Yamaha line-up is a visual delight

Picked this picture up from the Yamaha website. The website remains as hopeless but these bikes look ravishing standing in one line. Starting from left, the bikes are Gladiator Type SS (Stylish & Sporty), YZF-R15 and FZ15. While the first is an improvement of the current Gladiator, the other two are 150cc bikes modelled on two of the best (also big) global bikes of Yamaha, R1 and FZ1. Late, really late but eye-pleasing nonetheless.

From what I've read in Bike and on 2wheelsindia.com, the R15 is expected to redefine what we call performance bikes. Here's a picture from one of the posts on Payeng's blog.

Payeng is 5'5". Comparing the bike's build with Payeng's, the two seem to be a good match :). So, is it a small bike for the average Indian male? Some comments on Payeng's blog suggest that readers do think it's a smallish bike considering what all it promises in terms of performance.

I have some thoughts. If we look at Yamaha RD350 and Yamaha RX100, the two performance bikes of yesteryears, both had a rather naked look. RD350 had twin cylinders, packed 32bhp power and yet wasn't really as big. RX100, the same. The tyres weren't really fat. Reason, the broader the tyres, the more it takes to propel the bike and therefore loss in pickup and loss in fuel-efficiency. The narrower the tyres, the better the concentration of power to propel the bike (Forgive me for not using the technical jargon. This is the best I can explain. Hope you are getting it). Of course, the tyres can't be cycle-like! :)

So, why does one need broad tyres for YZF-R15? Are we gonna take really close-to-the-ground turns on racetracks at 100mph or what?

There have been comments on the size of the bike too. It is said that the wheelbase is lesser than the likes of Pulsar, Karizma, etc. Does the length of the bike matter so much? Perhaps not. In fact, it's the sitting height which matters more. If it's too high it can affect handling since your feet might not touch the ground comfortably; if it's too low it might feel more like a cruise-bike instead of a sports-bike.

So guys, just chill. I would rather reserve my judgments until the time I take a ride on R15. As far as the specs and the styling are concerned, I think the bike excites. Let it come out on the roads. Then we'll discuss the rest too :). What say?

Thanks Payeng for getting the bike closer to us through your blog.

Helmetless on Sunday - an aesthetic issue

I've been wearing helmet ever since I started riding a two-wheeler (first was Kinetic Honda, followed by Splendor, Yamaha RXG135, Bajaj Wind, Bullet Machismo and finally Avenger 200).

Every time I open Bike, I see some pictures of helmetless riders being chastised for ignoring their safety. Valid. Quite some time back, when I used to own a Yamaha RXG135, I met with an accident and I can vouch that had I not worn my helmet, my skull would've cracked. Even with the helmet on, I suffered a rather dangerous cut on my eye-lid and I bled profusely - to the extent that my friend's mother refused to recognize me when I reached his house close by, right after the mishap. Even my parents didn't recognize me what with my head and one eye bandaged in full white (a la Anil Kapoor in Meri Jung :D). I was saved nonetheless.

Having said that, times have changed for me. Then I was in Ahmedabad, now am in Mumbai. Commute 45kms every day to office and back. And every day cover my face and head with bandanas beneath the helmet to save me from dust and pollution. Helmet's necessary to say the least.

Yesterday, I rode my Avenger without a helmet. Of course, the distance was short and I was in no rush. Also I didn't have to fear any traffic policemen in our area. Wind blew ever so gently in my face and for once I - used to all sorts of covering every day for about 3 hours of riding - felt exhilarating. Hair got disheveled and I loved it. Safety didn't matter; of course, purists would say, you never know when someone can knock you down no matter how careful you are. I did it deliberately, out of convenience, out of a little desire for change. Spare me.

Riding slowly on a sunny morning on an open road is an aesthetic issue. So if you are a 'safety-first' person and never forget to helmetize your head, just do this once - go helmetless. You'll love it. And you'll love the purists frown :).

Bike swap

There's a site called swaptree.com. It facilitates swaping one product for another among its members. Quite cool, isn't it? But it caters only to the western audience.

How about a swapping site for India too? I am not aware if there's anything in that space here. I can understand the apprehensions especially when it concerns the honesty of people who would like to involve themselves in such kind of barters. However, in the category of bikes it can work well. What say?

Anyway, whether there's a site or not, I am ready to swap my Bullet Machismo 350 for, let's say, an Avenger. Anybody game. No, my bike has no problems. Just that I am bored.

Blue Collar Sunday

To tell you the truth, I decided a couple of months back that I would sell my Bullet Machismo 350. Prospects, all of them, thought I was charging a little higher for this two and a half year cub. Nonetheless, I didn't budge; it's in superb condition, apart from a little rusting.

Before Diwali, I almost sold it to a prospect for the desired price. But novice as he was, he wanted to buy a Bullet without any bike-riding experience. Now that was audacious to say the least. Well, I said 'almost'. But that guy changed his mind and that set me free.

