Royal Enfield’s Tour of Rajasthan 2011 Registrations Open : BikeAdvice

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Royal Enfield’s Tour of Rajasthan 2011 Registrations Open Posted: 31 Aug 2011 10:09 AM PDT Original Source: Royal Enfield's Tour of Rajasthan 2011 Registrations Open from BikeAdvice.in Royal Enfield is a brand that most of the hardcore bikers prefer and crave for. For them, if its a motorcycle it has to be nothing other than the Royal Enfield. This brand became more famous in the Indian soil amidst the biker community by organizing few of the planned TRIPS across few of the best places in the country. Keeping in line with the tradition of promoting leisure and adventure motorcycling culture across the country, Royal Enfield brings the Tour of Rajasthan 2011, a 'trip' of adventure riding across the sands of the Thar desert and some of the best Tarmac in the country. For sure, riding a RE motorcycle along the desert trail would indeed be great fun and an awesome experience as well. The Tour of Rajasthan is 10 day ride that will take the riders through the largest state in the Republic of India, which is Rajasthan. On the riding front, Rajasthan has the most spectacularly laid stretches of Road and there is no dearth of Off-road and sand tracks either. Although, Rajasthan is primarily known as the desert state it has its fair share of hills and the Aravali mountain range which makes this state a best choice for organizing the trip. The Tour of Rajasthan will begin from Jaipur, which is the pink city, then traversing through Mahansar, Bikaner, the sand dunes of Jamba, Jaisalmer, Sam, Jodhpur, Kumbalgarh, Ajmer/Pushkar and finally converging back to Jaipur. The ride will be carried on all kinds of terrain ranging from brilliant tarmac, gravel, off-road and sand. What you see below is the brief itinerary of the entire trip. DAY DATE 2011 START END DISTANCE KM 0 SAT 8th October Scrutiny and briefing 1 SUN 9th October Jaipur Mahansar 220kms 2 MON 10th October Mahansar Bikaner 195kms 3  TUE 11th October Bikaner Jamba 170kms 4 WED 12th October Jamba Jaisalmer 220kms 5  THU 13th October Jaisalmer Sam 310kms 6  FRI 14th October Sam Jodhpur 300kms 7 SAT 15th October REST DAY 8  SUN 16th October Jodhpur Kumbalgarh 300kms 9  MON 17th October Kumbalgarh Ajmer 275kms 10 TUE 18th October Ajmer Jaipur 220kms   Most people travel from Jaisalmer to Sam via the direct route which is a mere 40kms, but in this ride a detour to the famous Tanot Mata Temple will be taken. This is the Temple on the Border Security Force (BSF) post in Tanot and legend has it that during the 1971 Indo-Pak war all shells that were dropped in the Temple never really exploded. From there on the ride will be proceeded along the Border route of Tanot – Longewala where the famous 1971 war was fought. The Riders on the Tour of Rajasthan 2009 and 2010 had the opportunity of seeing the captured Pakistani tank from the war in person at the post in Longewala. Another highlight of the ride is the Bullet Baba Temple, a temple dedicated to the Royal Enfield Bullet itself. This is right on the National Highway to Jodhpur and has Hoards of people at all times. The Registrations of the Royal Enfield Tour of Rajasthan 2011 have opened. This will be on first come first serve basis and the registration cost is INR 16,000. Riders who are interesting in participating will have to keep in mind that the maximum number of Registered Riders for the Tour will be 30. Accommodation on twin sharing, bed and breakfast basis will be provided to every rider throughout the trip. There will also be a camping on the sand dunes in Jamba and Jodhpur and staying in a heritage castle in Mahansar- just some more attractions on the Tour. Please note that pillions are not allowed on this ride and each rider will have to bring his own bike- the primary eligibility criteria is that you need to be owner of Royal Enfield Motorcycle. The cost of Petrol and other meals will be borne by each rider. However in camps and smaller towns, dinner will also be taken care of. A small team of Mechanics with some basic spares will provide service support on the tour. A team doctor will be with the riders for the duration of the ride as well. That sounds great and to remind you again, the registration is limited  to the first 30 riders only. So all those readers who are interested hurry up! Regards, M.Naren. Author – BikeAdvice.in Share on Facebook Related posts: Royal Enfield Rann of Kutch Tour – Registrations Open Registrations About to Open for Royal Enfield's Tour of NH 17 (2011) Royal Enfield to Organize 2011 Himalayan Odyssey No.8 Yamaha SZ Tour – 20 Bikers Roam India in 30 Days Royal Enfield to Launch Riding Gear and Other Goodies

