Exhaust Mods. Worthy or Not?

India being the largest two wheeler market has an immense potential for customisation and modifications. As far as two wheeler's are concerned the most common modification is the switch to an aftermarket free flow exhaust/slip on. The most important point to be made here is that 99% of all the exhaust mods available are not legal. As there are norms to regulate the noise and emission level of any motorcycle/scooter, the noise should not exceed 85 dB and the vehicle should conform to BS IV standards. But until recently the RTO and Traffic Police have been showing a blind eye to the same but there has been a recent crackdown in Bangalore, Karnataka on the most popular bike manufacturer raking the highest number of exhaust mods, it is none other than our very own Royal Enfield. Click on the link to read more about this.

Most of the exhaust mods are meant only for off-road use and are not road worthy, but many users do not realise the same. There is no doubt that Royal Enfield tops the list on exhaust mods, especially because the newer bikes do not come with the same thump which the older Enfield's have but apart from the mods being illegal is it really worth to change the exhaust?

It is not surprising that most after market exhaust manufacturers have extra ordinary claims like a 20% increase in performance. To be very fair most of the exhaust systems rarely increase the engine output by such a huge margin. Like everything the engine is a system and barely modifying one component only puts more strain on the other components rather than being productive. So in our opinion for you to really benefit from the exhaust change you would need to change the intake system, valve timing, valve openings, ecu remap etc. But this would surely burn a hole in your pocket, instead one can opt for a better performing stock motorcycle.

On top of all this there is a lot to be considered while designing an exhaust system, one important factor is backpressure from the exhaust. Although a lot is done to reduce the exhaust back pressure as much as possible the pipe diameter, exhaust length is linked to the valve timing/overlap, valve opening etc. Once an exhaust mod is done this tuning is disrupted resulting in greater losses which allows the fresh charge (air-fuel mixture) to be expelled from engine without getting burnt. This results in a spectacular looking after burn from exhaust in some cases as shown below.

Exhaust flame from Royal Enfield Electra with Short Bottle Exhaust

Although this looks spectacular it is burning off the unused fuel resulting in a loss in economy. Another downside to this is it increases the exhaust temperature which can result in engine damage by warping the exhaust valves which would reduce compression. This can also cause mis-fire because the exhaust valve might ignite the charge before the ignition time. It also reduces fuel economy. To avoid this the mixture needs to be made richer, which is easier on a carbed motorcycle but for EFI bikes it would require a remap or piggyback ECU.

Overheated Bend Pipe of a Motorcycle.

The effects of an exhaust mod is different on various bikes. For example enfield's have low compression and lower rpm's which ensures the engine is not damaged to the extent a high revving short stroke engine such as KTM Duke 390. However engine damage is inevitable with exhaust mods. One needs to understand that motorcycle manufacturers spend a great deal of time and money testing the engine and combinations of exhaust systems, hence if someone claims a miraculous increase its generally not the case.

What if i have improved power as well as FE? An exhaust mod generally changes the power band of an vehicle. This could improve driveability based on the exhaust design like a short bottle silencer would result in a loss of a low end torque which is better in case of a long bottle silencer. So if you are driving in a city a long bottle silencer would be better. Fuel economy may be marginally better but that is because of your driving style and probably because your engine is still pristine but mostly it results in an FE drop unless its perfectly tuned and the newer layout suits your driving style.

To conclude the discussion an exhaust mod is definitely not worth it unless your need is justified (racing/off-roading). There are ample choices but most of the cheaper exhausts are poorly designed and generally affect the engine. More expensive options may cost around 30-35k but however they don't justify their price and as said earlier it would make more sense to invest the money in a better performing bike. Also because most of the exhaust mods remove the catalytic converter it results in more emissions, add to that its illegal and it really doesn't make sense.

Cruiser, Sport, Street and Dual Sport - The Difference Explained

The Indian biking scene has seen a lot of huge changes over the past few years with a lot of manufacturer's stepping into the Indian motorcycle market. Also the choice for a customer has now drastically increased especially those looking for >1 lakh category of motorcycles and so has the confusion. Hopefully you would be a lot more clearer after reading this article.

Let's start with categorising some of the well known bikes into different categories -

Cruiser - Bajaj Avenger, Royal Enfield Thunderbird, Hyosung GV250

Sport - Yamaha R15, KTM RC 390 , Kawasaki Ninja 300

Street - KTM Duke 200, Yamaha FZS, Suzuki Gixxer

Dual Sport - Bajaj Pulsar AS 200, Triumph Tiger 800XCx

So this should help visualise the different categories of bikes. A lot of people buy bikes based on the popular bikes which are hot selling in the market giving little thought to whether that would suffice their particular use. It needs to be understood that every particular bike is built with a purpose in mind and a lot of factors are taken into consideration is given to the class of the motorcycle. But in India it is common to see bikes being used for totally different purposes. The best example for this would be the use of Yamaha R15 as a touring bike.

A Yamaha R15 in Ladakh.

It is not wrong to use a bike for multiple purposes but a bike which has been built for street/track would not perform well in rough terrains and off-road conditions. There are lot of things to consider let us take them one by one.

1) Motorcycle Ergonomics - Motorcycle Ergonomics has got to be the most ignored thing while deciding on which bike to buy atleast in India although on the contrary it is one of the most important factors to be considered. Let us take 4 bikes belonging to different segments in order to compare.

 

Ref: http://cycle-ergo.com/

The above 4 bikes belong to different classes and there is a huge difference in their seating positions and postures. If we see in the cruiser segment we have the thunderbird it has a very comfortable seating position designed for longer trips rather than sharp maneuvers. The seat height is low at just 30 inches and foot pegs are placed forward allowing for a comfortable seating position and the position is upright which helps in reducing fatigue over long distances. The purpose of this bikes is to cruise comfortable on long straights.

