Bajaj Avenger 200cc Ownership Review by Siran : BikeAdvice

Bajaj Avenger 200cc Ownership Review by Siran
Hero Honda Karizma ZMR – 28,500 KMs Ownership Review by Sachin
Bajaj Auto to Adopt Fast Track Strategy

Bajaj Avenger 200cc Ownership Review by Siran

Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:54 AM PDT

Original Source: Bajaj Avenger 200cc Ownership Review by Siran from BikeAdvice.in

I am so glad to publish my first write-up in BikeAdvice.in. Pardon me about the wrong technical detail you come across, if any.

So here we are, I'm tagging the Avenger as "Budget-Cruiser". To start-off with, 'm briefing the cons,

Really poor build quality. I mean both the metallic & non-metallic parts. You cannot find a single perfect weld bead. Right after a week of purchase, I noticed rusting of fasteners.
Metallic parts get corrode easily if ride over a drizzle. Profuse spraying of anti-corrosive spray is required (Myself got an imported heavy duty spray which is used for earth movers).
Though this ain't matters much, just wanna make awareness. The engine noise neither sound like cruiser and nor like normal commuter too. It's not feeble like Hero Honda Hunk and at the same time it ain't thunders like RE. A little less sharp than Yamaha FZ.

Bajaj Avenger 200 Review by Siran BikeAdvice (9)

Then comes the spare availability. I bought the thing in EMI. Know what, I couldn't find spares before my EMI expire. I kept mailing Bajaj for a simple chain sprocket. And the people in the service station are unaware about the tech-spec. They suggest me a tyre pressure which is actually twice as the recommended pressure printed in the catalogue. This incident resulted in different landing. The service people started pointing me like "He is the guy who complaints us via mail". Somehow I tackled it and stopped visiting them. Instead I found "Bike Point" which does a clean job. They reveal, explain us the things they done in our machine and handover the old parts of replaced ones. Quite interesting about them.
"Budget-Cruiser" definitely lacks in braking stability. The disk provided in the front wheel seems to be a sales strategy booster. Halting the vehicle in hasty situation requires a lot & lot of expertise. Drum in the back tyre desperately needs a retrofit. Once you adjust it for solo ride and satisfied, an unexpected pillion mate would lead to brake clings automatically on the ride.
Trickiest part about "Budget-Cruiser" is riding them on wet/muddy roads. In spite of its lower centre of gravity, it trembles. I crashed my vehicle once on 40kmph swing.
Pillion seat is too narrow which makes the ride awkward for a fat person. Sometimes its worst for even the thin guys on the long run.
Lack of kicker. In fact, kick starting gives a macho look.
Last but not least, the fake neutral issue. Eventually it helped me to get expertise in 1 down-4 up shifting irrespective of the manufacturer.

Previously I had my brother's Yamaha RX100,

The first bike which taught me the road. Initial pick-up is mind-blowing. No one can accompany you once you are 2meters away from traffic signals. It's totally an elegant piece of Yamaha which clings to the biker. I happened to smash RX100 to an Apache while a jay walker jumped in to the road from nowhere. I got tensed because I was in rushing to work. Then I checked the apache ride since it was a school kid. Small cracks on RX100's front mud-flap with misalignment in handle bar were found. But for the Apache, the pillion foot rest (i.e. the entire casting component) was broken. Followed by a dent in gas tank. I was like "What on Earth has happened?".

I felt guilty and contributed a reasonable sum to the kid. I drove RX100 for a couple of month, so I took back my eye from Activa. Finally I shortlisted Unicorn, ZMR, Thunderbird as my choices. Unicorn's waiting period was a headache. ZMR doesn't suit my height. Thunderbird too ruled out because of the price tag and 8 month waiting period. Obviously I dropped the new bike idea. Back to square one, started searching of second hand Activa. Whilst searching I rode an Enticer which lubricated my cruiser hunt. I googled about Aquila, Hyosung Availability in tamilnadu and found a used Aquila tagged 95k. I ended up in Avenger.

Coming back to "Budget-Cruiser",

Note: - Above snap reveals a 2 year old machine
It doesn't roar like RX100, but it still got a pretty decent configuration.
Power: - 17.56bhp @ 7000rpm, Torque: – 16.78Nm @ 6000rpm.

