[Transsenger]

Originally Posted by amit V8

the bus looks good, but the engine vibration is too much. if you enter through the front gate you can feel it.
any idea what is the engine it is using?? or the tech. spec. of these buses.

I believe its based on Ashok Leyland Viking SLF platform. It has Hino165HP BS2 engine. Usually Hino engine has very less noise & vibration. A large share of Jnnurm order is for this one.
Also spoted a new AL Newgen 4018.

[tushky]

saw this eicher Low Floor test bus. no info available. and sorry for the poor pics.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by tushky

saw this eicher Low Floor test bus. no info available. and sorry for the poor pics.

A cheaper version of Volvo from Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles(VECV) i guess. Competition for AL and TM to come from this version than from the higher end Volvo buses. I believe Volvo is adopting a two pronged strategy, the lower end is left as Eicher, so the Volvo brand image as higher end buses is not affected and hence command a premium. Lot of action about to happen in Indian CV segment, Buses in particular with new additions from Izuzu, Hino, International and MAN. I am excited.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

saw this ISUZU bus in bangalore. who makes this body?

Isuzu bodies are made by Prakash. Website

[amit V8]

the new tata 1510 (cummins) city bus by BEBCO for the CTC. the interior is simply great, no frills but fit and finish is excellent.

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by amit V8

the new tata 1510 (cummins) city bus by BEBCO for the CTC. the interior is simply great, no frills but fit and finish is excellent.

One of the ugliest buses I have ever seen!

[TheARUN]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

thanks to one & all for helping me out with the purchase of buses. we have finalized on-

Two numbers of AL 4/89 viking 222" chassis with 'H' series 6ETI BS II engine.
Body will be done at Prakash (bangalore)- 49 seater (pics of similar model attached below). bus would be air suspension & non-AC.

can anybody help me with someone who can install an air suspension unit in these chassis apart from AL itself? is wheel india based in karnataka? if yes, can anybody help me with its website/mail ID or any contact info? has anybody heard of Chitra air suspension?

any opinions or comments are welcome.

Could you let us know how much you paid for the chassis and what does it cost for the body.

Also, if it is not too much trouble, what is the time it takes for body building? What is the waiting period for the chassis, etc.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

Could you let us know how much you paid for the chassis and what does it cost for the body.

Also, if it is not too much trouble, what is the time it takes for body building? What is the waiting period for the chassis, etc.

sure buddy.

cost of chassis after much bargaining: 9.2 L
cost for body + seats + some standard lighting: 10.5 L (optional fitments extra)

time taken by 'PRAKASH' to build the body: 1.5 months
Waiting period for chassis: 1 week (depends on availability)

[Transsenger]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

sure buddy.
cost of chassis after much bargaining: 9.2 L
cost for body + seats + some standard lighting: 10.5 L (optional fitments extra)
time taken by 'PRAKASH' to build the body: 1.5 months
Waiting period for chassis: 1 week (depends on availability)

Raj:Have you decided on the colour scheme? Try something different because these buses (prakash) are very common in Kerala nowadays.
Exactly one year ago, we bought a Leyland Cheetah 210" chassis for 9.2L. The body was designed on the lines of Newgen series and got built locally at cochin. It cost around 4.5L. The bus has completed 1 year of operation without any breakdowns.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by Transsenger

Raj:Have you decided on the colour scheme? Try something different because these buses (prakash) are very common in Kerala nowadays.
Exactly one year ago, we bought a Leyland Cheetah 210" chassis for 9.2L. The body was designed on the lines of Newgen series and got built locally at cochin. It cost around 4.5L. The bus has completed 1 year of operation without any breakdowns.

colour- not yet. i will be flying to bangalore next week to prakash's office & will decide upon the colour & various interior fitments.

i liked the front end of your bus a lot. but is the 10.5 L price quoted by prakash reasonable considering the price you paid for your bus?

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by Transsenger

I believe its based on Ashok Leyland Viking SLF platform. It has Hino165HP BS2 engine. Usually Hino engine has very less noise & vibration. A large share of Jnnurm order is for this one.
Also spoted a new AL Newgen 4018.

AFAIK, all SLF buses are based on the Hino 167HP engine. Currently, this is the only engine being offered for BSIII versions.

The Vibration could be due to faulty mounting, or could be some body builder issue. The current Hino engines are undoubtedly the best in the class - they vibrate too little and are damn silent.

Originally Posted by tushky

saw this eicher Low Floor test bus. no info available. and sorry for the poor pics.

Big time trouble for Leyland and TATA :(

But, I feel Eicher got the timing wrong. Had they developed this product a year earlier, a huge share of the JNNURM deal would've been in their product. Being a product developed with technical co-operation of Volvo, I am sure this product would be a super-hit.

Originally Posted by sajo

Isuzu bodies are made by Prakash. Website

Are you sure on this? The 'Prakash' that you are referring to is an Assam based company. Swaraj-Isuzu is put together in Punjab. AFAIK, Swaraj does their own bodies (The older Swaraj Madza buses were being buit by JCBL).

I am quoting an article that appeared in Motor India magazine a while back. This article says that the body is built by Swaraj themselves, at Ropar.

According to a Senior Manager of Swaraj Mazda Ltd., the new LT-134PR ultra-luxury bus model with 40 push-back seats is much sought after, especially in the southern region. The bus is being manufactured at the state-of-the-art facility at Ropar in Punjab, and its body structure, systems and procedures are of global standard ensuring maintenance of product quality throughout.

This is the official website of Bangalore based body builder "Prakash" - the actual company is called "SM Kannappa Automobiles": smk prakash

[fx45]

agree with you binai on the eicher bus, it could have been very popular with that JNNRUM quota.

[Transsenger]

Its too long since AL has been playing around with "Luxura". Even though media reports suggested APSRTC procuring a dozen of these, KaSRTC doing successful trials...the bus is not to be seen! Anyway hereare a few pics taken at the last Autoexpo. Its would have been a strong pit against Volvo.
Has anybody spoted these with any tour operator or STU?

[TheARUN]

@RAJ
I think you paid the right price. As an industry thumb rule, tourist bus bodies cost as much as a chassis. Its pretty close, so its a decent deal you have.

SMK is a very good body builder. Lots of private travels trust their bodies. They are good for luggage carrying capacity and overall the best you could go for.

Since you have bought the bus, will desist from commenting about the competition for body building.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by Transsenger

The bus has completed 1 year of operation without any breakdowns.

Transsenger, Do you see any similarities in front between the 2 or it is just me, The bumper looks much better on the truck though!! Imitation or Inspiration?

Originally Posted by fx45

agree with you binai on the eicher bus, it could have been very popular with that JNNRUM quota.

Even if the model was ready, i doubt VECV would have been able to scale up production quickly enough to meet the JNNURM timelines. Even AL/TM finding it real hard to meet the dead lines.
By the way, Do you know any STC s currently using any kind of Eicher buses other than mini buses? I have seen quite a few Eicher School buses in Kerala. I think Binaik posted the picture of a KerRTC Eicher bus somewhere, but i have not seen it in person