Melroy Alphonso Featured in IronButt Magazine Posted: 30 Aug 2011 11:39 PM PDT Original Source: Melroy Alphonso Featured in IronButt Magazine from BikeAdvice.in Earlier we had featured Melroy Alphonso on your BikeAdvice for completing the SaddleSore 1600KM ride on his Yamaha FZ16. Melroy has now been featured in America’s IronButt magazine and in doing so he became the first Indian biker to be featured in their magazine. SaddleSore 1000 in India Motorcycling has always been a passion for me and I love to travel to far off distances and get away from the hustle of city traffic. I find riding through villages and the countryside to be therapeutic, relaxing and soothing. I feel it also helps me become one with nature. I used to ride only a few hundred kilometers but as time progressed, I graduated to riding longer distances that covered many different states in India. While surfing the Internet one day, I came across the Iron Butt Association. I thought about how fun it would be to up the ante and attempt a SaddleSore 1000. At first it was only a dream, but overcoming the many difficulties made the challenge more appealing. On paper it seemed so easy, calculating what it would require to complete this challenge by maintaining an average speed of 66 km per hour. I thought riding a 153cc Yamaha FZ16 on Indian roads would be the toughest part to overcome. This was my third SaddleSore attempt. My first unsuccessful attempt was to Karnantaka state (Belgaum) and back. My second unsuccessful attempt was to Madhya Pradesh (Indore) and back. Since I needed to ride 1610 km, I felt riding to Eklingji (Rajasthan) and back, a distance of 1650 km, seemed like a good route. After making all the necessary arrangements, I topped up my fuel tank at 7:52 am on November 23rd, took a petrol receipt as proof for documentation, and my SaddleSore ride began. I started by taking the Western Express Highway in Sion (Mumbai) that connects to the Golden Quadrilateral. This route took me across to Gujurat and Rajasthan. The journey on the Golden Quadrilateral is much better than riding on the national highways; it is a four-lane high- way, which makes it easier to overtake slower vehicles and allowed me to maintain a consistent average speed. The Yamaha FZ16, known outside India as a Yamaha Byson, was fun and the extra wide 140mm tire provided fantastic grip and stability. The only stops I made were to refuel. I enterd Rajasthan and finally reached Eklingji at 7:26 pm. I was glad to have made it half – now I just had to made it back to Mumbai in one piece. The roads in India can be dangerous at night, especially the bright lights from oncoming cars and trucks that can easily blind you. Insects were also a problem and I had to regularly clean my face shield as well as my headlights to maintain maximum visibility. When I reached Surat (Gujurat) at 3:40am, I was very tired and did not know if I would make it back to Mumbai. My odometer showed. I had covered only 1363 kms. Continuing on, I eventually reached Mumbai and made it to the Western Express Highway as my 24-hour clock quickly ran out. After a frantic search, I found a petrol station only to discover that the credit card machine was broke. At 7:50 am on November 24th, I it! I had completed 1650 kms right in the nick of time – 23 hours and 56 minutes. Perseverance finally paid off for me. Melroy Alphonso was the sixth rider to complete this grueling ride in India where, by western standards, traffic is so congested it's often mind numbing. His ride on a 153cc single- cylinder Indian-made Yamaha got him appointed to the Not Right Riders list! - IronButt Magazine - Melroy Alphonso Share on Facebook Related posts: 1610 Kms in 24 Hours in Yamaha FZ16! Now That’s Officially Iron-Butts! Hyosung GT650R Review By Melroy BikeAdvice Featured in Chip Magazine :) GQ Run – Three Bikers & 5846 kms, Spreading The Message of Safe Riding Yamaha to Launch FZ1 in December

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Investing and Economic Indicators.