If we have a look at the R15 it is exactly opposite of the Thunderbird the seating position is low and the foot pegs are swept backwards and the rider leans over the front handle bars. This forward crouched position is needed for track riding as it increases maneuverability of the bike but it can be a pain for long rides as the seating position causes back, neck and wrist pain.

The KTM on the other hand is meant for short rides in and out of city it has an almost upright position it also has back swept foot pegs the seating and handle bars are both positioned relatively higher which allows fast direction changes. It is good for normal city use where maneuvering a cruiser or sport bike would be relatively tough.

The dual sport bikes are almost new to India market and they are basically bikes which can be used for touring and in both tarmaced surface and on dirt as well. They have much higher seating positions and the handlebar is kept higher with respect to the seat to help the rider reach easily even whilst standing on the foot pegs again the seating is almost vertical. The foot pegs are almost exactly below the rider's seat allowing the rider to stand upon them for steering.

So this said even in a particular class a bike need not suit your proportions. R15 is more suited to people with short and medium heights and Ninja 300 is more suited for medium and tall people. You can visit the above link and verify the ergonomics of the particular bike by giving your height as input.

2) Motorcyle Dynamics - Motorcycle dynamics refers to the geometry of the motorcycle and more specifically its steering and suspension components. One of the most important factor which decides the steering effort and agility of the bikes is the rake angle of the motorcycle. 

It is the angle of the steering axis from the vertical and it can be observed as the inclination of the front forks in most motorcycles. As the angle increases the bike becomes more stable in the straight line and the steering effort increases while lower the angle the greater the agility of the bike and also the maneuverability increases. In case of cruisers generally the rake angle is quite high as they are more oriented towards straight line driving than cornering. It is the least for sport and street bikes while the dual sport bikes rate in between.

The next most important system would be the suspension of the motorcycle. There are a lot of different suspension systems like upside down forks for front suspension and monoshock for the rear suspension but honestly they dont make all that much of a difference. What really makes the difference is the stiffness of the suspension and travel which the suspension provides. Let us talk about the front forks first. Most of the track/street bikes have very less travel to offer as a stiff suspension would help them in better handling than a soft suspension but this can be a pain on long rides as this might increase the vibrations and cause fatigue to the rider. However the suspension is generally soft and has good travel on both the cruiser and dual sport bikes but this makes them harder to handle as well. In the rear the primary advantage of monoshock is that it gives very good wheel travel and most of the modern bikes are equipped with monoshocks and very few bikes have very stiff setup in the rear as it directly affects the rider comfort. KTM Duke has a very stiff suspension setup which is a big turn off while doing longer trips. Another big advantage is that most of the bikes have adjustable pre-load which also affects the suspension stiffness.

Pre-Load Adjustment on Rear Suspension

For track riding generally the preload is kept at the highest position with maximum compression of the spring for road use its best to keep preload on the lowest possible setting. as shown in the picture above.

3) Engine Power & Characteristics - The engine power is the last thing which matter while selecting a right motorcycle. It is always better to have more power but the downside is that higher displacement motorcycles generally cost more and also the mileage is lower. However for the Indian road conditions there is any use for motorcycles >250cc exceptions being the enfields as they have comparatively lesser out put for displacement.

While most people look at engine power they dont consider the driveability and characteristics of the engine. If you have a highly peaked power band which would deliver the peak power at 9000-10000 rpm your motorcycle would be extremely sluggish at the mid range which would be mostly used. A peaked power and torque band is again only useful in the track and not on road so most sport bikes tend to have such characteristics. Also it has to be remembered that faster revving engines develop more problems and give lesser efficiency than lower revving engines. So for cruisers it would be preferable to have an engine which produces torque at lower rpm Enfields are good for this to put it in perspective an Enfield 350cc does 80kmph at 3100 rpm in 5th gear while a CBR 250r does that at 5000 rpm in 6th gear. For street bikes a peppy fast revving engine would greatly increase the driveability suitably with a flat torque curve,

Hopfully this article has highlighted the important factors of choosing the right bike for the right purpose and why its important. Also there are some bikes which fall into both the categories like CBR 250r comes under a category called Sports Tourer which ensures its seating position is not too agressive and it can be used for touring as well and even the suspension is setup relatively soft. Whatever the bike you choose be certain about the riding style you want and decide based on where the bike would mostly be used.

Royal Enfield - An Emerging Indian Motorcycle Manufacturer

It all started way back in 1901 in England when the Enfield Manufacturing ltd. made their first motorcycle it was quite literally a cycle with a motor (engine) attached to it. After the company was dissolved in 1971 in the year 1995 Enfield of India bought the rights to use the brand name "Royal Enfield" and the company transcended from UK to India. Also now the brand "Royal Enfield" became a wholly owned subsidiary of Eicher Motors ltd.

Royal Enfield is now the oldest motorcycle brand in the world and the "Bullet" is now the oldest motorycle still to be in production. The brand has seen a recent upswing in sales since the introduction of their new power plant. They introduced their unit construction engine in the year 2007 and totally shifted to UCE by year 2009.

The company now has sales of over 26,000+ units in a month. It is now doubt that Royal Enfield is on an expansion spree with them opening a ton of new dealerships. The company is also targeting at exports to account for considerable part in its sales. It is quite evident with the company's launch of Continental GT that it was targeted at exports rather than sales in India. Recently the company has hired 'Rod Copes' former sales & service head of Harley Davidson to pilot the expansion of RE in North America. The company also has its presence in UK which is where it all started.

The RE bikes truly hold a ornamental value to them and their owners are certainly a spirited lot. However it is in no doubt that it lacks on the technological field. To address this the company has recently recruited Pierre Terblanche who is an ex-ducati desinger and has contributed to Ducati's launches till 2007.

To add to more specualtion the company has recently announced the development of its third plant in Chennai near the new Orgadam plant which was recently inaugurated. With the advent of the new plant the production is expected to increase further by 70-75%. The monumental Thiruvatriyur plant is destined to become a museum for all the Enfield enthusiasts.

