Money indeed should put in the right place but an upgrade to 250cc is not an upgrade indeed... If KTM was not there, no hint of 390 and pending higher cc Yamaha were not there then yes due to lack of choice 250 would be considered a financial and sensible upgrade. But the fact is we DO have option We are aware that the market is heating up with bigger CCs are pouring in, we are already closer to the year 2012 end and if waiting for FY 2013 brings out better options then why not? I am not saying the thread starter to wait indefinitely but if a better product is due soon then it does makes sense right?

Coming to Pulsar 220.. yes its a good bike no doubt but then again touring wise ZMA is considered better. There is just that one notch extra of refinement, that X factor which is missing in the 220.. For straight line no doubt its a rocket but corners not that great.

In terms of aging whether the thread starter decides 4+ years is a very old and unworthy product to keep i shall leave it to him. Coming to the trend that is being followed it is not necessary that the thread starter has to follow the same it is not like one is buying a fashionable jeans and come fall winter go for the new trend right? If the ride is in good condition and there is lot that can be extracted out of it till a worthy replacement is there up for grabs then logical sense is to go for the next big thing rather than spending on the current one and regretting the moment the bigger bike ends up in the market and was available at an arms length.

Again coming to mods, it has been mentioned again and again if at all the thread starter decides to opt for it then its his call. In terms of reliability, performance and other details the thread starter has been advised to do research and see if it is feasible or not, i believe the thread starter is indeed a logical and sensible person to make the choice


Cheers,

absolutely True!!
True it depends on thought, but mostly things start changing!!
True!! He has to think with all good/Bad research!!

Hey mate sorry im going off topic...but its really important for me as a rider to tell you that if your are caught by Higheay Police with earphones plugged in your ears....there is No Fine......Your licence gets detained straight away...!!! i had this habit of plugging my earphones on my weekend rides.....and just last weekend when i was on my Night ride...i was stopped by Highway police for checking....and he asked me to remove the earplugs immediately...and said this is the first time i excuse someone for having earphones.....and it was just coz i was polite and had all the papers and was completely geared up for my 300kms ride....!! please beware!!

Absolutely not, provided its a low-volume music and should not interfear with honking, and one should not concentrate on music. Its dangerous on two-lanes; on relatively empty four-lanes if you are on left lane, its not dangerous. Of course, I don't advice to do this anyone. I am experienced and I know where exactly its dangerous.

You are coming with a preset mind that I am arguing ZMA is better than P220. As a comfortable refined and relaxed cruiser, nothing beats Karizma yet. And I don't say P220 is inferior to ZMA and its just that you are assuming. Handling wise there is edge to P220 with rear disc, provided that the rear disc is not very soft. Both Karizma and P220 are stable at high speeds. The slight sporty position of P220 doesn't give any additional stability to the p220. The steering of P220 is very heavy compared to Karizma; I am surprised if you haven't noticed it. The rear disc on p220 is soft and is as good as drum brake, and thats what I heard from many P220 owners. The front brake on Karizma is better with Nissin pads and it compensates for the lack of rear disc. For me, there is no winner of these two. The selection of the bike depends on the rider's choice and the needs.

New P220 any day over a modded bike buddy.

With so much support for the P220, I guess its high time I ride the new one and see for myself.

With my ride experience, I've always felt the P220 a lot unrefined compared to the ZMA and a ZMA at 100-110 kmph is a pleasure to ride long. I was not comfortable on the P220 at such speeds coz of the extra vibrations and the sound. Completely agree with the greater top speed and power of the P220, but it certainly is not a relaxed highway bike. My priorities are different as I put in my requirement.

Even if I mod the ZMA, one can be pretty sure that the exhaust will not be made a FFE.

My god its 2007/2008 all over again

Grow up folks, 220 and ZMA both are dead the world has moved from both these aging products.


PS: Just adding two points with no intentions to fuel the fire , the 220 weight distribution is front heavy, that's what makes the ZMA feel more flickable and the 220 more stable at speeds. And about rear brakes, yep the ZMA front brakes are a tad better than the 220 because they are more "progressive". The newer 220's with the steel braided hoses are also progressive almost as much as the ZMA. And about the 220 owners complaining about the rear disc, well that's a maintenance issue, for the folks for who's rear disc actually works its is light years ahead of the ZMA. And no point in arguing about the comfort, ZMA is till date the most comfortable bike to tour on. The 220 is not far behind, but definitely a few notches less comfortable.

Its 2007/08 all over again because there still are no better bikes in the price range. Or am I that out of touch with the biking scene here!!!!

The better options are all priced at 1.5 lakhs or above apart from R15 which just crosses the 1 lakh mark.

Praful- Since you know me, you would also know that I wouldn't go for a P220 at any cost. Its either the ZMA/Modded ZMA/ something really big. Until that really big comes along, need to think of whether I need to mod the bike or not.

Thanks everyone for your views on this topic. Highly appreciated and gave me quite a lot to think about.

Your only option for an "upgrade" at Sub 1.5L pricing is either of the Duke/200NS twins, but it is a very small jump. Why do you think I'm still riding the P220 For me the two are too small a jump, even though the CBR is slightly bigger jump it still is not enough and the Ninja 250 is simply not affordable at my pay packet! So I'm sitting quietly and maintaining the 220.

So like I've told you before, keep the ZMA its still new at less than 20K kms. Hold on for year and look for upgrades.