Investing and Economic Indicators As an investor it is important to understand how economic indicators can impact financial markets, investing and ultimately the value of your investments. The key to your success will be looking at these economic indicators, extracting what you need to make the right investment decisions. Economic Indicators are key statistics that show where the economy is headed by monitoring inflation. The reason why inflation is of paramount importance is based on the fact that it highly influences the level of interest rates. Stability within the economy is maintained as long as inflation is kept under control. Rising inflation reflects rising prices caused by demand and exceeding supply. In other words, the increase in prices of goods and services would erode the purchasing power of the money you make, on the assumption that the money you earn does not increase in line with inflation. To put it simply, Governments use economic indicators as tools to ensure stability within the economy. Consequently the individual indicators of inflation like the consumer price index; unemployment and gross domestic product cannot be directly manipulated; therefore to slow down (or speed up) the rate of growth in prices (inflation), interest rates are used. Interest rates determine the willingness and ability of individuals and businesses to borrow money and make investments. Changes in economic activity, when triggered by changes in interest rates, can fuel an expansion or cause a downturn in the economy. For companies, higher interest rates often mean lower profits. If interest rates rise, companies have to pay more, to borrow the money they require to fund growth of their company. Eventually, this translates into higher prices for their goods and, often, lower sales. Especially if customers are buying on credit and have to pay higher interest rates for them to borrow. Potential customers may decide they cannot afford to buy products as the cost of credit is high. The eventual decline in company sales and earnings is something investors anticipate as soon as rates go up. The result is that stock prices go down before the effects of the increased interest rates are actually felt on the company's bottom line. Conversely, when interest rates fall, company borrowing costs are lower, so their profits on the same level of sales will be higher. Therefore, customers who buy on credit are more comfortable buying if they are paying lower rates, so they buy more. This creates higher sales, which will lead to increased company profits. Eventually higher profits will lead to an increase in stock prices. More often than not, the above situation creates an environment where investors are typically ready to pay higher prices as soon as the Central Bank intervene to cut interest rates in the anticipation of the cycle of increased profits. As an investor it is important to remember that the price of your stock will change throughout its lifetime because the price you actually obtain will be determined by current market conditions . and more importantly interest rate fluctuations. This will also determine the capital you will gain or lose. So when next time you hear about economic indicators, always remember how they will affect the value of your stocks and whether you would need to re-evaluate your positions.

Investing and Economic Indicators .

Investing and Economic Indicators As an investor it is important to understand how economic indicators can impact financial markets, investing and ultimately the value of your investments. The key to your success will be looking at these economic indicators, extracting what you need to make the right investment decisions. Economic Indicators are key statistics that show where the economy is headed by monitoring inflation. The reason why inflation is of paramount importance is based on the fact that it highly influences the level of interest rates. Stability within the economy is maintained as long as inflation is kept under control. Rising inflation reflects rising prices caused by demand and exceeding supply. In other words, the increase in prices of goods and services would erode the purchasing power of the money you make, on the assumption that the money you earn does not increase in line with inflation. To put it simply, Governments use economic indicators as tools to ensure stability within the economy. Consequently the individual indicators of inflation like the consumer price index; unemployment and gross domestic product cannot be directly manipulated; therefore to slow down (or speed up) the rate of growth in prices (inflation), interest rates are used. Interest rates determine the willingness and ability of individuals and businesses to borrow money and make investments. Changes in economic activity, when triggered by changes in interest rates, can fuel an expansion or cause a downturn in the economy. For companies, higher interest rates often mean lower profits. If interest rates rise, companies have to pay more, to borrow the money they require to fund growth of their company. Eventually, this translates into higher prices for their goods and, often, lower sales. Especially if customers are buying on credit and have to pay higher interest rates for them to borrow. Potential customers may decide they cannot afford to buy products as the cost of credit is high. The eventual decline in company sales and earnings is something investors anticipate as soon as rates go up. The result is that stock prices go down before the effects of the increased interest rates are actually felt on the company's bottom line. Conversely, when interest rates fall, company borrowing costs are lower, so their profits on the same level of sales will be higher. Therefore, customers who buy on credit are more comfortable buying if they are paying lower rates, so they buy more. This creates higher sales, which will lead to increased company profits. Eventually higher profits will lead to an increase in stock prices. More often than not, the above situation creates an environment where investors are typically ready to pay higher prices as soon as the Central Bank intervene to cut interest rates in the anticipation of the cycle of increased profits. As an investor it is important to remember that the price of your stock will change throughout its lifetime because the price you actually obtain will be determined by current market conditions . and more importantly interest rate fluctuations. This will also determine the capital you will gain or lose. So when next time you hear about economic indicators, always remember how they will affect the value of your stocks and whether you would need to re-evaluate your positions.

Driver Visibility In Two Wheelers : BikeAdvice

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• Driver Visibility In Two Wheelers
• Yamaha SZ-R Ownership Review by Sayan
• Polaris Enters India, Plans to Set Up Assembly Site

