Kawasaki

Best auto news from around the world.

This is default featured slide 2 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

Bajaj Kicks back again

Bajaj Launches the all-new Pulsar 200NS.

This is default featured slide 5 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Pulsar 220 vs Karizma Drag Videos

Pulsar 220cc vs Stock karizma







Pulsar 220cc vs Modified Karizma (K&n filter and bigger jets)










Pulsar 220cc Self-check

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/kedarg/?action=view&current=MVI_0766.flv

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Pulsar 220 vs Karizma Drag Report and Pics



First lets start with Pulsar 220 review:-


Overview


The bike looks good & it’s stunning. It feels big when you sit on it, infact it gives you a big Bike feel the moment you sit on it, mainly due to the clip-ons & slightly backwards footrests. BAL as again has got a winner here, the fit & finish levels are very good infact much better than HH or for that matter ZMA. The digi Speedo console looks great & the self test looks charming. The first things that you notice are missing choke lever, fuel knob & a new pass beam switch along with the backlit switch panel & of course the LCD Digi console.

The Riding experience

My biggest worry was since this bike doesn’t have kick starter was how good the self starter would be & am glad to say that the self lived up to its expectation. The Bike starts very smoothly & almost effortlessly.
The gear shift is smooth & precise but still doesn’t not slot like karizma, some like it some don’t. I was fine with it as I had used this type of shift on my pulsar 180 but yes this one was better than the one on mine. Not a leap of change in the gear shift but nevertheless a good one. Those who like slotting gears may still crib but I was happy with it as I had no false neutrals & no wrong gears.
The engine is smooth really smooth & the Bike picks up really sweetly, the exhaust note is nice but whether one likes it or not may differ from person to person. Once revved up the Bike gets the typical pulsar vibes near tank & fairing though they are minimal but can still be felt on the knee touching the fairing near tank. These vibrations come around 70kph & above.
Just like its smaller siblings the RVMs on P220 become useless at these speeds as they vibrate so much that you cant make out what you see in the mirrors but since you cant see much anyways its not much of a problem. Oh that reminds me did I tell you guys that the RVMs are absolutely useless especially if you are wearing a minimalist riding gear, reminds me of classic Pulsars which had stylish mirrors but very poor visibility wrt the ones sported by DTSI versions, Yeah BAL did it again.

The Bike picks up really well on roll-ons, the most amazing thing was that even at 5th gear the Bike picked up at 25kph, though it pinked a bit but still picked up without any jerks .


Riding Comfort

I found the suspension to be a little stiffer than Karizma while Pawan(owner of 220) felt otherwise. The roads had no bad patches so cant say about how they would feel under bad road conditions.

The bike has very sporty feel to it. The seats have good support & it holds you well. The Bike is really good if you want to ride it fast (which of course you would). I rode the P220 for around 10-15 kms & my right shoulder started to pain, does it make it really bad for long riding ?? To answer this, it reminds of the first two days when I had bought my 180 DTSi (which was my first Bike ever) & when my arms pained like hell for two complete days  so it’s just a matter of getting used to. So does this make the Pulsar 220 a good tourer ?? Or to say will it be more comfy than a karizma for long rides ?? In my humble opinion with a guy of my height (am 5’10”)NO. Although the engine is really refined with enough power to take long stretches effortlessly the riding posture is not what you would want for such long rides. Having said that it’s still a matter of personal choice, I mean some of my friends keep doing long rides on SBKs which in common perception are not good for long rides.
Disclaimer: I am not comparing it to the SBKs, just the riding posture.

All those who got disappointed here’s another way to look at it. Those who are shorter in height may find the Bike to be better than the karizma for riding comfort since they wont face the issue which taller guys like me faced i.e. crouched position & knees touching the fairing. So I think it can be safely put that it would be more comfy for shorter people that taller people for long rides

Handling

I took the P220 on ghats & on straights; the Bike has really good handling when compared to the smaller pulsars especially because of the better swing arm & the riding posture & not to forget wider tubeless tires. The Bike is very eager to lean when compared to previous Pulsars. So is this the new Handling champion ?? Sadly No here where I hated BAL the most, they have actually ruined a great handling Bike into a non handling one, the reason ?? The stupid main stand aargh the mains stand scrapes at slightest of the lean  I am very sure infact confidant that if the main stand is removed the Bike will be an awesome handler