Let's look at the Pros

Riding Posture – cannot be expressed in words (among Indian counterparts). Well curved seat and raised leg posture will definitely give a couch kinda pleasure.
Alluring head-turner/eye-catcher. My 2 year old "Budget-Cruiser" still allures people. Believe me I hear "wow" at least twice in a week. The reason may be my caring. I don't leave it in drizzle neither on sun. I used to run for shadow to park. Moreover, I always avoid shortcuts on my ride though it saves some gas.

Amazing 0 to 60 in just 6 seconds, that too in a cruiser. The vehicle goes flawless at 80kmph with company behind and 100kmph on solo. About the top speed, I thought of reaching 160kmph by watch YouTube videos. But then, I got satisfied with 140kmph pretty better than 110kmph printed in manual.

Low centre of gravity – Every biker gotta experience at least once over this. I felt the miracle on my ride to Kolli hills. It has 72 hair pin bends which I drove in single stretch. For the bikers in South, hit the Kolli hill to check how cruel a 72 hairpin bends would look like?

Next comes the price tag. As I named it "Budget-Cruiser", it costed me 76k. I suppose that ain't hefty when compared to HMSI 125cc commuter which costs 63k. Last week I bought an Active which finally costed me 58k with accessories. I got consoled of selecting Avenger after getting Active. Of course Activa is of irrelevant category, all I mean is product configuration for the money.
Hydraulic rear suspension does a tremendous job.
Mileage – I was amused when it delivered 39kmpl in highways and 35kmpl in city.
Analogue speedometer with backlight gives a classic look. Fuel gauge over the gas tank adds glossy to the vehicle.

Cruiser – This thing can literally be called as cruiser because it'll never make you tiresome even after long runs (with perfect riding gears). I peeped a maximum of 871kms in 4 days.

My Trips in "Budget-Cruiser",

Trichy to Madurai – to & fro 262kms (Been there several times. My very first trip was a quick trip ever. Started at 6.10a.m, stopped 20mins in Madurai for breakfast and reached home back at 9.20a.m.)
Trichy to Pondicherry – to & fro 412kms
Trichy to Chennai – to & fro 700kms
Trichy to kolli hills – to & fro 278kms
Pondicherry to Gingee – to & fro 138.6kms
Pondicherry to Cheyyar – to & fro 200kms
Trichy to Salem – to & fro 284kms

I'm winding up with couple lines about people behind the screen. I express my gratitude to my brother Naveen, the one who factually sparked the biker in me by affording his RX100. A heart full of thanks to Ezhilmaran & Babu Gandhi, who inspired me in this regard and offering perfect gears like glove etc.

Santhosh Velmurugan, I just want to say thanks for helping out with photography. The only problem is that you did such a great job, I'll probably end up in asking you to help again. These people did so much for nothing. Thanks a Zillion!

Regards,
Siran

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Hero Honda Karizma ZMR – 28,500 KMs Ownership Review by Sachin

Posted: 12 Oct 2011 12:08 AM PDT

Original Source: Hero Honda Karizma ZMR – 28,500 KMs Ownership Review by Sachin from BikeAdvice.in

It’s been a long time since I bought ZMR and the love for this bike is just increasing everyday. Today after completing 28,500+ kms in about 18 months it’s time for me to pen down how my experience has been on riding my Karizma ZMR. After munching miles after miles on my ZMR I can proudly say that this bike has been an excellent companion for me where ever I travelled so far.

Be it riding in off roading high altitude conditions in Ladakh or be it riding in twisted single lane roads from Mumbai to Goa or butter smooth straight highways from Mumbai to Rajasthan, I have taken this bike through everything and it does not dissappoint.

It’s sheer presence, huge size, superb metallic paint job, FI engine, higher displacement were the key facotrs which made me pursue this ‘Grand tourer’ if I may call it. I had options like R15 & P220 but since I m 6 feet tall, I was uncomfortable riding R15 and felt it will become difficult for long distant travelling on R15 as I needed more relaxed position bike. P220 was also looking as a good option but not reliable enough in my eyes hence, I decided to go for ZMR.