Driver Visibility In Two Wheelers Posted: 30 Aug 2011 01:24 AM PDT Original Source: Driver Visibility In Two Wheelers from BikeAdvice.in In transport, driver visibility is the maximum distance at which the driver of a vehicle can see and identify prominent objects around the vehicle. Visibility is primarily determined by weather conditions and by a vehicle’s design. The parts of a vehicle that influence visibility includes the Front Fairing, Huge Fuel Tanks and Wind shield (If provided). The factors affecting visibility from driver point of view are helmet design, driving habits, driver's height and finally driver's ability. Good driver visibility is essential to safe road traffic. Blind spots may occur in the front of the driver when the fairing (also the windshield), rear-view mirrors, helmet and tank block a driver’s view of the road. Behind the driver, there are pillion passenger and goods that may reduce visibility. Blind Spot Blind spots, in the context of driving an automobile, are the areas of the road and surroundings that cannot be seen while looking forward or through either the rear-view mirrors. Blind spots can be eliminated by overlapping both the rear-view mirrors, or checked by turning one’s head briefly. Detection of vehicles or other objects in blind spots may also be aided by systems such as video cameras or distance sensors, though these are not yet incorporated in two wheelers sold to the general public. Blind Spot Areas The areas most commonly referred to as blind spots are the rear quarter blind spots, areas towards the rear of the vehicle on both sides. These areas are shown with grey colour. Vehicles in the adjacent lanes of the road may fall into these blind spots, and a driver may be unable to see them using only the mirrors. Other areas that are sometimes called blind spots are those that are too low to see in behind as well as in front of a vehicle. Also, in cases where side vision is hindered by helmet design, areas to the left or right can become blind spots as well. Forward visibility The front-end blind spots caused can create problems in traffic situations, such as in roundabouts, intersections, and road crossings. Front-end blind spots are influenced by the following design criteria Distance between the driver and the fairing Width of the fairing Angle of the windshield if provided Colour of the windshield in the case of sport bikes Height of the driver in relation to the windshield Colour of helmet shield Effect of Vehicle Type Generally speaking, two wheelers with larger front fairing or body work have larger front blind spots. These blind spots are generated on the road surface and under the projected area of fairing. Obstacles on the road are partly or sometimes completely covered by huge fairings. Driver has to control his vehicle with the help of his experience only. Scooters are also fall in the same category as having front dome. For example, the blind spot in front of dirt bike could only hide small objects on the road; we can say negligible blind spots, while the blind spot of a sport or tourer bike can hide big objects and obstacles on the road, under the projected area of fairing resulting in accidents. Effect of Height of the Driver Driver height can also affect visibility. In some bikes the windshield is fillet with the roof-line with a big radius. This fillet round intersects with driver's vision and creates visibility problems. Drivers with small height find problems to manage front and rear vision simultaneously in sport bikes because of turning limitations of rear view mirrors. They also find difficulties in front vision while driving cruisers because cruisers are having low seating position and negative slope towards headlight. A driver may reduce the size of a blind spot or eliminate it completely by turning their head in the direction of the obstruction. This allows the driver to see better around the obstruction and allows the driver better depth perception. Effect of Helmet Design It is but obvious that helmet reduces the side vision angle by restricting the driver's vision. Without helmet, our eyes can catch the moving parts within 180 on our both the sides and we can grab our attention to those moving objects by little turning our eyes along with head. In the case of helmet, the angle reduces to 150 to 160 and we are unable to get idea about any movement beyond these angles. So with helmet it becomes essential to use rear view mirrors and turning our head from side to side constantly. Effect of Other Automobile Design Factors Other design factors may prevent a manufacturer from maximizing visibility. These include safety, as narrower headlights cannot provide better visibility at night. In the case of sport bikes, aerodynamics doesn't allow the designer to create their bikes without any fairing. The slope given to windshield is to reduce the drag; it also forms another limitation for the designers. Areas covered by rear view mirrors are affected by their sizes and shapes. Rear view mirrors have to provide sufficient rear visibility along with the good aesthetics. Testing of Visibility The vehicles are driven into the darkened lab and lights are mounted in a dummy driver's eye position which is being used to project shadows on to a screen which is surrounded the vehicle in front, rear as well as bottom. The grid on the screen should be marked with a scale so that the edges of the shadow could be measured in terms of their distance from the driver's eyes. Firstly, a single bulb is used to project the shadow of blind spots on to the screen. Then, the coordinates of the upper and lower corners are measured to enable the area of vision obscured by the parts to be calculated. Then dummy's head could be changed to one which had both left and right 'eyes' (bulbs) so that binocular vision and parts thickness could be assessed. The edge of each part is measured using one bulb, then the other. In this way, we ensured that only the proportion of the part which is obscured to both eyes is measured. After measuring the areas on screen, designers try to minimize them, especially in sport bikes as they are dealing with very high speed and driver doesn't get time to control the bike. Some Tips to Improve Visibility Vehicle seat height should appropriate for you. Intersect both the rear view mirrors. A single object should appear in both the mirrors. If you are driving in city, keep the rear view mirrors little outward going opposite to each other. This will improve your visibility in rear quarter blind spots and helps at the time of turning. Never remove any of the rear view mirror. Try to accommodate your baggage within the width of seat or maximum up to the width of bike. Avoid extra fairing for aesthetics. Choose proper helmet with wide shield. Try to get bit loose helmet to turn your head instantly. Choose proper goggle for better visibility if not using helmet. Improve your judgement about obstacles covered in blind spot if using bikes with fairing. We predominantly ignore or don't feel the importance of visibility because it's easier to develop visibility skills with two wheelers than the cars. We are not solemn about using rear view mirrors as well. But facts are evidence for importance of visibility and maximum of the accidents happen because of ignorance about visibility, either directly or circuitously. Regards, Dhruv Panchal Share on Facebook Related posts: Motorcycle Helmets: Interesting Facts & Myths 10 Tips to Avoid Accidents While Riding in the City TVS Scooty Streak Ownership Review By Dhruv Panchal Youth Bike Helmet – Safety And Style Scoop: Yamaha YZF-R4 250cc