We expect a whole new series of engines and bikes ranging from 350-700cc and the advent of a twin cylinder plant in future RE's. There might be whole new platforms in line.One thing we can be certain is that Royal Enfield is going to be in the forefront of automotive development in India and a brand ambassador for the same to the World!

KTM Track Day Chennai - 30/11/14

Ever since the launch of KTM back in 2012 the company has seen exponential growth and has set benchmarks in performance category of bikes. KTM is also known for aggressive marketing in form of orange days, orange rides and track days. Out of these events the track days are the most sought after.

In India track riding still has a long way to go and many bikers dont get the opportunity to ride on the track. To give this experience KTM has started a track day exclusively for its Duke 390 & RC 390 customers. KTM aims to educate bikers about riding skills and techniques while offering them a fun filled opportunity to ride on the track. The main reason for limiting this opportunity to only 390 customers is because it would be possible to accommodate the 200 customers as well.

The second edition of KTM Track Day, Chennai was recently held on 30th November. Having waited a long time we were looking forward to a fun filled day. The track day was held at Madras Motor Sports Club which is now a "Grade - 2" certified track and one of the oldest racing tracks of India.

The day started with early registrations at 7:00 a.m. where over 100+ riders had registered themselves for the event. They were promptly split into four batches Batch 1&4 were for first timers with Duke 390, Batch 2 was for RC 390 owners and Batch 3 was for Duke 390 owners with experience. There was a steady drizzle and the track was wet not the ideal conditions for new comers to ride on the track.

The team from Apex Racing had come to give us professional crash course on track riding. After the registration we moved on to bike scrutiny area where the rear suspension was made stiffer, rear foot pegs tied, indicators taped and our bike numbers stuck. After a quick dash to the breakfast the session started around 10:30 a.m.

A practice run was allowed for the new comers to get accustomed to the track. Just before the entry onto track the riding gear of each rider were scrutinized. After which a classroom session was hosted to teach the basics of track riding which included smooth throttle operation, using of minimal braking, single gear riding. After which was another track session where the instructors observed the riders. A review was hosted after which the entry and exit into corners was thought. A 3rd session of racing followed where we practiced all the techniques thought. A final review was hosted over snacks and tea before allowing the last track session where we were allowed to use brakes and ride hard. This session resulted in best timings as the track was also drying by this time.

We were called in for a group shot and the vote of thanks ended the day at 5:30 p.m. It was overall a great experience for the riders to experience the track and everyone was a better rider by end of the day. Although there were a few slips and falls there were no serious injuries as there was every safety precaution taken to ensure a safe and enjoyable racing weekend.

Review of Pulsar 200ns

Well the bike which has had the most amount of hype and controversy behind it and its the latest offering from one of the most selling trademark product lines of India the "PULSAR" series. Bajaj auto has finally decided to make a radical change after selling pulsar for more than a decade. They have teamed up with KTM to manufacture a 200cc naked bike with more power than any other pulsar till date. It is clear that the pulsar 200ns has taken heavy inspiration from the Duke. Similarities apart both bikes are quite different the first ride on the duke would tell you it loves to be revved hard and the engine hardly shows any sign of strain till it hits the rev limiter at 10.5k rpm but the 200ns is a more tamed beast it tries to be silent and though it too revs freely it feels best at lower rpms. Then comes the price difference of 50k which gives it the highest value for money. But has everything else been compromised let us see.


Looks, Ride and Ergonomics

The pulsar 200ns is well designed and has a great build quality too and the front is just fabulous with sharp edges the rear end is spoiled by the old pulsar tail lamps. Overall its one of the good looking bikes with the huge tank up in front. The build quality is great and the plastics are of good quality as well and the blue backlight switches do add a nice touch. The console is adequate with a big easily read tacho and a digital speedo with tripmeter and clock but its still no where near the duke's which gives almost every parameter of the bike! The Pulsar is a tall bike so all riders below 5 feet 8" must check the seating position. It comes with a split seat with good back rest for the rider the pillion seat too is comfortable considering its a sports bike. The bike is smooth and the gear shifts with ease and use of alloy pedals, levers and inserts adds a nice touch to the the bike as well.

Performance and Engine
The duke comes with a 200cc, fuel injected, single cylinder, single spark engine putting out 25 bhp whilst the pulsar comes with a 200cc, carbeureted engine with three spark plugs! It makes do with just 23.5 bhp and the duke is also 10kgs lighter and comes with better aerodynamics so it is a bit puzzling when 200ns owners claiming that their bike is indeed faster but it can be easily traced to the highly optimistic speedo ( some vids show 200ns at over 150kmph!) while the official top speed by bajaj is 136kmph and the bike would max out at approximately the same speed. It is slower than duke in acceleration but low end performance is better in 200ns than duke because of  carbeurated engine and hence it is better in traffic while the duke feels happy only beyond 3k rpm.



Handling, Suspension and Tires
The duke is only second to R15 in terms of handling it feels rock solid in corners and the bike is always under your control with good feedback from the suspension which is hard while the 200ns comes with relatively softer suspension and the handling is not as sharp as the duke. Further the ns is let down by the tires which are very hard and narrow while the soft zappers on duke practically stick onto the road but on the brighter side the ns should have better tire life! The ns too corners well but it takes more time to set in than the duke and having softer suspension set up is always a better thing for longer distances.



Braking

It is my opinion that the brakes are one of the most essential parts of any motorcycle and the most important in any performance bike, the pulsar 200ns comes with a 2 pot calliper and petal discs on the front in the rear with a single pot calliper. The braking on the NS is sharp and i dont feel much difference between in normal braking between the ns and duke but under hard braking the duke copes better in ns the tires are a let down and lock up before duke not something you would want on an bike without ABS!




