Mar 11, 2009 06:07 PM
11055 Views
I own a Caliber bought in March 2001 and has been a faithful companion for the past 8 years and over 66, 000 kms. I went through bike comparisions in Auto India between HH Splendour, Caliber, LML Energy and Kinetic Challenger. Even though the Energy was considered by the magazine as the winner in the road tests, the all round positive points in the Caliber impressed me to go for the bike.
It was really an allrounder in the 100CC category at that point of time - it had a tacho, tripmeter, pass-beam, push-to-cancel indicators, good step-up shock absorbers, all-aluminium engine and 130mm drum brakes both in front and rear. All these features were not available in 2001 in 100CC bikes and considering these and my gut feeling went for the Caliber. The most impressive feature was the ergonomics of the control switches - it just falls into hand naturally.
You just have to sit in a Splendour, were you have to see and then twist your thumb or fingers to operate them. Maybe the bike is not smooth in acceleration and exhaust note as the Splendour but is very torquey and strong to rev. The all-4-down gear shift was also easy to use but was a bit noisy in the intial stages but turned out to be slick as time went by. The engine note and the acceleration also smoothened after 1 year with regular servicing. Till now I give the bike for regular servicing every 6 months to a trusted mechanic friend in a Bajaj Service station.
I always follow his instructions for any changes/replacements to key parts of the bike. Also till date not even a single screw and gone out of place and no mechanical noises and rattles have come from the bike. The bike is not tuned for out and out acceleration which I never do and by riding at a safe speed of 45-50 km/hr in Chennai city traffic it gives a mileage around 65 km/ltr. On the little negative points in the bike - Of late the suspension had turned hard and it takes a beating on the back and neck.
The handlebar which is long and wide which used to give an impression of riding a big bike is also a minus in terms of handling in high speed. Dont try to ride the bike at speed in curves otherwise it will follow the tanget line to the curve. It is a very good commuter bike in the city traffic and can be handled in traffic with ease but not for long drives owing to its soft seat and long handle. Iam thinking of buying a new bike in the next few months which gives a good riding position. But the bike is still performing to its optimum and still making my mind think twice in going for a new one. Anyway if possible I would go for the Unicorn. But happy days riding the Caliber althrough and sad that Bajaj discontinued such a strong and rugged bike.
