The Triumph Bonneville Review by xBhp; with price, specifications and much more.

Mixing the soulful charm of a classic with the functionality of a modern machine is not an easy task, at least not as apparently simple as it appears with the Bonneville. Visually it is a peace offering – evoking warmth inside akin to that inside glow on meeting an old loved friend. It is so ‘motorcycle-like’ in elements, proportions, appeal and as a whole. You want to ride it but without rushing into it. Quite unintentionally, you slow down as you walk towards it, go around it with a light hand brushing all over and then take a short step back before finally swinging a leg over that saddle. Those proportions don’t hide the low height courtesy those 17 inch die-cast wheels. So the saddle height (740 mm or 29 inches) is accommodative for anyone standing north of 5 ft. vertical. And yet for my ‘well-fed’ 5’11” frame, the feeling of being at home on the rider’s seat was apparent. Conclusion: good static ergonomics huh!

Okay, let’s be systematic in knowing the steed first before jumping on to the nitty-gritty. The Bonnie’s design harks back to some 5 decades in the past when it was the iconic symbol of independence riding astride rebellion. It was the ride of the era and the dream of every youngster, middler and oldie in love with two wheels alike. And it comes alive again on our shores. Powered by that 865cc air-cooled (with an oil-cooler though) DOHC (double over-head cam) parallel twin with the famed 360o firing interval, this is motorcycling at the simplest and yet phenomenally effective. 68 PS at 7500 rpm and 68 NM torque at a low 5800 rpm means you have the best of both worlds wrapped and rolling under that right palm. Pull through the gears for a quick getaway or laze around town in 4th just needing a slight twist of the throttle to get past the slow-hogs. Easy riding which allows you to sit up. The engine is silky smooth and there was no hint of any fuelling glitch except just off-throttle from idle – a slight hesitation there but that could have been the dubious Gurgaon fuel quality at work. The fuel injection is well worked through – yes – those fake carburettors are fakes as carbs, but real at the throttle bodies. The rpm’s build up briskly though the engine doesn’t make much noise. That plain-Jane aural signature could be a disappointment to some, but for the likes of yours truly who staunchly believes in Theodore Roosevelt’s famous advice on speaking softly and carrying a big stick, the sound is just right!

Switch on the ignition – that is if you can find the ignition key slot on the left side headlamp bracket! Truly unique for any motorcycle I have ever ridden. Thumb the starter and the softly tuned thoroughly unstressed engine comes to life and quickly settles to a steady idle even on a chilly morning. It’s a British bike after all and so the cold is never an issue! Blip the throttle and the engine responds with alacrity. Pull in the surprisingly light clutch, shift to first and get underway. Oh! Was riding an 800+ cc bike ever so simple. Work through the gears and as long as you’re retro on the throttle, the Bonnie gives no hint of a relatively large powerplant. The traditionally shaped tank nestles between the knees, the bars provide the right leverage and yet the sheer light-footedness of the bike takes you by surprise. The staid geometry (4.5 inches of trail and 27o rake) coupled with 17 inch wheels and narrow section tyres (110 up front and a 130 at the rear) makes this bike handle like a motorcycle a third its weight and engine capacity. Flickability is crisp without an iota of loss in straight-line stability, thanks to that longish 1490 mm wheelbase coupled with a rigid frame and swing-arm. The suspension is simple, telescopic forks up front and twin shock-absorbers at the rear. The simplicity, though evocative and passably effective, is probably the only weakness in the Bonnie if you feel like exploiting that sweet engine and spot on geometry. The rear gets sprightly and the front flighty on anything but smooth tarmac while cranked over at speed. But go easy as the character of the bike demands and all is perfect.

The brakes are great. Feedback was superb and grip was amazing. You could grade the braking, especially up front, to the tiniest degree. In all probability the superb Metzelers the bike comes shod with have a substantial role to play in this as in the handling. The Bonnie is not light, tipping the scales at 225 kilos wet but on the move, all that weight does the vanishing trick pronto! The almost 2.5 ft. wide handlebars provide enough leverage to lift half a ton given the right fulcrum and so make handling the bike a breeze even while rolling it around the garage. The bars though feel a trifle close to the body and could have been less pulled back. The instrumentation is bare basic and could have been made more attractive and comprehensive but then the blending of the classic and modernity imposes its own rules on the design. The tell-tale lights for high beam, neutral, trafficators etc. are bright enough while the analogue-digital combo display (the analogue speedo is graduated in both kmph and mph) tells the usual tales about fuel level, odo readings, trip reads and rpm.

The one issue on the bike is the absolute absence of wind protection. There’s nowhere to hide and when the pace is upped to triple digits (in kmph usually), the wind blast is not just tiring but can also be destabilizing. Of course with the bike having been around so long and also so very popular, there are loads of aftermarket screens available and waiting for the buyer. Same with the fuel tank filler cap that’s devoid of a lock, a must in a country like ours not just to save the fuel from being pilfered but also the cap itself from being stolen! Speaking of fuel, the consumption is claimed at anywhere between 50-68 miles per gallon which works out to between 18-24 kmpl – not bad at all for an 865cc bike. The smallish 16 litre tank can at best take you a little north of 250 odd km before you start looking for a refill. Not bad but not very nice either for a bike that can be used for a fair bit of touring. Speaking of touring, the stock seat is comfy enough for a couple of hours or more but would leave you butt sore at the end of a long day. On the other hand, we the people of India are used to a series of long days even on the torture rack of the Duke 200 (yours truly included) and have walked away after repeated forays, without carrying away chronic piles!

The Bonnie, on the whole, is a bike you cannot dislike even though you might not outright love it or get excited about. I am though of that ‘in love with it’ category and like the bike not just for its sheer unpretentiousness but also for its true-to-form functionality. I want my rides to do what I ask than to do, respond measure for measure to my inputs and the Bonnie does that. She handles nimble but sure, runs like a Gazelle (standstill to a 100 kmph in less than 6 seconds) or hums like a bee. She feels solidly put together and purports more to being a companion than a servant. You’ll love the retro styling and the modern everything else. You might not like the mirrors, the number plate placement or the visible cables, but these are mere tiny blips on the radar of motorcycling that in general is glowing with fun. And topping it all, at a little above 6 lac INR, the Triumph Bonneville packs more bang for every buck that any other around. Let’s go get it.

Text: Sandeep Goswami (Old Fox)

Photos: Sunil Gupta (sunilg)

More pics Here

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The Benelli TNT 600GT Review and First Impressions by xBhp

If your memory serves you right, you’d remember a mid-size semi-faired bike with a couple of panniers thrown in, sharing the stage with all the other nakeds during the DSK-Benelli joint venture announcement. I saw the same bike at EICMA at the Benelli stall. The bike showcased there was the Benelli TNT 600GT, which is a touring variant of Benelli’s popular TNT 600 naked with a wider seat, semi-fairing, huge tank (27 L), and a dual projector headlamp setup. Powering the Benelli TNT 600GT is the same liquid-cooled, DOHC inline-four machine that is fitted onto its naked sibling, the TNT 600. Available on tap from this engine are 82 horses at 11,000 rpm and around 56 Nm of torque at 8000 rpm. This fuel injected engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox, which transfers the 82 horses to the rear wheel in a rather calm and subdued manner. There is no sudden rush of adrenalin even if you twist the throttle vigorously, but a smooth and seemingly unhurried surge of power. This makes the TNT 600GT a suitable bike for those who are planning to upgrade to a powerful yet unintimidating machine that would take care of their city commutes as well as occasional long hauls to the Himalayas or some other unexplored territory. A change of tyres to something which can handle gravel and off roads would however be prudent.

& it helps in posing

Absorbing the impact from the road is the suspension system consisting of a 50mm USD fork at the front and a single side mounted monoshock at the rear. Braking was well taken care of by two 320 mm twin discs up front and a 260 mm single disc at the rear. This bigger tank and the fairing do make the Benelli TNT 600GT appear huge from some angles; however, once you sit on it that bulkiness seems to disappear completely. From the saddle, the GT looks well balanced. Even riders of short stature would find themselves at ease sitting on it. Despite all its visible bulk, the best thing about the 600GT was the way it handles. Thanks to the sorted chassis and the suspension setup, the bike simply surrenders itself to the rider and does exactly what he wants it to do and goes exactly where he wants it to go, be it in crawling city traffic or high-speed runs on the highway. Ample low end torque let it take the bumper-to-bumper city traffic with utmost ease. Thanks to the ultra-sticky Pirelli rubber, it seemed eager to take on the corners of Lavasa with aplomb and even while riding in the Pune city traffic on a Monday evening for around an hour, the bike showed no signs of overheating and that for me was a wonderful thing. Fit and finish wise as well, the bike didn’t leave us disappointed.

The color options that are going to be available in India for the Benelli TNT 600 GT

TNT 600GT tech specs

TNT 600 GT tech spec comparison

TNT 600GT tech specs

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The Benelli 600i was a sweet surprise. I will start off with a verdict first: This is one of the best 600s I have ever ridden.

The Benelli TNT 600i Review by Sunny

Looks : Edgy and futuristic. Except the front headlight which is pretty ordinary (but by no means bad) compared to the rest of the bike, the whole package is attractive. I rode the red one and it was the red we are used to seeing on Ducatis and Ferraris, in other words – Italian red. Nothing suits better than red on an Italian machine somehow, eh? Well this is another proof.

The frame is comprised of a front steel trestle and rear aluminum. I would have preferred the trestle to be red as well ala the 899, perhaps it would it give the bike a sportier look? (see below)

Benelli TNT 600i has got killer looks, literally!

The instrument cluster is again minimalistic, but by no means ugly. The panels lines are angular and the stickering minimal.

The best part of the bike for me was the rear with its dual edgy and triangular underseat exhausts. It should look better with tail tidy and mini aftermarket indicators. I find no reason (other than perhaps gaining more power) that one should replace the stock exhausts with aftermarket ones. They also look and perfectly match the lines of the bike.

The side scoops give the bike a meaty streetfighter look. I would still prefer a projector lamp up front ala the 600T should Benelli thing of making this bike a perfect looker.

Overall the bike looks very attractive, though not obviously Italian (like the 899). The fit and finish is top notch and you would have to try pretty hard to fight the fact that it is made in China (with all due respect many luxury products and electronics are indeed made in PRC).

