Is it worth the hype!. Review on Bajaj Caliber 115

Bought: July, 2003

Kms Done: 8000 Approx.

Mileage:

Initial - City: 58-60 Highway: 65-70

After First Service - City: 55 Highway: 62

After Second Service - City: 53 Highway: 62

After Third Service - City: 48 Highway: 60-70

The average is going for a toss with more running it seems. Esp after the third service the average reduced drastically. I guess the service people might have messed it up. I am not exactly a smooth rider, generally keep it around the 50K mark, but with few gear changes.

The bike has done about three longish trips - on an average 400kms in each trip. It has behaved well, but I guess the city performance is not good. What pains the most is the way Bajaj advertises the ''excellent mileage''. I would have been better off with these guys not claiming the average they fail to deliver.

Anyway I went to the dealer with this problem. He sais its probably because of poor petrol, but I guess that's a good excuse and nothing else. The bike also has a big problem in transmission between the first and the second gears. The sounds it makes are'nt exactly the ''music'' you would like to hear.

Anyway, lets see how Bajaj's service responds to this problem. I am considering getting the carburettor changed. Will keep everybody posted about this.

If you have taken some step which has helped in increasing the performance of your bike please share it with everyone else. We will get better value out of this whole exercise that way.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------

Thanks for prompt feedback on the review. I have added details that were missing. Hope this helps further.

Tyres: MRF Zapper - are performing decently. Have a good grip on the road.

Suspension: Not so good. One of the trips was to Murud from Pune, across all sorts of roads from the brilliant expressway, to state highways, and village roads(!). You do feel bumps a lot.

High speed stability - have taken it to a high of 103 kmph on the expressway. but after 90 kmph the bike shakes slightly.

Seat comfort - excellent for the rider, painful for the pillion esp. on long rides. This is because of the contour of the seat, it widens at the back.

Pickup - I would say decent. The switch between the first and the second gears is seldom smooth. The bike starts whining in the first gear at 20 and when you switch to the second gear the bike starts coughing. I dont know how to put it down technically.

Speeds: Rides best on 45-55 kmph range. Absolutely silent after a while.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------

Another update after all this while -

Now I have done almost 13000kms with the bike.

Positives:

Mileage is decent still. I switched to ''Speed'' petrol and I get a mileage of about 57-60 kms. No problems with the braking system or the gearbox. Use Castrol as alubricant, although it is costlier than the other ones it is a better choice in the longer run. Also you would need to change the oil less frequently.

Negatives:

The carburettor chokes once every 1500 kms and has to be cleaned. This often leads to petrol leaking from the overflow outlet. Dont know why this happens.

Ciao,

Nitin