Should I: ZMA to CB ?

desideep · 21st August 2012, 18:36

Hello Friends.

i have always been a fan of old school styling speacialy of the motorcycles. Yamaha 350s and Honda CBs have always been able to attract me.

I have a HERO HONDA KARIZMA ZMA to my disposal. and i plan to convert it to look like a CB250 like in image bellow. Please suggest.

Main thing that i am concerned about is the straight seat placement.

Rahulkool · 21st August 2012, 18:46

I will suggest not doing this as the CB looks what it is because of that beautiful 4 cylinder engine. I remember there was a kawasaki with 6 cylinder engine with square headlamps. It was absolutely same as the KB125 but there was no comparison in looks.

evilmessiah · 21st August 2012, 21:36

Rahulkool has said the exact thoughts that had crossed my mind.
The ZMA has a charm of its own as a gentle sports tourer- why make it into something that it's not?
But then, I'm a guy who doesn't like to alter the stock looks of my vehicles. If you aren't that sort of a guy, feel free to disregard my point

. In case you go ahead with the mod, I hope that you would be using good quality parts with good finish. If the mod can be easily converted back into stock, there can't be much harm in going ahead with the project and then going back to stock once you've become bored with it, right?

desideep · 21st August 2012, 21:54

To be true with you all, if we end up selling this bike it will get us no more than 15-20 K, the bike runs fine and then apart from this have a bullet and a ZMR, this would just be a project bike. not much mechanical changes would be needed.

Tassem · 21st August 2012, 22:27

This is exactly what I have in mind for my zma. I set about a plan to reduce as much plastic from the body as possible. I'm sure you agree that the rattling front cowl is the weakest point of the karizma.

My bike is from the original batch. Seven years old but only 20k on the odo since I dont ride much these days.

I would love to get the Triumph T100 or Kawasaki w800 look. The small engine is the literal void we have to fill.

Do not worry about the straight seat bit. I had that checked out and its a fairly straightforward job involving some minor welding. Remove the rear cowls and you'll see what I mean.

Here's my list:

A nice round headlamp
Classic Tank
Chrome RPM single or black if regular pods.
Squarish RVMs
Straight pipe exhaust (If feasible)
Straight seat
Front fork boots
White paintjob with stripes

Will be following this post with utmost interest. Here's something I did in photoshop a couple of years ago. Maybe you'll find it inspiring. I've made it a point to keep modifications to minimum so that there is nothing too difficult to achieve. The wheels were not touched. I feel these fare better than the wire spoke ones, while retaining the classic look.

If one inclines so, this should only be about a week of work at the most. Finding a tank should be the difficult part I guess.

Also, it will look much better than a KB100 or similar bike simply because of the size. While the zma is by no means a big bike, it is cetainly meatier than a splendour or kb100 etc. And not just due to the cowls.

SunnyBoi · 21st August 2012, 23:09

^ Looks great! Perhaps a CD-Dawn tank will fit the bill for the above image?

Biggest problem with removing plastics is tidying the rear subframe. Will have to do extensive re-routing for the CDI/RR/Relays/etc.

the_trooper · 22nd August 2012, 11:34

I couldnt resist posting here.

In my quest to keep my old faithful Zma running light and simple, it has been through its share of stripping.

Honestly, I wasnt willing to pay 12k or so for the plastic kit that was originally bad to start with. It's been nothing but rattles, broken tabs, body parts coming loose whenever I hit a bump or jump. Then I had to use tape to hold everything in place.

Then I tried some Karol Bagh fibre replacement parts, its a pain getting them to fit right, but considering they cost one-tenth of the OEM parts, it was worth experimenting.

shubhamAT · 22nd August 2012, 12:04

Even i don't like the half-fairing. I did not buy ZMA for its look so it will be great to see a project which removes the fairing. Personally i would prefer a FZ look over the CB one.

Rahulkool · 22nd August 2012, 12:43

I have owned the ZMA for 5 years and there was not even a single rattle from any of the plastic parts. The image posted above looks very nice but making that out of ZMA will require changing the frame/chassis which in turn can damage the whole dynamics of the bike. But it sure does look great :-)

21st August 2012, 18:36	#1
desideep Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Adelaide Posts: 1,159 Thanked: 318 Times View My Garage	Should I: ZMA to CB ? Hello Friends. i have always been a fan of old school styling speacialy of the motorcycles. Yamaha 350s and Honda CBs have always been able to attract me. I have a HERO HONDA KARIZMA ZMA to my disposal. and i plan to convert it to look like a CB250 like in image bellow. Please suggest. Main thing that i am concerned about is the straight seat placement. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

