myg124

And here it arrives...

The day arrived, the day we all curious Bejmanin Buttons were waiting for! The day all Karizma lovers were waiting for.. I don't know what connection i have with this bike. Every time i look at it, i find a smile on my face. And this time after seeing this new avatar of the Zma, the smile went as wide as the Jokers. I will come back to it in sometime.

So yes, saturday it was the 10th of october, (Mohsin)Worrisomebear and I were keeping a track of which all places gets the ZMR first. As it was, i called up Fortpoint, Mahim, got the green signal that the bikes now up for display and off we were. The pulse got racing. How will the zmr appear, will they give a test ride, how will it match up our expectations, heaps of them?? By the time i was done with these thoughts, and easing through the shitty Mumbai traffic we reached the showroom. I had guessed the blue will color will be on display, the other guess was white… and finally when we were about to enter the showroom, there it was…through the showroom glass, i spotted a new black colored tail panel, and as we hussled through the door, a treat awaited the eyes... An eagle like aggressive front was looking at us, mounted on a special podium! The countdown, those impatient days had ended, the brand new Karizma was right there in front of us and finally we were getting to touch it! The body was on cloud nine, the mind even above in the stratosphere and the widest of grins on each of our faces.



What hit the eye first was the massive fairing, adding 50 mm more to the width of the bike. This one looked as big( or bigger) as a 600cc bike. Trust me, the fairing is massive. Our old zmas look puny in front of it, if not. And the headlight console is really big. This was the panther black color on display & was attracting a lot of dust. But the glossy coat still stood out. Quickly, the appropriate salesperson came alongside and i asked for a detailed spec overview.. The pgmfi, the full body kit, the gorgeous clipons, the yummylicious digital console, the rear tail lamp followed. More to it, theres a lot of changes inside than the beautiful exteriors. The six odd sensors it gets are mainly the engine oil temperature sensor, the throttle position, intake air temperature sensor, crank position, oxygen, manifold absolute pressure and idle air control valve sensors..phew! wonder what will happen if some of the sensors break down or something. Also, it gets a maintenance free battery and an automatic chain cam tensioner and the bank angle sensor, alongwith the HECS3 which keeps the bikes emissions eco friendly. The retractable footpegs also seemed good enough. With the rear indicators finally integrated into the console, no more worries of broken indicators hanging like crooked branches! The tail panel appears a little like the VFRs but its completely new when lit up. Way different than the Xtremes, and looks stunning!
























Now we were already so excited that the person put in the key and roared the machine from sleep…This was one sound that we were dying to hear whether there have been any modifications to it or not…Its the typical sound which the new ZMA-R's give, but the fuel injection turning on note, that slight hiss behind it, makes the sound even sweeter. The bike was idling with power and when we revved the throttle it was so much more fluent and linear, there was no drain type that we experience. Power delivery at tap made us gear up for a test ride later( which not everyone was getting)

Coming to the fairing… The fact IS the bike actually looks good in flesh than in the photos. To make the body more aerodynamic the curves have been softened up. There are airvents below the digital console. Its definitely a lot curvy! There are some angles from which the bikes a treat to look at in motion especially.
Now for the console, its THE best console i have come across of late on any bike, in any segment. most importantly, the digits are big enough to be read from the riding angle and the coolest part is the personalized message. Have to reach destination A in 2 hrs, just slot it in, and pop the key and out it comes reminding you( I put in my name and so it read: Welcome aboard the Karizma ZMR,fasten your helmet and fly safe bon voyage!! when u switch it off, it gives a goodbye). Once the message passes, comes the tripmeter. There are 2 tripmeters this time. The rpm revs are consistent as we found upon revving the throttle. by now, the crowd was increasing, so the salesperson decided to take the bike off the stand to let us experience it. In a moment it was lowered carefully, and I took seat.

The first thing that struck me was the superbike feel. When the older one gave a bigger bike feel, this one gave an even bigger bike feel, so be it a proper sports or a superbike feel. The handlebar position is spot on and felt much much better than its predecessor. And with that gorgeous console in front of you, this is one bike, only you would want to ride. It wont allow you to get off! Definitely is the most plush ride in the Indian motorcycle lineup. You simply wont want to get up, trust me. The awesomely gorgeous console and clipons will make you stick there and just ride it. The personalized message is a nifty little touch as it makes your bike more 'yours'! You associate with it even more. Anyhow, since one of us wanted to book the bike and the person knew we were the only one around for a booking.So, exclusively for us, the bike was ushered out of the showroom for a brief spin! Mohsin was the first to go, and I couldn't help but see his wide grin once he returned. Next was me. Now this sales guy was as tall as Kranti Sambhav, but even then his legs were arched perfectly. I fired up the motor, put the first gear and off we were!! wooooooooooow.

