[TorqMaster]

Maybe it's a ZMR with an engine transplant from the EBR stable.

Is it too much to ask?

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by ACM

Why would a test driver for Bajaj wear Hero T-Shirts. That would be the height of camouflaging.

ROFL!!! This is the funniest comment I have read so far at Team-Bhp!!!

On a serious note, Hero has to keep upgrading its offerings in the higher end of the market. Bajaj, Honda and Duke (not to mention RE) have started to dominate that area and Hero seems to be going the Maruti way.

I have been thinking about this for a long time. The similarity between Hero and Maruti and Bajaj and Tata (until recently).

Hero & Maruti = Good A.S.S., Good quality reliable products, Lower maintainence (frequency), have grown thanks to a japanese partner

Bajaj & Tata = Cheap value for money offerings, low product quality, more frequent maintainence, unpolished products (this has changed recently for Bajaj)

[Manoj2268]

in The auto car pic, the rear tire is a zapper c, usually found in 17 inchers

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by TorqMaster

Maybe it's a ZMR with an engine transplant from the EBR stable.

Is it too much to ask?

It looks more like a stop-gap measure in my opinion. They haven't really launched any new product(not Hero's definition of new product) lately and Bajaj is churning out the goodies big time along with KTM. Maybe this is just a way to get some market attention to Hero.

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

Hero & Maruti = Good A.S.S., Good quality reliable products, Lower maintainence (frequency), have grown thanks to a japanese partner

Bajaj & Tata = Cheap value for money offerings, low product quality, more frequent maintainence, unpolished products (this has changed recently for Bajaj)

By experience, I can tell you that Hero A.S.S are pathetic! I didn't even exhaust my free services with those imbeciles.

And I believe this image of Bajaj bikes requiring frequent maintenance and being of low quality is a little mistaken. My brother has had a P150 for 7 years now, not even a simple oil leak necessitating a simple gasket change! Yet, it returns 55km to the liter.

Originally Posted by Manoj2268

in The auto car pic, the rear tire is a zapper c, usually found in 17 inchers

The ZMR came with 18 inch rims AFAIK. Akin to the Xtreme and the Hunk.

I'm glad to be honest, there are plenty more options for 17 inchers in the market compared to 18 inchers.

[Oranger]

Good to see R&D dept of hero motocorp on duty after a decade maybe. Honestly wish that this shouldn't be a karizma pro, karizma x pro or karizma plus! Enough of these stupid gimmicks now.

[voyageur]

Originally Posted by Oranger

Good to see R&D dept of hero motocorp on duty after a decade maybe. Honestly wish that this shouldn't be a karizma pro, karizma x pro or karizma plus! Enough of these stupid gimmicks now.

I second your opinion, mate. Hero has long been in the market with the help of some words like PRO, X and Plus. After Honda left, I am just longing to see a better Hero bike.

[coolmel]

God help Hero and long live the Karizma! Its unbelievable that even after a decade, the company cannot best one of its iconic bikes. Coming from someone who has owned the v1 Karizma for nearly a decade now. The company had its time to properly upgrade this best selling bike but looks it really went in overkill and is now axing its own feet! From a time when it was a chartbuster and could have topped it too, Hero's interest in the bike simply waned and the ZMR was a classic result of the giant doing the follow up thing!

What a proper 'Karizma' should have got: USD forks, thicker 17" rubber, a proper 250cc FI Engine, little more bhp, Mono shock, Clip ons etc, and all they gave us new sticker jobs. This new upgrade is such a waste, why dont you stop making the bike already? Such a shame and feel sorry for the Karizma and now really feel like selling off mine!

They really seem to have gone bonkers now and people hate the Karizma now. The resale is definitely going to take a beating and god knows what the boffins are thinking that this can survive. At 90k who is going to buy this when there are many better options like the NS etc.

[ashwin.terminat]

I guess Hero is just milking the Honda engines as much as they can, while they can. So many iterations of the same engine in different clothing.

Their ambitious R&D plant at Rajasthan will be operation only in 2014. So I'm not expecting anything fresh or groundbreaking from Hero until then. I can only hope they find some new purpose and direction after they start using EBR engines.