Performance and Engine:

^Pirelli Angel GT tyres seemed a little soft but were grippy

There are hardly any 600s in the Indian market today. And I suspect that the BN600i will be amongst the more exciting ones. Once you thumb the starter the bike gives you instant aural pleasure. It is already loud and sweet in it’s stock form. The seating posture is comfortable enough for long rides and it feels torquey right off the mark though the real fun starts at around 4500 rpm. It is an inline four (unlike the 899 which is an inline three) and it revs pretty high for a street naked – 82 Bhp at 11500 rpm and 52Nm at 10500 rpm.
The bike feels pretty light and peppy. Despite being an inline four 600 the initial pull is good enough for slow traffic. Overtaking is also relatively easy with a linear powerband that also makes it suitable for touring. A fly screen and saddlebags should turn it into a good long distance machine. Maybe spacers would help take off more loads from the wrists for that odd Iron Butt ride you may plan.
It will also serve to be a great transitory bike before jumping onto a litre class from a quarter litre. The power is not brutal and the overall nature of the bike is forgiving. In fact I sometimes thought I was a riding a Japanese, yes it was that smooth (despite it being a media test bike).

I was particularly at home in the corners with the bike – light and flickable. Though definitely ABS would make it more newbie friendly, the brakes do a good job.
It has also got the best ground clearance (178.5mm), the best being that of the Hyosung GT650N at 185mm in this CC segment, so you can think of taking it to Ladakh with appropriate tyre, underbelly plate and a handlebar riser mods.

I think this will be one of the hottest selling bikes in India, if they price it right and have the appropriate service backup and spare part inventory.

Benelli TNT 600i instrument panel

Benelli TNT 600i buttons

Benelli TNT 600i technical specifications

Benelli TNT 600i Comparison

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The Benelli TNT 899 Review by Sunny

Legend has it that the first TNT 1130 super naked models were almost untamable, wheelie addicts with a certain raw character that you will rarely find in the super refined engines of today. This was in 2004, when the first naked TNT came out. Things have changed since then. The current TNT 899 Naked which I rode is touted to be much more refined and docile monster (pardon the pun which might refer to a certain model of another Italian marque). The engine of this bike was derived from the original 1130 superbike engine that Benelli had developed.

The 899 used to come in two flavors, the T and the S, the latter being introduced in 2008. The two versions differ in suspension, with the S having a fully adjustable front fork. Now it has been consolidated, but surprisingly leaving the ability to adjust the front fork behind. There is still some confusion as to which models are still available globally, but in all probability it will be only 899 TNT, the T version.

She’s got the Looks

I first sat on a Benelli back in 2007 in Sydney

This was shot by Kulpreet Singh way back in 2007 on The Great Australian Roadtrip (which was done on two Hyosung Gt650Rs, 22000 kms) in Wollongong, Australia near Sydney. I spotted this Benelli and was excited to see the exotic for the first time in my life. I did not know that one day I would be riding it on the Indian roads! This is the 1130 Cafe Racer. I usually never sit and pose on bikes which I do not test ride / own but I made an exception to this one! And what a coincidence – both the brands : Hyosung and Benelli are bought to India by the same company – DSK!

It is touted to be one of the best renditions of the naked motorcycle theme, and I agree. Being an Italian it had to look radical. The first look will leave you intrigued. There is a lot going on to keep your eyes busy. From the unique side mounted radiators to the suave petal discs and the unique front static headlight arrangement that is complemented by the underseat exhaust flanked by interesting two piece taillights and a red swingarm and frame which stands out.

The front 3/4th view looks the best and very meaty for the 899. The most unique visual feature of the 899 has to be the side mounted radiators. But the Benellis have been known to put their radiators in strange places. The Benelli Tornado Tre 1130 had its radiator under the seat (!) and two radiator fans right below the tail, giving it a faux exhaust look which looked really cool!

The instrument console is pretty basic but again functional.

The build quality and workmanship of the 899 (which is made in Italy and not in China) is excellent.
Firing it Up

The 899 is an inline three setup. The sound is literally music to your ears, it is not as refined as an inline four, but it is not as raw as a Vtwin either. It is loud enough to warrant for some sort of modification while being homologated for sale in India. I hope that doesn’t affect too much performance.
And off you go

The bike feels solid once you sit on it. I was a little disconcerted when I realized that the front headlight is static, taking a bit away from the naked theme, but after a while I didn’t really realize it. The gear shifts are precise and the first gives you a reassuring thud. Release the clutch and the 118 Bhp / 88 Nm of torque do their bit to coax you into twisting that throttle until the bike gets into a frenzy, which it does at around 8000 rpm. Soon enough you want to behave like a hooligan on it. The upright stance coupled with a slightly aggressive rearset pegs encourages you to flick the bike in corners like I did en route to Lavasa. In no time I was thrashing it like a superbike, the sound goading me on. The Lavasa surrounds propelled me into day dreaming that I was riding somewhere in Italy, which I have come to love so much in the last few years of riding there.

I took it off road and over potholes too. The suspension, I felt, was a little too hard but then I was riding it on all kinds of road a little too hard.

Make no mistake, even though it is ‘just’ 118 odd bhp, remember its from a 900cc mill and it is Italian. The overall package is very attractive, though I would have loved to have ABS and traction control on it to make it a complete package. What is interesting though is that Kawasaki seems to offer ABS as standard on the Z800 in India. But the 899 is a lot lighter than the Z800 (see compare charts). What is more interesting is the Ducati Streetfighter is the only modern Ducati that doesn’t have ABS! Makes me wonder what might be the reason? However, I am used to riding a Yamaha FZ1000, which is 150 Bhp without these aids, however they do make life easier and safer on the roads. The Brembo brakes however do ensure enough bite via 2 x 320 mm discs up front and one 240 mm disc at the rear.

To sum it up the 899 will be a great option for a mid range power naked. Everything now depends on the pricing, if it is priced around 7.5 ex, it should be a winner!

Make no mistake, even though it is ‘just’ 118 odd bhp, remember its from a 900cc mill and it is Italian. The overall package is very attractive, though I would have loved to have ABS and traction control on it to make it a complete package.

swing arm

Benelli TNT 899 technical specifications

Benelli TNT 899 tech spec comnparison

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The Kawasaki Ninja 250R Review and Ride Report by xBhp.

Text: Sunil Gupta/ Sunilg

Photos: Sunil Gupta/ Sunilg & Sundeep Gajjar/motoGrapher

with Special Thanks to: Castrol Power 1, Kawasaki Philippines, & Motorcycle Magazine Philippines

They say perfection is difficult to improve upon. Difficult, but not impossible! The Kawasaki Ninja 250R was one such perfect (well, almost!) bike that everyone thought was too good to improve. To its owners, it gave everything that they could expect from a quarter-liter machine, sometimes more than their expectations – case in hand, the brakes that are among the best that your money can buy. The Ninja 250R though didn’t stir a storm in the Indian market, thanks to its steep price tag and our price sensitive market, but it did make its mark and the Indian bikers had a real performance bike in a very long time after the legendary RD350.
So when the rumours of a face-lifted baby Ninja started to appear on the worldwide web, it did become the proverbial talk of the town. And with the expectations were already so high, the folks at Kawasaki had little choice but to come out with something that is as groundbreaking as the previous Ninja was.
We at xBhp got our hands on the newest baby Ninja, the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 250R, in Philippines a few days back, thanks to the Motorcycle Magazine and Kawasaki Philippines. And boy, did it leave us speechless or what! Here’s our 2 cents on what we think of this bike.

Looks & Styling: The initial official photos of this green baby that were released in the latter half of 2012 didn’t leave any chance for disappointment. What the Kawasaki designers had pulled out was nothing short of a rabbit out of the hat. The 2013 Ninja 250R looked drop-dead gorgeous in pictures and does so in flesh. It’s got sharper looks like that of a supermodel that puts it in the league of the ZX-10Rs looks wise, and perhaps even better. The tank is even more chiselled, and so is the tail, and together they play a big role in giving the bike a very mean look. The rounded exhaust pipe gives way for an all new angular, powder coated, black exhaust pipe with a chrome heat-shield. The new pipe not only looks good, it also sounds a lot better, particularly once you rev the bike past the 5000 RPM mark. The previous singular-body headlight has been done away with and gives way to the angular twin headlight system that vaguely reminds one of its bigger sibling, the Ninja ZX10R. Then there’s the all new digital + analog console instead of the plain jane fully analog unit on the previous 250R. The new unit has a large analog tachometer, a smaller digital speedometer display that also has 2 tripmeters, an odometer and a digital clock too. The bike comes to life with a cool animation on the digital console as you turn on the key. The backlight color is moonlight white. The numbers on the digital unit were clearly visible while riding even during bright daylight. And finally, the baby Ninja also gets the much awaited ‘pass’ light switch that was missing on the older models.

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xBhp’s Kawasaki Ninja H2 Review and First Impression

What do you exactly do when someone offers you to ride one of the most breathtaking motorcycles on the planet? It depends on what kind of person you are! This well could be taken as the new personality type test, especially for the petrol heads, and finally Dr. Freud could be given a backseat! I’ll tell you what I did – just managed to stop myself from acting like a neurotic and snatching the key from the owner and gulped all the saliva that I was drooling and in the most nonchalant way possible swung my leg over the Kawasaki Ninja H2 and thumbed the starter. Revved it a little and heard the supercharger flutter through the sweet inline four sound that we are used to.

This was it. One of the most hyped motorcycles in recent times was now under me, right here in Delhi! The marketing, drama and buzz that was created around the launch of this bike, banked primarily on the social media and seeding videos, sound of the bike and image teasers. I tell you – it was worth it!

I first saw its demonic version, the H2R at INTERMOT 2014, and then finally the road legal angelic H2 at the EICMA later in 2014. The strange logo on the front intrigued the whole world, but now of course we know it to be the Kawasaki River Logo, the historic emblem of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries. This means that it’s one of the very rare times other divisions of KHI have any input in one of its smallest divisions – motorcycles.

The year 2015 looks like there is a renewed interest from the JapFours in building something extra ordinary, in this case building something beyond belief, or that’s how Kawasaki puts it. Suddenly the whole spectrum is alive again: the low capacity yet very important 250 CC segment, the middle weight 300-650 CC and the superbikes for the Japanese manufacturers.

Coming back to the main subject at hand, the H2 looks astonishing, and the finish of the bike is beyond anything I have seen – right from the immaculately laser-cut frame tubes in the green trellis frame down to the last nut and bolt. The major contributor to the aura of the bike is the paint job that almost has a mirror finish, thanks to a layer of actual silver(!) over the base black coat. The intense looking headlight assembly also contributes to the overall futuristic and bold styling. It is not a typical Kawasaki design. This might be the only Ninja as well which doesn’t come in the trademark green, and I think even they know it Batman and Darth Vader like black.

The bike itself is not as compact as the modern superbikes that are meant to be track tools, nor is it as big as a supertourer like the Hayabusa or ZX14. It sits somewhere in between and it definitely looks bigger than it is thanks to the generous use of bodywork.

And of course the biggest thing that makes the H2 unique is that there is no other supercharged production bike in the market.