Ok just before some shouts that some have taken curves without scraping the stand, I will like to make it clear that the stand scraping happens when you are taking tight twisties uphill or downhill i.e. it won’t affect much on straights but then you only need the leaning aspect on such twisties

Braking

Full marks here no comments it simply rules here Excellent breaking supported by a wide profile rear as well as front tire(Yes the front tire is broader too )

Headlights

10 out of 10 or may be 11 out of 10. The lights everywhere including the headlights are superb. Let it be tail lamps or the LCD or the backlit switches.

Drag Results

Frankly speaking the drags which we had were very amateurish & should be taken only as indicative & not as a proof because:

- The bikes had diff mileage on odo
- The drag was done on a strip which was barely 100-200 mtrs
- We had no timing device. And a few launches were not synchronized properly
- My Yellow Karizma is stock but has heavier & broader rear tire.
- The Pulsar 220 owner is not a good dragger.

Result 1: P220 VS Stock ZMA

P220 won on 2 runs

Result 2: P220 vs. Modded Karizma (with K&N and bigger jets)

Pulsar 220 won once and Karizma won 3 Times


Conclusion


Well am no journalist & this isn’t any magazine so I am really not sure what to post as a conclusion or verdict, rather I would put it as answers to commonly asked Qs

Q1: Is the P220 worth buying its price?
A1: Hell yeah! the P220 is a very good piece of machinery.

Q2: Is it better than ZMA?
A2: This is still debatable, while the engine is more powerful & has more torque than the ZMA, it still has niggling issues like poor RVMs & vibrations at higher revs which the Karizma lacks, Also the handling though very good is marred by the stupid stand which I believe can be fixed.
At the end one has to decide his priorities & go for it

Q3: Should I trade my karizma for the P220
A3: Unless you want to go for all the gadgetry & that extra power NO. Remember the slightly mudded zap beat it in the unofficial drag.

Phew that was one long write up. Now Enjoy the pics:-

All the bikes Lined up










Pulsar 220 and Stock karizma:-




































Modified karizma with K&N filter and bigger jets:-

































Black Pulsar 220 :-













































































Drag Pics:-



















VIDEOS COMING SOON


Credits:-
Pictures and Write-up By technocrat (www.xbhp.com)
Pulsar 220 Is of Pawan Pullwar
Yellow Karizma is of technocrat
Black Modified Karizma is of Vivek

Source:- www.xbhp.com

Sunday, March 18, 2007

TVS launches special riding gear for Apache owners

Indias third largest bike manufacturer TVS Motor has launched special riding gear for Apache owners. the riding gear includes Helmets (Brand: Vega) which are stylish with affordable price tags(Rs. 1117). 4 colors available.
They also have Gloves which are quite cheap too(Rs. 447) 2 colors available with M and L size.
Tees are just "must have" for a Apache owner. nice print and colors . Price range starting from Rs 256.
They also have Dedicated Apache Tank Pads (Rs.183), Apache tank bags (Rs. 245), AutoCop security system for Apache(Rs. 1531) ,seat Covers for Apache (Rs 296)and Bike covers(Rs. 312). U can purchase all these from any TVS dealer. For more info log on to:-

http://nowornever.in/AccessoriesHome.aspx

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

TVS Star Sports Launched


Two-wheeler major, TVS Motor Company (TVS-M) has launched a sport variant of its popular entry level motorcycle, 'Star City'. Launched in two versions, the basic and premium, the 100 cc 'Star Sport' is expected to strengthen TVS-M's market share in the entry level segment.

Further, the year 2007-08 will be an year of new launches and new initiatives for the company. Besides a slew of new launches, TVS-M's two new plants at Himachal Pradesh and Indonesia are also set to go on stream next fiscal.

"We have come out with 'Star Sport' to cater to that segment of customers, who were looking for more style in Star. While the Star variants at present have a market share of 10%, among all categories put together, we expect this to increase to 13%, with the launch of 'Star Sport," Mr K N Radhakrishnan, president, TVS-M told a press conference here on Monday.

