[musicmanaman]

Sankar, I think you have done the right thing, even today I feel that Zma is a better allround package than the Apachi, but ofcourse it's a personal preference.

[Sandeep_K_Ram]

Originally Posted by Sankar

All of you who have owned/own the Karizma could you please tell me what you like the most about the bike and what you hate the most? And have you experienced any serious issues related to engine or electrics? How would you raate the bike on reliability on a scale of ten?

I sold my P200 to get a ZMA for quite a few common reasons that you point out for not going for a BAL bike.

Anyway so far the best thing I like about the ZMA is its engine - way quieter and smoother than on the 200 and it has a lazy rev troquey feel to it although in reality it makes only a wee bit more torque than the 200. But it feels very very relaxed. My kind of bike for long rides.

Posture is fantastic - ideal for long commutes/touring.

Handling - ppl say the 200 has sporty riding position but the flip side is its hard to ride long distances like that and despite the sporty riding pos it handles like cr4p acc to me. Too front heavy - understeering into every corner slow and fast and absolutely no confidence in mid corner where it sways over every bump. The ZMA is much more confidence inspiring but the footpegs are a bit too close to the ground I feel. But no problems in handling as seen on a P200.

Full DC lighting is a boon - makes installing a HID plug and play.

Pathetic things on the ZMA
1. Plastics - unbelievably fragile though I haven't broken any as of now
2. Horn - bah ...less said the better , ofc you will change them..
3.I wish they had given us tubeless tyres ..


And yes the speedo is highly inaccurate after 100 especially. I have seen 130indicated on odo I think it might have been closer 120 or less in reality.


I think yours is a very wise choice - reliability wise. Bike hasn't missed a beat in its short history with me and I am taking a long ride this weekend to test its endurance ..

[Veelubai]

Hi Shankar, I would appreciate your decision and pls dont bother about the FE figures what ppl say.With sedate riding 35kmpl is easily acheivable.

[Technocrat]

Oh Boy this thread reminds me of xBhp.

@Sankar: ZMA is a brilliant bike no doubts about it but let me answera few Qs raised by people:

RahulKool, siddcity & others who get higher mileage: I rode a zma just the way its supposed to be & not how I would ride a splendor, on my daily route I used to touch 110 atleast once & Since Sankar has modded his bull I suspect similar riding from him.
There was a guy in a club known as Hornets(zma owners group in pune) whose ZMA consistently delivered around 50 kpl & his bike's performance was noticeably different(between ZMAs) from other ZMAs in group.

there is something seriously wrong with you bike or riding style(no offence meant) on my bike i normally get 38-40 and with little careful riding i can even get 45 but can't control the throttle that much, my office is 14kms one way and it takes around 45mins to me, there are no free roads and i travel through almost middle of chennai so you can understand .....

No offence taken but why should I ride in a manner to get more mileage if I buy a bike for performance?

Originally Posted by Sankar

Only reason why i find the Bullet not ideal for short distance intra city commuting is because it needs a lot of time to get to their optimal operating temperature

Sankar, ZMA takes around 1.5kms to warm up to working temperature.

If you didnt have bullet I would have gladly told you to go for ZMA but keeping two tourers for city commuting is what I find odd.

Also the extra length is taken care of the lighter steering in cutting through traffic.

Also trust me no matter what bikes comes in Market there is nothing as balanced, as beautiful(not just looks but overall feel) as a ZMA & no wonder HH is not doing any upgrades to ZMA.

I have owned both Pulsar 180 DTSi & ZMA side by side so I know both the bikes quite well.

I am unable to see why someone who was looking at RTR-FI would go for ZMA as they are totally different bikes.

See you can hardly go wrong with either of the bikes so any decision is good decision its just that the two bikes cater to different segments & as long as you are aware of all this you are good to go

[Rahulkool]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Oh Boy this thread reminds me of xBhp.

@Sankar: ZMA is a brilliant bike no doubts about it but let me answera few Qs raised by people:

RahulKool, siddcity & others who get higher mileage: I rode a zma just the way its supposed to be & not how I would ride a splendor, on my daily route I used to touch 110 atleast once & Since Sankar has modded his bull I suspect similar riding from him.
There was a guy in a club known as Hornets(zma owners group in pune) whose ZMA consistently delivered around 50 kpl & his bike's performance was noticeably different(between ZMAs) from other ZMAs in group.