Mileage
The pulsar no doubt is a winner in this segment while the duke gives 35kmpl at its best you can expect pulsar to deliver >45kmpl . But in normal cirumstances 40-45 kmpl should be the target. The ns delivers optimum fuel economy under sedate driving while on rash driving the fuel economy  is the same as duke.

Verdict
The pulsar 200ns was indeed a pleasant surprise it has the right elements required for a performance bike and the cost cutting is not very evident and it performs good and has the best value for money but somehow you dont get as much joy of riding in the 200ns as the duke is just mesmerising it has a mind of its own and puts a wide grin on your face. So it is my opinion too that ns is the best option in its price range but if you could afford duke is worth the extra 50k.

Click to see the entire Pulsar 200 ns Gallery!
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Review of Yamaha R15 v2.0

When you utter the word "sportsbike" the first thing that strikes the mind of an India Biker is R15. Such is the popularity of this bike in the market so no doubt the R15 is an extraordinary machine which introduced India to the concept of a sportsbike and has stood the test of time and with the second version launched its got more leaner,meaner and faster. Ohk, there are couple of fundamental reasons for the popularity of R15 its single cylinder 150cc engine puts out 17ps of power which gives it power to weight ratio of 125 bhp/tonne to put it in perspective Honda Accord with a 2.4l V6 engine has a power to weight ratio of just 123 bhp/tonne and with the help of aerodynamics help this beast to a top whack of 135-140kmph which is very commendable for a 150cc engine. Let us see what else makes up this benchmark bike of 150cc.

Engine and Performance

The R15 uses a liquid cooled single cylinder SOHC (Single Over Head Cam Shaft) it should come with a DOHC (Dounble Over Head Cam Shaft) to facilitate better exhaust needs of the high revving engine that said the SOHC unit in R15 has higher lift cams to facilitate the exhaust (If you dont understand the technical jargon above the R15's engine is still good enough). As stated above it has a tremendous power to weight ratio and a good torque of 15nm at a tad higher 7500 rpm but this gives it a big advantage over its competiton the cbr 150r which develops lesser torque of 13 nm at even higher 8500 rpm having peak torque at lower rpm helps in driveability of the bike and acceleration while the torque at higher end facilitates cruising at higher speeds. The Yamaha engine is rev friendly and quickly revs up and doesnt feel strained at higher revs and the R15 has a better mid range while the cbr comes with a strong top end this too is advantageous for yamaha as you dont need to work it hard to get performance from the engine.

Handling and Chassis
The R15 has set the benchmark in handling for 150cc segments and is a brilliant track machine it comes with a triangular delta frame which provides good rigidity and the feedback can be just termed as awesome. It is chuckable and feels at home while cornering at any speed and even an amateur rider can achieve incredible angles of lean with confidence although the cbr 150r has a real good diamond type chassis it just cannot keep up with the r15 at corners. The R15 comes with sticky mrf's which suit the bikes profile.



Ride, Ergonomics and Build Quality

The yamaha R15 no doubt rides harshly but thats something you expect if you want good handling it has a hard front suspension with somewhat softer rear monoshock but its rideable. Its a lean-forward bike and for tall riders it does feel small at times but the rider should be comfortable once you get used to the posture but the pillion seat is high up in the air with no grab rails so it will be nightmarish for anyone behind but i guess that is one of the reason you buy R15 you can reserve the seat for a special person and you can count on R15 to deliver one hell of a ride everytime! The build quality can be termed as good the plastic bits feel good and i absolutely love the carbon fiber sticker on the limited edition R15 and its sharp curves are exciting. The design is similar to its elder siblings like the R6 but its refreshing and suits the bike well.

Mileage
After R15 being better than cbr 150r in all departments finally the cbr 150r catches up with impressive mileage of upto 50 kmpl while the r15 ditches out only 40 kmpl average at its best. Although mileage should not be the deciding factor for a buying a performance bike lets keep in our mind we are in India where more mileage is always welcome.

Verdict
The R15 is still the reigning king of 150cc motorcycles and if you have seen comparisons it is compared with CBR 250r and Duke 200 such is the stature which this bike enjoys and i can only say it deserves it. It is definitely a track machine but a bike well tested on the Indian roads and conditions and yamaha is doing everything to keep its flagship bike of India on the top. You should buy the R15 if you want a good ride with performance and insane handling which it delivers the only reason you should spend more for the CBR 150r is for the high mileage and for the touring capabilities in which r15 is rated lower. At 1.19 lakhs (ex-showroon) i feel its worth the price more than the CBR150r.

Note: I have had countless R15 owners coming to me for advice on performance modifications its my sincere opinion that its better to keep it stock than add a FFE and Cold air intake and retune the ECU all of which will cost around 80k and a drop in mileage when you can get a more powerful stock bike with better mileage for just 30k more. Unless you are taking your bike to race i feel its useless to modify it and risk the warrenty.
Credits- Aditya S Rao and Monik Reddy for the R15 pics.

Review of the All new Thunderbird 500

I was waiting for this one and finally i got a chance to ride the latest offering from Royal Enfield the Thunderbird 500. The 1st thing you notice on the bike is the blue lit dials which look modern and classy at the same time and read the speed in both kmph and mph although its not necessary its cool! You get a tachometer which red lines at 5500rpm and a digital display below the speedo to give you the trip meter and average speed and other necessity's. And on pressing the starter the electric motor cranks up the engine and you can hear a deep sounding brutal engine slowly coming to life. The sound is pleasure there is a new thump and i am all in for it. It produces a loud yet subtle note which gets better as you rev the engine hard.