On a side note, one of the bikes in the pictures sport rear Drum Brakes. Quite a shame really, looks like it will be positioned below the ZMR in that case. Only "premium" bike that will be offered with Drum Brakes I guess.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

The ACI pictures further prove that it is indeed a Karizma variant, I wouldn't call it successor just yet.

It seems to sport a half chain case, not the usual full chain cases seen on the ZMA and the ZMR.

From the picture in this post, to me it appears as if the ZMR as well as the Karizma is being refreshed.

At best, I am expecting a sticker job knowing Hero & their ways.

Have had used a Karizma & this was one of the most stress free Motorcycle I have ridden. Good torque as well.

Impulse would be nice with 250cc FI

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

On a side note, one of the bikes in the pictures sport rear Drum Brakes. Quite a shame really, looks like it will be positioned below the ZMR in that case. Only "premium" bike that will be offered with Drum Brakes I guess.

Not really looking too much into this. Most 200cc bikes manufactured in India have their rear disc brakes with the size of what is available on 600's & 1000's.

Rear brakes are almost redundant on Sports Bikes. Its presence or not, hardly makes a difference. They shouldn't be sharp though.

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by Sheel

From the picture in this post, to me it appears as if the ZMR as well as the Karizma is being refreshed.

Rear brakes are almost redundant on Sports Bikes. Its presence or not, hardly makes a difference. They shouldn't be sharp though.

I hope the Karizma isn't. It looks good just the way it is.

Rear brakes are redundant, but it gives a perception. Bikes with rear disks, whether functional or not, are considered more premium than a more expensive bike with Drum Brakes.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

I hope the Karizma isn't. It looks good just the way it is.

It indeed does. The 1st gen was a looker in black & silver

[ashwin.terminat]

Might be the last few days of the trusty Honda engines powering Hero!
"Two years after its split from Honda,
Hero is finally set to power bikes from its own
engines — including a 100cc — as the company
has managed to cross one of the biggest hurdles
it faced after the exit of its Japanese partner. Hero
has developed three new engines and these will gradually be strapped across the company's
product portfolio, including blockbusters
Splendor and Passion. "We have fired three new engines, and we have
done this ourselves," Pawan Munjal, MD & CEO of
Hero MotoCorp, told TOI. Apart from the 100cc
engine, the company has developed a 110cc and
a 250cc engine. "Each of these engines perform much better than
our existing engines, and they are very fuel-
efficient, the efficiency being higher than any
bike currently running on Indian roads,"
he said, adding that these would form the
backbone of a majority of Hero's two-wheeler products. Research and development and the capability to
develop new engines was seen as one of the
biggest challenge for the Munjal-run Hero as
earlier the company had free access to Honda's
huge capabilities in the area. Honda had been the
only source of R&D in the now-defunct Hero Honda and its exit from the venture had raised
doubts over the capability of the Munjals to
quickly make up for the erstwhile partner's
strength. Munjal conceded that the departure of Honda
was no less than a challenge. "There surely had
been an impact. They did bring in equity into the
JV in terms of technological strength. We are
now building up that equity ourselves." As it builds up its own R&D strength, Hero has
also been stitching up alliances with other
companies to create an eco-system of
technological know-how. The partners include
Austrian engine developer AVL Engineering,
Engines Engineering of Italy and Erik Buell Racing (EBR) of the US (in which the company has also
picked up a 49% stake). Simultaneously, the company will soon begin
work for setting up an integrated R&D centre at
Kukas in Rajasthan. Sharing details on the new engines, Munjal said
that they could be strapped on the bikes from
2014. "The 110cc engine will be used on our
current range, and will be ready for commercial
launch towards the festive season of next year.
On the other hand, the 100cc engine is a vertical engine currently being developed specifically for
the Nigerian market."
Source: http://m.timesofindia.com/business/i...w/21472124.cms

[Asif 6959]

More scoop images floating around the web showing clearly that there just might be 2 variants of the same bike. IMO there is one with no rear disk & semi-faired bike and one with full-fairing and rear-disk option. The rear surely looks like a stepped seat with the tail lamp from that of the ZMR. (Which is going to look very out of place and on your face)

It is a interesting strategy and hope that it works around for Hero.
http://indianautosblog.com/2013/08/h...-zmr-250-90101