May 16, 2003 01:36 PM
3886 Views
(Updated May 17, 2003 12:03 PM)
Some five years ago,motorcycling was considered to be the fashion(or passion) of Bullet users(only).The reason for this being a very simple one.Although there was Hero Honda,Escorts Yamaha,Bajaj,TVS,etc. but there was'nt any motorbike produced by these reputed companies which could be used as a luxury vechile;bound to be powerful,fast and one which did'nt cared a damn about fuel efficiency.
At that time Bajaj was very much indulged in making scooters,whereas Yamaha and TVS were producing 2-stroke bikes only.Hero Honda was producing fuel efficient 4-strokers.But it knew,the motorcycling crowd wanted something more(not PEPSI) and all hopes rested on their shoulders.
Thus,the CBZ was born.The first Indian bike to sport a 150cc engine and offer disc brakes as a standard equipment,with its designing been inspired from the Cheetah.
The dome shaped headlight,the very first to be seen on any Indian bike and a small yet good looking tail light gives the CBZ a sporty look,thus proving a treat for the eyes.
Moving towards the technical specifications,the bike though put under the category of 150cc,has a heart size of 156.6cc,thus having a maximum power of 12.62bhp @8000rpm.The bike has a fiery pick up but proves to be slow in terms of performance(0-60 in 7.9 secs)as compared to other bikes of its segment but still manages to reach a top whack of 108km/hr.
Transmission is via 5-speed gearbox,one of the firsts in our country.Mileage is not much as compared to other Hero Honda bikes.Still it manages 35-45km/l in the normal city riding conditions and a little more on its run on the highways.
CBZ has opened a whole new segment of motorcycles in India.It has made motorcycling a luxury and not a way to reach one's destination,as is the psychology with most Indians.It paved the way for The Fiero,Fireo F2,Pulsars 150 and 180,Eliminator and the recently launched Hero Honda Karizma 223.Nowadays,we may not see as much CBZ as we see the above mentioned bikes but one can never forget that it was the CBZ which started it all.
My Personal Experinece=>Exclusively for those want to buy
this dream machine.
My cousin has a CBZ,about three years old.I have driven it a number of times and found it to be very powerful and promising.It has an excellent pick up.The sound of the engine is also very good and makes the rider feel the power inside it.With just a gentle twist of the throttle the bike manages to overtake any vechile whether one may be in between the city traffic or cruising along the highway.The horn,which I use frquently,blows my ears off,which is a little irritating.Roadgrip is mind blowing.I have applied the brakes(both front disc and rear drum) suddenly on many occasions and the bike never even tend to slip.Last,but not the least,if one rides it properly,it could reward the user with mileage of 50 km/l in the city too.A little care and attention can make this bike totally hassle free.
I hope I am able to influence any interested buyers through my review.Comments awaited.