But if you really need to upgrade today, then nothing other than the CBR250R fits your needs after stretching the budget.

Increase your Budget & go for CBR250 ... its better then 220,P200 ns & ZMA..& much faster too..

Below 1 lakh ,I think p200ns is best bike & is value for money...

Lol, very true its 2007/08 back again..
Coming back to the topic, i think after owning both karizma and 220 i can highlight some points..

ZMA - Styling is not offensive even after 7+ years, handlebars are wider and riding position is commuterish which is good for longer distance cruising. Engine has excellent low end torque and makes most of the power at 7k rpm which gives it crusing speed of 100-110. Zma after 110kmph makes slow progress and overtaking @ high speeds is not as fun as in 220. It looses steam after 110kmph which is expected with a 220cc long stroker. Front brakes are a lot progressive but doesnt help the cause if you want to panic brake in some demanding situations. Rear drums are good enough but drums coupled with 100/90 tyres ends up in wheel lock during rainy season if u hard brake a little. DC lighting is good but are not a match to the 220's headlights, Efficiency is around the same inside city but on the highways the 220 is around 5kmpl more efficient under same conditions and speed. Inside a city the zma is anyday more comfortable and better than a 220, the low end torque and relaxed position are real boon. Vibrations are lesser because the engine is not stressed and doesnt rev high. Mirrors are good and provide good rear view and doesnt vibrate at high speeds.
Handling - The ZMA is a good handler and is not weight biased so the front handlebars are very light which is not the case in a 220, In city the ZMA feels good.

220F-
Styling is good from front and side profile but from rear i prefer the zma's tail. Handlebars are shorter and riding position is little rearset which feels better to ride on and also helps in better control at high speeds. Seats are a shade harder than zma but provide enough support for the A**, brakes- The dtsfi had some brake issues (Read rear disc squeaking, less bites @ rear etc) but with the new generation 220's coming with steel braided lines the braking is spot on especially the front ones, the bite is strong and anyday anynight better than the zma, but still not a match with new kids on the block R15 and Duke200. The rear braking is similar to zma's rear drum but doesnt lock up like that of zma and feel wise disc's are anyday better. The headlights.... enough said, one word - Excellent.
Vibrations are well controlled but as it revs high, one feels a bit of vibrations at higher rpms on the mirrors and pillion footpegs, however the rider doesnt feel as much on his footpegs. The mirrors are useless and 90% area shows only the biceps with only 1cm mirror showing view of the rear road and vibrates badly at high speeds. The Chain demands more maintenance than zma as its open type.

Engine - Brilliant!, mine is a newer batch 220 and i can say Folks at bajaj are constanly improving their products including the 220. Its totally class apart from the initial batch of 220's which was rolled out. Refinement is very near to the honda's now, Ride it to believe it, Just feed motul and notice the difference. Engine is tuned for higher end punch and one can feel that while riding inside the city. The roll-on of the older dtsfi was very strong but the 220F has slightly weaker low end compared to zma and 220fi, however Cross 5k rpm and you'll never miss the Zma at all , the intake growl is very addictive and packs serious punch post 6k rpm till around 10k rpm n hits rev limiter @ 11k. The cruising speed is around 115-125 with still some juice left for overtaking. The Zma can for sure keepup in city but on the highways no way!!
Gearbox- I feel Zma has an edge here, its precise and slots with a click but with 220 its moody and also demands better oil. With Motul the shifts are as good as Zma but with Craptrol its harder.
Handling - The 220 is front weight biased, with a lot of its weight on the front wheels its handlebar is tighter to turn. Couple that with shorter handlebars, it requires more effort to turn at slow speeds. However at high speeds, with rearset and good front weigh bias it handles a lot better than the ZMA, One strange thing i felt is the cross winds affect the ZMA more than the 220 although both of them sport semi fairings of almost same size. Might be its got to do with more weight on the front in case of a 220.
I can conclude that the 220 is overall a better product to choose over the zma. Five years back the Zma in indian market was unchallenged but now it seriously needs an upgrade / has to be phased out.

+1 Nice one!!!

I totally agree with Praful, you should wait for sometime. Afterall, your ZMA hasn't even completed 20k. CBR250 is a good product compared to ZMA but the only negative I found was the hard seats. THough it can be softened. I sold out my zma when it was 41k old. So the decision is yours, there are promising products to come in future, so it will be worth to wait.

wohhaaaaa...!! Have been following this thread from a long time...and to be very frank.....a complete DNA of both the bikes have been done...!!! I simply Love it...!! My take on it....!! i ridden the ZMA for quite a many long rides....arnd 100kms....500kms...!! but have ridden the P220 only in city...!! Presently i own the ZMR.
In my opinion....in aspects of comfort,control maintainence the ZMA is a better option....but then if you are looking for sheer power to burst through.....go in for the P220. i dont know i some how feel the power consigned into the P220 is way beyond its controlling capacity.....!! where as the ZMA at higher sppeds can be controlled without much effort...!!
Coming to cornering...Ive done knee downs on both the ZMA as well as the P220....!! i personally feel the ZMA is much controlled while entering the turns...but the thrust needed as soon as you exit...isnt as good as compared to the P220.
Soo many aspects have been discussed onto the thread about the mechanical and technical aspects of both the bikes...so i thought if i can give you my personal experience with the rides...!!!

So final verdict from my side....!! With due respect to the fastest indian...in my opinion...the Karizma is Above All.....!!!!