[Ashish...The Nomad]

Hey all... I was recently much excited to know that Yamaha n Honda were coming with new bikes in the market... which was, trust me, long awaited... But after checking out both the machines, m not really very happy...

First the Yamaha YZF R15 - The bike is first in its class in India and, for some, there might not be any comparison... Though I wish the engine volume was more as i think the market has had enough of 1500ccs... 180-250 would have sounded much better... I am amazed to see that Yamaha could pack a power of 18-20 horses with that volume...! With being the fastest in the segment, it'll definitely be a hit with all the speedsters who can shell out more than a hundred thousand bucks...!
But honestly, my opinion says if it was a heavier bike, 1 lac would have sounded more genuine... For a 150cc... I cant really relate to it... And for the travellers, like me, it doesnt seem to be a really desirable choice...


Honda CBF Stunner - Now this really seems to be a mistake...
When the market demands for high-end bikes heavier (*) than the ones already on top of the charts... Honda comes up with a "wannabe" bike with an even lighter engine...
**Pls note that when i say 'heavier', i mean more engine volume and more horse power.

I was shocked to see Honda launching a 125cc ('11bhp') bike when it had already impressed many of us with Unicorn 150cc. When we were really hoping to see something new now which is bigger n better, it launches Stunner with an 'optional' disc brake and an 'optional' self-start, which sounds too "commuter-friendly" to me...Cmon We dont need optional discs and self-starters now..These days, You cant call a Bike a Bike without self-starts and Discs... Though it has kept its good stuff packed...like the tubeless tyres and monoshock... I think Honda is either confused or wants to be the next 'Pulsar' (in terms of market gains) making Stunner into a too commuter kind of a bike... Launcing it for 53 k definitely proves that. I mean I could have managed 20k more for a 200-225cc version.

Maybe I feel this way as I am not really a city biker but a tourer... Anyway I think I'll have to stick to my choice... That at this point in time, the best touring-bike option zeroes in on Karizma...(No offence meant to Pulsar owners - Its an individual belief)...

Wot do u say...?

[Prasham]

Sad news.

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Ashish while you are right to a certain extent, I feel you are being a bit harsh on both the companies, especially Honda.

With respect to Yamaha R15, yes it could have had a bigger engine, more power and fatter tyres but at the end of the day; it is still the fastest motorcycle being currently sold in India (barring the imports) and that in part is thanks to lack of weight, which no doubt would have increased had Yamaha increased the cubic capacity of the R15. Making it more powerful would have increased its price as well, which I think Yamaha didn’t want to do at this point.

With regards to Honda CBF Stunner, well it has a lot going for it and I frankly believe Honda made the right move by launching this motorcycle. You might say it’s too commuter friendly or that it’s just a wannabe sports bike, but at the end of the day, this is exactly the segment Honda is targeting!

They haven’t made this motorcycle for those who like to ride fast or want to tour, but for those who want to showoff on a budget and based on that, it is definitely a good option and it has received a fantastic response, you can check some of the response about Honda CBF Stunner here.

As far as the touring aspect goes, I completely agree with you. It is one niche that almost all motorcycle manufacturers are ignoring, but then again there aren’t many who would pay a premium for a touring motorcycle.

I agree that today Karizma is the best touring motorcycle in India (followed closely by Bajaj Pulsar 220DTS-Fi and Honda Unicorn),

[Ashish...The Nomad]

Ya yogesh... seems u r correct... Honda is currently targetting this kind of the market... And yes i agree i am being harsh on both the companies... Maybe because they didnt launch something which i was expecting...lol... Honestly i had been waiting for fazer 250 which yamaha promised of launching a long time back... Anyway, i just hope that all these companies keep our kind of people - read tourers - in their minds and come up with something really nice for touring...!
Cheers...!

[Yogesh Sarkar]

I too am hoping for that, most probably I'll buy a new motorcycle next year, at present only the Karizma looks like a viable option to me. Hopefully by next year I'll have more options to choose from.

[darkside_of_d_sun]

@Ashish: If we all started thinking like you, we would all be riding Bullet 500s, its after all the biggest bike in Indian you see! The R15 is BIG step towards the right direction, and guess what, when the puny 150cc Yamaha out accelerates, out handles and clocks a faster top speed than everything else on sale in India, suddenly that one lac price tag makes sense to a lot of people.

And what is wrong with the CBF? Its a fantastic option for the segment that it targets, its a trend setter of sorts. And Honda, like Bajaj, HH and TVS is here to make money and not fulfill wishes of a miniscule amount of contributors to its gross margins, make no mistake about it.

I dont see any purpose of this thread by the way, more of a personal rant of yours.

Regards,
Shamik

[Ashish...The Nomad]

@Ashish: If we all started thinking like you, we would all be riding Bullet 500s, its after all the biggest bike in Indian you see! The R15 is BIG step towards the right direction, and guess what, when the puny 150cc Yamaha out accelerates, out handles and clocks a faster top speed than everything else on sale in India, suddenly that one lac price tag makes sense to a lot of people.

And what is wrong with the CBF? Its a fantastic option for the segment that it targets, its a trend setter of sorts. And Honda, like Bajaj, HH and TVS is here to make money and not fulfill wishes of a miniscule amount of contributors to its gross margins, make no mistake about it.

I dont see any purpose of this thread by the way, more of a personal rant of yours.

Regards,
Shamik

I have already said that its just a personal belief and my whims remain unsatisfied... thats all... If u think there is no purpose of this thread, i thank you that u still took out time to post on it, you see... I never emphasized BIG so much that u commented for that Bullet...I have full respect for Honda n Yamaha and m not trying to de-grade them...Anyway, Thank you for enlightening me on all this... But if my opinion seems crap to you, I dont really care... I would have, If u were a little more subtle rather than being so rude...

A little inappreciable for me...!!

[darkside_of_d_sun]

I have already said that its just a personal belief and my whims remain unsatisfied... thats all... If u think there is no purpose of this thread, i thank you that u still took out time to post on it, you see... I never emphasized BIG so much that u commented for that Bullet...I have full respect for Honda n Yamaha and m not trying to de-grade them...Anyway, Thank you for enlightening me on all this... But if my opinion seems crap to you, I dont really care... I would have, If u were a little more subtle rather than being so rude...

A little inappreciable for me...!!

I would not go down to pinpoint further deviations from the first post, I am sure we all are mature enough. I apologize if you have found my reply rather rude, but I am not too subtle anyway!

Cheers,
Shamik

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Come on guys, no need to get senti over this stuff.

As for personal rants/views, well this is what online forums are for and this is what makes it all that fun (as long as they are on topic and follow the decorum).

[kamikaze]

I agree that today Karizma is the best touring motorcycle in India

WTF!!!???? Don't you know that Pulsar has pulled weights of elephants on highest passes?