No offence taken but why should I ride in a manner to get more mileage if I buy a bike for performance?



Sankar, ZMA takes around 1.5kms to warm up to working temperature.

If you didnt have bullet I would have gladly told you to go for ZMA but keeping two tourers for city commuting is what I find odd.

Also the extra length is taken care of the lighter steering in cutting through traffic.

Also trust me no matter what bikes comes in Market there is nothing as balanced, as beautiful(not just looks but overall feel) as a ZMA & no wonder HH is not doing any upgrades to ZMA.

I have owned both Pulsar 180 DTSi & ZMA side by side so I know both the bikes quite well.

I am unable to see why someone who was looking at RTR-FI would go for ZMA as they are totally different bikes.

See you can hardly go wrong with either of the bikes so any decision is good decision its just that the two bikes cater to different segments & as long as you are aware of all this you are good to go

well you ride a ZMA like it should be but i will suggest you to tone it down a little for your safety and other road users, i have seen maniacs riding full throttle on city roads, also in traffic they will ride fast cutting lanes and getting into any gap possible. i also ride my ZMA fast but my office route is like that, i can't cross even 50 on most of the route only once i rev it hard on the flyover which is mostly empty and there are no intersections so no traffic from either side.
well i don't have a problem in riding it like a splendour if traffic is like that, but will never be irreponsible rider because i have a ZMA.
even when i went to bangalore from chennai i got 31-32kmpl, chennai to hosur in around 5 hours which includes multiple stops, i was maintaining 100-110 all the way and in some empty spaces around 125-130.

also i will never call ZMA a performance bike, i use it for commuting and its pretty good at that but calling it performance bike is not correct IMO .... well no one has to agree with me on this .....

[behzad]

Do keep in mind that the ZMA is also a long stroke motor like your Bullet. More than a commuter its a good tourer. So if its city commute you area looking at why not go for a used RX100?
The acceleration, if tuned well is kickass and the short wheelbase makes it easier to maneuver in traffic. Whats more you can even jump the kerb with it.
A good one should set you back by around 15 to 20K. Thats way less than a new ZMA or a RTR.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by behzad

Do keep in mind that the ZMA is also a long stroke motor like your Bullet. More than a commuter its a good tourer.

Kari engine shares it's dimensions with the Honda CRF230 engine. So more than a tourer or a commuter it's a dirt bike engine.

So if its city commute you area looking at why not go for a used RX100?
The acceleration, if tuned well is kickass and the short wheelbase makes it easier to maneuver in traffic. Whats more you can even jump the kerb with it.
A good one should set you back by around 15 to 20K. Thats way less than a new ZMA or a RTR.

I had a very fast RX135 5speed and the true top speed measured on the speed gun was 140kmph. And i sold that RX and said bye bye to biking at one time now when i returned to biking i bought the Bullet. This Bullet is much faster than any mildly done up RX. Jumping kerbs aint an issue with the Bullet either size doesn't make much difference to me in city i'm comfortable with it.

[Technocrat]

Lots of Assumptions Rahulkool

well you ride a ZMA like it should be but i will suggest you to tone it down a little for your safety and other road users, i have seen maniacs riding full throttle on city roads, also in traffic they will ride fast cutting lanes and getting into any gap possible.

You mean to say I ride like maniac ?? Do you know my route? DO you know the stretch I ride on? How did you assume that I cut lanes ?

well i don't have a problem in riding it like a splendour if traffic is like that, but will never be irreponsible rider because i have a ZMA.

You mean to say that those who ride Splendor are irresponsible

also i will never call ZMA a performance bike, well no one has to agree with me on this

Well I really have no comments after this line

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Oh Boy this thread reminds me of xBhp.

I seriously hope it doesn't become like one

Sankar, ZMA takes around 1.5kms to warm up to working temperature.

That is ten times lesser than it would take a Bullet to reach it's optimum engine temperature. So it's a good thing mate.

Also trust me no matter what bikes comes in Market there is nothing as balanced, as beautiful(not just looks but overall feel) as a ZMA & no wonder HH is not doing any upgrades to ZMA.

