Mar 31, 2005 01:48 PM
10652 Views
(Updated May 03, 2005 05:00 PM)
This topic is a comparo between P180 classic, P180 Dtsi (old), P180Dtsi (new) and the larger engined Karizma (zma). So let the war start.
P180 classic- This was the first ever performance oriented 4 stroke motorcycle in the country. Obviously, it wasn’t a sales success in India ‘cos here Fuel Efficiency (FE) rules. It was launched in November 2002 and instantly kicked up a storm. It kicked other bikes arses. First the raw figures-
0-60 kmph- 5 seconds
0-100 kmph 18-19 seconds
Top Speed 120 kmph
Speedo Reading 132 kmph
FE 42 kmpl
This bike with its ultra short wheelbase was a handler’s delight but the downside was that the bike would wobble a lot at 110+ kmph speeds. It had a delightful engine note for a 4 stroker. The throttle response is crisp and it is the perfect bike for wheelies. With such kind of a bike a FE of 40+ is icing on an already sinful cake. The design was muscular with a big fuel tank attracting the most attention. The attention to detail is awesome. The engineering is brilliant. Throw the bike down at any speed and there would not be a dent on the fuel tank or any part of the bike for that matter.
So, coming back to the race we had between these performance bikes, the P180 was fun to drive in corners because of the very short wheelbase but in a straightline drag, the P180 was the slowest till 100 kmph but after that it overtook the new P180. The top speed achieved was a delightful 132 @ 9300 rpm. But it felt very unstable at those speeds. Driving like a maniac makes its FE drop down to 33 kmpl which is ok and the best figure achieved was 55 kmpl. The best thing was that withot using any type of technology Bajaj had made such a performance bike.
Pros- engine note, handling
Cons- top speed wobbling, FE, dim lighting
P180 Dtsi (old)- The P180 classic was already a monster. So how do you top that? 1 measly bhp might sound paltry but once you drive the bike you know that it was meant to outperform the (much) larger engined karizma. Compared to the P180 classic the engine note is a tad disappointing. It could atleast have the same engine note if not louder. The sound of Dtsi is boring but it is atleast better than the zma. To distinguish itself from the classic, Bajaj added a mean fairing and increased the wheelbase to kill the instability of the P180 classic at high speeds. But that also meant that the instant turn in ability of the classic was lost. But the handling was still sharp. Bajaj also did some minor changes in the bike but the biggest change was obviously the addition of another spark plug. It changed the way the pulsar performed. The figures for the bike are-
0-60 kmph 4.5 seconds
0-100 kmph 14-15 seconds
Top speed 128 kmph
Speedo Reading 137 kmph
FE 45kmpl
On the highway, the zma was just side by side till 50-55 kmph after which the Dtsi just took off. The new Dtsi was ahead of the pack till 50 kmph. It recorded a top speed of 137 kmph@9500rpm. This was the fastest bike in the comparo. After 60 kmph no bike was seen in front of P180 Dtsi till the top whack, which is even more than the zma. Speaks volumes about the engine of the Dtsi. It is a whole 45 cc down on the zma and still beats it. To take things into perspective see how the ambition(133cc) compares with the P180 dtsi(178.6cc) and u’ll be shocked. The engine felt stressed while approaching the top speed but what more do you expect from a 180 cc engine. To top it all it also gives the best FE figure among all the bikes here. MINDBLOWING.
Pros- fastest bike, best FE
Cons- no alloys
P180 Dtsi (new)- The new Dtsi, first when I saw it, was extremely good looking with the 17 inch alloys and all. But when I read the road test reports of the bike and even rode it I was extremely disappointed. Why? Take a look at the figures-
0-60 kmph 4.5 seconds
0-100 kmph 18 kmph
Top speed 115 kmph
Speedo Reading 122 kmph
FE 42 kmpl
The top speed has been reduced drastically by 15 odd km which do not sound a lot but when you actually drive it means a lot. After 100 kmph the bike takes an eternity to reach to the top speed. The mileage has also been tampered with, ‘cos now you are driving at high revs at cruising speeds. But there are 2 good things to take home, one the increased initial acceleration till 50 kmph accounted by shorter gearing and the roll on figures. Low down in the rpm range, the dtsi still feels eager to deliver. But the problem is that it runs out of rpms too fast. It has the least top speed in the test but has the best initial acceleration. On another note, the alloys look good and complement the bike’s muscular styling. All in all an ok bike. Buy only if u want more performance than the P150 but can’t afford the zma.
Pros- 17 inch alloys, gas shocks
Cons- mileage, performance
Karizma (zma)- The zma is a much hyped bike. This was ‘cos of the design of the bike which looked very different from other bikes and that it was a pulsar beating 223 cc. While the 223 cc part was ok but the Hero Honda guys spoiled all things by giving the bike just 17 bhp to play with. Still it is ok. On paper the zma beats the P180 dtsi(old).
But in reality it is tottaly different. Take a look-
0-60 kmph 4.5 seconds
0-100 kmph 15-16 seconds
Top speed 125 kmph
Speedo reading 140 kmph
FE 32 kmpl
On the highway, the bike was beaten till 50 kmph by the new Dtsi and was side by side the Dtsi(old). But after that the Dtsi opened a gap which increased by the second. It isn’t all that bad as it appears but at the end of about 5 kms of the open highway the zma was down the old dtsi by a bus length. The top speed for the bike was an ok 125 kmph but the speedo showed an optimistic 140 kmph. There is a big speedo error on zmas. In fact driving side by side, the pulsars show 100 kmph where the zma shows 105-106 kmph. But, to be frank, it achives indecent speeds in a relaxed manner totally contradicting the pulsars. The engine is detuned to a large extent and you can modify the engine to beat the old dtsi. But it costs a lot of money. In any case if you have spent over 70000 rs on a bike you wouldn’t want to put any more money.
This is the bike to buy if u’ve got the moolah. This is because of the highish asking price of 70000 odd and the mileage figure of 32 kmpl. If driven rashly the FE falls down to just 23 kmpl and if driven constantly at 65 kmph gives 45 kmpl.
This is now the fastest production bike in India. If you wanna show off this is too the bike for you, but it gets beaten by the old dtsi. So be wary of them.
Pros- design, Hero Honda brandname
Cons- FE, gets beaten by old dtsi
Please post ur comments if you liked or did not like my rvu. See ya.
