11th July 2007, 12:43
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| BHPian  | KARIZMA: 50,000km long term report Background: The CBZ was responsible for giving birth to the biking bug in me! My dad, after weeks of pestering finally let me buy a 2nd hand silver CBZ (a June 2000) model on 26th Jan 2001. It taught me a lot, about biking, how to respect power (yeah 12.8bhp of power!), how to ride long distances and a lot more. I always wanted more and finally in May 2003, I saw the Karizma's launch on TV. Couldnt wait to get my hands on her. Finally on 15th June 2003, got myself a silver Karizma from the very first batch of Karizmas to roll out of the HH factory New found love 43% more cubic-capacity, 31% more power and most importantly, 48% more torque : was I a happy rider? Oh yeah. It was hard resisting ripping the bike for the first 1000kms but still I did  The rest is history. The bike was a stunner (in those days), an eye candy, a chic magnet to an extent too. Looks, design - 8/10 This has been a bit of a controversial topic but for many but for me, the ZMA looks just fine. Ok, the tyres need to be broad, but then we all know HH, dont we  The fairing gives hints of the earlier version VFRs as well as the Varadero from the Honda stable. As the lines flow backwards, it gets better, with the tail light being the best in the business (back then.. now it is the p220 no doubt). I did crib about the thin tyre though.. (running a wider looking Michelin now) The alloys look cool too. Going by the number of stares I got on the road, i can safely say the ZMA does look good. Suspension/Handling 9/10 (cutting 0.5 for bad stock tyres) This is one of the strongest points i see in the bike. I love offroading and I do it everytime i head out for a long trip, mostly in Himachal Pradesh. I dont consider myself a dirt-bike pro, but still, standing on the pegs and ripping thru bad roads, the ZMA holds itself very very well. No doubt, every passing year, the no of ZMAs taking part in the Raid too is going up. Handling wise, again, Im no Rossi, but like an avg rider, love leaning the bike around turns and it does not disappoint. The new p220 handles better but then I talking about my 2003 bike. I have toured a lot on this bike, across flats and across broken roads. She feels very planted at high speeds (pune-mumbai-surat-ahm-delhi, 1690kms, 31hrs) and even when i rode to Mlore and back from Pune in the bloody July 2005 monsoons, I had no issues with the bike. I seriously recommend users to switch over to better rubber. With the M45 Michelins, she handles even better. Braking/tyres 8.5/10 Again the stock tyres spoil the fun, specially on wet/muddy roads. Otherwise, the braking and tyres for normal usage are just fine Fuel economy 8/10 When you ride a 'power' bike (by indian standards), you should not worry about this. Neither do i. Ridden fast (not rash) in city, she delivers 34-36kmpl regularly 85-90km/h cruising on the highway sees her stretching it to 40kmpl 95-100km/h cruising with 120km/h blasts quite often brings the fig down to 32-33kmpl Engine, performance, refinement 9/10 The best for the last Smoothness is the first thing that hits you when you ride this bike. HH engines are known for this and ZMA is no exception. Some say the engine has been picked up from the Honda CRF series.. have no idea about it. Perf wise, in Delhi, during our xbhp meets, we have seen ZMAs going past the 140km/h mark. I myself have done around 138km/h (on the clock, around 125km/h true). Acceleration is good too (14.05 secs to 100km/h), but the best part is the torque low down in the rev range. Helps a lot while touring. The big may seem heavy, but you can really ride this machine fast. The engine is quite reliable and has examples to back it up. OD mag's 24hr non stop run, Dr Arn's 1751kms in 24hrs on real road and the recent 2400+kms in 36hrs and my personal 1690kms in 31hrs. The bike can hold 105-110km/h all day long without a fuss and the softly tuned engine doesnt feel overly stressed. Issues I have had Often it happens that the product might be good, but with the company not backing it up properly, it generates a bad name. This is also the case here. Parts are very expensive (body as well as running parts). And on top of that their unavailability is a big issue (even in Delhi). The company should seriously do something about this. The horn is not good, the stock seat sucks for touring and so do the stock tyres. And yes, there is so much potential from the engine. If HH wants, they can easily generate a couple of more BHP but why they arent doing it is a mystery. Price seems high if you compare it with a p180, but seems ok when compared with a p220. Trips undertaken on the bike 1. Nov 2003 : Del-Shimla-Fagu-Matiana-Del 2. June 2004 : Del-Shimla-Rohru-Mussoorie-Del 3. Aug 2004 : Del-Dhanaulti-Rohru-Larot-Shimla-Del 4. Sep 2004 : Del-Shimla-Kufri-Chail-Del 5. Dec 2004 : Del-Chail-Naranda-Rohru-Theog-Chaupal-Paonta-Del 6. June 2005 : Del-Shimla-Rohru-Larot-Narkanda-Del 7. July 2005 : Pune-Belgaum-Dharwad-Mangalore-Pune 8. Oct 2005 : Pune-Surat-Ahm-Del 9. Nov 2005 : Del-Shimla-Rohru-Narkanda-Jalori-Aut-Chd-Del 10. June 2006: Del-Shimla-Rampur-Peo-Nako-Tabo-Kunzum-Rohtang-Manali-Del 11. Dec 2006 : Del-Narkanda-Hattu-Chindi-Mandi-Mcleodganj-Del 12. Jan 2007 : Del-Shimla-Rampur-Kalpa-Rohru-Del 13. June 2007 : Mumbai-Amby Valley-Mumbai Overall, I have been one satisfied happy HH ZMA owner. Love the bike a lot, it stood by me in tough conditions. Im currently using M45 Michelins (front and rear), heavily padded seat, HP perf filter, and the stock exhaust but w/o the cat-con. Yes, there a minute perf increase but due to the mileage clocked, the overall perf remains same. Im happy with the bike, but not with HH due to the above written things. I was looking at the p220, but now have decided to wait for something substantially more powerful to come Some pics My 1st himalayan ride, nov 2003  The original silver color. pic taken during an all Karizma ride in Delhi  Me with the bike during the solo dec 2006 ride  The new castrol look  During the June 2006 ride : worlds highest electronically operated pump  During the nov 2005 ride  Oct 2005 non-stop ride from pune to delhi  Taken in Pune  A lil photoshop-ed image, in Pune, on a yet to be opened road (non-public)  Last edited by BunnyPunia : 11th July 2007 at 12:57. |
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11th July 2007, 13:45
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| Senior - BHPian  | |
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16th July 2007, 15:59
| #3 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Halifax, N.S.
Posts: 623
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16th July 2007, 16:12
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16th July 2007, 16:41
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| BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Halifax, N.S.
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16th July 2007, 16:43
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| BHPian | i dont rip her much plus i think coz it is from the first batch, it helped me stretch it this far... |
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16th July 2007, 17:29
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| Senior - BHPian  | |
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16th July 2007, 18:19
| #8 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Halifax, N.S.
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Yes. HH First batch users are the happy lot. Quite unlike Bajaj where first batch users always end up crying. Looks like all those troubles back in the day to somehow get the Kari and sell CBZ without dad's help, paid off. Lucky You. | |
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16th July 2007, 21:13
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16th July 2007, 23:10
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17th July 2007, 15:52
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4th August 2007, 00:51
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18th December 2007, 16:27
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18th December 2007, 16:44
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| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A
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18th December 2007, 21:38
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