21st August 2012, 18:46	#2
Rahulkool Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,386 Thanked: 1,416 Times View My Garage	Re: Should I: ZMA to CB ? I will suggest not doing this as the CB looks what it is because of that beautiful 4 cylinder engine. I remember there was a kawasaki with 6 cylinder engine with square headlamps. It was absolutely same as the KB125 but there was no comparison in looks.
	() Thanks

21st August 2012, 21:36	#3
evilmessiah BHPian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Cochin Posts: 169 Thanked: 421 Times	Re: Should I: ZMA to CB ? Rahulkool has said the exact thoughts that had crossed my mind. The ZMA has a charm of its own as a gentle sports tourer- why make it into something that it's not? But then, I'm a guy who doesn't like to alter the stock looks of my vehicles. If you aren't that sort of a guy, feel free to disregard my point . In case you go ahead with the mod, I hope that you would be using good quality parts with good finish. If the mod can be easily converted back into stock, there can't be much harm in going ahead with the project and then going back to stock once you've become bored with it, right?
	() Thanks

21st August 2012, 21:54	#4
desideep Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Adelaide Posts: 1,159 Thanked: 318 Times View My Garage	Re: Should I: ZMA to CB ? To be true with you all, if we end up selling this bike it will get us no more than 15-20 K, the bike runs fine and then apart from this have a bullet and a ZMR, this would just be a project bike. not much mechanical changes would be needed.
	() Thanks

21st August 2012, 22:27	#5
Tassem BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 608 Thanked: 1,429 Times View My Garage	You read my thoughts! This is exactly what I have in mind for my zma. I set about a plan to reduce as much plastic from the body as possible. I'm sure you agree that the rattling front cowl is the weakest point of the karizma. My bike is from the original batch. Seven years old but only 20k on the odo since I dont ride much these days. I would love to get the Triumph T100 or Kawasaki w800 look. The small engine is the literal void we have to fill. Do not worry about the straight seat bit. I had that checked out and its a fairly straightforward job involving some minor welding. Remove the rear cowls and you'll see what I mean. Here's my list: A nice round headlamp Classic Tank Chrome RPM single or black if regular pods. Squarish RVMs Straight pipe exhaust (If feasible) Straight seat Front fork boots White paintjob with stripes Will be following this post with utmost interest. Here's something I did in photoshop a couple of years ago. Maybe you'll find it inspiring. I've made it a point to keep modifications to minimum so that there is nothing too difficult to achieve. The wheels were not touched. I feel these fare better than the wire spoke ones, while retaining the classic look. If one inclines so, this should only be about a week of work at the most. Finding a tank should be the difficult part I guess. Also, it will look much better than a KB100 or similar bike simply because of the size. While the zma is by no means a big bike, it is cetainly meatier than a splendour or kb100 etc. And not just due to the cowls. Last edited by Tassem : 21st August 2012 at 22:36.
	(2) Thanks

21st August 2012, 23:09	#6
SunnyBoi Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mysore / B'lore Posts: 1,666 Thanked: 4,111 Times	Re: Should I: ZMA to CB ? ^ Looks great! Perhaps a CD-Dawn tank will fit the bill for the above image? Biggest problem with removing plastics is tidying the rear subframe. Will have to do extensive re-routing for the CDI/RR/Relays/etc.
	() Thanks

22nd August 2012, 11:34	#7
the_trooper BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Chn Posts: 215 Thanked: 102 Times View My Garage	Re: Should I: ZMA to CB ? I couldnt resist posting here. In my quest to keep my old faithful Zma running light and simple, it has been through its share of stripping. Honestly, I wasnt willing to pay 12k or so for the plastic kit that was originally bad to start with. It's been nothing but rattles, broken tabs, body parts coming loose whenever I hit a bump or jump. Then I had to use tape to hold everything in place. Then I tried some Karol Bagh fibre replacement parts, its a pain getting them to fit right, but considering they cost one-tenth of the OEM parts, it was worth experimenting. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

22nd August 2012, 12:04	#8
shubhamAT BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 151 Thanked: 69 Times	Re: Should I: ZMA to CB ? Even i don't like the half-fairing. I did not buy ZMA for its look so it will be great to see a project which removes the fairing. Personally i would prefer a FZ look over the CB one.
	() Thanks

22nd August 2012, 12:43	#9
Rahulkool Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,386 Thanked: 1,416 Times View My Garage	Re: Should I: ZMA to CB ? I have owned the ZMA for 5 years and there was not even a single rattle from any of the plastic parts. The image posted above looks very nice but making that out of ZMA will require changing the frame/chassis which in turn can damage the whole dynamics of the bike. But it sure does look great :-)
	() Thanks