Within the 'entry-level' segment, the Star variants command a 26% market share. "We hope to get market leadership in the entry level segment, with the launch of 'Star Sport' and we expect the market share to increase to 35%, from the present 26%," Mr Radhakrishnan said.

He agreed that the launch of yet another variant of Star, may result in eating into the sales of some of the other models from the company. "There could be cannibalisation to the tune of around 10%. But, then the move launch a more stylish Star is for a set of customers, who were keen to buy a Star if it offered more style, alongwith its existing qualities," he said.

While the basic variant of 'Star Sport' has been priced at Rs 33,990 (ex-showroom Chennai), the premium variant of the new model will carry a price tag of Rs 35,490 (ex-showroom Chennai). Nearly 75% of TVS-M's motorcycle sales comes from the Star variants, with another 15% - 20% coming from Apache and the Victor series contributing the rest.

According to him, the financial year 2007-08 will be an year for new launches and new initiatives. "Our plant in Himachal Pradesh will go operational in April this year, even while the company's first overseas plant in Indonesia, is expected to do the same in May. We will also be launching a new Apache, a three-wheeler in August, and a new Victor during 2007-08," Mr Radhakrishnan said.

The move to launch a new Victor, re-inforces the fact that the company needs an aggressive model in the segment to influence market share. "Nearly 50% of all the two-wheelers sold are from the executive segment, where we have just about 5%-7% share. The new product will help us increase our numbers significantly in this segment," he said.

Source:- EconomicTimes

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Govt links Harley's entry to bank licences in US

ICICI Bank chief KV Kamath and State Bank of India chairman OP Bhatt's plans to expand their footprint in the United States could be linked to Harley Davidson's entry into India.

The US government seems more than keen to ensure that India lowers import duty for Harley Davidson besides allowing it to ply on Indian roads despite not complying with the Euro emission norms.

Sources negotiating with US said deep interest is due to Harley Davidson's association with US President George W Bush.

While India has made it clear that it was not in a position to allow Harley Davidson's import without complying with the Euro II emission norms, it has indicated its willingness to follow a system of tariff rate quotas (TRQs) that will mean lower customs duty for a certain number of bikes (say 1,000), beyond which the applicable customs duty will be levied.

Sources said US government officials, who again raised the issue with their Indian counterparts earlier this month, have indicated that Harley Davidson expects to sell around 10,000 bikes over the next 10 years.

By allowing for TRQs for Harley Davidson, the government may be getting into a knotty situation and will make it open to such demands from other automobile makers, who have been complaining of the high import duties in India in the "garb" of protecting domestic manufacturers. So far, India has confined the use of TRQs largely to FTAs when dealing with import of sensitive products.

But officials said India will give the method a try if the US government was willing to grant fresh branch licences to ICICI Bank, SBI and Bank of Baroda, whose proposals have been pending for several years and also fast-track new rules for export of Indian mangoes.

"Indian negotiators have made it clear that any progress on Harley Davidson's case has to be linked to the progress on banking licences. Since US is more than keen to get a favourable dispensation for the bike maker, India is simply trying to seize the chance to negotiate a better deal for its banks,"said a negotiator.

The US government has kept in abeyance applications from the three Indian banks saying that India needs to amend its Prevention of Money Laundering Act to provide that terrorism per se is an offence.

It has said that amendments were a pre-requisite for India to become a member of the elite Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

But India, which believes that US is trying to arm twist it into agreeing on the changes, has cited China's case and said that membership of the FATF was a political decision.

China, which hardly follows any of the prudential or money laundering norms, was recently accorded observer status in the FATF.

In a retaliatory move, the government wants RBI to stop issuing fresh branch licences to US banks. But with Harley Davidson betting big on India, Indian banks could just get a few more US branches.

Source:- timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Tata's car affect on market: Bajaj

There's no doubt Ratan Tata had only good intentions when he said he conceived the Rs one lakh car as he cared for the safety of those using two-wheelers. But Bajaj Auto Chairman Rahul Bajaj thinks its just a ploy to market the vehicle.

"He has to sell his car... so he has to speak like that," Bajaj shot back when reporters asked him about Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata's remark that one of the major reasons for him to decide on the 'people's car' was the concern for safety of those travelling by two-wheelers.