Flaws

With over 18 months of riding on this bike, with all the good things that comes in this bike there are a few issues which I have faced. After all you can’t expect any bike to run year after year without any issues Can you?

Battery Issue: This was more specific only to my bike as I could not start the bike without pushing it. It looked so odd and embarassing having to push your bike to make it start. Nevertheless, this temporary problem got resolved as HH provided me a new battery and starter issues were resolved.

Headlight Issue: For someone like me who does a lot of rides on bike I always felt the need of switching over to HID which will give me better vision at night. With the stock bulb your visibility in dark is very low.

Vibrations: There are a lot of vibrations that you can feel at lower revs while riding due to the bulky fairing attached to the bike. It is a big set back for many who would like to buy this bike as there are just too much vibrations coming from the bike. You can feel the vibrations in your feet, hands which will make you uncomfortable.

Even with these few hiccups I’m still enjoying this ride and this bike has never dissappointed me no matter what the circumstances were.

Features

Mileage: At a cost of over 1 Lakh rupees, ZMR is slightly overpriced if you compare it with other bikes in this segment. However if you plan to use the bike for a long time then this price will be justified because of the wonderful mileage this bike returns. I have always managed to get an efficiency of 45+ at highway and 40+ in city which makes it the most fuel efficient premium Indian motorcycle mainly because of the PGM-FI set up.

It is definitely above all in terms of mileage and the RTMI [Real Time Mileage Indicator] another feature in the bike is very useful if you want to keep a check on how you are faring on the mileage at your current speed. Though this feature is more helpful if you are riding at a constant speed. Talking about features, one of features is the digital intrument cluster which has all the information you need starting with welcome message where you can add your name. Nice touch I would say.

Suspension: ZMR’s suspension is wonderful and this bike can be taken anywhere because of the telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers in front and GRS [Gas Reservior] at the rear which provides great comfort to rider and pillion.

Ergonomics: After years of riding on this machine, I can say that it is very easy and comfortable to ride this bike because of its seating arrangement. The up right position is a boon for riders who are into long distance touring. If you are planning to ride to Leh, the ZMR should be the best choice because of its comfortably reachable handlebars for an effortless and pleasurable ride.

Crash Experience: Many of us including me would always be wondering how would a full faired bike like ZMR manage if you were to have a fall. Well, I have had 1 fall from this bike which was my first in 8 years. I had a fall in Delhi after competing my Ladakh trip in the final few kms before reaching Delhi Railway Station.

After 21 hours of continuos riding from Nako, Himachal Pradesh to Delhi due to lack of sleep unfortunately I hit a big stone in middle of a four lane highway! What followed next was a series of events like both my rims got bend at speed of 100kmph and then with all my effort still trying to control the bike and avoiding the fall I still could not control and had a fall.

Alas, due to a full face helmet and riding gears I got saved and yes, ZMR to me and friends surprise only beared a few scratches without any damages to the fairing. Unfortunately due to the miserably bend rims the bike had to be towed. The big body cowl is good and because of the handlebars and sari guard the fairing manages to escape with less damage.

Someting Unique: Well, I’m not a big fan of customising bike as I love the ZMR the way it is. However I did few minor changes in the bike which I considered where required in the bike. As mentioned earlier, ZMR’s multireflector headlamps wasn’t adequate for me at least so I replaced those with Bi-Xenon H4 4300K HID.

Adding a better bright headlamps makes a world of a difference to your riding experience especially if you have ZMR. You feel more comfortable at higher speeds and confident while riding in dark. Another important change which I made to the bike is replacing the stock tyres.

Stock tyres are too thin for the complete look of the bike and HH could have given this huge bike at least a little wider tyre. Nevertheless, I used Michelin’s M45 tyres which provided excellent on road and off road grip. Currently I’m riding on Pirelli Sports Demon 110×90 18″ which offers the best grip and enhances the rear look of the bike. Other additions covers addition of Motographix tank pad, Red wheel rim tapes and LED pilot lamps.

Been there, Done that: There are many short and long rides which I done on my ZMR however a few memorable ones are listed below.

