Review after 2900 kms. Review on Hero Honda Karizma ZMR

I purchased my white ZMR in Feb 2011. After riding it for around 2900 kms  what I observed is mentioned in my review..

In my close frnd circle we have two ZMR's (including mine),

one - Pulsar 220 Fi

Two - Pulsar 180

One - Yamaha R15

one - Hunk

So I have rough idea hw all these bikes behave.. As you all know that pulsar is having highest Bhp i.e. 21.04 among all the above bikes and before the launch of R15 it is the only competitor of Karizma. But wait a minute is only Bhp (power) matters for u if u r going to purchase a bike. For me not at all..

Why I choose ZMR ??

1. Very first reason is I am a hard core karizma fan (not bcoz of its looks bt bcoz of refinement and reliability of Honda engines).

   
   




2. Quit the thought of R15 bcoz of its sitting position. I am having back problem, can't drive R15 for more than 25-30 kms in a single stretch means around 40-45 minutes in Delhi's traffic (Jawaani mei hi mein buddha ho gaya :D)

   
   




3. Not choosed Pulsar 220 bcoz of its durability. ( All Pulsar lovers know that but can't accept it. If u purchase a pulsar and a karizma on a same date, pulsar starts to give u trouble after 2 or max 3 yrs no matters whether u drive it very gently or not, but not the case with karizma. But exceptions are always there :P ).

   
   




4. Not considered Pulsar 180, Hunk, Cbz xtreme, FZ & Apache RTR 180 bcoz all of them are very common, belongs to different segments and u can't compare them with the likes of R15, ZMR and Pulsar 220.

   
   

Finally choosed ZMR..

ZMR Styling : Its totally one's choice... for me Front fariring of ZMR is awesome but the rear of bike is awful except its LED tail light. New instrument console is also superb, best in the segment.

Comfort and handling : Here comes the best part of ZMR bcoz of which I purchased it. Relax Sitting posture and good handling makes it one of the best options for city and highway riding both. (R15 provides u 'the' best Handling, no one {ZMR, ZMA, Pulsars, Apache} can match its handling, but R15 does not provide u comfort as much as ZMR). I used ZMR for going to my clg which is around 25 kms away from my home. Daily travelling for around 50 kms in delhi's traffic does nt feel me tired.

Performance and fuel economy: Same 223cc old karizma engine with additional PGM Fi equipped with 12 hole fuel injector. Due to FI mileage of the ZMR is around 35 kmpl. Maximum I got was 47 kmpl before first service when my bike was new, as at that time I ride it in between 40-50 kmph speed. But if u r purchasing such bikes u should not considered mileage.

Now talking about its performance it has torque in all the rev range. The engine never feels stressed even ripped at max RPM, Just a twist of throttle and it moves very smoothly. Even if you are riding at 35kmph speed in 5th gear and want to accelerate all of a sudden, you dont need to change gear, slight twist of the wrist and the speedo increases much faster than u assume. Top speed of my bike

is 132 kmph (Rock Solid at that speed). It reaches 110 kmph with ease but after that slows down. ZMR may not match the top speed of R15 and Pulser 220, but in initial acceleration ZMR is quicker than R15 and almost same as Pulsar 220.

Story which I would like 2 share with u: My Race with P220- (2011 The Fastest Indian)

First of all I would like to tell u that I never indulge myself in those foolish one Red light 2 other Red light drag races which many bikers do almost daily in a city riding conditions while commuting to their clg or office. But one day I was getting very late for my college, I had my exam on that day. Although I leave my home well on time but due to any political rally I was caught in traffic. when I get out of the traffic I had to cover 10-12 kms in 15 mins to reach my clg on time. So on that day I was the part of city red light 2 red light drag race. On one red light I saw a red pulsar 220 standing just on my right side. The P220 was new as polythene was wrapped around its saree guard and seat. When signal became Green both of us open full throttle of our bikes. Firstly it was neck to neck race but all of a sudden my ZMR started to gain a distance with P220, P220 was in my back view mirror. The P220 guy was riding like a MOTO GP racer, bending his back, creating lots n lots of sound from his machine. But on that day winner was 'KARIZMA ZMR'.

so from that day what I learnt, only machine can't win races for u, even if it is having higher bhp or speed in comparison to your competitor... wht matters is combination of ur and ur machine effort.. it depends on how well u understand ur machine..

What I like in my ZMR:

1. New instrument console - (a) Real Time Mileage Indicator, what it does is, based on the last 10 seconds of RPM, throttle, speed and fuel used, the screen displays the approximate current mileage.

(b) You can also write your name (Max six alphanumerical) and save it. Your name will be displayed every time when u turn on and turn off the ignition. Seems childish but I like it... :)

1. The addition of rear disc brakes and oil cooling will help serve the touring needs better.

   
   




2. fuel injection eliminates the need to retune the carburetor. The FI system uses several sensors all over the engine to gauge the oxygen level, engine temperature, throttle position, air flow and fuel flow among others, these sensors feed data to the ECU ( Engine Control Unit ) which then sets the appropriate air-fuel ratio. This ensures that the performance and fuel efficiency stays constant under all kinds of riding conditions, the addition of the oil cooler further re-enforces the Karizma as India’s best sports touring bike as it helps keep the bike cool under really harsh, high speed, long distance riding.

   
   




3. Its Sitting Position and Handling

   
   




4. LED tail light

   
   




5. Refinement and Reliability of Engine

   
   




6. When everyone eyes (specially of girls.... lol) are on my White ZMR at traffic signal. It is Priceless....

   
   

What I dislikes :

1. Only 17.6 Bhp, and top speed of 132kmph :(

   
   




2. Costly and unavailability of spare parts. My frnd had to wait for one month to replace his zmr front alloy wheel.

   
   

Final Verdict :

Yamaha R15 - For those who want to feel like Rossi, want performance along with fun, Yamaha R15 is for u.. But remember to get ultimate performance u need to keep it above 4K RPM every time, otherwise it behave like other 150cc bike. And also you have to pay price higher than ZMR's price to keep it in your garage, as it is the costliest among three. (If I dont have back problem I will go for Yamaha R15 bcoz of its looks and ultimate driving pleasure)..

Pulsar 220 - If you can afford to change your bike in every 3-4 years than P 220 is for u.. Relatively low in price the fastest Indian will not let u down.

Karizma ZMR - For those who want the sudden acceleration of P220, Performance & Reliability of Yamaha R15, Comfort of Old karizma and Bullet, ZMR IS WAITING FOR U.....