Hero Impulse Launched

Hero MotoCorp Formerly Hero Honda today Launched Hero Impulse. A very niche category motorcycle for Indian market. The bike itself looks pretty with nice graphics and pretty color tones. 

I specially like the Orange ( KTM like) color. This is the second shot by an indian manufacturer in this category, the previous being Bajaj with their Enduro SX in 1990's which flopped instantly, thanks to no demand for such kind of vehicles during those days.

 The flowing lines from front to back with the exhaust just below the seat like in enduro motorcycles is a classic. The proportions of Impulse are excellent with around 830mm height and ling front forks. 

Ranbeer Kapoor

The engine is 150CC producing 13.5 bhp of power which is pretty standard for 150 CC's . The heart is the same as used in CBZ, Hunk, etc . So expect the same kind of refinement.

Impulse 150CC

 The rear tail lamps are a let down. They look pretty dull and do not work with the bright color tones of the bike. The bike is very reasonably priced at nearly Rs. 67,000 ex showroom delhi. Let us see how the market receives the bike this diwali.





Here are the detailed specifications of the bike :

Hero MotoCorp Impulse

POWERTRAIN

Displacement: 149.2 cc

Max power: 13.02 bhp@7500 rpm

Max torque: 1.36 kgm@5000 rpm

Transmission: 5-speed

CHASSIS

Type: Semi double cradle

Suspension: Telescopic forks (f), gas-charged monoshock (r)

Brakes: 240 mm disc (f), 110 mm drum (r)

Tyres: 90/90 R19 (f), 110/90 R17 (r)

DIMENSIONS

L/W/H (mm): 2100/820/1160

Wheelbase: 1360 mm

Kerb weight: 134 kg

Fuel tank: 11.1 litres

PRICE

Rs 66,800, ex-showroom, Delhi

Mahindra's Masterstroke

After 1 long eventful year I am back at blogging. The thing that compelled me to write is the launch of the most amazing and well designed SUV of all Indian manufacturer Mahindra. The XUV500. 

The XUV500 is very proportionately designed with perfectly placed CG point for the size of the vehicle unlike the Scorpio which had an appealing design but had body roll on high speeds.

The XUV has very Very modern headlamps that are inspired by cheeta(Thats what the company says). The stance of the vehicle is very aggressive proportionate.

The rear is also as appealing as the front. The Tail Lamps are not round as in scorpio and are squarish shape. However it does have Mahindra DNA and somehow feels that it is from Mahindra stable.

The lines that run on the side of the SUV are very prominent and gives a great definition to the vehicle. The grill at the front though descent but has too many cuts and could have been better but it works well with the vehicle design. The fake air intake design below the lights is a let down in the design for me. More so in the maroon colour.

That's a small view of XUV500. Details with pictures to come soon along with interiors and specs.

Making Patchwork WORK

Image: carblogindia.com

Honda has announced the launch of the dazzler. As the name suggests the name and bike really dazzles. But is it really a new bike or just a variant of Unicorn with the features incorporated from the CB twister. The twister was really well made new bike and had its value in looks as well as the engine specifications. That is not the case with the dazzler. We have seen similar looks for the twister with the same power plant as the Unicorn without tweaking it at all. So expect the performance to be more or less the same as the Unicorn which can really be called sluggish.

The only good thing is the rear Mono suspension with the rear disc at the back that looks cool.

Fighting for the lesser souls

Yamaha is at it again. They have launched the new YBR 110 in competition to the Honda CB twister. The bike comes with a 106 cc engine with the max power of 7.6PS at 7500 rpm. Although an ardent Yamaha fan, I think yamaha might be repeating the same mistake that they did when they started the launch of their "small blunders" like the crux. 7.6 PS at 7500 rpm is really very mediocre and torque of 7.85N.m / 6,000 rpm is not really exciting compared to the excellent power delivery of peppy CB twister engine which produces 9 bhp at more rpm(8000 rpm) than YBR but the torque is much better at 9NM at 6000 rpm. So the ride ideally should be more exciting than the YBR.

Yamaha YBR 110 Honda CB twister

Coming to the design of both the machines, the CB twister beats the YBR heads down. The YBR is nowhere as good looking as the CB twister. Looks like minor tweaks to the G5 and new sticker job for now. The test ride of the CB twister was really cheerful. Lets see how the YBR feels once I ride the newest offering from Yamaha.

Yet Another Boring Bike !!!

Bajaj has re-launched the Platina 125 with some graphics changes and new powertrain. The power is 8.5 PS which seems descent. But the question is why do they need to bring these boring bikes which would never bring volumes to them ??
Maybe its just the price they are playing with. Priced at Rs36,000 (ex-showroom) its damn cheap.

Freak Alert !!!!

Pic : Vicky.in

Check out the Mahindra Xylo Limousine !! This can happen only in Punjab !! Wonder whether its real though?? :)

Mahindra Concept

Mahindra showcased its seriousness in motorcycle business when they showcased the sports concept which would have some serious performance. By serious I mean race performance. Its a punny 124 CC engine which produces a jaw dropping 53 bhp max power with 32 Nm of torque. The top speed is claimed to be a whooping 245km/hr.

The brembo discs confirms its altogether a race bike. :) Come on Mahindra give the race junkies something to smile about. I know im being too optimistic :O