Yamaha SZ-R Ownership Review by Sayan Posted: 29 Aug 2011 10:49 PM PDT Original Source: Yamaha SZ-R Ownership Review by Sayan from BikeAdvice.in Hi, this is Sayan Chakraborty, an M.Tech student of Jadavpur University. I am from Howrah, West Bengal and started my biking with a TVS Fiero-FX model. After taking admission to M.Tech program, I decided to buy a new bike for me. The change was required because there was a tickle in my heart pushing me towards a new bike. The Fiero was in perfect condition; still I decided to go for a change. The Search Begins Being an engineer, understand bikes and other factors is easy now, So this time I was pretty more confident and logical. I first of all select a segment for me which was 150cc. This is because in Howrah/Kolkata you need a blend of performance and economy. I am not a peed freak, So I knew 150cc is good for me. Now, the list making time, I strike off Pulsar – 150 and Discover – 150 first because they were too common and reliability was not top class, Suzuki GS 150R was next to go due to poor after sale service. Then TVS RTR 160 follows the list because it has that small bike feeling. Honda Dazzler, Hero Honda CBZ Xtreme was off because I do not like them. R15 was out of my reach. I then sorted out bikes as- Honda CB Unicorn Hero Honda Hunk Yamaha FZ-S I choose Honda unicorn because it was the most reliable all-rounder of the lot. Twist in the story I knew about Yamaha SZ (didn't choose because it was lacking disc brakes, tachometer etc.) But all of a sudden came to know about the upgraded SZ that is Yamaha SZ-R. Went to Yamaha dealer the very next day and it was love at first sight. The Battle Begins It was a duel between SZ-R and the Unicorn. Unicorn had the reputation of good mileage and performance and SZ-R had the looks and the promise of much more determined Yamaha Motors India. Yamaha was one of my favorite and the quality of Honda was nothing but "Honda-class", the only word that came into my mind describing the quality of Honda. It was a tough choice and I was in great confusion because I want this bike for really long term use. I started search the web where BikeAdvice.in helped me a lot but there was good reviews for both the bikes which keeps me in dilemma. The Deciding Factor SZ-R costs 8000 INR less than Unicorn though it lacks power as much as 1.3 Bhp but as I told earlier I do not need that extra power, and also, the carefully designed torque curve of SZ-R having peak torque of 12.8 Nm @ 4500 rpm was the thing I needed. I assumed maintenance of the two bikes to be same, even if the Unicorn returns 3km/l more mileage than SZ-R, think how much time it will take to cover the amount of 8000INR. This was the perfect strategy Yamaha needed to increase their share in the market. I checked the bike and find no quality issues. Yamaha was a brand that can always be trusted, still I made the checks. I finalize Yamaha SZ-R. Went for the Quality-Red color and booked it. The Day 3rd August 2011, I sat on the bike, twist the keys, the green (N) light goes on, touched the starter switch and the sleeping beauty wakes up. Pulled the cutch, rolled into the 1st gear and off we go. Review Time The honeymoon ended and real marriage begins for a bike owner from that very moment when he is handed over with the keys and gets off to his baby but for the lover/bikers, it never ends. The Engine – Heart of the bike The Engine is 153cc SOHC 2valve producing peak power of 12.1PS@ 7500 RPM and peak torque of 12.8Nm @4500rpm. It's the same engine that serves in FZ series but has been detuned for better fuel economy. The engine is butter smooth though it's not as quick as the other competitors. But it is carefully designed torque curve having peak @ only 4500rpm makes life easy in heavy traffic. You will not feel vibration though have not pushed it far than 6500 rpm and that too is done after first 500km because the engine is new and the good thing is that you will not feel the engine heat on your leg due to its well designed sitting posture. It's best if you don't cross 4500 rpm for first 500 km and avoid more than 6000 rpm till you clock 1000 km on the odometer. The gearbox is just perfect. No more words. There was a bit notch till first 50km but then it becomes butter smooth. This is not the one to jump from a signal to another and zoom past the traffic but if you want comfort and ease of driving, this one is for you. Design and looks I personally feel it looks better than many other 150cc bikes and definitely better than the bikes of 125-135 cc segment. The look is sporty though it has been mated with very conventional and comfortable upright sitting posture. It's very well suited for tall men. It has a very good ground clearance of 165mm and wheelbase of 1320mm. The front mudguard, rear tail light is unique and adds a distinct look. The side cowls are aerodynamically designed and add a special appearance to the bike. It has an analogue cockpit and I love to see the needle oscillating. I don't like digital meters. The rpm meter is unique and gives a very special look. There is also a engine malfunction light. The fuel tank is very large (14L) and adds extra miles at a single refueling. It's really an eye candy color quality. Handling This is where every Yamaha is good at and enjoys being on top and this one is also not an exception. Its handling is top class. Disc Brake is not as sharp as pulsars but still very good, do not have that sudden bite but it's quite effective. Suspension system handles the potholes very well. It's presently in the middle of Hard-Soft settings i.e. the factory settings. I found the confidence of curve in my very first ride with this baby, but it will still be better if the tyres were made of MRF. SZ-R is equipped with tube tires. Tubeless tire such as in FZ series is not implemented here. Overall Performance If you are looking for a race breed don't choose this one. But if you are in search of a (150/135) cc bike that has good mileage, awesome handling, very good comfort, good looks and low investment cost than this one is for you. It takes time to reach high on the Speedo but it's really smooth through the rev range. Its high torque characteristics reduces need of shifting gears frequently and it is very comfortable for long drives as it's posture is very comfortable for your back and you will never feel back pain. People complains about it for being low on power but remember that it costs same as 125/135cc bikes and returns similar mileage figure and the advantage is it can breathe easy being an 150 cc so I found out the disadvantage to be an advantage. Mileage I am presently getting 44km/l before my first service. This is good for a 150cc machine. I will advice not to choose a bike only for the reason of better mileage because there might be other expenses that might rip your pocket after 3-4 years. Better to have a little low but consistent economy. Drawbacks It also has some demerits such as Kick starter has been excluded (But you can fix it later). There is no pass switch, engine kill switch, trip meter. Has rigid footrest for the driver like old bikes (Though I feel it's not a problem at all). No digital console for digital-fans. And it consist tube tires. And lastly the battery MINDA make and I am not very sure about its long term performance. Final Verdict It will be good if you consider all the factors before choosing your machine. All that I can say that SZ-R is a quality product and complete value for money. It is priced similar to 135/125 cc machines and gives similar performance and economy. Think twice before buying a 135/125 cc overlooking this baby. And lastly, before I finish, all I must say is love your bike, take care of it. Always wear a helmet, obey traffic rules and fly safe. I thank Mr. Deepak for giving me the opportunity to express my views; readers please let me know what you think by your comments. Note – The photos were taken at that very moment I decided to write this review and that was while coming back from university. It was raining that day and I thought to wash my bike before I take the pictures but then I thought we saw enough of Barbie dolls in the showrooms, our bikes rule the streets and that is how they look in rainy season, so welcome to ground reality, welcome to the beauty that stands in the mud. Hope you enjoyed the review. Right? Regards, Sayan Chakraborty Share on Facebook Related posts: Yamaha FZ-16 Review by Vishnu Honda Rolls Out Unicorn Grand Prix Edition Honda Unicorn Dazzler Ownership Review by Prabhu Yamaha FZ16 Ownership Experience by Siddharth Honda Unicorn Review by Chetan Bedse