Riding the H2 on Delhi roads is not exactly what you would term as ‘reviewing’ such a motorcycle or even getting the right impression. But let me tell you, we all know it’s bloody fast and it’s got host of technology stuffed into it. It is a landmark motorcycle and no matter what flowery language I put down to say this, this bikes needs no reviews, it needs to be bought (if you have the money) and ridden.

There is a lot of tech inside the bike too, along with the engine which has been developed from ground up to accommodate the supercharger without an intercooler to keep things cool. To achieve this, Kawasaki took help from its aerospace division, much like you probably take help from your colleague to put together that presentation – “Hey, guys, can you leave designing the planes, jets and whatever useless stuff and work on something actually exciting that can be used on planet Earth?” ”Yea, sure” どうも有難う(thanks!).

That was it. This is how big Kawasaki’s prowess is. Motorcycles are but a hobby for them. Delving into how they managed to keep things cool despite adding the supercharger without an intercooler actually makes riding the bike more interesting, especially in a hot country like India. From using a heat dissipating superalloy named Inconel to using 35% more oil (4.9 litres) than standard litre-class bikes to get rid of that heat, it’s an engineering marvel in itself.

I pushed the bike while being a gentleman and remembering not to drop it or let any elephant, cow, dog, man, cycle, plane, tree, etcetera objects which so widely populate the Indian roads crash into it.

Fifty odd kilometres later I came down the bike, carefully swinging my legs over the rear cowl unit as not to scratch it and handed the keys back over to the humble owner. We needed something exciting and affordable like this to stir things up, I am not sure for how long I have to wait for another landmark moment like this, but I hope it’s soon, both for the motorcycling industry and as a motorcyclist.

While the 200 odd horsepower seemed enough for the H2, I cannot even begin to imagine what the H2 R will be like with an additional 125 horse power and 15 odd kgs off it.

Kawasaki Ninja H2 Photo Gallery (Click to see full size image)…

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Mahindra Mojo Review – The Mile Muncher!

Mahindra wants to drum it into your skull that the Mojo is a tourer. While the bike was being showcased to us the evening before the ride, the company boffins were at pains to point this out, so much so that they used the term ‘tourer’ at least 20 times in the 10 minute presentation! But true to its name, the bike does have tons of touring mojo and we came away suitably impressed. Yes, we start with the verdict!

In the 2010 Auto Expo, Mahindra first showcased its oddly styled flagship motorcycle to the public and had to beat a hasty retreat after coming under scathing criticism by the media and fans alike. Thumbs up to the company for persevering and after half a decade have finally brought out a well put together package called the Mahindra Mojo. This is thanks in no small part to P S Ashok, Head of R&D and the man behind the realisation of this machine, since he took over this position in 2012. The Red & White and White & Black colour schemes were also displayed and the bike looks best in red, since it’s similar to what Mahindra Racing used in Moto3.

Cut to the chase, around 30 odd media guys found themselves standing in line waiting to grab the keys to the Mahindra Mojo for a reasonably long ride of 600km from Bangalore to Madikeri and back. Almost everyone was excited to ride the bike, what with the 5 year wait, though I was a bit disappointed that we weren’t getting the red bike. As Henry Ford once famously remarked “You can have any colour as long as it’s black”! At long last, it was time to straddle the bike and thumb the starter.

Only after a madcap dash out of the city to avoid Bangalore’s famous peak hour traffic, did I get a chance to stop the bike and take a proper look at it. And a good hard look is essential, since the majority of us have been led to believe that the bike isn’t good looking, at least that is what websites and forums have harped along from the time it was first showcased. Though the Mojo isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing and will have its fair share of ridiculers, the bike has a robust aura which inspires confidence in the hardcore tourer. From the side profile, the bike reminded me of a small mountain pony, with strong fore limbs and relatively slim hind quarters. Giving it the appearance of a bike ready to climb the harshest terrain under load, but not necessarily the fastest to the top. From the front the bug eyed headlamp takes prominence and on closer inspection you see the LED DRLs, with the entire assembly rather large in comparison to the bike. This does give the bike a bit of a robotic (read transformers!) appearance and you wait in anticipation that it will actually start conversing with you! Move along to the side and you notice the massive front disc, the beefy USD forks with a triple clamp for added rigidity and the radiator shrouds with silver fins, and to add to the bulky look is the chiselled 21 litre fuel tank, spacious rider saddle and twin exhausts. The bike narrows after the waist and the tail is a sleek affair, with the LED tail lamp giving the bike a contemporary appearance. Something that I didn’t like was the forks, chassis and swingarm dipped in gold. A bit loud for my liking. The red colour on the other hand has a black frame which adds to its charm. The paint quality on the motorcycle is great, while the gold on the frame highlights the weld marks. The switchgear is simple and functional, while the entire motorcycle oozes quality with a built to last feel.

The Mojo comes with some nifty specs and safety features which include the Twin Tube HTR Frame, USD Fork with 143.5mm travel, Gas charged mono-shock at the rear, 320mm disc (segment largest), Pirelli tyres, 1-2 dual exhaust, liquid cooling and a torque limiter slipper gear to increase starter gear train life. On the safety side of things you get the Limp Home mode, which restricts the bike to 4k rpm in the event of an engine malfunction and roll over sensor, which shuts off the engine when it senses the motorcycle is leaned at 45 degrees or more and the rear tyre is in the air. On the gimmicky side of the garage you get a top speed recorder and 0-100kmph time recorder. Not features that you would use every day or for some tourers – ‘ever’!

For the ardent motorcycle traveller, bikes don’t prove their worth on paper but on the open highway. And that is where we were most impressed with the Mojo. The bike with a 1465mm wheelbase is rock steady at high speeds on the straights. Though the visor is ineffective and a windscreen is sorely missed as the windblast does tire the rider. The saddle and suspension are plush; keeping the rider happy even on potholed infested roads, the fabric used on the saddle isn’t slippery but does allow the rider to move around when cornering and has sufficient room for moving back and forth to release those aching muscles on long rides. The ergonomics on the motorcycle are as straight up as one can imagine, foot pegs directly below the rider coupled with a raised single piece handlebar takes some time getting used to, but are very comfortable for long distances. Though at 5’11”, I did feel it a tad bit cramped. The bike idles steadily at 1500rpm, with the dual exhausts emitting a lovely bass note. Mahindra did tell us that the dual exhaust aids getting better power and fuel efficiency from the engine along with increasing the aural pleasures, but it does make me wonder about the extra weight that is being lugged around, is the trade-off worth it? For the rider on the go at triple digit speeds the bike sounds like a KTM, but when a bike whizzes past you, it sounds like any ordinary single. To make matters more enjoyable, the Db killers can be removed in the SVC without voiding warranty and that does improve the sound of the motorcycle considerably.

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Vespa has been in the Indian market for quite some time now with their line of scooters and they have had reasonably good sales numbers as well considering their positioning in the premium segment. At a time when there was very little variety in the Indian scooter market, they’ve been a breath of fresh air for those who could afford to spend more. They pushed the envelope once again recently when they launched their range of 150cc scooters – Vespa VXL and SXL, the largest engine capacity scooters in India. A very bold decision we must say considering that no other manufacturer has thought of venturing into the territory of ‘maxi scooters’ in India as yet.

We got to ride the Vespa VXL and SXL recently in Pune and here’s what we think of them. Both these scooters, the VXL & the SXL, are available in the 125 cc variant as well. Visually the only thing that differentiates between a 125 cc and the 150 cc VXL and SXL is the 150 badge on the rear left of the scooter. Everything else just looks the same. But since we’ve already covered the 125 ones, we’ll focus on the bigger Vespas in this article.

The 150 badge is what makes the 150 scooter stand apart from its 125 cc sibling

Styling wise, both the SXL and VXL have been able to maintain classic retro styling that Vespa is known for. They are available in a range of bright attractive colours, including with a matte finish. The paint quality is just top class. There’s just the right amount of chrome thrown in here and there, including around the headlights and fully chrome rear view mirrors. Both these scooters also come fitted with trendy alloy wheels with single sided suspension at the front and rear. Here the SXL gets the blackened alloy instead of the regular ones on the VXL. The handlebar grips are comfortable. The switchgear is borrowed from the earlier Vespas that are available in India and the quality of plastic on them is good. The overall fit and finish of the scooter is typical Vespa like – impeccable. The front of the scooter has been tweaked a bit. There is a new oyster-shaped digital console that has a fuel gauge, trip meter, and a clock to keep a check on time.  The speedometer remains an analogue unit.

There’s ample spacing on both the scooters in the form of underseat storage that is good enough to keep a half face helmet along with other small items. There is storage option provided just below the handlebar as well in the form of 2 small pockets on the SXL, which is just good enough to keep small items like spare keys, etc. The VXL gets a lockable storage space, which is handy if you want to keep your belongings like documents, etc. safe. Other major differences between the SXL and the VXL are the shape of the headlights – The SXL has a rectangular headlight while the VXL gets a rounded one. There is no rear grab rail in the SXL either.

Vespa VXL150

The steel monococque chassis of the new Vespa duo, a standard with all Vespas sold in India, gives them a very solid feel while riding and instils confidence in the rider. The riding stance is pretty upright and the ride doesn’t feel cramped. The hydraulic suspension setup did feel a ‘little’ stiff on the bumpy roads, though it wasn’t really a deal breaker. A telescopic suspension at the front would’ve made things better. The wider Maxxis rubber provided good grip in general, but it didn’t inspire much confidence while riding on wet tarmac. Braking did feel sufficient and progressive with the 200 mm single disc at the front and 140 mm drum at the rear.

Now we come to the most interesting part – the 150 cc single cylinder, air-cooled carburetted engine that has been put in the Vespa VXL and the SXL makes them the most powerful scooters in the country as of date. This engine makes 11.6 PS of power at 7000 RPM and 11.5 Nm of torque at the 5500 RPM mark, which is delivered to the rear wheel via CVT transmission.

The ‘upgrade’ in power figures is readily noticeable as soon as you jump from their smaller capacity siblings onto the bigger Vespa. The engine does have more grunt and is quicker off the mark. It has got a sweet midrange and the power delivery is smooth without any major peaks or troughs, which makes it an ideal machine for commuting in the city and also cruising on the highways while maintaining a decent speed even with a pillion on board. It feels smoother as well across the rev range without any noticeable vibrations.

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The Yamaha YZF R3 Review on the Buddh International Circuit in India!

Reclaim, Redeem & Restore – these 3 words were seemingly the motivating force for folks at Yamaha when they woke up from their slumber and decided to finally bring a motorcycle that they are known to make. The occasion was the launch of the R3 and perhaps by then Indian motorcycle enthusiasts had started to believe that Yamaha India had forgotten to make performance motorcycles or they are so busy chasing numbers in the commuter segment that they conveniently chose to ignore the segment that brought them back from the verge of oblivion in the Indian market. And it was clear from the speeches of senior Yamaha folks at the launch that they were aware of this growing perception. Anyways as always it is better late than never. Those who got to ride the Yamaha YZF R3, including yours truly, seemed to forget the past as soon as they sat on the saddle and thumbed the starter.