First up, the plush and wide clipons greet you & the ever comfy postures been made more comfy now! On the road, I don't know maybe it was the fairing or the clipons, i felt the bike ride low which isn't actually! There was a red signal, after which we zoomed past. The mirrors do gave perfect vision, although I didn't look much behind. The real deal was the throttle…a flick of it and the bike slings forward. The creamy engine just went more creamier..uber smooth gear shifting as well, and finding the neutral was effortless. Damn fluent acceleration as i did some overtakes and with the same legendary planted feel, it felt terrific. To test the suspension i hovered over a few potholes and it didn't disappoint. The fairings added size gave confidence. Irregular traffic around made me work the rear disc and it was spot on too.. Enough bite for city and highway runs. The Nissin rear discs master cylinder is cleverly hidden beneath the tail panel, neat little execution and both units are imported. Hell yeah i want to go on the longest ride on this. It was great to see peoples reaction to this bike. Some were wondering which is this and had confused looks! The speedo was disconnected as ever but i shifted all the gears and happily did around 60 kays, couldn't do more owing to the evening traffic. But yes, the big feeling just got bigger. Only problem is you have to take care of the mirrors while sneaking through standstill traffic. The bike handles better than ever and the pgmfi helped ease out through corners really well. And yes the rear tyre does just fine even though I would want to remove it and put a thicker one. How can i forget the dual horns, which were pretty effective. no need to change the stock horns now! and if someone asks kitna mileage deti hai…point the R.T.M.I to him! No judders, no vibes, impressive ride!


HH have loaded the bike to the T and the only changes people are going to do are the rear tyre and the headlights. Rest is fine( unless u wanna mod). Back on the main road, reached the showroom to even more curious onlookers and it was an even more delight seeing the curiosity around the new one. Opp the road, the Honda showroom wore a deserted look.

The bike was taken back in standing again where it was. My friend was most impressed and booked it then and there. delivery period is 45 days, color not decided yet mostly white or yellow. Lets see..

so, to sum it up( I don't want to actually) the ZMR raises the legacy definitely to a higher level and as said, its a good step ahead by HH..One can make out what they want to offer in the future from hereon.

So heres the deal: The 18 p.s. isn't visible but due to the pgmfi, but the surge in power can definitely be felt. After test riding it, i think it will silence one and all cribbing about the bhp specs. No doubt about it. Handling remains better than ever. Heck you would want to ogle at the speedo than on the road ahead!! Munching the miles to Leh will be an even more romantic affair as will be short stints across the city.

The on road price in Mumbai is 1.6L and its a perfect price i say. There are still no whereabouts of the new fazer or the ninja on the road. Given the pricetag, it lives upto its name and yes, it truly lived upto its above all tagline. We didnt want to think any further. It was one of the most happiest rides back into the sunset. And, as the Joker would say,' Lets put a smile on that face', the ZMR just did that on the face and heart as well.

Heres the remaining photos alongwith a few videos..enjoy!















































A small video of the bike startup:


and a happy biker after the test ride( sry but we ran out of card memory) look at the other guy who gets off the bike!! look at his reaction

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jd666

the clip ons look really really beautiful. Are they mounted to the top plate or to the front forks??

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My offerings to the gods of speed -

- KTM Duke 200
- Yamaha RXZ 5 speed

steveburnside2001

nice review there buddy.is the bike price at 1.6 lacs.I guess it should be 1.06.

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abhichotu.abhi

1.6 lacs its too much to bear i must say...

anyways nice review

Dilip Arya

Loved the way you explained it

myg124

sorry all: the price is 1.06L and NOT 1.6.

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"Never recreate from your memory, always imagine new places"

rachitkohli

wonderful review.. its looking gorgeous in this pix.. thanks man.!

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Mumbai - Leh - Mumbai June '09 :On xBHP: Ride With me to Leh

Blog : Mumbai - Leh - Mumbai : 21 Days, 6500kms. Journey to Heaven..June'09

GreatIndianRide - West India on a 110cc for over a month

2nd, Mumbai-Leh-Mumbai : July'11 (blog coming soon)

worrisomebear

awesome work brother..looking great in here

xvk

man that was pure fun reading through..

thanks a lot for the effort..