Performance

Since it was an 500cc vehicle i decided to be cautious with it and soon realised the clutch engaged only at the at the end this is not very comfortable in traffic but helps to keep the 500c vehicle under control. After riding it in the city streets for some time i decided to head to open roads what better place than the chennai bypass. Once i hit the bypass i gunned the engine and was surprised with the pick up and the bike pulled cleanly till 120 kmph and had still more than 1000 rpm to the indicated red line but the road was bumpy and it was dark so we decided to call it off and head back. The bike should have a top speed of 140kmph and later on dragging it against a CBR 250r we found that the bike is a tad slower but still in sight of CBR which is surprising for a heavy vehicle such as this. There have been some tweaks in the engine but its minor and overall it should be quite similar to the plant in classic 500.

Handling
Traditionally the scariest part of owning a thubnderbird the bikes were designed to be cruiser hence had long wheel base and heavy weight (comparative to other bikes of the segment) and when chucked into a corner they werent in their comfort zone but all that has changed with the new thunderbird its shorter wheelbase and lighter weight means its nimble and quick and allows you to slip past traffic with ease cornering was not bad too it cornered well even at speed and maintained its composure. The bike has been designed for both cruising and city riding in mind. While the shorter wheelbase and compact dimensions are favorable for the city. The 20l tank up front reminds you to ride further.
The braking is provided by double disc both in front and rear which are fit enough to bring th bike to a stop but ABS is missing which is disappointing.

Mileage
The engine comes with electronic fuel injection which should improve the economy and the 500 mill should return a mileage of around 25 kmpl in city and 28-30 on the highways under normal driving. This is respectable keeping in mind its a 500cc engine.



Ergonomics and Ride

The most important thing of a cruiser and the place where the thunderbird scores i never liked the cruiser feel mostly because you dont have as much control over the bike like the other bikes but the thunderbird comes with perfect arrangement and ensures good rideability and feel of the bike while giving good control. The pillion seat is comfortable as well the only issue being the odd looking small backrest provided for the pillion rider which although does it job looks awkward for a bike of that stature. Also the bike soaks up the terrain really well even in bad roads makes
riding a breeze.

Looks and Build Quality
The looks of the bike at first sight might not be that appealing, but its a completely new design and for the first time RE has paid attention to detail and quality which will soon grow upon you. To start off now the bike comes with a factory fitted projectors which provide good throw at any condition and help in increasing the riders confidence. The tail lamp, indicators are all LED which looks great. The tank lid is offset to the right and looks great while ensuring that tank is filled to brim when on side stand. The leg rests for the rider and pillion are cylindrical with RE stamped on them. The switch's and other plastic bits seem to be of good quality. The logo is embossed on the side and all other bits seem of good quality too.


Verdict
After riding the bike for nearly 200kms it was indeed an incredible experience and the bike is perfect for highway cruising with plenty of fire in its belly and is one hell of a bike to ride no doubt about it and the performance is too good to be true while the handling is a breeze but the flavor of enfield is somewhat missing out and more of a regular bike rather than an ENFIELD! Its nice to see that even royal enfield has gone with the times and are offering new technologies like electronic fuel injection, led tail lamps and so on. All this should ensure wider audience for the bike and owning an enfield shouldnt be as scary as it used to be. Although it might not impress the hardcore RE fans but it should be a hit for the general audience with almost no serious cons it should be one of the best rides from RE stable so far. But beware the bike still loves to leak oil!

What does biking mean?

Pic- Himalayan Odyssey by Royal Enfield.

Everyday we see,read and hear about biking, the question arises what does it signify? The people's understanding may be varied but biking signifies freedom as far as i am concerned. Our lifestyle is monotonous and plagued with boredom and the way to release all the pressure is to hit the road and what better way to do it than in a 2 wheeler. The joy of riding a motorcycle cannot be found even in riding the most expensive cars it provides a meaning to life and defines your personality. While others indulge in momentary pleasures of alcohol and drugs bikers indulge in riding which simply puts everything behind them and there is nothing as welcoming as the sight of open road and sunset on the horizon.

You need not have an expensive ride to enjoy the joy of riding you can ride in almost any ride what is important is you understand the limitations of  yourself and bike. In context of India, biking has tremendous potential as we are one of the largest market for two wheeler's and yet biking has not caught up in India as much as it has in other countries. I believe we are in a brink of a biking break through. Most of the two wheeler brands do not encourage amateur riders but some brands like RE are seriously taking it upon them to ensure their customers explore to maximum extent. KTM has also joined in by sponsoring "orange day" in various cities to provide a platform for various ktm owners to mingle.

There is a lot of social stigma associated with biking and the type of riders but none of it is true because i have personally met many bikers most of whom are professionals with a white collar job during the weekdays and in the weekends avid riders who dont care as much about the destination as they do about the route which they take. There are a few decent biking clubs in cities but there are majorly closed circles of like minded people. It doesnt matter whether you are 18 or 80 all that matters is that you have a passion to ride. The people's mindset has to change greatly to form groups and ride with people you barely know and only have riding passion as a common. One can start by forming small groups among friends and with small rides of 100-150 kms and then increase the number of people and kms. Also one can explore the beauty of the country through biking and i feel that biking as a culture is fastly becoming a part of our life with more and more people joining in. 

Royal Enfield Old vs New

Royal Enfield is one of the cult brands of the motorcycling world and by far the company most revered by bikers atleast as far as India is concerned. It was and is a legendary brand and also now an Indian company owned by Eicher group. The company which was in loses has turned around over the last few years with the launch of new model like Classic with Unit Construction Engine and Twinspark Technology.