Polaris Enters India, Plans to Set Up Assembly Site Posted: 29 Aug 2011 10:07 PM PDT Original Source: Polaris Enters India, Plans to Set Up Assembly Site from BikeAdvice.in Greetings! Indian automobile market is luring as it is studded with opportunities and many consumers in search of better products from the vehicle manufacturers. As a matter of fact the market is luring automobile manufacturers from across the world to try their luck on the Indian soil. Recently Polaris Industries, a US based off-road vehicle maker, talked about Indian markets and motorcycles. Polaris Industries recently have forayed into Indian market with plans to set up an assembly unit within the next five years as it aims to clock revenue of up to USD 400 million by then. Polaris Industries has started its operations in India through a wholly owned subsidiary is now looking to set up research and development center in order to introduce high end premium motorcycles in India in the next 3 to 5 years. There effort looks solid and the company plans to take over and establish their brand in the market more firmly. In order to enhance their working, Polaris Industries has earlier appointed Pankaj Dubey (Former National Head of Yamaha India) as the Managing Director of Polaris India Pvt.Ltd. Speaking on Polaris Industries making their way to India, Mr. J. Morgan (President and COO of Polaris Industries) said that the company sees significant growth opportunities in next five years India and is aiming to clock revenue up to $5 billion globally. He further said that the company is seeing India from a long term perspective and they are expecting revenue up to USD 400 million by the end of five years. Mr. Morgan also said that India will play a major role in helping them achieve the global revenue target along with Brazil and China. When asked about the manufacturing facilities, Morgan said that the company is currently paying huge duty and thus once the volume increases the company would look to open the manufacturing facilities. He also said that the company might partner with local manufacturers to produce products under a contract manufacturing agreement. Polaris Industries Vice President was of the opinion that the company is looking to study the Indian market conditions and will roll out products based on the taste of Indian consumers. He also added that the company is looking to establish a design center in India in the coming 3-5 years that will probably strengthen the company's portfolio. Lastly he said that Polaris India have already partnered with TCS and L&T for technical and engineering services. Share on Facebook Related posts: Polaris Talks about Indian Motorcycles Honda Plans More Gearless Scooters for India Harley Davidson Concentrates on Indian Retail Market Yamaha Plans for Third Plant in India Yamaha to Invest $10 Million by 2012 to Increase their Share in the Motorcycle Market