Honestly i have to agree with you. It's a well balanced product and i'm sure i will have a nice ownership experience with the ZMA.

I am unable to see why someone who was looking at RTR-FI would go for ZMA as they are totally different bikes.

Yes they're totally different but any of these two bikes suits my needs well. Both are fast enough, reliable and proven. With ZMA I gain on comfort but lose out on fuel efficiency. I'm not going to hit the track often so razor sharp handling is not really required, but ZMA has well sorted handling for roads, better than the Pulsies. And for two up travel over longer distances ZMA would make better sense.

See you can hardly go wrong with either of the bikes so any decision is good decision its just that the two bikes cater to different segments & as long as you are aware of all this you are good to go

Thanks mate!

[Technocrat]

Cool so you are aware of all this as I expected but feared that you might not be & hence the long post

Got Get her dude

[balenopower]

Originally Posted by Rahulkool

also i will never call ZMA a performance bike, i use it for commuting and its pretty good at that but calling it performance bike is not correct IMO .... ...

Eh??? the karizma is a commuter and not a performance bike?.Thats news to me.The plastics no matter how subtly u ride it will crack.It cracks from the rearmost panel attached to the grab rail screws.Brilliant bike it is,theres no doubting that,but its passed its prime.
Problems will arise with the chain tensioner,the muffler weilding breaking inside and a very short chain sprocket life.Keep your service regulars intact so you can claim warranty without any hassles.Almost 3 years i have repalced 3 tanks(corrosion issues),2 mufflers(weilding broken inside) and one chain tensioner.oh not to mention a block piston and rings as well.The bike had a oil seepage problem which could not be fixed.But since it was all under warranty im a happy customer.We had 5 zma's in my group with all of them facing the muffler,tensioner and tank issues,the block piston being a one off issue.i can go on and on but il leave it to you to find out.

Use petronas sprinta 5000 oil, or the regular HH 10W 40. Castrol power 1 is too thick and can cause problems with the oil pump. it is perfect for the bike.The bike is an excellent handler and switching to better tires at the rear only heightens the pleasure.

[solly]

Originally Posted by Sankar

All of you who have owned/own the Karizma could you please tell me what you like the most about the bike and what you hate the most? And have you experienced any serious issues related to engine or electrics? How would you raate the bike on reliability on a scale of ten?

Likes

Performance
Handling (can take on all indian bikes except R15)
Comfort (been to ladak on that NP)
Torque
Milage (gives me a consistant 35kmpl on rip mode with stock tire size)
City traffic Handling inspite of the bulk

Dislikes

Engine takes a long time to warm up
Plastics build quality
HH service backup
Tail light fusing often
Maintanance exp

Riding pos is ideal for touring and not good for sporty use. Infact it felt like a dirt bike after I rode the R15!!! Lights can be easily upgrade to 55/60 or 100/90 with a cutout, ceramic holder and a seperate fuse.. U can fit better horns.. Among the current bikes its a good choise.. can't you wait till dec, think there is going to be lots of new launches..

[satish_appasani]

A guys from Vizap, AP made a world tour on Karizma. That demonstrates it's reliability. There are many posts here that justify the performance.

[desideep]

All i can say is a good choice i cant comment about the RTR or would not like to know the reasons why you canceld the booking. but i have ridden the RTR and it is good and fast. but commuting on a Karizma cannot be beaten

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by balenopower

Almost 3 years i have repalced 3 tanks(corrosion issues),2 mufflers(weilding broken inside) and one chain tensioner.oh not to mention a block piston and rings as well.The bike had a oil seepage problem which could not be fixed.But since it was all under warranty im a happy customer.We had 5 zma's in my group with all of them facing the muffler,tensioner and tank issues,the block piston being a one off issue.i can go on and on but il leave it to you to find out.

I'm interested in the oil seepage issue. It's not the first time that i'm hearing about the oil seepage issue, even another friend had mentioned about it, but i always thought those as one off cases. Was it rectified in your case, what was the cause?

I suppose you had corrosion issues since you are from Mumbai, it could explain the failing welds inside the silencer.

I hope i will not have to come across nasty surprises once the ownership experience begins. Fingers crossed