Styling wise, the Yamaha R3 carries forward the legacy of the R15 in India with its full fairing, sharp lines, and aggressive twin headlamps. The overall design looks stunning, especially in the blue paint scheme. There’s an immediate unrelenting desire to ride it as soon as you set your eyes on it. The riding posture is balanced – it is not as aggressive as the R15 and not too upright either – but perhaps tilted just a little bit towards comfort mode which makes it suitable for long hauls on the highway without breaking your back, but a potent track tool as well.  There is enough room even for tall riders to sit comfortably without feeling cramped. The seat height of 780 mm is a bonus for not-so-tall riders.  The large analogue + digital instrument cluster is a refreshing yet familiar design that houses an analogue tachometer with a digital screen on the right that displays the  speedometer and fuel gauge along with other things like two trip meters, odometer, etc.

The overall fit and finish is top class and worthy of brand Yamaha. Switchgears’ plastic quality leaves nothing to complain about. The seat feels plush and firm.

Powering the R3 is a 321cc inline twin, 4-valve, DOHC motor that pumps out 42 horses at 10,750 RPM and 29.6 Nm of torque at 9000 RPM. This is transmitted to the rear wheel via a 6-speed gearbox. The engine is fed through a fuel injection system with 32mm throttle bodies.

The engine comes to life with a gentle push and feels refined and rev happy. It feels grunty but is subdued and those who prefer loud pipes may want to go for an aftermarket exhaust. The clutch is super smooth and gear shifts reassuring and positive. Open the throttle and the 42 horses working in unison start pushing the bike forward gently without any jerks whatsoever. There is abundance of torque in the low revs but the meat of it comes in the mid rev range, especially as you move past the 4500 rpm mark. And that is when you fall in love with the R3. Very handy when you are fighting city traffic – can get you through without having to resort to too many gearshifts. Also would have enough juice to overtake trucks and buses on the highway without having to build up too many revs.  The bike feels firmly planted on straight line speed runs. On the back straight of BIC, we could see the speedometer going north of 174 kmph and still had some juice left. It was equally stable while negotiating the corners. The bike feels eager to lean and maintains its composure through the curves, giving your confidence a solid boost. However, the stock MRF Zapper tyres didn’t feel up to the mark when put under pressure and you could feel them losing grip if you were a little adventurous with the throttle coming out of the corners.

The brakes were equally impressive and the bite felt progressive, though again the tyres didn’t help much. Also you are left longing for an ABS set up as an additional safety measure on the R3 and Yamaha should think of fitting it onto the bike whenever they plan to launch an upgrade. ABS is anyways going to be mandatory for Indian bikes pretty soon.

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Harley Davidson, the undisputed leader in the big bikes market in India, recently launched the upgraded versions for 3 of their bikes, including their bestselling models the Iron 883 and the Street 750, which was launched just about a year ago.  The third bike to be upgraded is the Forty-Eight.

The new bikes are launched under what HD calls “Dark Custom” range and are upgraded as per the customer demands and their market survey.

What these bikes have undergone is primarily a facelift surgery with some functional changes here and there.

Let’s talk about the Street 750 first. The Street 750 is definitely one of the most important products in HD India’s portfolio as it was designed specifically for India and other developing countries. The bike has kept the production lines busy ever since it was launched. We had reviewed the Street 750 at the time of its launch and came back pretty impressed with the overall product except for a thing or two.

One of the let down about the Street 750 was its spongy brakes with less than desirable bite. And this has been the biggest upgrade in the Dark Custom Street 750. The Dark Custom Street 750 gets an all new front and rear braking system with bigger rotors. The difference between the braking efficiency is easily noticeable. The brakes require much less effort and don’t feel spongy. The bite is much stronger. Though that brings us once again to the stock MRF Tyres. The Street definitely deserves stickier rubber than the one it currently has and people planning to buy it should go for a tyre upgrade as soon as possible.

front disc rotor

The rear disc rotor

The other noticeable change is the beefier clutch and brake levers that are more comfortable than the earlier ones. Then you have a newly designed, trendier rear brake pedal. Harley Davidson also says that they have rerouted the internal wiring to hide the open wires that were visible earlier and the change is (in!)visible, though if you want to nit-pick you could still find a wire or two that lie open.

the new front brake lever

The Street 750 otherwise remains essentially the same performance wise and style wise. Oh yes, the new Street 750 is also available in a superior blue paint scheme which really looks good on the bike. The price of the new Street 750 is INR 452,000 ex-showroom Delhi.

Read more: Harley Davidson Dark Custom Forty-Eight

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Honda CBR650F Review

Note: This article has four pages. Please navigate using the page links at the end of content on each page.

Let me tell you what I feel about this Honda CBR650F. It is a sporty 650 no doubt. But neither does it demand my pound of flesh in ergonomic comfort to make me a sport-rider nor does it expect me to have feline reflexes to handle its power. The foot pegs are low enough for my knees not to get tucked up like a trussed up chicken’s on the roast. And yes even the heat is not there to roast them anyways. The bars are not that far that I have to grovel and beg space from my ample midriff to reach them or hold my breath in and die blue-faced of asphyxia before I can shift to third. On this one I could take my 7 and something son for a ride and not feel compelled to keep feeling his legs with my hand just to make sure he’s still there behind me. And above all it doesn’t vibrate either me or itself into a frenzy, in the name of character, each time I wind up the right wrist. Short and sweet – I like the Honda CBR650F.

These kind of 650’s are considered ‘entry level’ sports bikes in the mature markets of the West. The Indian market however is not that mature yet, neither financially nor in riding skills. But Honda have made this 650 as user friendly a 600+ cc in-line four with 85 strong horses on the leash as can be possible while keeping it eminently controllable even at 200+ kph. Of course this ‘user friendliness’ is seen as ‘boring’ by the more excitable of the species amongst us two-wheel aficionados. But nevertheless it is a trait that will go a long way in ensuring sales for Honda. Globally Honda apparently wants to plug all holes in its motorcycle line-up and the 650F is probably the last such plug in a lineup that starts with the CBR150R, rides the CBR250R, the 300, the 500 and through to the VFR800 Interceptor. The 650F betrays its strategic placement also as a bridge between the more performance oriented and expensive super-sports 600RR and the Fireblade further up by the visible choice of a sport-bike fairing, the sporty ergonomics and finally the in-line 4 engine choice that wraps it up. India however will consider it a ‘big’ bike in any case and by far going by the ride experience, it is not at all a misfit when being viewed as one.

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As a rule, cruisers are not my thing actually however much my present over-grown anatomy and those numbers we call age might make it seem. I like a riding stance that allows all my four limbs to participate in the ride and not just two. And these ‘easy riders’ dictate that the lower pair of appendages are put away at an extreme angle in front of the rest of the body, more of a factor in the style statement than my own perfectly usable pair of legs while I ride whatever best way I can with them arms and that torso. But even rules have exceptions and I had made two quite some years’ back – the Suzuki Intruder (M1800 of course!) and the Harley V-Rod. A third entry made way to the list a short while back in the guise of the Indian Chief Classic but none came closer to almost prompting me to chuck that rule for good than the Triumph Thunderbird Storm.  This tempest in question is always raging black, with a few lightning flashes of chrome thrown in here and there. It is big enough to fill the horizon when seen from a low angle, does really sound like thunder and can wrist-roll a tornado a minute if desired. Thor would have found it a fitting chariot if he used one though I have no idea of how good it is at cold starting in really freezing conditions of the God’s kingdom.

Triumph had the entire gamut of premium motorcycling worked out between its product spectrum – right from the entry level Bonneville through the Daytona for the track, the Tiger for hard-core touring, the Street Triple for brutal fun and the Rocket III for two-wheeled insanity. Despite this impressive and extensive list, there was a gaping hole in the product line-up quite like the Ozone one above the poles of Mother Earth.  They needed a cruiser that could stand shoulder to shoulder, or preferably taller than the ubiquitous Harleys and the Thunderbird was the answer. Much acclaimed by the Western motorcycling media as the Cruiser of the Year for two years running in its previous avatar, the 2013 onwards model has upped the ante on ‘being the bad-ass’ front. With another 100cc’s added to the 1597cc of its original engine (giving as production version henceforth what was a hot-rod mod done through dealers previously), the newer Thunderbird is quite apt at carrying the Storm moniker on its powerful countenance. The bike looks a strangely oxymoronish (to coin a new term) mix of the compact and the massive. It is big and yet has compact proportions. It feels massive but feels pretty much manageable by an average-sized rider. The substantial tank (22 ltrs) dominates the visual lines viewed from top while the Street Triple ‘bug-eye’ twin-headlamps and the straight bars stare back hard at you face to face. The bike looks all muscle, purposeful, strong and solidly built. The seat height at about 27 inches is good enough for even a 5’8” rider to flat-foot it and the rider seat is plush and comfy for long days on the saddle. The pillion perch is quite literally that – a perch! Not comfortable at all and pretty precarious to boot going by the brutal pull the bike has in any and every gear.

The literal and figurative eye of this Storm is its amazing engine, a 1699cc liquid cooled DOHC parallel twin. A 270 deg firing interval, 4-valves per cylinder and a short-stroke design gives it more than enough stomping power even with a relatively mild 9.7:1 compression ratio. The low compression ratio also means that here in India you can fill ‘er up at pretty well any fueling station and it will still run well. The 270 deg offset firing order does necessitate the need for twin balancer shafts within but the engine response and the aural output is something the V-twin aficionados would die for.  The engine starts to a low thrumble (a fusion of thunder and rumble huh!) and awaits that right-handed twist. Do that and the crackle is loud enough to announce your impending departure (or arrival as the case may be) to all and sundry within a quarter mile radius. The twin pipes sing in sync with the twin big pistons. Shift firmly into gear and get rolling. No, astride this gladiator in black, neither would you prefer a quiet exit nor will you be able to make it. You will blast off on loud thunder, carrying your own storm behind straight into the belly of the horizon. This bike pulls hard, as hard as those 97 horses on tap at 5200 rpm and the massive 155 Nm of torque at a mere 2950 rpm respond to your right wrist. This is a cruiser with the heart of a sportsbike. The pull through the gears is relentless and so very addictive when accompanied by that thumpty-thump from the twin pistons chasing each other down below. The 6-speed gearbox might not be the slickest but you’re too busy to notice such nitty gritty, repeatedly rolling off and rolling on that throttle, just to feel your guts hit your spine and your ears full of that foot-tapping thunder.

