, Janakpuri, New Delhi 110058, Uttarakhand www.lectrix.in
e1
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: NA
e1 (Punjab, Haryana)
Price 28,800
Voltage Power 48V 250W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT 84
0-20 7.84
RANGE 70
LOHIA AUTO
Nandnagar Industrial Estate, Kheraganj, Kashipur 244713, Uttarakhand www.lohiaauto.com
Oma
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: NA
Oma
Price 31,000
Voltage Power 48V 250W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT NA
0-20 NA
RANGE 70
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT NA
0-20 NA
RANGE 70
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: NA
Fame
Fame
Price 31,000
Voltage Power 48V 250W
October 2009
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BI BUY-BOOK NEW BIKES TVS
P.B. No 4, Harita, Hosur, Tamil Nadu 635109 www.tvsmotor.co.in
Scooty Teenz
Top Speed: 40km/h Tested: JAN ‘08
Scooty Teenz Electric
Price 36,192
Voltage Power 48V 800W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB 1220
WT 95
0-20 -
RANGE 40
ULTRA MOTOR
19 Okhla Industrial Estate - III, N.Delhi-20 www.ultramotors.com/india
MARATHON
Top Speed: 25km/h* (claimed) Tested: NA
Price 18,275 23,120
Marathon Lite Marathon
Voltage 48V 48V
Power 250W 250W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT 77 88
0-20 -
WT 88
0-20 -
RANGE 70* 85*
Top Speed: 40km/h* Tested: NA
VELOCITI
Price 28,015
Velociti
Voltage 48V
Power 500W
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
RANGE 50*
VIJAYA
19, 2nd Main Road, ra Puram, Chennai Tamil Nadu 600 001 www.vvelectricscooters.com
Grace 50
Top Speed: 40km/h Tested: NA
Price 38,000
Grace 50
Glide 25R
GLIDE 25 SUPER
120 120
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT -
0-20 -
RANGE 50
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT -
0-20 -
RANGE 60
Torque -
FT -
G -
SH -
WB -
WT -
0-20 -
RANGE 75
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: NA
Glide 25 R
Glide 25 Super
Voltage Power 500W
Price 29,000
Voltage Power 48V 240W
Top Speed: 25km/h Tested: NA
Price 26,000
Voltage Power 48V 240W
India October 2009
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RNI NO. MAHENG / 2005 / 15682
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