But after riding various versions of Enfields dating back to 1972 when the RE created a sensation by launching a diesel version of bullet which is now one of the vintage collector's bike i feel the magic is somehow lost in the modern Enfield's. Yes, the RE's nowadays are giving better mileage, more refined and most of all reliable and easily serviceable with even more power. But the joy of riding a old RE Diesel at just 70 kmph cannot be found when riding a classic at 120 kmph. In the past owning a RE was one hell of a job, the bikes had many issues primary of which was oil leakage from the cast iron casing, also the clutch wires broke frequently and one had to have good knowledge of the bike and always carry spares when hitting the road.
You needed lot of experience and force just to kick start the old bikes and till recently there was no self start and even till date the RE's come with kicker which is a welcome sign as you would not be left stranded in case your battery died. The thump was much more metallic thanks to the cast iron engine and open silencer even thought people are modifying the silencer's it cannot be compared to the old bikes which simply roar down the street. The older bikes were also the kind of bikes which lasted you a life time if maintained properly but although they were not well engineered even for that time but they were all fun to ride and defined personality of the person. The modern bikes however are becoming more of a youth fantasy rather than a bikers desire they are now lighter, faster and nimble and not at all hard to ride which is good but not appealing to a hardcore biker.
I like the Thunderbird from the RE's stable a lot and have ridden almost all versions of it and i feel there is nothing that can beat the first version which required muscle to just get it going and was still powerful enough to hit 120 kmph with a cast iron engine. The bike had its set of problems like false neutrals from the gearbox, complicated clutch wire changing which is a problem when it breaks quite frequently, and the insufficient kicker but still the vibration and the thump will put a smile on your face. The newer thunderbird still captured some of the awesomeness by having one of the longest wheelbases and even longer exhaust but suprisingly the newer thunderbird is even shorter and lighter. The changes are with the modern trend of fuel efficiency and emission norms but that is not why anyone would buy an RE and by making the bikes more rideable they are targeting a wider group of people but losing out on the core bikers. RE still holds a lot of biking trips and they have strong brand marketing.
But if i had to buy an RE i would go for the older one because i feel the pain and cost of maintaining is worth the joy of riding one!

Bajaj Avenger 220 DTSi vs Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350

I had never been a big fan of pulsar and always preferred apache over it and when i got a chance to ride my friends avenger i was skeptical about it. The first thing you notice after you place the key in the odd place under the seat is the loud fuel injected engine roaring to life. Surprisingly, the engine on avenger is very refined and the gear shifts are butter smooth and the bike feels torquey and powerful throughout its rev range. It puts out around 19bhp @ 8400 rpm and 17.5 nm of torque @ 7000 rpm this is 2 less both on power and torque from the P220 mill.

The bike is suited more for riders below 6 feet as for tall riders the seating posture gets a bit awkward with the legs protruding above the tank. The pillion seat is the most comfortable i have found on a bike yet.The avenger is specifically designed to be a cruiser and hence has longer wheelbase, wide seats and a relaxed riding posture which is great on highways but in city conditions makes it slightly hard to navigate in traffic. The best part is it sticks to its cruiser attitude and provides a wide range of cruising speed all the way from 70-110kmph (indicated) it feels very comfortable when pushed it reaches a top speed of 130kmph (indicated) but most of all the bike feels stable as a rock at these speeds mostly because of its long wheel base and low center of gravity. The most asked question in India "Kitne deti hai?" the bike provides a mileage of around 32-33kmpl depending on the riding conditions. The build quality is average and i feel it could have been much better.

All is good with avenger but if all you want is a cruiser then its my opinion that you will be better off with a royal enfield thunderbird 350 which gives you more of a  "feel like god" feeling than avenger can ever aspire too.Yes, it is 10k more expensive but i feel its worth much more than that. The thump of an enfield is sweet music to any biker's ears. In terms of performance also the bike produces tons of torque and i even prefer the high seating arrangement. It can also cruise at similar speeds and even gives better mileage than that of an avenger. The bike is more equipped and you also get a tachometer which is missing in the avenger. But not everyone is die hard fan of enfields and the bike weighs a ton so if you are an inexperienced rider looking for a first bike the enfield might be to huge a call considering it has got a foot more wheel base than the avenger so avenger is a better choice. The enfields have a big issue on reliability compared to avenger and with a 6 month waiting time which is a big turn off for any enthusiast.

But owning an enfield changes a persons lifestyle altogether and such is the effect of the bike which is missing on the avenger but in the Indian market where there is a dearth of cruisers at the bottom end these are the only options and both are arguable in their own right but if it was my choice to choose between these two the enfield it would be it has a legend to it and the bike gives you an attitude and road presence. All this for just 10k more i feel its totally worth it. The waiting period is long but hopefully it should be reduced soon as they are coming up with a new factory at oragadam, chennai. You dont just buy an enfield you buy a life style!!!

Credits- Sandeep Pentakota for his Avenger and inputs for the review!

The legend of Honda Activa

In the recent few years the Indian two wheeler market has seen a wide variety of scooters from almost all the brands like Honda, Suzuki, Mahindra, TVS, Hero and now Yamaha has also joined in by launching a 125cc scooter Ray. The question arises which is the best scooter and the most recognisable scooter in the Indian market is no doubt Honda Activa which is more than a decade old but has it still got enough to compete in the market? Well the Honda activa recieved an update on April 2009 by increasing of dispacement by 8cc and 1 bhp power combined with better mileage.
At the first look one would notice that activa doesnt come with any fancy equipment such as mobile charger, digital speedo, telescopic suspension, alloy wheels but its my opinion that none of this features are essential for a scooter. Activa has got the best engine in class its 110cc power plant puts out 8 BHP while most others put out only 7 BHP the only better performing scooter is suzuki access which in turn compromises on fuel efficiency. The engine is the most refined and it produces hardly any vibes and pulls cleanly till its indicated red line at 80kmph.
After owning an activa for four years and putting it through almost all kinds of terrain and usage it has never given a problem although the Honda service is pathetic most of the times there has never been a major problem with vehicle and i hardly find such reliability in any other scooter. After riding other scooters like duro, wego and access i still feel that activa is the better pick as incase of duro both pickup, topspeed and mileage are diappointing when compared to activa and in wego its pickup and mileage are the prime issues. My second choice would be access as it is nearly as good as activa the only issue being it feels bulky and refinement is low but its covered well by higher top speed and better acceleration.
So in my opinion the activa is the better scooter overall and continues to be the best and most complete package with good fuel efficiency and the highest resale value and if you are looking for a rugged commuter there is nothing better than activa as i have personally put it through its paces and am totally satisfied with it.