Torque spread is blessedly linear and ever roll of the throttle brings about an accompanying addictive rush, a belt final drive notwithstanding with its expected lag in power delivery. Smooth and twisty tarmac somewhere in the hills, especially a gentle climb would just be the road to nirvana on this bike. Ground clearance while leaning in is a lot less than the lean angles the bike seems capable of. But leaning beyond a steady shower of sparks flying from under the footboard is definitely not a good idea on a 400 kilo metal hunk. Powering lustily out of gentle curves though is another matter, the wide grin plastered under the helmet ample testimony to the pleasure it offers. The torque though makes it feel a lot faster than it really is.

And yes, it handles as well as it runs. There’s magic in the way a mere crawl at say 10 kmph can make that entire weight (338 kgs) go pouf! and the wide bars let you dance a tango on tarmac with this 7 ½ ft bike. With 1613 mm between the axles and the front wheel raked out at 32 deg, even the longish trail of almost 6 inches induces no lag in the Storm’s maneuverability at both low speeds and high. The beefy 47mm Showa forks up front and the twin shocks at the rear might seem old-school in these modern times of USD forks and mono-shock rear but the set-up does a surprisingly good job of keeping those wheels pressing down hard and yet managing to release a plush ride more or less. Using rider comfort and handling prowess as measures of suspension behavior, Triumph seem to have got their hardware spot on with the Storm. The 120 section 19 inch front and 200 section 17 incher at the rear working to probably the best compromise between good traction reserves and agility in handling.

Braking felt great. Twin 4-piston 310 mm discs up front and a 2-piston similar size disc at the rear do a great job of hauling this half a ton laden motorcycle to a quick halt. Retardation is sure, the low C of G, long wheel base and broad rubber helping the cause of excellent braking componentry. Feedback from the front brake is good even allowing gentle trail braking into turns at moderate speeds. The rear brakes are surprisingly effective but then that’s usually the case with long wheelbase and heavy cruisers. Of course we have ABS here too as in almost every modern performance motorcycle worth a mention.

Reach to the bars is not as extreme as that on, say something like the Harley Fat Bob, and so the body does not have to rotate uncomfortably forward. The foot-boards though could have been a trifle wider and longer to provide more alternate foot movement when the feet are not ready on the pedals. The riding position is fine for the long haul, the 22 liter tank allowing some 250 kms or so between refills. Switch gear is premium quality, the clicks feel and sounding just right. The dog-leg levers fall naturally underhand and lever yawn, both for the clutch and the front brake levers is within range of those with small hands. The flat-faced tank has the instrument cluster mounted on it with a combo-dial of speedometer, a digital odometer/trip meter, a fuel gauge and an analogue tacho. The catch here is that you’d need to take your eyes completely off the road, look down physically to read the instruments.

All said and done, this Storm is real ‘value-for-money’ in the price bracket it belongs. A no-frill all function cruiser that does not need those frills to be attractive. It is plenty so already just by being itself. Ever heard of Stroms being pretentious huh?

Price: 13,95,000 INR (ex-showroom Delhi)

Technical Specifications:

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The Honda CB Shine SP Review

Improving upon its Shine!

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) Ltd. has managed a slew of launches in the past 12 months – 15 including the CB Shine SP launched yesterday. The 16^th would be the 160cc Hornet scheduled sometime next month. Quite a feat, not just for the numbers but also for the variety, which if not an increasing complex production and inventory exercise for the company would surely be a knotty problem for the dealers! Too many models, differentiated mainly at times by features, stickering and marketing themes than by any solid technical changes. The Honda Shine has been shining though all through these years of its existence and the shine comes from the solid, reliable and value for money machinery on offer under the name. The CB Shine is the best seller motorcycle for HMSI (currently selling almost 8 lakh units per annum) and so it is not surprising that they wanted to give it an upgrade. This once though it is as much a technical upgrade as a cosmetic one.

The new Shine SP looks good now. And also more purposeful. The plastics look robust, the paint finish nice and clean, the visual proportions more filled up and the bike overall exudes a well built quality. The tech part is well taken care of by two major upgrades – the new 5 speed gearbox replacing the earlier 4 speed one and the Combined Braking System even though the latter is only in the top model. The Honda Eco Technology series 125cc 4 stroke engine puts out a healthy 10.5 bhp at 7500 rpm and a peak torque of 10.3 Nm at a lowish 5500 rpm. Nice promising specs which when combined with a 9.2:1 compression ratio do indicate an engine design that favours longevity as much as it does performance.

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The Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 XC is a relatively new entrant into a relatively new and booming adventure motorcycle segment in India. The first such bike to be made available in India was the worldwide blockbuster ‘Long Way Round’ bike – BMW R1200. But it was (and still is) prohibitively expensive. We are still waiting for the Ducati Multistrada to come to our shores, while the Suzuki V-Strom might be the most affordable of the high capacity adventure tourers on the shelf right now.

Price: INR 18,75,000 ex-showroom Delhi

The Explorer XC (which essentially means Cross Country) is an all kitted out version of the Explorer 1200 to take it off tarmac. It also comes in a Matt Khakhi Green which is the Military Green, in my opinion, the most purposeful colour for this bike. It looks absolutely delicious in it. I have ridden the Ducati Multistrada and the Suzuki V-Strom extensively and I can vouch for the fact that the Triumph Explorer 1200 XC looks different than most adventure bikes out there at the moment. It is not as sporty or beautiful as the Multistrada (or powerful) but it is much  more exciting than the V-Strom 1000 which tends to have frame flex at high speeds on the highway.

The look and feel of the 1200 XC oozes quality and finesse with elements like auxiliary lights and panniers bringing the owner one step closer to a RTW tour ambition! The ride was smooth and the inline three cylinders configuration gives it a unique note at higher revs. With 137 Bhp @ 9300rpm and 121 Nm of torque @ 6400rpm, it is a bit rev hungry but has got enough mettle for the innumerable overtaking manoeuvres required to navigate Indian highways.

But is the bike true to its name of being Cross Country, on paper it might not appear so, what with the 267kg wet weight to be manoeuvred around, compared to the Multistrada at 232kg and V-Strom at 228kg. Though once in motion, the drivability of the chassis and tractability of the engine make those extra 30kg disappear. The much slimmer rear tyre of 150mm also aids in off-road handling as compared to the 190mm of the Ducati. Not to mention the 19” front wheel, which makes going over large obstacles relatively easy. Though when you give the bike gas, it does surge forward at an alarming rate, without giving the rider a ‘heart in mouth’ moment.

With a seat height of 837mm the XC would be easily manageable for most Indian riders; though taking it on a trail would require a bit more skill for the shorter riders. The Ducati has the edge over the other two here with an adjustable saddle going down to 825mm, though Triumph does offer a Low Seat as an accessory which knocks off 30mm, making it usable by almost anyone. Both the rider and pillion get a nice upright seating position, with enough room on the saddle for both. The ergonomics are good and I never had to ‘stretch’ out, everything was always within control. This is good for those occasions when you want to get off the tarmac, the purpose for which this bike is built, to add to its XC capabilities are the Sump Guard, Engine Protection Bars, Hand Guards, Fog Lights, Traction Control and Switchable ABS. A 950W Alternator, 222kg payload, 12v power socket, large screen and an engine immobiliser make it perfect to load up and ride long distances. The bike is also shaft driven, reducing the amount of maintenance required, useful when you are out on extremely long rides!

Also Read:
Triumph Thunderbird Storm review 
Triumph Bonneville Review

The V-Strom, Multistrada and Explorer 1200XC all sport 20L fuel tanks, which give them a similar range, as Triumph claims that their 1215cc engine is extremely frugal in its fuel needs. The Suzuki V-Strom retails for Rs 1495000/- Ex-showroom Delhi, while the Ducati Multistrada isn’t launched yet in India, though the Hyperstrada is priced at 1095000/- ex-showroom, giving a good idea that the MTS will be positioned in the same price bracket as the Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200XC, which is Rs 1875000/- Ex-showroom Delhi. The Suzuki is 4 lakhs cheaper, but it is more for the rider on a strict budget, as it doesn’t provide the premium components that you will find on the Tiger. The Ducati is more evenly poised to take on the Triumph, but the Multistrada is more road biased, while the XC is a more off-road focussed bike. What you will pick, depends on what you want your bike to do!

If I get one, it would definitely be the military green!

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The Indian motorcycle market has seen a tremendous growth over the last decade or so. Every manufacturer worth its salt is either already here or is planning to set up shop in India. This growth has brought in all kinds of motorcycles for the prospective buyers, from street bike to cruisers to adventure touring machines. Especially, the big bike market is dominated by cruiser sales and Harley-Davidson sits right there on top. Royal Enfield undoubtedly owns the mid-size cruiser category and in fact is one of the fastest growing motorcycle manufacturers in the country of late. Bajaj is the only player catering to the bottom end of this market with its sole offering – the Avenger 220. Of course Hyosung is there with the GV250, but its price bracket sets it further apart in this category. The Avenger has done decent numbers (around 4000 units per month) for Bajaj despite seemingly almost zero efforts from Bajaj’s end to promote it. The last big upgrade the Avenger has seen was in 2010 when it was fitted with a 220cc engine. Yet the Avenger has held its ground. But the recent upheavals in the market have forced Bajaj to shift gear and give the Avenger the kind of attention it needs.

Bajaj recently launched an entire range of Avenger and there is not one, not two, but three different variants of the Avenger now on sale, with which Bajaj is aiming to touch the 20k units per month sales target. The Avenger is now available in 220cc Cruise and 220cc Street versions. The Street version is also available in a 150cc variant, which is aimed at people who want the styling and comfort of a cruiser but need to take care of their budget and fuel economy restraints as well.

Bajaj Avenger Street 220

Bajaj Avenger Cruise 220

Bajaj Avenger Street 150

Styling wise, broadly, the new Avenger series is the same old Avenger that we’re used to seeing. However, there are some major changes that make these bikes as new as they can be. As suggested by its name, the Avenger Cruise 220 carries all the things a cruiser would have. Firstly, it has chrome and lots of it! It also has a new handlebar and a more relaxed riding posture for those long hauls on the highway. There’s also an optional wind screen for those who are willing to shell out a few extra bucks. The Street 220 and the Street 150 on the other hand get an all-black treatment, including the engine, alloy wheels, and the grab rail. The handlebar on the Avenger Street is flatter and lower to make it more manoeuvrable in city traffic.  The Cruise 220 comes fitted with spoke wheels whereas the Streets get a 12-spoke blackened alloy wheel at the front and 9 spoke alloy at the rear. The Cruise 220 also gets a pillion backrest. The seat height of new Avengers is raised by 15mm and that is contributed by the extra foam on the seats for extra comfort. The new Avengers also get a white headlamp, which Bajaj claims  helps in better visibility after dark, though we couldn’t test it as we rode the bikes during daytime. Flexible indicators also find their way into the Avenger Street and Cruise. There is a new design analogue speedometer with a tiny LCD screen within, which displays odometer and trip meter readings. And obviously, the Avenger Cruise gets chrome plating on the speedo, wherein the Street 220 and 150 have got it black. The fuel gauge is fitted onto the tank itself. The overall fit and finish is top notch.