Ladakh & Lahaul Valley: There is a sense of proud feeling when I write these lines. ZMR being an FI bike, I consider the best bike to be taken to Leh-Ladakh as it is too good there. When other carb bikes feel power loss, start up problems & problems climbing high mountain passes, ZMR surpasses all these issues.

Ladakh has always been considered as biker’s pilgrimage and it was a great experience riding ZMR in almost as many as 10 high mountain passes. During this ride there were many challenges like riding in slush and mud in Rohtang pass, countless really difficult water crossings, starting the bike at almost -5 degree celsius, Riding in zero visibility in snow at Nakee La pass, riding with a pillion and successfully reaching Chang La pass (second highest pass in the world) & the feat of riding at the highest motorable road without any issues.

Mt.Abu, Rajasthan: Yet another memorable ride, even after ripping the bike continuously at over 120+ kmph for hours the bike never dissappoints. I along with 2 other riders managed to come back home (Mumbai) from Mt.Abu around 750 kms in 14 hours. That says a lot of about the bike which can take high speeds for a long time and does not complaint.

Goa Ride: New year and Goa are perfect combination and when this plan is combined with great friends and a grand tourer like ZMR you are in for some serious fun. I have never had so much fun on ZMR until I took it to Goa. In the return journey via NH17 which is a single lane road on beautiful hair pins ZMR twisted and turned without any issues.Cornering on this bike was not a problem though you might not have the precision as what R15 has at corners.

All in all this is a wonderful bike and hopefully HH now Hero Moto will bring in the higher capacity flagship Karizma with more power and better quality plastic to continue its legacy.

Hope you liked my review and especially my photos. Please leave your comments. Will be looking forward to it.

Regards,
Sachin Nair

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Bajaj Auto to Adopt Fast Track Strategy

Posted: 11 Oct 2011 11:23 PM PDT

Original Source: Bajaj Auto to Adopt Fast Track Strategy from BikeAdvice.in

Bajaj Auto has made a great business this fiscal in terms of sales and revenues. "We have strong brands in our portfolio and are reasonably confident that the next three years will see our annual numbers touch 10 million units," Mr Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, told Business Line in an interview.

The country's second largest producer of two wheelers plans to wrap up this current fiscal with 4.5 Mn units (But this figure also includes 3 wheelers).

In order to achieve this, the company is working on a fast track action mode with giving due importance to two of its flagship brands – Pulsar and the Discover. These were the brands which has been churning great business for the company over a few years. Among these two, Pulsar is the brand that the company always relies on. It is also to be mentioned that these two brands has considerably aided the company to triple its sales over the past three years.

Bajaj wrapped up 2008 – 09 at 2.2 Mn units, going up to 2.8 million in FY ’10 and over 3.8 million units in the Financial Year ’11. "Our starting point today is a lot stronger and more potent than what it was three years ago when we were still finding our way around," said Mr Bajaj.

The company had produced 2.25 Mn units during the first half of this year and with the same momentum in pace, the company is planning to sell 4.5 Mn units. The company will see a lot of new launches in the following fiscal year. As we all know, Bajaj will be launching the much awaited KTM Duke 200 in India. Just to remind you, Bajaj holds around 40 per cent stake in KTM, which is an Austrian based company. Apart from the KTM Duke 200, there are also chances that Bajaj Auto will launch a refreshed Pulsar, though we are not very sure of. A new Discover might also be launched.

Apart from working merely on sales figures, Bajaj Auto is also focussing on profits, which is the main reason to run a business. It is also working to maintain the EBITDA consistently which is clocking 20 per cent for sometime now.

Mr. Bajaj also said, "We have worked very hard on our cost structure over the last two decades and even when (sales) numbers were low, the back-end was pretty much in place." 'Of the 1.4 lakh plus units sold every month, the combined numbers of the more contemporary Discover 125 and 150 are more than the 100cc' states Business Line in a report.

"If at least 51 per cent of these customers are already part of the bigger Discover kitty, the shift will only increase in the coming months. This is precisely in line with our intention of growing our presence in the 125cc commuter space," Mr Bajaj said.

Regards,
M.Naren.
Author – BikeAdvice.in

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Autosol

Wednesday, October 12, 2011