When I went to Ahmedabad for Diwali, I got a saddle-seat made and today, I opened the tool-kit, undid the earlier seat and fixed this one up. A little task but what a pleasure! Mechanical as this bike is, using my hands to actually undo the bolts and nuts and fix them again was quite a different experience.

Now, this is how the bike Bullet looks. Beautiful and mighty! Not selling it any more. Here's one more snap.

Smooth & Refined - Hero Honda Hunk

Am in Ahmedabad for Diwali celebration (let me coin a new word 'chillaxation'). Bad isn't it? :)

Nonetheless, was out on the streets yesterday with my friend on a Thunderbird. As we neared Nehru Bridge going towards Ashram Road, I happened to see a guy riding a red Hero Honda Hunk. Whoever has seen the pictures of this bike online or in any magazine knows that it's terrific looking bike notwithstanding the dislike for the name. However, I saw it from a distance and wasn't satiated with just a glimpse. As is my habit to test-ride any new performance bike, we starightaway headed to the city's biggest Hero Honda showroom.

Hunk is a stunner. It's styling is brilliant. Matches international standards and Honda's offerings in the international markets. Beats other 150s on that front definitely (taking nothing away from the Pulsars, I think it's just a case of preferring something fresh and new to something that's been around for many years). The tank is huge. The meaty looking fairing nicely hugs the tank even as it fans out to grab the rider's and others' attention.

Instantly, I looked at my friend and said, "This frame can definitely hide a much bigger engine". We decided to explore further. We asked for a test-ride. But the sales exec said that he didn't have any bike at that moment. What a turn-off! We walked out; he came running behind and said he had a test-bike. Litesh rode it first. When done, he said he had a couple of observations.

As soon as I took the bike in my hand, I noticed it felt lighter (though it's a good 145kgs and I ride a Machismo which is 175kgs). The gear-shift is typical 1-down, 4-up. And it's only a toe-shift, which is very typical of sports bikes. The stance is forward-inclining making you balance your weight on the handle. The pick-up's fantastic and the engine is super-refined. Butter-like.

Having driven Machismo day in and day out, it was a very different and exhilarating experience. The effects were more pronounced than otherwise they would be on a person who's already been riding these 150cc bikes for some time.

So if you are thinking of going for a good mid-level sports bike, you must check the Hunk out (forget Achiever, CBZ and the likes). And I like the name too; I am not a gay :). Don't mind saying, "I ride a Hunk." I can sell my Machismo for that kind of performance. Any takers?

Avenger 200 test-ride

Yes, in one of my previous posts I speculated that Avenger might come with a bigger engine since the launch got delayed by a couple of months. Well I am sure much much more time is required to build bigger engines. Nonetheless, couple of days back, took an Avenger 200 for a test ride.

Nothing has changed as far as styling is concerned. Being a Bullet rider I was a little skeptical about its handling and feel. But I was pleasantly surprised. It does feel lighter and shorter than Bullet but it rides great. It's sturdy (it's heavier than the Pulsars though the engines are almost the same). The exhaust makes a bolder beat than Avenger 180. It's oil-cooled and has got a nice little fuel-meter on the tank, just where it should be. And I am sure, being a new-age product with good cutting edge technology it would be free from many many maintenance hassles.

Bajaj Avenger is a nice little city cruiser. Of course, highway rides would be more pleasurable. But it serves for kinds of environment. Low seating is good for Indians in general and definitely adds to comfort in handling in city conditions. While it's sturdiness and relaxed posture would make it worthwhile on highways too.

If you want to cruise, go for it.

TVS Flame provokes

Aren't we glad? I, for once, am surely. Many reasons:

1. This stunner comes from a company which has been known to launch relatively conservatively and shabbily designed bikes; of course Apache broke trend.

2. It induces Bajaj to file a court case for IPR infringement against TVS. Bajaj claims that the latter has used its patented DTSi technology. I am not happy that the launch of the bike has resulted in legal fights. What thrills me is the fact that these are two totally indigenous companies battling on technological issue while biggies of the world like Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki watch this from the sidelines. To me, it marks the coming of age of Indian auto companies. Certainly, we are in for some thrilling competition to capture the roads, to capture the pulse of biking.

3. TVS doesn't launch just this. It launches 7 products in one go. Certainly there would be many flames, not just among aficianados but also in the boardrooms of many a company in the industry. Bajaj was digging it in, TVS has started drilling in the earnest.

4. TVS surprised not just with the quality of designing but also with its muted pre-launch behaviour. The project, to me, seems more like a stealth project, though of course TVS had announced long time back - at the beginning of this year - that it's gonna launch a slew of products. It's quite unlike some other companies like Yamaha/Suzuki who've announced quite a bit but fall very very short of satisfying the excited Indian biker.

Flame comes fitted with a 125cc CC-VTI engine (well, you can read more on the site) . Generates 10.5bhp at 8250rpm. Don't want to comment about performance unless I ride it for a while. Looking at Apache RTR as a precedent, definitely this one's gonna be neat. Enjoy!