You Might Also Want to Read Bajaj Avenger Owners’ Experience 

Some closeups of the Avenger Cruise 220

The Cruise 220 has got a very solid presence on the road and it will surely grab a lot of eyeballs. The Avenger Street 150 and Street 220 look pretty much identical except for some minor differences, the most notable of them being the blue colour of the Avenger 150. The Street 220 comes in black-red dual colour tone. It is hard to miss the influence of Harley Davidson’s Street 750 on the Avenger Street bikes. From the black alloy wheels to black rubber bellows on the front suspension to a minimalistic single pod instrument cluster to a round headlight. But it is a well-executed product in the end and that is what matters. Ticking the final box in the Cruiser checklist is a slightly bigger wheel at the front (17 inches) than the rear (15 inches).

Bajaj Avenger Street 150 closeups

Coming to the performance, let’s talk about the Street 150 first. The Avenger Street 150 surprised us by its performance. It uses the same tried and tested 150cc engine that Bajaj has for a very long time. This engine is tuned for a better low and mid-range torque and is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. It makes a healthy 14.5BHP at 9000RPM (at par with most of 150s in the country) and a torque of 12.5Nm at 6500RPM mark. The engine was smooth and vibration free even at high RPMs. The torque seemed to kick in rather early and evenly throughout the rev range. The gear shifts were positive and smooth as well. The bike seemed good enough to be able to cruise around 90kmph throughout the day without much fuss. The Street 150 also gets a 38-teeth sprocket at the rear and a larger air filter for improved low and mid-range.

The Avenger Cruise 220 and Street 220 retain the same old 220cc oil cooled DTSi engine that makes 19PS at 8400RPM and 17.5Nm of max torque at 7000RPM. These figures remain unchanged from the earlier avatar of Avenger. There is a very solid and planted feel to the Avenger when you ride it. The bike is quick off the mark, but obviously not the quickest of the lot. The engine responds readily to rider inputs and is smooth. The 5-speed gearbox also didn’t show any signs of distress or false neutrals. On the handling front, the Cruise 220 true to its name acts in a very relaxed and sedate manner. It loves to go straight and feels a bit hesitant when put it through the zigzags of city traffic. The Avenger Street 220 on the other hand is 5 kg lighter and, thanks to its flatter handlebar, feels much more eager to turn quickly and wants you to push it more. Overall the Avenger 220s behave reasonably well on the twistys, though none of them are corner cravers and shouldn’t be treated like one.  The rear suspension on these bikes have been tweaked and it seemed to take the potholes and large speed breakers with much more ease than earlier without transferring much of the impact on rider’s back.

Braking is ably taken care of on the 220s with a 260mm disk up front and a 130mm drum at the rear. The Street 150 uses a 240mm disk at the front and a 130mm drum at the rear. The bite seemed adequate, the braking progressive and we didn’t have much to complain even during intentional hard braking. The 130 section rubber at the rear and the 90 section at the front complemented the brakes.

We are pretty sure that it would be a difficult choice for people who would be choosing between the Avenger Cruise 220 and the Avenger Street 220. It would be a classic battle between the heart and the mind.  The heart would want to go with the Cruise for its quintessential classic cruiser feel and the oomph factor and that chilled out riding posture, but the mind would want the Street 220 for all the practical reasons like its handling and the alloy wheels to put tubeless tyres. Making the choice easier would be of course the similar performance and the 220cc DTSi workhorse engine. Whatever you might end up with, one thing is for sure, you are going to get a lot of attention on the road while riding the Avenger Cruise 220 or the Street 220 and you could own either by spending INR 84,000 ex-showroom Delhi.

The Avenger Street 150 would be a no-brainer for anybody looking to venture down the cruiser road with a limited budget. It is definitely the surprise package of this Avenger overhaul. The performance parameters are at par with most of the bikes in that category. The engine is smooth and responsive too. There was hardly any negative points about this bike that we could find. This bike will be of particular interest to those not-so-tall riders for whom the saddle height is the single most important criteria when buying a two-wheeler. It would also find a lot of takers among the fresh out of college youth looking to buy a ‘cool’ bike with their first or second salary. The Avenger Street 150 could be yours for INR 75,000 ex-showroom Delhi.

Overall, the new Avenger series seems to be a step in the right direction. It is a win-win situation for everyone as Bajaj got its portfolio expanded, the brand Avenger has got the attention it deserved, and consumers have more options to choose from. Also, there is hardly any competition in the small capacity cruiser segment, so it makes even more sense for Bajaj to take (or advance) the lead in this segment because if Bajaj wants to become the number one motorcycle manufacturer in terms of sales, then it would need to have the brand Avenger contribute more to its sales numbers.

The post New Bajaj Avenger Street 150 & Cruise 220 – reviewed! appeared first on xBhp.com.

When I think of Suzuki, I think of the Hayabusa. I also think of the legend of the Ghostrider somewhere in Sweden doing insane speeds on one of his all black GSXRs. Somewhere along the way Suzuki forgot to update and keep up with the Joneses as far as the GSX-R 1000 is concerned. It is the least talked about litre class superbike out there, but by no means less potent than any other. Though that might change soon, as per the concept bike displayed at EICMA 2015 by Suzuki.

However, I have been a great fan of naked streetfighters. I had the raw and brutal Yamaha FZ1, on which I went around India and did various other rides as well. And currently the futuristic Benelli TNT 899 is there in my garage.

However, the GSX-S1000 catches my interest. It is visually bulky and carries itself like a fully purposeful  streetfighter –I’ll-do-my-own-hooligan-s#*t look right off the showroom. The blue colour that I rode is the ‘official’ Suzuki colour and does look good but to me a streetfighter is best dressed in black.

It has got all the right visual cues to have substantial road presence and carries an explosive performance in a small package.  The engine produces a very healthy 145bhp (still less than one of the most powerful nakeds out there, the FZ1 at 150bhp). It is just a little less bulky than the FZ1 in the way it feels. The engine is super smooth as you would expect from a Japanese motorcycle and it is as flickable as it gets. I suspect it would be a decent track machine with better rear-sets, though a naked isn’t really built for the track. The street is where the real fun begins with it, where it lives and where it plasters a manic grin on the face of the rider.

Though this street naked’s engine is derived from the GSX-R1000, the engine on the bike is tweaked for the street and not the track. So different engine internals find their way into the heart of the S1000 to improve its bottom and mid-range. The powerband where you will find yourself most of the time in the city and on the highways. The bike is surprisingly easy to manage at slow speeds and doesn’t cause any heart-in-the-mouth moments as you let go of the clutch and start rolling. But get the engine revving into its meaty mid-range and you can fully appreciate the power all the way to its redline at 11500rpm.

Yes, this isn’t a litre class full blown sportsbike, but it has got enough to keep most riders happy. In addition to it, the comfortable ergonomics and saddle which allow the rider to flatfoot the bike. Suzuki does seem to have a winner on its hands ready to join the party alongside the FZ1, CB1000R and Z1000; albeit a few years late. The Suzuki in this group doesn’t get any fancy electronics or tech wizardry, but the bike is a solidly built unit, which oozes quality and attention to detail that we have come to expect from Suzuki. Though you do get 3-mode Traction Control and ABS for those who are looking for the safety net that these two provide.

The S1000 handles very well. You can pick it and throw it around with minimal effort. It is not as sharp as the superbike, but it will surprise at how easy it is to point and shoot! The wheels are shod with Dunlop rubber, which does a reasonably good job of aiding the handling. But the sweetest deal on the bike is the suspension. An aggressively set-up unit allows the bike to handle as well as you can hope and expect from a 209kg motorcycle, but the downside is that you might find it a trifle hard on not so smooth roads, that our cities are filled with. The suspension is easy to adjust, so softening it a bit should work well for most riders. Suzuki also claims that the chassis on this bike is actually lighter than the one used on the GSX-R1000 currently, which goes to show the effort the company has put into making this bike a potent machine.

As an all-round package you realize that Suzuki has done a fine job of giving something for everybody. An easy handling bike for the city, a stable bike for the highways and a bike which should do reasonably well on a track once in a while. And all of this with great looks, though for the more highway biased rider, a S1000F would probably make more sense. All this at an Ex-showroom Delhi price for INR 1225000 does make it a very tempting proposition indeed, especially taking into account that Suzuki has a number of Hayabusas on Indian roads and thus a decent after sales network. In comparison the Honda CB1000R ABS and Yamaha FZ1 retail for Rs 1326600/- and Rs 1143000/-, both prices ex-showroom Delhi. Though the FZ1 doesn’t have ABS.

Suzuki GSX-S1000 Review Technical Specifications

See how the Suzuki GSX-S1000 fares when put in comparison with similar products from other manufacturers

Suzuki GSX-S1000 Vs Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC

Suzuki GSX-S1000 Vs Yamaha FZ1

Suzuki GSX-S1000 Vs Triumph Speed Triple

Suzuki GSX-S1000 Vs Kawasaki Z1000

Suzuki GSX-S1000 Vs Ducati Monster 1200

Suzuki GSX-S1000 Vs BMW S1000R

Suzuki GSX-S1000 Vs Benelli TNT-R 1130

Click here to see more detailed images of the GSX-S1000

The post Suzuki GSX-S1000 Review – The Naked Fury! appeared first on xBhp.com.

The Honda CB Hornet 160R Review by xBhp. We ride the latest from Honda in the 150cc executive commuter segment and see how the Hornet matches us with stiff competition from the Suzuki Gixxer 155, Yamaha FZ-s Fi V2 and Bajaj Pulsar AS150.

Ever since Honda set out on its own to sell two-wheelers in India, it has tasted success with almost every product it has launched here – the most notable of them being the Activa and the Dream series, riding on which Honda is giving Hero MotoCorp a tough fight in becoming the undisputed leader of motorcycle manufacturers in India. Honda has covered its base well with Activa and the Dream series in the entry level segment. However, the one area that has proven to be not-so-fruitful has been the 150cc premium commuter segment. Honda enjoyed reasonable success in this segment with the launch of the Unicorn around a decade ago. The Unicorn was well received by the buyers who were looking to explore something beyond the then hot favourite – the Pulsar 150, which happens to still rule this segment. Courtesy the 25,000 + kilometres that I did on the Unicorn, I can vouch for the fact that it was a superbly comfortable motorcycle for urban commuting with its smooth engine and ultra-smooth handling. The one area where it lacked was its styling. Its over-commuterish riding stance made it a not-so-favourite among young riders who went for something that gave them more poser value. Honda tried to cover that shortcoming with the Dazzler and Trigger motorcycles, but they both failed to trigger the passion among the buyers as much as Honda would’ve liked. Determined to make headway, Honda showcased their new motorcycle to cater to this segment, the CB Hornet 160R at their RevFest event in August 2015 and finally launched it now in December at a grand launch ceremony in Goa, ending 2015 with a remarkable 15 product launches this year.

