The Revolutionary. Review on Hero Honda CBZ - Disc Brake

The CBZ has to its name the credit of having launched the bike revolution in India. For that I'm eternally grateful to it. It shares the first two letters of its name with the legendary CBR series, though any comparison with it is out of the question. It's a bike which inspired people to pass their exams (''Dad promised me a CBZ if I did well.''), get a life (''That girl said my bike looks cool!'' Some days later, ''I proposed to her...''), and generally eat their hearts out (''Who the hell needs a car? I shoulda bought that bike!''). Note that all the above incidents are true, not fabrications! Here's my opinion about the (current) heart-throb of the masses.

Power: Power is good, but the acceleration is pretty bad. This is quite understandable, because of the bulk of the bike. I had a Shogun when I first test-rode this bike, so my statements about its power may be understated. It has good top-speed, and is excellent for cruising on highways (the fifth cog is a real boon). The bike takes quite some time getting to 80, but once there, it maintains steady acceleration, unlike the Fiero, which tapers off (no fifth gear). However, the Fiero beats it in the 0-80 sprint without much of a problem. Those of you who are thinking that I'm saying this because I own a Fiero (I'm sure you didn't know that :) consider that the p-t-w ratio of the Fiero is 0.104 bhp/kg and that of the CBZ is 0.080 bhp/kg. So there...

Mileage: Nothing to write home about... TPFC really drinks gas. What does it stand for... The Petrol Finishing Control? Seriously, you twist the throttle and it empties the whole damn fuel tank into the carb. If it's possible to remove it, I suggest you do... HH would done much better installing a Micro-pro or just leaving it without any gimmick. Good riders can expect 45, mad-maxers can start looking for a second job.

Control: The CBZ, being a heavy bike, is a bit uncomfortable to handle in the city. However, that same weight makes highways a lot more pleasant. You won't be buffeted by winds at high speeds as much as on smaller bikes. The discs are reassuring, even though I, personally, feel that discs are useless on any of the current Indian bikes. The bike stays rooted to the ground, and the engine responds well to the throttle.

Comfort: The shocks are good and the riding position is sporty. However, on extended journeys it gets a tad uncomfortable. Also, the pillion has the nasty habit of sliding down toward the rider. The bike FEELS good. Nice and solid and dependable.

Convenience: Not good, really. For one thing, to kick-start the bike (no ES version), you have to push back the foot-rest, kick, and then push the foot-rest out again. This is a bit of a hassle in traffic, and it can get really annoying when the whole of your city is standing behind you and honking. Just what were the engineers thinking? Also, the bike has no 'Pass' button to flash your headlight. The headlight quality is good, and the bike also has a city lamp.

Styling: This is where this bike really shines. It's big and beautiful and sure to make heads turn. Currently, many people are saying that the Pulsar looks better, but only because the CBZ's been around for some time, and we're used to it, and the Pulsar's new. The headlight of the Pulsar SUCKS! The round headlight really doesn't work. This baby looks very pleasing and powerful. And the massive size of the bike adds to its looks to give it an undeniable presence. It's also got a distinctive exhaust note, a soft thump-thump, which sounds good when ripping. As I sat and began to type, a CBZ zoomed by, and it sounded really, really cool.

Spares: Bad thing. Spares are expensive, as in all HH bikes. When are the people in charge of spare-pricing at HH gonna wake up and make things affordable?

Maintained: The CBZ is no sissy bike, contrary to what many people say... you can drag with it, power shift regularly, do wheelies and stuff, but it won't get messed up... much. On the other hand, it's no dirt-bike either. Put the bike under too much stress and it'll complain. IF you mess it up, you gotta rake up a helluva lotta cash to get it back in shape.

Price: The bike used to be a tad overpriced, but it's come down now to a reasonable level.

Bottom-line: If styling is the main criterion for your bike, you don't mind below-average mileage, and you're in an awful hurry to buy a power bike, buy this. IF you mainly want awesome performance and aren't in a hurry to buy a bike, I suggest you wait for the Pulsar to release, if it hasn't already released in your city. If the purpose you have in mind for the bike is the highways, buy this instead of the Fiero.

One more thing... if you're buying a CBZ and you stay in Bangalore, please, PLEASE, don't buy silver... I'll go mad if I see another silver CBZ on the road! Buy red, or blue, or psychedelic florescent magenta, but not silver... pl-e-e-aase?

Yeah, also, I'm very sleepy right now, so if there are any typos in the doc or obvious errors, please excuse. Swolpa adjust maadi... ;)