Jun 11, 2003 06:19 PM
12488 Views
(Updated Jun 11, 2003 06:28 PM)
The bajaj realisation of having an extremely cheap vehicle has been fulfilled.The psychological sub Rs 30,000 barrier has been broken .The maruti 800 of motorcycles are here and its called as BAJAJ BYK.i have tried this byk and noted the following.
1]DESIGN-Low cost does not necessarily mean bad design and byk is plenty proof of that fact.The styling is predominantly angular with too many curves.Covering the smallish 17-inch front tyre is a basic plastic mudguard.The front is dominated by squarish headlamp,though a simple design the fact that its clear lens make it look classy and simple.coming to the handlebar its curiously shaped Very basic switchgear apart from a very easy to use horn button.The instrument looks basic but have some elements of style in them.A few telltail lights a 120 kph Speedometer and a triangular theme.The byk is not a completely new product its derived from M-80 only the difference is that tank now sits above the engine rather than under the seat.
RATING:7/10
2]ENGINE&PERFORMANCE-The engine is a single cylinder four stroke aircooled unit [92cc],mounted horizontally and good for about 6.5bhp at 7000 rpm.The short gearing is necessary to extract every bit of power from small engine.Constant changing up at ideal revs should get at 85kph mark quickly enough.
RATING:7/10
3]RIDE&HANDLING-Though the byk does not end up looking like the M-80 it does ride better than stepthrough but not as well as motorcycle.Directional stability is not its forte and fast and overtaking big vehicles causes quite a stir,however byk handles more like a bicycle its risky at turns.The narrow width of the tyres adds all important
fuel economy figure.
RATING:5/10
4]FUEL ECONOMY-The 92cc unit is a perfect balance of pep and economy and figures of almost 80kpl can be achieved.changing gears quickly can get good figures.A 10 litre tank would translate to almost 800 km range.
RATING:9/10
Pricing the byk at Rs30,000 has won half of the battle,moreover its got the stylistic appeal that most youngsters crave,its got the fault only in areas such as handling but its just nitpicking.I prefer this byk for those who mind for fuel economy.That's all.
