Passionately mine, Everythings fine. Review on Bajaj Caliber 115

Its been eighteen months and ten days since I bought a bike I always wished to have. Although I was into bikes even before I got my license, I knew more about the bike its build up than a guy who actually owned it, had made a lot of test drives and study of many bikes in the market, it was only ironical that I did'nt own a bike.

People used to be surprised when they heard that I did'nt have a bike for myself. Some times I myself wondered about it. But everything was put in place last April when my dad promised me a bike. After all the truckers' strike and a lot of waiting, I managed to lay my hands on my bike. And since then, its been no looking back. Here I am to present an owner's view on this wonderful bike promising I wouldn't be biased in any case.

Caliber 115 stormed into the bike market with a bang for it had an advertisement that was truly thought provoking to say the least. What a brainwave? It captured many an imagination and I was no different. I did have a test ride not once but thrice and had a long ride with a friend in his bike. Only then was I convinced that this was the one. But I should completely give the Bajaj Marketing full marks for the ad it came up with. Great for an introduction.

First things first. The design of the bike. I would say trendy, sleek and awesomely stylish. It takes one's breath away with its structure side on. The halogen headlamp unit wonderfully fits into the fibre cast doom which renders the bike with a great front portion. Should I say, no other bike in its class can boast of such styling for the body makes the bike looks really light which it isn't. The caliber easily has a kerb weight of over 115 kg and that's almost 5 kg more than other bikes in its class. The fuel tank is stylish and so does the other fibrous stuff gel with it to give a complete looks. Its a beauty from any angle.

Built on single cradle chasis, the bike does give a pretty strong look and it is without doubt. The front side boasts of telescopic forks and although this bike lacks a disc break, which indeed in my opinion is not necessary, the suspension provides great comfort and ensures a definite smooth ride. The meter pod is the most exciting of all for it has three meters each for fuel, speed and revolution. The rev pod boasts of a wonderful indicator for the economy mode which becomes the highlight. The switches gives a neat look indeed.

I would say this bike has a good enough power delivery. The vertically placed engine delivers a displacement of 111.6 cc delivering a power of 9.5 bhp. In city roads thats an awesome lot. Hey, just 111.6 cc...why is it named Caliber 115 afterall? Well maybe because it weighs a 115 kgs I guess! Anyway, as far as the engine performance is concerned, I am absolutely convinced that this bike has a lot to offer for it performs excellently well within the city as well as in long rides. With a top speed of 100 kmph which indeed can be reached with a minimum of fuss, the bike rolls on the road like a tiger on the look out for its prey.

The bike has excellent stability so as to enable one to handle the bike with utmost ease. Well, the bike has a 4-level adjustable suspension and thus fits any kinda ride. Balance is wonderful and carries itself with a great deal of pleasantness. What is more important is the fact that the bike does wonderfully well in sharp curves with the zapper tyres coming to fore everytime. This is one striking aspect of the bike.

If there is a sore point in the bike, it ought to be the fuel efficiency. Although claims of 90 kmpl (STC) were made, it ought to deliver a minimum of 70 kmpl which it often fails to deliver. Initially having given me a mileage of around 83 kmpl, it has fallen to around about 65 kmpl off late and although that is pretty okay with me, I am quoting it out here because I feel for most people, more than the smoothness of the bike, the criterion becomes mileage and one should not fall for the claims and honestly, a lot depends on the road conditions and riding abilities.

One more minus for the bike is the gear box which has some serious problems with false neutrals and hard second gear. Although it can be rectified with some minor changes, one needs to do that dearly. Also, the seats go a bit hard and render one with a sore bum after a long ride.

All said and done, I would like to say that at the end of the day, this bike really is as good as it can get. Anything wouldn't be perfect and my Caliber is no exception. The bike is smooth, moves like a cat and roars like a tiger and I think, it certainly is a good bargain. I would suggest this bike to anyone who would love to feel the smoothness of the engine and enjoy the ride with a fair enough mileage, provided he rides well. Giving the bike a 4 star wouldn't be unfair even with its minuses for I think this bike would serve one real long. Everything is just very fine with Caliber 115.