Pulsar 2012

Any Pulsar, be it the 135 or the 150 right up till the 220 was performance oriented and in the present scenario, the new bike hits the front and goes straight to the top of the heap in the quickest possible manner. I would also like to state one thing here and that is to ask whether any other bike maker in this country has come up front and stated the performance capability of any of its machines in so up front a manner as has Bajaj Auto. In fact the specifications released to the media at the launch today indicate a top whack of 136kmph which is surely top drawer stuff but then the acceleration figures are even more illuminating: zero to sixty comes up in 3.61 seconds while the ton from standstill is dispatched in 9.83 seconds!

Quick gets a whole new meaning. However, these figures are all academic because the real pleasure comes from the actual driveability in town and the way the bike reacts when the wick is lit! Meaning when you crack the throttle open, the engine spins so fast and quick that you need to aim for the gaps while keeping the throttle pinned open if you want to dazzle yourself with the capability the Pulsar 200 NS packs. This is a bike which thrives on revs but which is equally docile and tractable if that is how you want to enjoy your biking.

I got astride the bike for a short sharp session and was immediately floored by the strong seamless surge the 199.5cc motor put out. If that wasn’t all, sticking tall yet comfortably in the superbly crafted saddle and yet straddling the tank with its well defined recesses – better than on the older Pulsars mind you, the sheer strength of the new bike’s frame was apparent.

There was hardly a weave or tuck and under heavy braking or when leaning into corners and exiting them quickly was a revelation. After a couple of runs I came in but Joseph Abraham who was watching me go out on his baby asked me to be a bit more adventurous and told me to scream the motor in all the gears to its 10,000rpm red line and then come back and tell him how the bike behaved. This was something else altogether for the manner in which the bike screamed in sheer delight as she was given its head and I started shifting as high as the track allowed me to.

KTM 200 Duke: First Ride

Blatantly endorsing the fun side of motorcycling and giving street-riding a whole new meaning, the KTM 200 Duke is everything it promised and more. Our very first ride on this Indo-Austrian bloke proudly flashing its orange livery






The guitar-shaped test-track at Bajaj Auto’s Chakan facility offers some interesting tight corners as well as a high-speed bowl and then a long straight which leads into the final sweeping left-hander. I have about half a day long date with a motorcycle that all bikers in the country have been eagerly waiting for – the KTM 200 Duke. Envy? Be my guest. It is a machine that is nothing like what we have ever seen on our Indian roads. The orange veil of Austrian charm has been covering my vision ever since I attended a special feedback event for KTM motorcycles organised by Bajaj Auto about four years ago in Pune where the company unveiled some of the KTM superbikes to get reactions from bikers in the country. Obviously then the excitement has been very difficult to contain all this while.

But the wait has certainly been worth it and more. I say this after having spent considerable amount of time with the KTM 200 Duke for most part of the day wringing its throttle on the Bajaj test-track showing no mercy. Just a glance at the orange machine gleaming in the afternoon sun would compel even the most blasé observer to not only sit up and take notice but would force him to jump on the saddle of the KTM 200 Duke without hesitation. The radical and absolutely in your face bearing of the 200 Duke is so neatly executed by its makers, that despite looking like its come from another planet, it has a very welcoming and inviting poise that just cannot go unattended. This is the best-looking motorcycle that the Indian market has ever witnessed till date and there are no two ways about it.






As minutes passed drooling over this gorgeous motorcycle, soon it was time to get onto the saddle and ride. Without wasting a minute more I hopped onto the bike allotted to us but even before I could thumb the starter, one thing instantly evident was the bike’s road-friendly ergonomics, true to its street-fighter genes. No unnecessary tries at making it best of all worlds with tourer-friendly laid-back yet sporty two-piece clip-ons or a feeble effort like some of its rivals to club racing ergonomics with comfort in one package. This is an out and out naked hooligan for the street who is utterly shameless about its arrogant character and one who does not feel intimidated nor threatened by anything the rider has to throw at it. Within the early few laps itself the KTM Ready to Race genes came to the fore in a, if I may call it, brutal manner throwing non-stop bursts of power and torque no matter what gear and speed I was in.

Nabed Alam Bora Ninja 250 r

My new Ninja

Quick comparo: Honda CBR250R vs Yamaha YZF-R15

While most eyes are on the battle of the 250s between new Honda and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, are we missing the Yamaha YZF-R15 which could take the biggest hit post the arrival of the Honda CBR250R?

Similarity is a strange characteristic, since it almost always incites a direct comparison. Carrying the same displacement of 250cc, the newly launched Honda CBR250R and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R suffer from a similar fate. I say suffer, since anyone who has ridden the two bikes knows that apart from the cubic capacity, there is little similar between the two bikes, and that is unfair to both. For the Kawasaki, it is about being pitted against a much cheaper motorcycle that should technically be one segment below itself. And for the baby-CBR, it’s about needing to punch way over its weight, a street-spec single-cylinder going up against a scaled-down, multi-cylinder sportsbike.