We got to ride the bike for a short time in Goa at the launch and here’s what we think of it.

Styling: The styling of the CB Hornet 160R is definitely positive and it looks inspired from their naked concept bike the CX-01 that they had displayed at Auto Expo 2014 and got positive feedback for it. It is a very refreshing design that makes it stand apart from the crowd. The most striking aspect of this CB Hornet 160R design is its edgy and muscular tank that gives it very aggressive looks and makes it look bigger than it actually is when viewed from certain angles. The angular headlight further enhances the looks from up front. These sharp design lines carry all the way to the back where the mono-shock suspension and the beefy and shortened exhaust add to its overall design appeal. The wide 140 section rear tyre, which is fast becoming a standard in this segment, and the x-shaped tail light give it a very distinct characteristic. The carbon-fibre finish plastic cover on the tank also adds a few brownie points, though it looked prone to scratches. The CB Hornet 160R is available in 5 colour options, namely the Neo Orange Metallic, Sports Red, Pearl Amazing White, Pearl Night Star Black and Pearl Siren Blue.

The CB Hornet 160R gets a fully digital instrument panel that is taken directly from the Unicorn 160. This shows you the odometer, speedometer, tachometer, 2 trip meters apart from time and fuel gauge and other tell-tale lights.  The switchgear on the Hornet was a let down. It is the same standard switchgear that you will see on a lot of other Honda bikes including the Livo. This is a very old design and didn’t go well with the otherwise modern persona of the bike. The most irritating thing about this switchgear is the absence of the engine kill switch. It might not be an actual deal breaker for most of the prospective buyers, but surely a negative for an otherwise spotless design. Also the plastic quality on the switchgear is not among the best in town.

The CB Hornet 160R is powered by the same 160cc engine that you’ll find fitted on the Unicorn 160. However, it is tuned for a more eventful and aggressive ride than the Unicorn. This engine comes to life with a very light touch of the thumb starter and now produces 15.6bhp at 8500rpm and a max torque of 14.76Nm that comes at the 6500rpm mark. The CB Hornet 160R engine produces 1 BHP more than the Unicorn 160 but is 5 kg heavier. It is a long stroke engine (Bore x Stroke = 57.3 x 63.09mm) that has a compression ratio of 10:1. It has got a very good bottom and meaty mid-range that makes the CB Hornet 160R a delight to ride in city traffic. You could accelerate from as low as 30kmph in fifth gear without any trouble at all. The 5-speed gearbox of the Hornet runs a taller gearing. This engine carries the trademark smoothness of Honda and is completely vibration free even during high revs.  We didn’t find the narrow Goa roads suitable and safe enough to test the top speed, but Honda claims that the max speed of the Hornet 160R is 110kmph.

Like almost all the current Honda engines in the commuter segment, this engine also gets the HET (Honda Eco Technology) tag and is Bharat Stage IV emission norms compliant, which is a first in the country and is much ahead of the April 1, 2016, regulatory deadline.

CONTINUE READING

The post Honda CB Hornet 160R Review appeared first on xBhp.com.

Looking up Google archives one can find news about Cagiva tying up with Kinetic Engineering in 2008 to produce low capacity models in India and MV Agusta also making an entry into the Indian market around that time. Fast forward seven years and that dream is now real.

Kinetic Engineering, especially Ajinkya Firodia is super excited and driven as ever to get the brand into India. This is a better time than 2008 to get such an exotic brand into India. Buyers are more discerning, have more buying power and there is a healthy competition from its Italian neighbours in Ducati and Benelli.

I was lucky. I was present physically in Australia when the MV Agusta brand was being officially launched in Melbourne along with the new AMG strategic and marketing partnership. I almost gate-crashed the party and took hold of two fantastic models that were launched down under along with the overall brand launch. The MV Agusta Tourismo Veloce 800 and the MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster.

The evening in Melbourne started with the showcasing of a select range of MV Agusta bikes along with the Mercedes AMG cars. You might be aware that AMG had done a marketing tie up with Ducati in 2011, when the Diavel AMG edition was produced. But this one is a more ‘solid’ tie up, with AMG acquiring 25% stake in MV Agustas business. This meant that MV Agusta would also be displayed at the AMG showrooms, which will help both the brands, but MV Agusta more. So if someone buys a 150,000 AUD Mercedes AMG he might probably pick up an 18,000 AUD MV Agusta as well. Just might! The initial press release mentioned this tie up as ‘cooperation in area of marketing and sales’.

I was given a chance to sample the MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster first. Truth be spoken, it was one of the most beautiful motorcycles I had ever seen. The finish was beyond words and the design was truly ‘Motorcycle Art’. It was a cross between a cruiser and a street naked bike, the most striking detail being the short tail and the overall extended swingarm look, and hence the name ‘Dragster’. There was one more RR variant which was black and red. The difference between the RR and the stock version was 15Hp of power, 5Nm of torque, 200 extra revs before the limiter kicks in, a better power to weight ratio and a whole lot of oomph!

The engine seemed smooth and refined and it was very peppy, producing an incredible 140 Bhp out of a 800cc mill and a dry weight of only 167Kg! You can imagine what kind of pocket rocket that makes it! The look is complete with the aid of a 200 rear tyre. Anything else that is probably close to this in the market is the Ducati Diavel.

I rode the Dragster through the beautiful Yarra Valley and the vineyards there provided the perfect intoxicating backdrop (I am a teetotaller though!). This is not only delightful to ride but a photographers dream too. You can pull wheelies in third gear on this despite the visibly long wheel base. Put on a fly screen and it can take any distance too.

The inline 3 cylinder is built to put a smile on your face and the exhaust looks sensational stacked three up on the right. The engine is equipped with 4 different mappings, Rain, Sport, Normal and customisable. With the last allowing the rider to set up the engine response, rev limiter, engine torque response, throttle sensitivity and engine braking. The bike also sports an 8 step Traction Control system, which can be switched off, if you want to live on the wild side!

True to MV Agusta character, the bike is its elements at the top of the rev range, while it loses out a bit in the bottom end. Once rolling though you won’t notice, as you automatically wring the throttle to plaster a wide grin across your face. The rear 200 section adds considerably to the looks, but probably makes the handling a tad lazier! Though once the rider has pushed on the bars to enter a corner, the Pirelli tyres grip the tarmac beautifully, giving the rider complete confidence to push that little bit more. And if you do get the bike out of line the Brembos with ABS make life a lot easier. The fancy electronics help this bike be good enough not just to have a blast, but at the same time staying safe with the rubber side down!

I can’t wait to see the MV Agusta range on Indian roads!

FOR MORE PICTURES AND TECH SPECS CLICK HERE

The post xBhp Rides the MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster appeared first on xBhp.com.

xBhp rides the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 in Australia where we were present for the launch of the MV Agusta brand in Melbourne, Australia. We had also ridden and reviewed the MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster there.

The beautiful and organic looking Turismo Veloce 800, MV Agusta’s first foray into the adventure bike segment. It is also a beautiful machine but looks a bit too simple and empty from up front, otherwise by no means is it a bland machine! The colour TFT console which even has a visual indicator for side stand down is a delight to see and displays all the necessary information the tourer requires. The touring mode gives 90Hp, while the sport bumps it up to 110Hp, and rain produces 80Hp. The Veloce is a ‘bit different’ compared to the regulars from the stable. This was built for those who want to tuck their luggage in and go off for a long ride. The torque is bumped up by 20% coming at 2100rpm less. Along with that service intervals have been increased from 6000km to 15000km, perfect for someone wanting to get up and Go!

This is the first attempt by the Italian manufacturer into this segment, and it has given a fresh new perspective towards adventure bikes. It mates touring comfortably on a motorcycle with the sportiness you would expect from MV Agusta. The Turismo Veloce is fast, flickable and a hoot to ride. And can easily make you forget that it is built for munching miles sedately. That  is until you decide to munch miles sedately! The ergonomics are comfortable for getting the job done, and the saddle is plush with adequate cushioning. We didn’t ride the bike for a lot of kilometres, but enough to believe that it will make for a happy bum!

The 17 inch wheels itself tell you half the story. The Turismo is meant for tarmac use and not really meant for off-roading. Why then have MV Agusta fitted the bike out with Pirelli Scorpion Trail tyres, which are meant for light trails? It is also much lighter than the traditional Adventure Tourers at 191kg dry, compared to the Multistrada at 209kg dry and the R1200GS at 238kg wet. This results in ease of use and makes it an extremely practical motorcycle for most. And the power figures which are lower than the competition is not felt so much while riding.

The Veloce uses the same three-cylinder 798cc engine which is found on many other MV Agusta models and is tuned for more torque and usable power in the mid range. The engine is smooth, though at times one can notice a bit of vibrations. But that is generally put down as Italian character! The bike also comes with a bunch of electronics to keep you safe and does its job without being intrusive. The rider still feels connected to the engine through the right wrist! The bike does have a bit of fuelling issues at crack of the throttle, which even the electronics are unable to mask.

To sum up this MV, it cannot be compared with the likes of the Multistrada or BMW R1200GS, but by no means is it an incapable machine. And no matter which landscape it is photographed in, it will make everything look more beautiful! The bike has a few minor niggles, but is a fantastic first attempt by MV Agusta into the Adventure Motorcycle segment.

MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 Review Technical Specifications

ENGINE
Type Three cylinder, 4 stroke, 12 valve
Total displacement 798 cc
Compression ratio 12.2:1
Starting Electric
Bore x stroke 79 mm x 54.3 mm
Max. power- r.p.m. (at the crankshaft) 110 hp at 10000 r.p.m.
Max. torque – r.p.m. 80 Nm at 8500 r.p.m.
Cooling system Cooling with separated liquid and oil radiators
Electronic quick shift MV EAS 2.0 (Electronically Assisted Shift)
Clutch Hydraulic clutch, wet multi-disc
Transmission Cassette style; six speed, constant mesh

GEAR RATIO
Primary drive 19/36
First gear: 13/37
Second gear: 16/34
Third gear: 18/32
Fourth gear: 19/30
Fifth gear: 21/30
Sixth gear: 22/29
Final drive ratio 16/41

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
Voltage 12 V
Alternator 450 W at 5000 r.p.m.
Battery 12 V – 11 Ah

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Wheelbase 1424 mm
Overall length 2084 mm
Overall width 900 mm
Saddle height 850 mm
Min. ground clearance 140 mm
Trail 108 mm
Dry weight 191 kg
Fuel tank capacity 20 l

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed 230 km/h

FRAME
Type ALS Steel tubular trellis (MAG welded)
Rear swing arm pivot plates material Aluminium alloy

FRONT SUSPENSION
Type Marzocchi “UPSIDE DOWN” telescopic hydraulic fork with rebound-compression damping and spring preload external and separate adjustment
Fork dia. 43 mm
Fork travel 160 mm

REAR SUSPENSION
Type Progressive Sachs, single shock absorber with rebound and compression damping and spring preload adjustment
Single sided swing arm material Aluminium alloy
Wheel travel 160 mm

BRAKES
Front brake Double floating disc with 320 mm diameter, with steel braking disc and flange
Front brake caliper Brembo radial-type, with 4 pistons 32 mm
Rear brake Single steel disc with 220 mm dia.
Rear brake caliper Brembo with 2 pistons – 34 mm
ABS System Bosch 9 Plus with RLM (Rear wheel Lift-up Mitigation)

WHEELS
Front: Material/size Aluminium alloy 3.50” x 17”
Rear: Material/size Aluminium alloy 5.50” x 17”

TYRES
Front 120/70 – ZR 17 M/C (58 W)
Rear 190/55 – ZR 17 M/C (75 W)

FAIRING
Material Thermoplastic

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT
Included accessories Immobilizer – Bluetooth – Adjustable windshield

The post xBhp First Ride : MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 appeared first on xBhp.com.

SHARP AND SHARPER

In yet another iteration of our popular Driver vs Rider series, we take two razor sharp machines – the Benelli TNT 899 and BMW Z4 for a spin and see how they stack up against each other!

THE RIDER (Sundeep Gajjar/ MotoGrapher) – BENELLI TNT 899

The first Driver VS Rider was with a Mercedes CLS 63 AMG and a Ducati Diavel in 2011 for a good 8000 km in the US of A. Subsequently we have had cars like the SLS 63 AMG, Audi TT and the Mini Cooper to go along with equally great machines on two wheels.

This time we had the BMW Z4 and the Benelli TNT 899 pitted against each other. Both the machines are in a league of their own. While the Z4 has seen transformations into the current avatar today, the 899 is pretty much unchanged ever since it was launched in the early 2000s, especially the looks, but it still manages to stand out of the crowd today.

We have written much about the Benelli TNT 899 earlier as well, and it was the star bike for the India trip during the #thankYouRide. However, here is a recap from the review.

The 899 being Italian had to look radical. The first look will leave you intrigued. There is a lot going on to keep your eyes busy. From the unique side mounted radiators to the suave petal discs and the unique front static headlight arrangement that is complemented by the underseat exhaust flanked by interesting two piece taillights and a red swingarm and frame which stands out. The front 3/4th view looks the best and very meaty for the 899. The instrument console is pretty basic but again pretty functional too. The build quality and workmanship is excellent.

The 899 is an inline three setup. The sound of the engine is literally music to your ears, it is not as refined as an inline four, but it is not as raw as a V-twin either. It is loud enough to warrant some sort of modification while being homologated for sale in India. The throttle response is great and even though the bike sounds like a diesel engine while idling, add even a few more revs above idling and it metamorphoses into a 3 cylinder bike engine.

The bike feels solid once you sit on it. I was a little disconcerted when I realized that the front headlight is static, taking away a bit from the naked theme, but after a while I didn’t notice it. The gear shifts are precise and the first gives you a reassuring thud. Release the clutch and the 118 Bhp/ 88 Nm of torque do their bit to coax you into twisting that throttle until the bike gets into a frenzy, which it does at around 8000 rpm. Soon enough you want to be a hooligan. The upright stance coupled with slightly aggressive rear-set pegs encourages you to flick the bike in corners. In no time I was thrashing it like a superbike, the sound goading me on.

I took it off-road and over potholes too. The suspension, I felt, was a little too stiff but then I was riding it on not the best of roads a little too hard at that! Make no mistake, even though it is ‘just’ 118 odd bhp, it’s from a 900cc mill and it is Italian. The overall package is attractive, though I would have loved to have ABS and Traction Control to complete it. What is interesting though is that Kawasaki offers ABS as standard on the Z800 in India. But the 899 is a lot lighter than the Z800. What is more interesting is the Ducati Streetfighter is the only modern Ducati that doesn’t have ABS! Makes me wonder what might be the reason? However, I am used to riding a Yamaha FZ1000, which is 150Bhp without these aids; but all said and done they do make life easier and safer on the roads. The Brembo brakes have enough bite via 2 x 320 mm discs up front and one 240 mm disc at the rear, giving the motorcycle sufficient stopping power. The acceleration, handling and sweet braking giving the rider a feeling of being on the razor edge, let’s see how sharp did the driver feel in his BMW!

THE DRIVER (Sandeep Goswami/ Old Fox) – BMW Z4 sDrive35is

The rider and the driver. The contrary twins. Poles apart and yet in synergy. Bound within by the common religion of power, speed and control. But different enough to stand apart and yet stand tall. Pushing the limits of man and machine. Exploring the boundaries of the physics governing motion. On two wheels and four.

Who is the better of the two? Who skirts the chasms of risk and danger more often and with lesser margins? Who is the greater adventurer of the two? The rider seems like an obvious pick but is it really so? Four wheels might mean the cushion of twice the rubber and little apparent need for balance but are these really such huge advantages. Think of six times greater momentum, the inertia induced reluctance to change direction and speed and think of the space those four rubber feet need and the equation tends to balance between the two.

But then does it really matter? They are not modern day gladiators for us. There’s no combat at the edge involved. In fact, there’s serenity in performance too. Even though both the rider and the driver shall be using high-performance vehicles, they are not at loggerheads by pitting the machines and their skills against each other. They travel in synergy as partners revelling in the beauty of precision machinery in motion. They move in such mutual admiration.

The driver this once had what is arguably one of the best looking convertible roadsters around. The BMW Z4. Ah! What a machine. More so because we drove the top of the line Z4 sDrive35is with its lusty 306 bhp twin-turbo 3 litre In-line 6, peak torque 400 Nm (flat between 1300-5000 rpm) and the 7- speed dual clutch automatic gearbox. It is a lovely car, no doubt about that. The classic long bonnet with that visually compact two seat cabin and the short boot. Takes you back almost to the 30’s when drivers sat almost on the rear axle of their roadracers! Fit and finish is top notch and the car seems poised for high speed action even when parked by the road. The LED DRL’s make for a distinctive profile in the RVM’s of cars ahead. The Z4’s body is a study in aerodynamics as much as it is about aesthetic beauty. The lip spoiler in the boot lid, a similar looking protrusion up front again adds to downforce and blends perfectly with the design. This is one rare convertible which manages to look equally stunning, with or without the hard top in place.

The inside is spacious, luxurious and functional. The Z4 is probably the roomiest of all two seat roadsters, comparing it to its contemporaries like the Porsche Boxster, the Mercedes SLK and even the Audi TT Coupe. The long bonnet does not obstruct forward vision, allowing even its far side to be seen by the driver. The A-pillar too, the usual suspect in giving nightmarish blind spots to these low-slung sports car drivers is not obstructive and sightlines from the pilot seat are pretty clean. The seats in the version we drove had good side support and was 10-way adjustable to boot. I guess my 5 decade old body has lesser scope for adjustment. Features are a long list with auto stop/ start, adjustable throttle and steering response, adaptive xenon headlamps, cruise control, rain sensors, ABS, front and side airbags for both driver and passenger, Cornering Brake Control, Dynamic Stability Control and Dynamic Traction Control, roll-over protection, run flat tyres etc.

Getting in and out needs a bit of body contortion not unlike other cars in this category. The Z4 in fact is the easiest of the lot in that sense. Drive selector in P, foot brake pressed, USB key into the slot, thumb the starter button and the six pistons come to life under the long bonnet as does the 8.8 inch touch panel in the dash swinging out into its face out position.  Blip that throttle and you just get a hint of what will happen when the drive selector is in Sport+ mode and the real deal is dealt. All right, let’s deal it and so we shift and press that throttle and wow! It doesn’t get more real than that. The raucous bunch of 300 odd ponies does pull strongly with no hesitation and the Z4 slingshots past a 100 kmph in well under 6 seconds. The Servotronic Electronic Power Steering is precise and sharp enough and the suspension talks to you incessantly. Of course we would have loved that dialogue to be softer as our native roads are not really a great place to have hard suspension set ups. The Z4 is stiff but then if that’s what’s needed to enable it to be swung through the curves, the tail sliding around mischievously; we are game for the trade-off discomfort of that stiffness.  The driver chased the rider as he banked knee down into a curve on his Benelli TNT 899. The car was sniffing the bike, magnanimity won the day and the driver hung back.

The Z4 redlines at some 7000 rpm but there’s the music of enrapture to be heard from 5000 rpm onwards, best with the top down of course. Hard top up to down is less than half a minute, the mechanical origami a treat to watch as the top folds into the boot. Of course boot space is compromised when the top is down but not as much as it is in the SLK. Wind noise is minimal with the top up (Drag Coefficient CD a commendable and slippery 0.35!) and surprisingly well controlled even when it is down. The audio system sounds great though methinks the music from the engine is a whole lot better than any MP3 player.

The sDrive35i has shift paddles on the steering wheel and the car is more than fun to drive in the manual mode. You pull in each gear right up to the red line before up shifting, the punch is addictive and for me as a stick shifter for the majority of my life, this is when I feel I am the complete driver of the car. No smarty pants electronics deciding for me when the revs have been enough. And they are never really enough.  You do have the option of 3 driving modes – Comfort, Sport and Sport+ and we did toggle through the three, the first two very briefly more as a needed ritual and showed undying loyalty to the third. Don’t blame us. 300 plus bhp, 18 inch low profile RFT’s, taut handling, sharp steering and race-car quick paddle shift all put together are much too persuasive, well capable of invoking the devil in the saintliest amongst us.

As for the accountant lurking within, the car retails at some 70,00,000 INR, returns about 12 kmpl on the highway and some 8 kmpl in city, has long service intervals and retains good value over the years like any nice BMW. The fuel tank brims up at 55 litres of 95 octane and should be good for at least 400 km within the city and around 600 km on the high road.

Of course as a motorcyclist I wouldn’t give up an exciting pair of two wheels for any 4 wheeler – unless it happens to be what I have gone gaga over the past thousand words or so. The BMW Z4 makes for a worthy barter between a bike and a cage. No, I even feel bad calling it a cage you know, so good is this performance sportster on 4 wheels. The rider may have left me in his dust because we hit some traffic. But give me the Z4 on an open road and the ‘pedal to metal’ shall write a very different story from the twisty right wrist!

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