Aug 30, 2002 12:05 PM
4241 Views
(Updated Aug 30, 2002 12:07 PM)
Right from the time the Hero Honda CBZ was launched, there has been a certain amount of hipe and hoopla. I just don’t know why? They have said that the bike is awesome, superb and what not? But those who said this were the people who had just seen it but had never been on a ride. Just one big ride and a brief look into the features and a collective study of its fuel efficiency was enough for me to come to a conclusion. Let me present you with the exact picture of the bike and you’ll get to know the truth behind this mystery machine.
The Styling and build of the bike is simply wonderful. I was really impressed with the colouring and chroming and all that. The headlamp and the tail lamp wonderfully corresponds the beauty with which the body of the bike is carved. The fuel tank, the stylish seat, the height and the overall design leaves one to keep gazing at it. The pleasing and well-balanced shape gives the bike that required attractiveness.
But there ends the goodies. The 156.6 cc and 12.6 bhp engine is a single cylinder four-stroker. Though the CBZ claims to deliver power in a sporty way, it fails to do so, badly. Over time, the bike looses its sting and comes out a lame loser. Rough riding can easily overcome the engine and wear it out. Though the engine comes with a complex carburetor and an accelerator pump but it only adds up to the mess that’s already created. The deceleration valve utterly fails to keep those irritating afterburn bangs in the silencer at bay.
The chassis are really brittle and believe me, one nasty fall and you might end up losing your bike forever. Somehow, it doesn’t complement the build of the bike which is a major discredit. The telescopic forks and a relatively strong shock-absorbers come as a face saving for the bike. Well, this I say because a good friend of mine met with an accident and though he escaped unharmed, he couldn’t save his CBZ. The chassis broke and that was it. And you know what his reaction was? You wouldn’t believe it. He said, “Thank God..That gives me a good enough reason to buy a new bike. Good on God that I got rid of this bike”. This explains the whole story.
The 5-speed gear-box is not a performer under testing situations. Though it provides a great punch while riding, shifting them requires great mastery of riding techniques. Though the bike gives a very good speed, for a city ride especially on Indian roads, the bike simply fails to perform well. The bulky tyres and an imbalance of sorts are majorly responsible for this. Handling the vehicle also poses problems at times. Though the suspension is wonderful, the weight distribution is somewhat awkward. A kerb weight of 130 kg may not be too much, but it is concentrated over a few areas and this makes the vehicle underperform deliberately. This in turn affects the riding comfort too. Though the onlookers might envy the person riding CBZ, the rider wouldn’t be all that comfortable. Take me. I had a tuff time balancing the vehicle, with riding position and the so-called stylish seats.
Finally coming to the fuel efficiency, I believe a cruiser like Yamaha Enticer betters the CBZ. Giving just 40 kmpl at best, the CBZ doesn’t even come into reckoning.And the price...Believe me..it is not worth so much.
So it is abundantly clear that the CBZ, despite its brand quality and its purity of styling, suffers from too many shortfalls. Its dubious handling and poor fuel efficiency erode its desirability considerably. The absence of an electric starter and its purchase price weighs it down even further. So in my opinion, the Hero Honda CBZ may be attractive to look at, but it is definitely not worth a buying. My sincere advice is not to buy this bike.
