BAL has much improved over time. ZMR disc pads cost me 1062 INR last month. Ninja 250R's cost 1150 INR at a nearby probiking SVC, but were out of stock then. Need to see the braking glory with sintered pads!

@Mods : Sorry for posting back to back.

Inder bhai, dil se answer one question. You toured on the Karizma far up north and around the country. (read your t-logs)
I assume you get the same average(kmpl) on your Duke, though it must be a lot peppier and also I assume you still tour. (on the Duke though)

Do you ever miss the experience of your ZMA? Or does Duke give you all that ZMA gave?

[I want to know your point of view in jumping from 17 hp to 25 ]

For the Karizma the frequent things to break/loosen up were the fiber parts.. And they cost a bomb. The whole rear fairing/fiber part i.e 3 pieces for left,middle,right side costed some 2.5k, Tank costed 5k, front panels too were in the range of 2.5-3k. Now have a comparison of the Bajaj spares i.e in fiber dept., I bet it would come out to very less.

Agreed that the HH bike internals are really great, that is bcoz those were Honda made. Stable and long lasting.

Hahaha.. nice question though! But, to be honest.. over the period of time i was bored of the Karizma engine, as it was very relaxed and slow in reaching at some good speeds. Where as in Duke, bcoz of its short gearing, its so fast at the low end which makes its a pleasure to ride in the city or on the highways.

Regarding the mileage, it has changed on the Duke.. Karizma at its worst used to atleast give 35+ anytime. But, Duke at its worst(as per my riding style must be giving about 30). And to be honest, Duke has changed my riding style a LOT. Now, I ride like a mad man sometimes(when I'm in the mood ). Bhp jump from 17 to 25 is really HUGE, the change is really evident. But, I do miss the Karizma sometimes, just for the sake I haven't ridden it ever since I sold off my bike

Recently, I did a Gujarat trip too.. And to tell you, the Gujarat highways are a pleasure to ride.. 6 lane and spotless. We were continuously doing speeds of 95-100 and sometimes 100-120. And the handling of Duke in ghats is just superb, it gives you that feedback/confidence to go fast

Guys, do we need to change oil filter in ZMR???? If yes then at what interval???

There is no oil filter in ZMR...


ZMR parts are good enough...some may had find the quality low because on bike fall they have got a major body damage....some may had find to be good in case of fall too...just like me...but some where i feel the joints of body parts are not good enough and they broke easily....

As for compareing body parts with Ninja...its has been long time since ninja is in world market..approx 20 years...during these years Kawasaki has been improving to get ninja perfect....now as you can see there is no issue in ninja...

So anything can't be perfect in one go......it takes time...

A ZMA/ZMR has an engine which is still produced and preferred bike for beginner's learning in Moto track....the crf 230 F/L/M etc., are all powered by the same engine sitting in our ZMA/ZMR....and have power from 14.5 to 18.5 BHP.....so Honda is still producing this engine since it is proven it's durability & reliability under stressful conditions...If there is one complaint against the Indian version, then it is the Plastic shrouds/fairings breakage.....Actually the problem is in the basic design itself....the Plastic pieces are not designed for proper fixing,are made of stiff plastic which does not bend, and THIN anchors of the panels at the wrong places...
Apart from this the bike is a boring Vehicle...it simply goes on and on,with very little drama,and it's setup makes 110Kmph speed seem slow ...so after some time owners expect something more ,..may be 140~150 kmph speed....
Otherwise the engine and chassis is a GEM, and comparitively LOW on maintenance...If the owners Know and improvises on DIY, then the bike is unbeatable,on cost of ownership for it's class..

Very well put sir. Agree to all your points.
I have never complained against the engine. a 223cc engine delivering >45 kmpl on an average is a gem. It never disappoints. But the fairing does. Its strong IMO, but not properly designed. Heat dissipation is next to impossible on long tours. I so wish I could plonk some other fairing at a reasonable cost. R15's fairing won't fit the bike and moreover they cost 23k alone.

I love the fairing.. but I hate the vibrations.. that too after I dropped the bike once wish I can remove the fairing once and check the power of my Black Pearl.. any alternate suggestions for the same?? but it will look horrible without the fairing I assume..

LOL... Loved this "mad man" thing.. can related to this completely.. the riding stance on these bikes & the feedback due to well designed chechis really make it easy for a fast, mad yet a highly confident riding.. method 'to' madness

If you got a heavy wallet then take it to a well known shop who make custom designs.. there are people who have turned their P220 to R15 through these custom designs.. However this can also backfire if they end up using some stupid material.. it wud be then like " aasman se gira aur khajur pe atka "

Thanks for the info.. but I was talking more about removing the fairing and riding it without the fairing as it would increase the performance..

Quite possible, I agree it'd look odd at first. But you'll get used to it.

Get rid of the fairing, put a round headlamp and - better performance till 100-110 clicks... Then --> windblast.

EDIT - Voila. 800 pages!!!

New post, new query.

My bike is 2011 model, with the amber console. I find the newer bluish console more soothing to the eyes.

Can anyone confirm if its merely an LED swap job?
Refer - http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/desi-bik...le-pulsar.html

By boring I just meant that it has a very relaxed engine and high gearing ratios, which doesn't give the pleasure of riding. Rather it becomes a mere commuter which takes you from point A to point B. If one is un-satisfied with the performance of the bike then it really doesn't do justice to the rider and the bike. Well, the above views are my personal, and I can't say on behalf of the whole ZMA community

And I totally agree that the bike is a GEM, the engineering behind it is flawless, there would NOT be any technical errors. Just that the plastics would let you down and nothing else.

yes it is only LED color that makes up the backlight...they are SMDs..ie., surface mount devices....If you can source and work with a small soldering iron with deft hands,
then it is a easy DIY...this is what the inside looks like in a ZMA...

Hmm, it needs extremely calm hands. Getting myself a solder iron soon.