One of the sensible posts/replies in this thread.

cbr 250 is not a track-tool for sure,cbr 150 is.
you are entitled to your opinion,but i cannot agree with you on this part.

You dont have to.

The ZMA's engine for me,is the bigger version of the Unicorn and has the best smoothness(couldn't have substantiated if I'd used the word refinement) in most bikes costing below one lakh rupees and it has the most functional instrument cluster in this price bracket.So,for me,I'd still want to ride one whenever I see one.
@Admins-Close the thread,puhleez!!!

Nothing wrong with such threads too, just that it will attract a different set of xBHPians posting on it. (Read = 'Not antz.bin'). This section, after all, is the General Biking Discussion. (Not 'Generally try to stop the discussion' )

A Karizma is the 2-wheeler equivalent of a [If you don't want to read about cars skip the following 2 words] Mitsubishi Pajero. Desirable and premium then, less so now in the face of more expensive competition. But still extremely capable in its own right at what it does. Hence my query, what can be done by HMC so that it continues to be a force to reckon with. If only in the mid-range.

Of course, me referring to the Karizma as the King / winner was so immature and disrespectful of me.

Well I meant it more like
Source: Rant - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

And hurt their sentiments...which is what you guys want

Equivalent of another two wheeler pls? Not cars ; anyway, forget it antz.bin, I'm not going to argue for the sake of it.

Lol!!! Just like rant, you didn't understand the meaning of disrespectful & none of you guys will understand either; otherwise, none of you would've even started this thread. We didn't have a thread for RD350, yet we have it for ZMA and R, put together. Plus there're better ways to word to analyze if the King is still relevant in its new segment, the midrange. It still isn't humble, if someone says, Please F*** off

Even a guy with croc's brain knows it doesn't call for a premium bike & there's no point discussing about this when there're so many positive things to discuss about motorcycling, like, start a thread on holding a sports bike, probably a discussion on twist of throttle, so many technical jargon.

Anyway, I know it doesn't stop with this, so...Bye Bye & continue your premium/unpremium discussions my friends until

what's written in below quotes,That's what I also said..& P150/P180 aren't in its league so lets not compare it with any Kaizma..

slight OT - yeah I used to go from that road everyday to my office but now I left that job from this month

No way Sir,

Even today RD350 holds the title for fastest, quickest, blah, blah Indian bike.

On reality put a stock RD350 on road and checkout the response, I had enough luck to ride a well maintained Red RD for a few days in Hyderabad, and trust me there were many folks in Traffic Signals asking me my contact info and sell the bike to them. Not to mention those eyes and hands pointing me and say "Hey RD dehko". Just the exhaust note is enough to bring attention in the crowd, unlike the other bikes mentioned above.

There is a term called "Cult Status" which only certain bikes attain like the RD (RD holds its Internationally)

Just think yourself, if the CBZ classic was still in production line?, same applies to ZMA. May be it could have retained a little charm like the CBZ classic, if it was stopped from production a long ago.

[B]This/B]

The Karizma is a dated bike for sure, and only a fool would go for it blindfolded under the current circumstances, but still its a moving product, and thats mainly cause the one's who still prefer it over competition, go for it because they have experienced its capabilities first hand. There are faster bikes in the market and even faster bikes will follow, but the Karizma still holds its place, the name Karizma itself is like a legacy, people from all age groups are aware of it, be it a school going child or a grownup old man. Its not just a bike to commute, instead its a bike that teaches us the essence of biking, though claimed most reliable, there are times when we have to get our hands dirty, and that brings us more closer to our ride. I myself am an example, the first bike I ever rode was the ZMA, and that too less than a year ago, I was a complete novice who've learned riding form youtube, and here I am now, with the help of fellow Xbhpians I've mastered several maintenance rituals, which I would've never even heard about if I've owned any other new age modern bike. In short the Karizma can be referred to as a "Bullet in Plastic Skin", many of you may argue about the previous statement, but only people who've OWNED a Karizma knows the feeling.

Now my story, I come from a family of Bajaj crazed people, my Dad's first ride was a Super 150 and he still has fond memories of it, so he was pretty much inclined to opt for a P220 after learning about it from the internet, just like any lucky teenager I could've gone with the idea, yet I stood firm on my choice, and as a result of it, a Black 2011 ZMA's parked in my lot. The first time I saw the ZMA was when I was in 5 or 6th standard, fell in love with it the first time I saw it, and every time I'd see the bike I'd wait till it passes, and strangely, I still do the same whenever I see a well maintained ZMA pass by. Hope everyone gets the point, its like a virus, once you're affected then theres no CURE.


OT

This thread unlike others have the potential to even outlive Xbhp itself if it gets the chance, so by that I hope everyone understands that the Karizma still holds its appeal.

And people who're thinking about questioning my statements regarding the Karizma as a legacy and the experience it gives the rider, take some time to review all the 4T ownership threads and you'll be amazed to find out that only the ZMA thread has users from a very wide spectrum of various aspects, i.e age, enthusiasm etc. We have riders ranging from Age groups starting at 16 and ending at 60+, most of the riders are'nt enthusiasts they maybe just regular commuters, yet their experience with bike's are greater than that of enthusiasts from other threads.

Ride Safe. And my heart felt condolence's to anyone who"ve not had the opportunity to experience the magic named, Karizma.

@ Ashwin : Awesome write up man and I completely agree with you

Thanks alot for the appreciation, Bro.

OT.. but with pleasure. The same Bajaj probiking A.S.S has been servicing Ninja 250 and no one has complained. CBR250 started off on a bad note, but Honda did respond to that. If i'm right, your purchase is based on opinion than on facts. You didn't even try a test ride of Duke/CBR though they are well within your budget. Agreed for R15, coz you said you are well built, it may not be that comfortable after all... though it all depends on how you adjust to the seating position. This is what I felt, you don't need to respond or justify I understand that it's your money and it's your satisfaction that matters, so enjoy your ride without any regrets.


Coming back to the thread.. Karizma was doing fine till 220FI came in, heck it was doing good even after that.. but as soon as P220dts-i came in with reduced price, that's where Hero lost the plot.. instead of upgrading Karizma to the challenge at hand.. they reduced it's price to keep it relevant. That's when I think they started losing it all. Some how, the reduced price & "Above all" tag line didn't gel well. Couple that with new launches such as R15, CBR250, Duke 200 & P200NS.. "Above all" tag line no longer sounds convincing to prospective buyers. Karizma still appeals to those who were dreaming of owning one, but if some one starts dreaming of owning a bike today.. then certainly it's not going to be a Karizma that he would be dreaming for. And I think that's what I think Payeng means, when he say "has Karizma lost it's appeal". It's no longer the unanimous, undisputed premium segment bike that it was some years ago.

Good write up, but please do come out of ZMA shell and look around, I see 40+ guys riding R15 and 70+ going on a bullet.. every bike has it's own charm and age doesn't matter.. It's all in heart and how you feel there about particular bike. Otherwise how do you justify 60+ guys now debating on buying a Duke 200?? Topic is not whether Karizma will sell any more or not, but it's about whether it has the same appeal that it had 2007 or 2009 from it's launch and possibly what Hero could've done differently with Karizma to keep it at the same level even in the changed biking scenario.