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TVS Scooty Streak Ownership Review By Dhruv Panchal : BikeAdvice

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TVS Scooty Streak Ownership Review By Dhruv Panchal Posted: 29 Aug 2011 10:16 AM PDT Original Source: TVS Scooty Streak Ownership Review By Dhruv Panchal from BikeAdvice.in Two years back, I purchased Blue Scooty Streak for my lovely wife. Obviously, ownership review comes out more effectively after rubbing the vehicle for enough time. So, I want to share the experience of riding and maintenance of it with you guys. Engine It's got single cylinder 4 stroke, air cooled 87.8 cc engine. Valve operating is with single overhead cam shaft. Cylinder bore is 51 mm and stroke length is 43 mm. Compression ratio is kept 10.1:1 to generate 3.68 kW @ 6500 rpm and 5.80 Nm @ 4000 rpm. Engine oil capacity is 750 ml. Maximum speed claimed by the company is 60 kmph. Whenever I drive it, it doesn't even rich up to 50 kmph. Maximum speed I got till date is 45 kmph. After that, vibrations from all over the vehicle make me worried about clutch and I use to stop pulling the throttle any more. It produces lots of noise even at idle condition. These defects are compensated by mileage which I am getting from Streak. It gives me around 50-55 kmpl which is far better than any other vehicle in this segment. Transmission It has dry centrifugal clutch along with continuous variable transmission. The primary reduction is 2.46 to 0.9 and final reduction is 10.47. The clutch is not enough capable to deliver torque and power to the CVT. Any new rider can also feel the vibrations from clutch. Transmission is also not smooth like Honda Activa and Suzuki Access. After twisting the throttle up to 45 -50 kmph, transmission starts losing torque and power and produces lots of noise. Transmission oil capacity is 120 ml. Suspensions Front suspensions are aluminium telescopic type. If we compare this to Activa, obviously Streak leads ahead, because Activa uses leading link type front suspension, which is less efficient then telescopic type. Rear suspension is toggle link type which is almost universal for this segment. Brakes Both front and rear brakes are drum type with 110 mm dia. As the top speed is not too much, both the brakes are capable enough to stop the vehicle. In monsoon, both the brakes get rusted quickly. Because of this corrosion, friction between pads and drum increases and drum brakes act like disc brake, become more efficient. In summer and winter, the gripping of brake liners becomes bit poor. Tyres Both the tyres are puncture resistant and perfect for the machine. These tyres contain a sealant inside the tubes. Tyres are so tough that I have not paid out a single penny for puncture till date. Both the tyres are 90/90X10 size. Electricals Illumination of each control on the panel is much better than the scooty Pep. I think the head lamp is perfectly positioned to illuminate maximum area ahead. Tail light is much beautiful than any other vehicle of this segment. Aesthetics Styling done on Streak is just up to the mark like Dio. Styling details are uniformly distributed on all parts: Starting from front dome to headlight border, side indicators, foot board, briefcase hook, bag hanger body panel, and finally rear body panels. No doubt, vehicle looks heavy like Activa but become much lighter in driving condition because of all FRP body. Rear view mirrors are having the same colour as body. Shape given to these mirrors is also unique and looks good. Front body panel also looks impressive on the vehicle. Some Features Glow Ring Scooty Streak is fitted with a self glowing ring for better visibility of ignition key location in darkness without any power consumption. Effortless Centre Stand It is really easy to place centre stand on TVS vehicles than any other of this segment. Location and lever design of the stand for Streak is perfectly done to reduce the effort. This stand contains a rotating lever arm to increase the lever ratio. Glove Box Streak is provided with lockable glove box to carry small things up to 3 kg. Mobile Charging Socket Socket for mobile charging is located inside the glove box for charging the mobile phones even when in travelling. The thing needed is appropriate adaptor for your mobile. Side stand indicator Streak is equipped with a side stand indicator, which gives continuous beep sound, if the side stand is not returned to the fully up position when the ignition switch is in 'ON' condition. Bag Hanger Bag hangers are provided on both the sides of the Streak below the seat assembly at the front end near seat hinge. Briefcase Hook A briefcase or small bags can be hung on the hook provided between steering and glove box. Helmet Hook Two helmet hooks are provided under the seat assembly at front end near the seat hinge to lock helmets. Fuel Cap Trend to locate the fuel cap under the seat has been conked out by TVS. It is made easy to fill petrol from the cap located at rear behind pillion seat. Design and seal of petrol cap is good enough to restrict water going inside the petrol tank. Some Failures Happened Till Date Exhaust Broken Down: After running of around 9000 kms, the exhaust pipe got crack from the mounting. One of the stud was broken on the exhaust port flange due to stress concentration. As these studs are rigidly connected to the exhaust port, we need to change the costly exhaust port. Rear View Mirrors: Rear view mirrors are easily getting loose from the ball joint after some running of vehicle. We have to suggest worker to fix out both the mirrors at the time of each service. Oil Capacity Problem: Generally, service stations are providing us used engine and transmission oil and named this practice as "Oil Change". To avoid this, I prefer to change the oil in my scooty in front of myself. For that I have to purchase new bottle of 1 lt oil and tope up my scooty with it. Out of 1 lt, 750 ml is required for engine and 120 ml is required for transmission. Rest of 130 ml oil always remains unused. Kick Ratchet and Kick Stroke Problem Kick ratchet engagement with transmission is very poor. Somehow ratchet is not connected with transmission erratically. For this reason many times effort applied by me is wasted and engine doesn't start at once. Another problem with the kick is about stroke length. Kick stroke is very small which results in poor starting and waste of my energy. Service Quality I always observed poor service quality from TVS dealers in Ahmedabad. They are never concerned about any complain of customers and always make delay for delivering our vehicle. Washing is the basic operation of any service which is also very poor at TVS service stations. Verdict It is a good machine for those who don't want to allow their sisters, mother, wife or girl friends to go beyond 55 kmph. It is good just because of the features available within 43,000 rupees. It is not at all suitable for long journeys. Bike fanatical boys will never like this machine even for a small distance drive. I didn't take test drive at the time of purchase, otherwise my decision would different. Anyhow, my wife is satisfied with her Streak and enjoying her each ride. Regards, Dhruv Panchal Share on Facebook Related posts: TVS Scooty Streak The New Colours of Yamaha FZ-S Suzuki Access 125cc Review Honda Unicorn Dazzler Ownership Review by Prabhu TVS Wego Ownership Review by Adnan