KTM Duke 200 vs CBR 250r

This is the biggest dilemma for all the bike buyers who have 1.5 lakh burning a hole in their pocket to trade for some outright raw horsepower. To buy the aggressive duke or the faster and calmer CBR by pushing their budget a little. Although they both produce the same 25bhp they are two completely different bikes altogether one is a mental machine which seems to be happiest when revved hard and shows little strain at high revs and loves to scream the other is a calmer machine which build up power as the revs build up and feels anchored at speed.

Chennai-Mahabalipuram Trip

Just like everyone else 4 months ago even i was in the same dilemma but i had experience of the duke as one of my friend had bought it and on the first ride i had my doubts about using it regularly as a commuter with all its screaming plus wanted something for the long rides as well so i jumped in for the CBR. Another main reason being that since he already owned a ktm i didnt want one anymore as its exclusivity was already lost.

So as soon as i my bike delivered we wanted to make a ride and we didnt want to go far so we decided to hit off to mahabalipuram which is a ride of around 200kms in total and in the onward journey we wanted to stick to our bikes and push them a little we dared not to open them up into a head to head race as enroute we saw a lot of cops who were waiting on a lazy saturday afternoon to spoil the mood of the commuters who were on the lighter side of law.
The cbr was at home and felt comfortable cruising at wide range of speeds and with the help of synthetic oil and speed petrol it barely had any vibrations and it was a relaxing experience and it clearly showed its characteristics as a sports tourer. Also i found out that the duke is no match for the cbr in straight line performance after 100kmph the bike steadily loses ground and when the duke hits its rev limiter at 136-138 kmph the cbr just cruises by.
Once we had reached the destination we decided to do some burnouts on the beach to save some tread on tires as both bikes were still quite new and on the return i hopped on to the duke and although i was in no mood to ride fast the bike seduces you to speed and paying no heed to the low fuel warning i ripped the vehicle and pushed the vehicle to 10,500rpm and also weight of the rider does make a difference under same conditions my friend could not push it above 125kmph. Also duke is much more suited for short runs as there is no bound to your joy as you start off but as the ride progresses you feel irritated more and more in CBR its opposite as the ride goes on you feel like riding as much as possible.

Performance

The duke with its short gearing and blitzing acceleration with a loud engine feels most comfortable in city and although no doubt it is capable of doing long runs CBR would be a more preferred choice both produce 25 bhp but the CBR produces 22.9 NM of torque which is even more than the ninja while the duke because of its short stroke engine makes do with only 19 NM of torque. I feel it can do much more but because of its rev limiter its limited to 138 which it achieves in a reasonable time with the CBR too although it has torque advantage it heavier weight allows the bike to accelerate to 135 from where on it takes time to achieve its top speed of around 160kmph (indicated).

Handling

The duke handles much better thanks to its weight advantage and stickier nylogrips and in traffic its nimble on its feet and can squeeze through with ease and can achieve incredible angles of lean which i realised the hard way from the pillion seat and is as good as an R15 the bike which set the benchmark for handling in Indian bike market. The CBR on the other hand feels lazy and because of the fairing and at 169kgs its even heavier than a royal enfield classic!! it shows and is not easy in traffic combined with the lean forward position does make it uncomfortable while getting stuck in traffic but on the highway it feels much more weighed down and stable compared to the duke which starts to vibrate post 120kmph.

Both bikes return post 30kmpl and depend on the rider and if pitted against each other i feel the duke provides more fuel efficiency and also it has a console which provides with all the information you need and some you dont. As far as the looks are concerned its a personal choice while one looks like a full bred sports bike the duke is a naked bike. In terms of build quality and equipment i feel duke is better Ex. duke gets braided stainless steel brake lines as a standard, also the finishing is superb the honda which is also commendable could be better for the price.

Its my opinion that both the bikes are totally different and cater to people with different characters and this is the best duo which showcase with similar power output how different can two bikes get. If you are looking more for city commuting the duke is better and CBR is more comfortable for touring. Both the bikes have the pros an cons but they are insanely fun to ride and at the end of the day that is why you buy them so its better to choose the bike which puts the widest smile on your face and sincerely neither can be stated as a clear winner.

Credits- Jayadev Somasundaran for pictures and the bike :-)

Activa Review & Ride

I was eager for my 1^st ever vehicle and I had no hope of getting a bike so I settled for a scooter. Incidentally the day before we went to buy the vehicle the New Honda Activa was launched. I chose it because it was and is the best performing scooter the only other competitor was Suzuki Access but it produced almost identical power and Honda was much more refined. 

Since I was their first customer for the new activa I could get the vehicle delivered in just 5 days. My first two years with the activa was very normal and I barely got to ride it as I still had not got my  licence it was filled with short high speed runs with fully open throttle and I managed to cover only around 3000kms.

THE TRIP                                                                                                                                  

My first real experience with the activa was when I rode it from Bangalore to Chennai. Many people were against the idea and suggested it’s insane to drive a scooter on a highway and I would be stranded. I still had made up my mind for it and on 20^th July 2011 early morning I set off from Bangalore I was quickly out of the city and touched the highway.

 I had decided not to strain the engine and was maintaining a constant speed of about 50 kmph. I travelled the 1^st 80 kms to hosur wer I had stopped for breakfast seeing the tank is still nearly full I set off and drove on. The best thing about a two wheeler is you never have to pay toll.

I only had to stop near Ambur for quick refuel as activa’s tank could hold only 5.5 litres of fuel. By the time I had so much of confidence on the vehicle that I planned a detour to Elagiri and took the diversion of the boring national highway onto the state highway and drove up the hill. Since I was travelling alone the activa did not have any problem with the steep incline.