So we decided to do a quick comparison between the new Honda and the scalpel sharp Yamaha YZF-R15. A quick comparison is what we churn out from our office desks - it means we didn’t take the two bikes out on the road side-by-side but having ridden enough of both, decided to pen down the thoughts off the top of our heads to paint a better picture. On paper again, the two bikes are very dissimilar for a straight scrap, but we know too many of our readers, who find the Ninja 250R way beyond their budgets, were looking at an R15, and would want to know if they should shell out the extra money for the CBR instead. Short reply – if you are not a cornering junkie, yes.

If you are into learning the art of cornering and wish to have a race-replica that’s affordable though, there still is nothing that comes close to the R15. I have been using it as my long termer for quite a while now, and everyday I ride it makes me love it even more. The bike does everything right – it is neutral in its handling, light and nimble enough to change direction at the speed of thought, has beautiful brakes that can comfortable bring you to a halt from whatever speed the bike is capable of – and all that is wrapped into a chassis that speaks to you but never shouts. The engine is refined and revvy, and match the best in its class in terms of acceleration and top speed. It has its shortcomings as a city commuter though, starting from the seating position, and ending thereabout. Fantastic bike. But too focused.

That’s where the Honda CBR250R takes the game away. Of course, it has a lot more power and grunt which means its comfortable cruise speeds are higher than the R15’s. It also has a significant ‘big bike’ feel to it when compared to the minimalist Yam. The seating position is more comfortable too, which means the CBR is set to become the de-facto sports tourer for the nation. But take it out on a set of demanding twisties, and the 45 kilo additional weight compared to the R15 begins to show as clear as the sun. The soft suspension which soaked up everything in its path suddenly becomes the root of all nervousness mid corner. Exits are quick and effortless, but big front-end dive under brakes makes the whole corner entry experience less spontaneous. Don’t expect to get your knee down anytime soon. This is a bike to take things easy on.

By the end of our quick comparo, we get a feeling of being unfair once again, but that’s just the CBR250R’s fault for straddling the sparse Indian performance bike space so well. Or, looking at it another way, it provides the perfect rung to climb on to if the R15 is too little and the Ninja too much. Plus, if you are the sort who does not have a sufficient explanation to the patent question about why the R15’s rear tyre is so skinny, you won’t have to face that question again. At an additional cost of about Rs 70,000, you get a bike that cannot do things half as well as the R15 can, but can do twice as many things instead.

As given in zigwheels.com

Quick comparo: Honda CBR250R vs Yamaha YZF-R15

While most eyes are on the battle of the 250s between new Honda and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, are we missing the Yamaha YZF-R15 which could take the biggest hit post the arrival of the Honda CBR250R?

Similarity is a strange characteristic, since it almost always incites a direct comparison. Carrying the same displacement of 250cc, the newly launched Honda CBR250R and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R suffer from a similar fate. I say suffer, since anyone who has ridden the two bikes knows that apart from the cubic capacity, there is little similar between the two bikes, and that is unfair to both. For the Kawasaki, it is about being pitted against a much cheaper motorcycle that should technically be one segment below itself. And for the baby-CBR, it’s about needing to punch way over its weight, a street-spec single-cylinder going up against a scaled-down, multi-cylinder sportsbike.

So we decided to do a quick comparison between the new Honda and the scalpel sharp Yamaha YZF-R15. A quick comparison is what we churn out from our office desks - it means we didn’t take the two bikes out on the road side-by-side but having ridden enough of both, decided to pen down the thoughts off the top of our heads to paint a better picture. On paper again, the two bikes are very dissimilar for a straight scrap, but we know too many of our readers, who find the Ninja 250R way beyond their budgets, were looking at an R15, and would want to know if they should shell out the extra money for the CBR instead. Short reply – if you are not a cornering junkie, yes.

If you are into learning the art of cornering and wish to have a race-replica that’s affordable though, there still is nothing that comes close to the R15. I have been using it as my long termer for quite a while now, and everyday I ride it makes me love it even more. The bike does everything right – it is neutral in its handling, light and nimble enough to change direction at the speed of thought, has beautiful brakes that can comfortable bring you to a halt from whatever speed the bike is capable of – and all that is wrapped into a chassis that speaks to you but never shouts. The engine is refined and revvy, and match the best in its class in terms of acceleration and top speed. It has its shortcomings as a city commuter though, starting from the seating position, and ending thereabout. Fantastic bike. But too focused.