2012 Ninja 250R Special Edition Posted: 29 Aug 2011 12:07 AM PDT Original Source: 2012 Ninja 250R Special Edition from BikeAdvice.in Greetings! Not many days have passed since the Ninja 650 was rolled out and here we have some great news for all the Ninja fans across the world. Ninja 250R is certainly a bike that comes to everybody's mind when one speaks of 250cc bikes. Ninja 250 fans across the world have a reason to celebrate as the 2012 Special Edition of the bike with varied color schemes has been spotted in Thailand from where the bike is sent across the world. Apart from introducing new color schemes the company hasn't made any significant changes to bodywork, engine, underpinnings or the mechanicals of the bike. Not only this, even the instrument cluster remains unchanged but the new color schemes are quiet good enough to calm the Ninja fans for now. There is still a doubt whether these awesome color combos will be served to Indian consumers.  Lack of color options is probably one that hurts Indian consumers and so bringing in some new colors will only enhance the company's brand. However there isn't any update available that can assure that these colors are for India, we will have to wait and see if these color options are introduced in India or not but for now nothing can be assured. The new color schemes are awesome as they add a sporty look to the bike. Also there is no denying the fact that introducing the color alternatives will attract more customers and enhances the bike's creditability. The new Special Edition sports improved graphics and good sticker work that adds to the looks of the bike in more than one ways.  All in all, one can say that the company has tried to give this bike a new dimension by trying to add new colors and graphics. We will have to wait and see if the Special Edition succeeds or not when it is introduced. Share on Facebook Related posts: Royal Enfield Announces Classic Chrome 500 for India India waits for Kawasaki Bajaj Ninja 250R Kawasaki Ninja 250R – The Countdown Begins Karizma 2011 Edition Spied Ninja 650R – Bookings Closed till Diwali

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