Quote:
Originally Posted by nitro.1000bhp I think the added weight compared to a crf150 is because of a lot of factors. Primary problem being the intended design. Where the crf150 is more a focussed dirt bike the impulse has to seat 2 and is generally meant for more diverse duties. A few places where weight can be saved. For eg. steel tank compared to crf's plastic one, minimalist body work which again means fewer and lighter plastics on the crf, Lack of crash guards, saree guards, mirrors, rear foot pegs and other heavy steel bits, heavy alloys (grab rail, hand bar..etc) and steel wheels are some of the things that pop to my mind. |
Good inputs, thanks. Yet the
Impulse (at 134kg) is kind of heavy even in comparison to other "diverse-duty" bikes with full street equipment and pillion seating:
1) A buddy from Delhi has a
Honda NX250 (Dominator): great
118kg dual-sport from the 1990's with 250cc (26bhp), six gears, water-cooled 4-valve twin-cam engine, big beefy fork tubes, and all the usual street-legal lighting, mirrors, luggage rack, long-enough seat & rear foot pegs, etc -
http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/mod...a_nx250_93.htm. A lot of additional / beefier components and a lot bigger engine compared to the Hero, and it's still 16kg lighter. BTW, it'll cruise at 120, and still manages 40kpl. at moderate speeds in the hills (friend's been to Burma and back on it, and it's covered over 1lakh km. without doing the bore / crank). (With the above in mind: Pray ye, how might a 225cc air-cooled Karizma be weighing in at quite 162kg????!!!! A 44kg premium for
WHAT exactly???!!!).
2) My own street-legal, pillion-ready
'93 Suzuki DR350S http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/mod...r350s%2093.htm http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/mod...r350s%2092.htm(unfortunately stuck abroad)
weighs 130kg with a smooth, counter-balanced air-cooled 30bhp 350cc mill with heaps of torque and all the same necessary street-legal equipment.
So I'm still a little perplexed as to why domestic bikes need to be quite so porky. I think even the CRF has steel rims, so maybe it's got something partly to do with superior - albeit more costly - materials (steel frame tubing, etc) that can be thinner / lighter and just as strong?
Anyway, if I do finally buy an Impulse, the leg/sari guards will be the first things to go - and it'll still weigh more than either of these bikes, and have no more than half the power, with only marginally better fuel average than the NX. Not complaining, mind you (well, just a little... though I realize the NX must've been a very expensive bike new compared with the Hero). Just a little wistful.
Obviously many of us wish Hero (or Honda - or Yamaha or whomever else) could've somehow given us either a lighter 150 unit or else a 250cc bike at around the same weight and a reasonable price premium. Would've been good for both performance and fuel average, and more importantly for the company, might've blown RE sales into the weeds for adventure touring.
Domestic two-wheeler makers are really squandering this opportunity - quite a lot of the RE-riding touring set are saying, "We wish there were something better - we just don't have any options." I realize that the traditional Indian commuter market is averse to high seats and mudguards that still get the rider muddy, and especially the lack of the all-important center stand (with our living in the puncture-capital of the world); and truly, in the past, going out on any limb typically was of no benefit to any company (i.e., the Bajaj Endura): BUT consider: could a KTM or Harley have been sold in India fifteen years ago? No way. Now look at the present: tens of thousands are presently engaging in the not-very traditional activity of adventure-touring - and for these riders, the few compromises would seldom be an issue
so long as the bike had standard adventure-tourer levels of power / performance. Which I guess the Impulse doesn't in stock form. They might perform OK in the plains, but every single person I've talked to up here in the hills (at near 7,000ft) complains about the lack of power (not less than other 150's, but somewhat less than what's expected / enjoyable for serious Himalayan travels).
Hero misjudged this one: Neither the average commuter nor the average adventure rider will be able to feel good about the compromises. Hero/Honda have plenteous 150cc bikes for the commuter market already - this one should've been more oriented towards the latter customer.
As for me, if there was a way to import the DR, I'd do it. The bike was bought a couple years back for only $800US (Rs50,000) in decent used condition (with nearly new premium-grade rubber).
Both the nearest Hero showrooms sold the red Impulses they had this past week when I was hesitating (only a single black one is left), so I'd have to book one of the "right color" (orange would also work) if I still want it. Maybe I'll finish the first couple services, and then work out a self-engineered big-bore (180+cc) kit for it (hang the five-year warranty). One U.S. company I found has a 225cc pure bolt-on kit (no case machining) that they swear is reliable (and fun!). Expensive, but gives 18+bhp (dyno-tested) with the stock cam / cylinder head, only a bigger carb. That'd work! I could at least retain my original engine serial numbers that way.
New concern, now that I'd have to book one, is re: how much quality control might be suffering in the midst of labor unrest at the Gurgaon plant these past couple weeks.
-Eric