Two-wheelers are sold all over the world, it has been proven that they are safe, he said, adding his company's products were safe.

Bajaj also denied that the advent of Rs one lakh car would affect the two-wheeler manufacturers.

"Ultimately it is the customers who will decide what they want," he said.

Tata had said that the Rs one lakh car would mark a paradigm shift in the way India travels and will draw customers from the two-wheeler segment as well as from the lower end of the four wheeler segment.

The small car to be powered by a 600 cc engine, which could have air conditioning option and seat four to five people, is widely considered to be a threat to the two-wheeler segment.

Tata Motors is in the process of building a plant in Singur in West Bengal for the people's car, which it hopes to roll out by next year.

The price differentials between the small car and the high end motorcycles likes of Bajaj Pulsar 200 cc, the to-be-launched Pulsar 220 cc and Hero Honda Karizma are expected to be minimal.

No division of Bajaj Auto : Rahul Bajaj

Ruling out a complete division of the Bajaj Auto empire between his two sons, Rajiv and Sanjiv, Chairman Rahul Bajaj Friday said they would continue to be part of the company even after the proposed demerger takes place.

"Both the boys will clearly continue to be in Bajaj Auto, no doubt about it," Bajaj told reporters here.

He, however, added that his younger son Sanjiv "may probably spend more time on the new demerged company or companies".

Bajaj reiterated that plan to demerge the company's financial and investments business into a separate entity was based on the intention of unlocking shareholder value by utilising surplus cash and not because of the reported "rift between the brothers".

"You cannot simply divide a company between individuals when you have so many shareholders interest to be taken into consideration," he said.

The board of Bajaj Auto is likely to take up the issue of demerger in its meeting in May or July, he added.

Sanjiv, Executive Director of BAL, however, said the demerger process was being evaluated at the moment and it would depend on what kind of impact it would have on bal.

"If the cash flows of BAL continue to be positive after the demerger, probably the board will give a go ahead. But if it is going to be negative, I don't think the board will approve of it," he said.

Sanjiv, however, added that in the past few years the company's cash flows have been positive and is likely to continue so.

Asked if the proposed demerger of Bajaj Auto would have any bearing on the company's joint-ventures with German financial firm Allianz, Rahul Bajaj replied in the negative.

"It will have no effect whatsoever on the shareholding of the joint ventures with Allianz," he said.

Bajaj Auto has joint ventures with Allianz -- Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance -- in which it is the majority partner.

On the issue of BAL's 41.5 per cent holding in Bajaj Auto Finance post demerger, he said the board would decide on how and where it would be transferred.

Bajaj also said even if the board gives its nod for the demerger, the whole process was likely to take time as it would have to get regulatory and high court approvals.

BAL has about Rs 8,000 crore cash surplus and its foreign institutional investment partners have been pressing it to utilise it by hiving off the financial and investments business into separate entity.

Source:- CentralChronicle

Stoner storms to maiden win


Casey Stoner held off 22 laps of intense pressure from Valentino Rossi to take his first Moto GP win at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old Australian made the most of his Ducati's superior straightline speed to hold off the Italian on what was his first race for the Italian squad, triumphing by 2.838 seconds and taking a five-point lead in the championship.

Pole-man Rossi held the lead at the start, followed by Stoner and Toni Elias, but Stoner blasted by the five-time world champion as they crossed the line for the first time, giving notice of his intent to fight for victory.

Rossi's Yamaha was equal to Stoner's Ducati through the twisty section of the track, and it was there where he passed the Australian three times during the race, but was each time undone by his bike's lack of straightline speed, which was 20kph slower than his rival's.

In the end, Stoner made the decisive move on lap 19 when he powered into the lead on the approach to the first corner and then set the fastest lap of the race on the final tour to take victory.

Third was the Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa, who made the best of an ill-handling bike to hold off the Suzuki of John Hopkins – who was riding with his hand in bandages following a testing crash.

The pair spent the first half of the race right on the tail of Stoner and Rossi, in what was a six-bike fight for the lead with Loris Capirossi's Ducati and Marco Melandri's Gresini Honda. That battle became five-way when Capirossi binned it on lap seven.

