Another Killer Blow By Yamaha India

Yamaha India is riding high on the success of R15 and the FZ16. After the launch of these two category leader bikes yamaha will be launching another bike in premium segment called the "Fazer 150", that is essentially a FZ16 with front fairing like that of the Fazer 1000.



Looking at the bike. It looks identical to FZ16 from the rear.


The bike looks same as the FZ16(with a fairing), so don't expect much performance difference. Though there might be some tweaking of engine to make it a bit more sporty.

No launch dates declared yet. Expect it to be in the market in few months.

RX 100 : The legend lives on

The name says it all, YAMAHA RX100. A bike youth in 1990's died to get a hand on. Fortunately I was lucky to have an RX100 in my college days. Of course stole it from my brother :). The bike was still in great condition with only 13,000 on the odo. Run and handled like dream.

It was a 1995 make in pristine condition with just a small dent on the tank. Just starting the engine gives one kick hearing the sweet firing of the single cylinder 2 stroke machine. Incredibly torquey engine . The bike would just shoot past others on the traffic signals.

Around 11 bhp for a 98cc engine is descent enough and a top speed of 110 Kmph was enough for me during those times. Felt the hunger for more speed when I started touching top speed regularly though. Wheelies were common on that machine and that too without helmet that was a very dumb thing to do. But it was the way it was back then .

Handling the bike on city roads was dream. The bike still is in my garage in stock condition and is driven with utmost care now. Incredibly reliable machine and one of the all time favorites in Indian market.

The Rx100 ERA ended in 1996 with production stop and RXG coming up , not before shipping with faulty ignition system which was replaced free of cost by the company. The RXG and RX135 never had the success like RX100.

A brief specifications of the bike :

* Engine: 2-stroke, air cooled, single cylinder gasoline.
* Displacement: 98 cc
* Gearbox: 4-speed constant mesh
* Induction: Reed Valve
* Ignition: Capacitor Discharge Ignition
* Clutch: Multiplate (4 nos) wet.
* Output: 11PS @7500 rpm (As per Workshop Manual)
* Chassis: Double cradle frame
* Wheels: Wire spoked, 2.50" X 18" front tyre, 2.75" X 18" rear tyre.
* Acceleration 0-60 km/h in 7 seconds (As per Workshop Manual) but can actually reach 60 km/h within 5 seconds.
* Top speed 100 km/h (As per owner's manual) but can actually reach 110 km/h smoothly.

Ninja 250 or VTR 250 ? which one to choose?

The word is out and Honda is planning to launch its baby VTR i.e VTR 250. Knowing that its a 250 means straight comparison with baby Ninja . Very different in shapes one should say. The VTR has a naked monster like look whereas the ninja 250 is a typical sports bike.

So can the VTR 250 beat the Ninja 250 which is the most popular and the best selling bike in its segment?

Very difficult to say. The ninja with the full fairing looks much more appealing to us. The power output of ninja is also 32 PS as compared to 29 of the VTR. However the VTR is pretty light as compared to Ninja . The Ninja weighs 169 dry whereas the VTR weighs 139 only. Reviews suggest VTR handles better in city, but for motorcycle enthusiasts Ninja is the way to go.

More information can be had on MCN website

A Take on TATA NANO

As the name suggests this is really a nano vehicle ! Or is it ? NO... Absolutely NOT

!The nano is a perfect example of how extreme engineering can reduce costs as well as keep the quality as well as space. I had an apprehension about the build quality of NANO myself but after looking at the quality I had all my doubts cleared. The quality of material is astonishingly good for a 1 lac vehicle. The space usage is very well crafted with the engine mounted on the back side and the boot in front. Which gives it lot of space in passenger compartment .

There is a small boot space behind the back seats, nothing special about it though. The rear seats can be folded to get a 500 liter boot which is really amazing. One worrying factor for me was that the bottom mounted engine might be damaged if the car bottoms out after overloading which is very common in India. I'm sure the engineers would have tested it though. The space inside the cabin is huge for front seats as there is minimal dash board in front.So for a tall person too it's very comfortable to sit and get out of the car. The rear seats could also comfortably seat 3 people like me or 2 persons like my FAT friend JD. Which is a good thing to see.

Pity I was not able to take a test ride as the dealer had only on piece and that too on display.

Saw a lot of criticism on youtube for NANO from foreigners for the build quality. But they would appreciate it once they get to see it . Its really an engineering marvel.

Lots of foreign manufacturers have been caught wrong footed critisizing this great machine which I really think would really change the fortunes of lots and lots of people. Not an replacement for bikes though. This vehicle would be sold for around 1.5 lac OTR which is very expensive replacement for bikes for our normal middle class. And a guy buying YAMAHA YZF-R15 wouldn't go for a NANO.

Bottom line excellent machine for upgrading from 2 to 4 wheelers for masses but definitely not a replacement of bikes.

Excellent job done by TATAS. Keep it up.