That’s where the Honda CBR250R takes the game away. Of course, it has a lot more power and grunt which means its comfortable cruise speeds are higher than the R15’s. It also has a significant ‘big bike’ feel to it when compared to the minimalist Yam. The seating position is more comfortable too, which means the CBR is set to become the de-facto sports tourer for the nation. But take it out on a set of demanding twisties, and the 45 kilo additional weight compared to the R15 begins to show as clear as the sun. The soft suspension which soaked up everything in its path suddenly becomes the root of all nervousness mid corner. Exits are quick and effortless, but big front-end dive under brakes makes the whole corner entry experience less spontaneous. Don’t expect to get your knee down anytime soon. This is a bike to take things easy on.

By the end of our quick comparo, we get a feeling of being unfair once again, but that’s just the CBR250R’s fault for straddling the sparse Indian performance bike space so well. Or, looking at it another way, it provides the perfect rung to climb on to if the R15 is too little and the Ninja too much. Plus, if you are the sort who does not have a sufficient explanation to the patent question about why the R15’s rear tyre is so skinny, you won’t have to face that question again. At an additional cost of about Rs 70,000, you get a bike that cannot do things half as well as the R15 can, but can do twice as many things instead.

As given in zigwheels.com

Winner of Roadies 8

Winner of roadies season 8

Hello everyone! Roadies season 8 kicked off with a decent start. The twists which Raghu created were truly amazing. The roadies this time, had to go all the way to Brazil.The winner of Roadies season 8 was been recently revealed from a Brazilian source who was present at the time of performance of task. According to the source -

The finalist roadies were Suchit and Mohit. They had to perform a task were both of the roadies would have to entrap themselves from the trap which holded them beneath the water. Raghu was also present at the time of performance of task. Mohit managed to get a upper hand over Suchit. The crew clapped around as both the roadies were able to complete this death defying feat. For the first time Ranvijay said that he would want to crown both of them as roadies 8 winner . But as the rules say there has to be a winner. Other roadies stood aside as the results were announced.The winner of roadies season 8 is Mohit .

Mohit jumped across and celebrated his win, really it was a pretty tough call for him. With the majority of people thinking that Suraj would pull this roadies season off, it was Mohit in the end who proved that none stood beside him. And also that no one belongs to his caliber. The winner of this season roadies truly deserved it said the participants of season 6. Raghu also enjoyed the victory as the deserving one got the title.

Who are we ? Nabed, Durluv, Sabir, Amit, Bitupon, Samiran, Amitabh, Toushif

Riding : Three R 15 and P 200

After a break of six months we the members of D.A.R.K(DIBRUGARH AMAZING RIDERS KLUB) decided to go for a trip to the unexplored Aurnachal Pradesh. After a brief planning we decided to go to Annine.

We started our journey on 21^st January we tank up our bikes and packed our bags and started by 10 A.M after riding for 4hrs we reached Saikhowa Gath where we took ferry to cross the mighty river Brahmaputra and reached the other side Sadiya . Though the road was not good our experienced made us feel it easy to ride couples of hrs later we entered the check gate of Aurnachal at Santipur gate we saw our Inner Line Permit and headed to Roing where we stayed later that night with one of our friends brother

Early next morning on 22^nd we tanked up coz there was no more petrol pump ahead and started to Mayodia Pass it is said that it got its name from a girl called Maya who was lost in snow and was not found. Though the roads were good but the turns were scary. After riding for couples of hrs we reached Mayodia which is 2655 meters from mean sea level. Snow-capped peaks, turbulent rivers, mystic valleys and abundance of rich flora & fauna attracted us .We parked our bikes and enjoyed the view and played with the snow after some snaps we started to Hunli the road was covered with snow and it made us difficult for us to ride it took 1hrs to cover only 28kms later on we stopped at 65 to have our launce while going to Hunli we witness some scintillating and thrilling scenery of the surrounding. Couples of hrs later we reached Hunli and stayed in the circuit House.

Early next morningon 23^rd The view from the circuit house was awesome. The clouds just coming down to kiss our face and our bike we stared for our next destination Annine which was 208kms away from Hunli on our way we saw Wild Mithun while on our way the view was heart touching later we reached Annine by 5pm and stayed in I.B it was a remote area only 4hrs of current in a day. Later that evening it was more memorable as the snow started to fall.

Next morning on 24^th we started our return back journey the road was full of snow and it made impossible for us to ride it took whole day to reach Roing

The next morning on25th we decided to go to Tezu after couples of hrs later we reached Tezu A friend of ours had already made arrangement for us.His Mom was very eagerly to she us and welcome us later that evening we went to see Tezu Mala which happens every year and we were lucky to be there .

The next day 26^th Januray was our returning day we saw the flag hosting and soon set off for our home we came through the famous Parsuram kund on our away back we had to stop for security reason by 8 P.M we reached our home covering a distance of 1578 kms thugh we were drain up but we knew that we had our best time of our life riding our bike something that we can’t forget.

Special Thank’s to Nice Roy(Tezu) and Tanuj Deori (Roing) for making the arrangement.