Melandri went backwards through the first half of the race after a bright start, but recovered as his fuel load lessened to pass the Yamaha of the disappointing Colin Edwards for fifth with three laps to go.

Seventh was Chris Vermeulen on the second Suzuki, while world champion Nicky Hayden took a battling eighth on his Repsol Honda – passing Alex Barros' d'Antin Ducati with two laps to go. Shinya Nakano completed the top ten on his Konica Minolta Honda.

It was a disastrous race for Elias though, who was lay third at the first corner. After falling back through the field all afternoon, he took a trip through the gravel after being passed for ninth by Hayden and eventually finished 14th.

At least he finished though, which was more than could be said for Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet, who high-sided out on lap eight and Carlos Checa who slid off his LCR Honda next time round.

Source:- EuroSport

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Bajaj plans bloodbath before 100cc exit



Signalling a bloodbath in the motorcycles space next quarter, Bajaj Auto has written to its dealers (a copy of the letter is with FE) that it will slash the price of its 100cc Platina by around Rs 3,000 (9%) effective March 10. That would make Platina the cheapest bike in the market, more affordable than Hero Honda’s CD Dawn.

Industry watchers see this as Bajaj’s attempt to hurt the margins of Hero Honda Motors, the market leader and the largest player in the 100cc segment, just before Bajaj exits the 100cc market as scheduled in mid-2007. Hero Honda is already under pressure with analysts expecting single digit net margins for the first time in history in the Jan-March quarter. If it responds to the Platina price cut, margins could get even thinner.

In an e-mail to its dealers, Bajaj Auto’s vice president, marketing and sales (two-wheeler), S Sridhar, wrote, “Platina would drive huge growth for us and this would be experienced in March, April and May '07. We are fully prepared for the post-Holi marriage season gameplan.”

The move comes at a time when Bajaj Auto’s sales showed negative growth. In February, Bajaj Auto sold 1,74,220 units, down 3% as against 1,79,880 units in the same month last year.

Platina’s new price, Rs 31,714 (ex-showroom in Uttar Pradesh), would break the 100cc segment's price barrier set by Hero Honda's cheapest model CD Dawn (Rs 31,900). Of late, the sales of the newly-refurbished CD Dawn have taken off, spurring Hero Honda's overall sales and helping it widen the lead over Bajaj Auto. During February, the gap between Hero Honda and Bajaj once again widened to 1.06 lakh units, up from 37,883 units in September last year.

According to auto analysts, Hero Honda's current product mix, including the renewed CD Deluxe, CBZ X-treme, Passion Plus (limited edition) among four others has helped the company thwart Bajaj's gameplan to overtake the number one bike manufacturer so far. Bajaj also intends to price its 125cc-plus bikes in the same range as that of the 100cc bikes in the market.

“Our move to exit 100cc segment and making new bikes with high value proposition for customers are bound to move not only Bajaj customers but the whole of 100cc customers in favour of the new bikes. Platina, which sells around 60,000 units a month, accounts for nearly 10% of the 7 million units domestic bike market,” Sridhar said in his mail, adding that the launch of new bikes will take four to five months from now.

Source:- FinancialExpress

2007 Honda Unicorn

After so long honda has finally decided to give a new look to there Unicorn bike. Unicorn was really liked by all bike lovers in India but sadly the looks have now got outdated. Consumer is choosing better looking bikes like CBZ Xtreme, Pulsar and apache over Unicorn. So, honda is finally upgrading there Unicorn and it will be launched nxt week

Here are specs of new unicorn.

1) New Karizma like alloy wheels.
2) Trip meter
3) Padded-type bikini fairing for less vibrations
4) 100/90 rear tire
5) Even better handling
6) Displacement and power remains same!
7) Golden front disk calipers
8) New front fairing
9) Dark Silver engine colour
10) CBZ Xtreme like side panels
11) Black front forks


Honda also said that they are looking forward to launch there CBR 600cc by end of 2007 to show there "sporty side".

Source:- www.Xbhp.com

New pics of Pulsar 200cc RED




here are pics of Pulsar 200cc RED Colour...... ENJOY!
Source:- www.Xbhp.com