After a quick tour of the hill I set back on my path towards Chennai. I had reached the national highway near vellore and rode the last stretch and reached Chennai around 4 in the evening with a near empty fuel tank and an exhausted me. I had realised every vehicle has the potential provided if care is taken.

STYLING, BUILD QUALITY & ERGONOMICS

As activa was designed to be a commuter vehicle it was not designed to be aesthetically appealing but once you live with it you would learn to like it and also it does not have any fancy digital console and still has the analogue speedometer and I personally feel for a scooter it’s more than sufficient. The new activa has better ground clearance and looks somewhat bigger than the older version. Most of the panels are made out of metal except the headlight cover and front panel and I feel Honda should have made them metallic as well. The overall build quality is good and the plastics on the new activa do feel rich. The only issue I had is with paint flaking off and it exposed rust both undercarriage and on the body panels. Even the seating posture is good and the leg space is excellent if you choose not to have the front compartment.

COMFORT, HANDLING & BRAKING

The activa which I had purchased was the non-deluxe version and hence did not come with the nylogrips and also missed the combi brake but it handles brilliantly as long as you drive below 60kmph after which the activa becomes nervous mostly because of its small wheels. I really don’t see the point of a combi brake on activa as I feel it deprives the user of choosing the brake force and is only suited for amateur riders. The new activa’s suspension is more stiffer than the old activa but is still quite comfortable for both the driver and pillion rider. Although it is a heavy vehicle it definitely does not feel bulky when navigating through city streets and going through the traffic. The brakes on the activa are as expected for a scooter and drum brakes are always better as far as scooters is concerned. Although applying the front brake would rise the front of the vehicle due to improper front suspension setting it still is good but you could easily lock up the front wheel if you apply the brakes improperly.

ENGINE & TRANSMISSON

As with all Hondas the engine is super refined and is really smooth once the engine is tuned and the 110cc of Honda produces around 8 BHP of power and 0.9 KGM of torque but in terms of performance its much ahead of other scooters like access because of its refinement and the best part of activa is that the acceleration is quite linear throughout unlike other scooters. If you are willing to push it you can reach a maximum of 90kmph and it is quite respectable for a 110cc scooter. The acceleration too is not bad it does 0 to 60 in 10 seconds and the best acceleration is between 40 to 60kmph. The transmission used in activa is variomatic and is the best in any scooter so far especially in terms of durability after my trip I was scared to give the vehicle for servicing as I feared I might have burnt the centrifugal clutch and the belt but I was surprised when the Honda mechanic said they were in good condition. And there was no significant damage to any major component even after my reckless driving.

MILEAGE

I was surprised to find out the activa returned 50 kmpl on careful driving and during the trip it gave mileage of almost 55 kmpl but if u drive in the city under normal condition you should expect around 45kmpl. The reduction in mileage compared to bikes is because of the variomatic transmission it saps quite some power.

POINTS TO NOTE

·         Honda service in most of the places is unsatisfactory; mostly you get your vehicle back with an oil change and a water service. They don’t bother to check your complaints.

·         The activa could do with a better headlight as the one provided is not at all adequate.

·         The vehicle is really good for all those who are new to two wheelers as it is easy to command in the city.

·         It is a very durable vehicle and can accommodate any driving style.

·         Mileage is directly proportional to the accelerator given.

CONCLUSION

If you want to purchase a scooter there is no better deal as of yet and it is a vehicle which is very durable and can take in a lot of abuse and if driven properly you can even expect a good mileage and while the acceleration is good you would definitely feel the need for better top speed but I guess that’s good too considering it has got just 110cc. The refinement is fabulous and u can take it for long trips as long as you know about your vehicle and don’t try to push it too hard. After driving over 14,000kms I still feel the vehicle is as good as new. So overall it is one brilliant vehicle which is truly the top of its class.

Chennai-Bangalore-Elagiri CBR250R

After waiting a long time finally i decided to go ahead with  Chennai-Bangalore trip it was a total of nearly 1000kms of riding so I inspected the bike and made sure everything was ready to go. I had left Chennai by Friday afternoon in hope to reach Bangalore by night fall and was soon on the Bangalore highway which was quite busy with traffic and also there were works going on so decided to maintain the bike at a constant 100kmph. I began to enjoy the ride and for the first time came to know the enemy of speed biking on the highway WIND!!! It was a big struggle with the wind as even at 100kmph the wind is strong enough to blow the bike from one lane to other but I was really glad I was doing this trip with the CBR as its heavy and lean forward nature help to steer against the wind and decided to take a break near vellore for some coffee before setting of again I was running late mostly because of the works and was suddenly stopped by clanking of the chain when I stopped to inspect my chain slider was hanging on the side.

 I got rid of the small rubber piece and continued with occasional clanking of the chain. I had managed to reach hosur by sunset and after tanking up the bike and a quick bite dashed off to Bangalore only to find myself drenched in a shower so I decided to slow down and ride on the left managed to hit Bangalore outskirts by 7 and was freezing because of the shower combined with wind sheer and reached my destination by 8.

After two days of roaming around in Bangalore it was time to ride back again in the meanwhile I managed to get the chain slider fixed and also a screw had rattled out of the fairing both were fixed in no time and this time I decided to make a detour to elagiri on the way back to Chennai and set off early in the morning after a quick breakfast and pit stop at hosur was on the way back and reached elagiri by mid noon and just loved the ride uphill it was brilliant and the climate was just perfect although clouds were looming above there was no rain after reaching the top had a tea and circled once before getting back on my way to Chennai. The rest of the trip was uneventful and I reached Chennai by 4 in the evening the bike on the other hand showed little signs of strain and felt like it could do many km’s more at a stretch. I was delighted by the entire experience it was just fabulous and loved it to bits. More so delighted by the bike returning 42kmpl for the trip but the bike was running on speed97 its still awesome to get such high mileage from a 250cc bike.