Nov 16, 2010 05:47 PM
12635 Views
(Updated Dec 13, 2010 01:48 PM)
From the time Hero Honda Karizma was released into the market, in 2003, I was completely in love with the bike. Though I was not able to afford ~ 1 lakh rupees at that point of time, my dream bike was never out of my mind. When Karizma R was released in 2007, I again wanted to buy it but in vain. But in 2009 when Karizam ZMR was released, I could not wait any further.
I booked the bike in June 2010 at Majestic Mobikes in Bengaluru. I requested for a white colour ZMR but the representative Mr Raghavendra said, "I am sorry Sir, we do not have stock. Presently we have red, blue and black. If you need white ZMR, you need to wait for a month." Well, I wanted to buy a White ZMR and I said that I do not mind waiting. I told him that I wish to pay the bike cost in installment and I had HDFC bank already associated with the Hero Honda Showroom, making my work easier. I was ready with cash and I paid him 25, 000 INR advance. I was completely happy that I finally booked my Hero Honda Karizma ZMR - Above all. But was the bike truly above all? Read on to know more.....
Finally, the month that I was waiting for, July 2010 arrived and this was the month where I will be laying my hands on the beast ZMR. I got a call in the first week of July that my bike has arrived to the showroom and I need to finish the bank paperwork at the earliest. I was quoted 1 lakh, 13 thousand rupees as an on-road price. I finished the paper work and the bank agreed to fund the remaining money, at an affordable interest rate though!
The day, July 10th 2010 finally arrived and I headed out to the showroom to get my bike. I had to wait for an hour as there were no people in the showroom. I was waiting patiently and finally, I was called to the second floor where my bike was standing in all its glory! Wow!!! My happiness knew no bounds and I was extremely happy to see my bike that I was dreaming from over 7 years !!!
The bike was brought below through the lift, not before I was given the basic instructions on handling, working and the gear mechanism. I started the bike and woahhhhh....amazing ....the bike just zoomed and within no time, I was out of the vicinity!!
Its now been over 4 months since I bought this bike and I have already completed my first free service too. So how is the bike's performance?
To be honest, the bike looks simply excellent and there is no second doubt in that. The bike does weigh really heavy (~ 160kgs) but wait!! We need not have to carry it and it makes no difference!! Regarding the handling and stability, it is simply awesome as the bike will not shake/vibrate even if you ride at over 110 kmph. I have touched a maximum of 130km/h and I seriously did not feel that I was riding at 130kmph !!!! The gear change is smooth and simple and the gear box makes no sound (as like Bajaj bikes) at any point of time. The bike is extremely classy, efficient, . engine is really smooth, all the parts of the bike (seat, handles, horn, lights, body, etc.) are of top-notch quality, changing gears is as easy as you can expect, u cross 100kmph and u feel as if u r riding at 40 kmph !! The speedometer is all-digital and looks really beautiful at night. The display also shows the average mileage and changes every 10 seconds. U can therefore keep a tab on the mileage that your bike provides! The horn is really loud and can make a lorry driver turn back on a highway!! The bike also comes with the normal 35/35 yellow light plus a while light to use on highways.(though I use it in city) !! The bike also comes with a remote with 4 keys on it - to start, to lock, to on the censor (you get a very loud 'beep" beep" continuous alarm when someone touches your bike) and to find your bike in a parking lot (by giving a very loud "beep" "beep" "beep" continuous alarm) amongst other bikes.
The only thing that I did not like in ZMR is the speed limit of 130kmph and only 5 gears when other companies can manufacture 150cc bikes to have 6 gears and a max speed of 150kmph....Also, you get a maximum mileage of 40 kmpl (if you ride at a max speed of 40 kmph or even less). Else, you will normally get around 35 kmpl mileage.... But apart from that, I did not find any problem and if you are buying a bike which needs to have looks, quality, handling, stability and an overall-comfortable riding experience (in city or highways), do not think twice to buy the Karizma ZMR - And now after using the bike for 4 months, I can proudly say, "Hero Honda Karizma ZMR is truly, ABOVE ALL !!!!!!!!!"
