Pricey R15!

It’s getting to be a R15 blog this!!! But then, it’s also the most exciting bike to hit our side of the world in a long time, so please bear with me…

Just read and confirmed that the R15 will cost almost a lakh rupees! I honestly never thought the ‘1,00,000’ figure would feel so daunting, but it is. I was almost sure, without having even ridden it that I would buy one.
But now… I am not sure. But the thing is, even with such a huge price, I haven’t completely written it off; I am still considering it. And I am sure, once I ride it, if the R15 even comes close to my expectations, I will surely buy it!
And I am praying that it does, because as much as my weak memory permits me, I can’t think of any other bike which has raised such aspiration and got the butterflies in my tummy going hysterical, like the R15.
Sure, there have been more powerful, better looking and better performing motorcycles before. But, all have most certainly been out of bounds, for their price, of course.
But the R15, even with such a gargantuan of an Rs 1 lakh price tag, seems manageable; it is a huge stretch of course, but still feels attainable all the same. And that’s down to the motorcycle fluid running along my bloodstream more than anything else. Right now, feeding my dog, child or even my wife (and indulging her), isn’t even on my mind!
But, ‘how do I get the Rs lakh – personal loan, auto loan, call dad, rob’ certainly is.
Another question that’s haunting my mind, is how many will Yamaha sell? Not many would be my bet. But few others think, thanks to the R15 being a one of its kind product, it will find a lot of takers.
So I quizzed them about the RTR coming in with race kits, and packing in almost the same horsepower ratings? And the answer: “It doesn’t have the styling or the road presence of the R15, and such bikes sell on styling.” ????
A pot of rubbish, I think.
I should be riding the bike in a few weeks time. And then, I am sure, will begin a mad rush to get my finances in order.

Get yours too, just in case…

The results are in…

You guys have spoken! And the R15 will debut soon enough (sometime next month) for us to see how closely our demands have been met. Have sent the poll results to Yamaha as well.
Now, for those who are new to the blog, or did not bother with how the polls progressed – here’s the snap shot…

Almost 150 of you voted, which I am told is a decent size for a survey!

It was asked how much power should the R15 make for your to consider it?
And… 11% said, 16bhp is good, while 18% thought 18bhp was a decent figure, and 25% of you consider 20bhp to be the right figure to go along with a bike which is being touted as the sportiest ever on Indian roads.
However, an overwhelming 44% of you want the bike to make 22bhp! And, I wish the same!

But, I have now learnt the bike would make somewhere in the region on 18bhp. These are well placed rumours, but rumours nonetheless.

So we still might hope!!

It was also asked, how much would you pay for the bike?
And no surprise here either – we want the maximum bang for our buck – so we want the latest technology, the maximum power, but also, want to pay the least amount of money for it!
As the poll reveals – only 1 tiny per cent of you would buy the bike if it were priced over a lakh, and 9% of you would consider it, if were on the Rs 1 lakh threshold. Also, 9% of you won’t consider the bike at all!

Is it that you want a sportier bike, or did the R15 put you off in anyway – I’d certainly like to know.

But, an enormous 80% of you would buy the R15, if the bike were priced around the Rs 90,000 mark. And there might be good news, the same rumour mill tells me, Yamaha is working to ge the ex-showroom price around the Rs 80,000-85,000 mark. If, the company does manage to do that, I think the bike will find a lot of takers!


Hope you guys enjoyed voting as much as I enjoyed looking at the results. More coming up, on a plethora of subjects…

Flame vs Gladiator

Promised you the Gladiator vs Flame shootout – so here it is…

Put the Flame and Gladiator side-by-side, and it’s difficult not to fancy the Flame - it’s sharp, well-proportioned, and has more road presence than the Yamaha. But, that’s not completely surprising given the latter is now an old design. Yamaha has, of course, tweaked the front fairing, strapped on an engine cowl and garnished the bike with aluminium and aluminium-looking inserts all over to spice things up, but, it still isn’t as alluring as the Flame.
The latter also gets an intelligent lockable cubby hole which is part of the fuel tank and can hold your wallet, gloves, and even a small water bottle. The tank knee recesses are deep and usable for riders of all heights as well. And then there’s the part analog, part digital instrument binnacle which besides looking good, especially at night, also reads out information on time, fuel level, instantaneous fuel consumption and service due among others.
The Gladiator isn’t as elaborate. But to its credit, it boasts of better, more comfortable ergonomics, a tachometer and an engine kill switch.

More importantly, though, the Gladiator gets a better drivetrain. It makes more power and torque. And though the difference isn’t significant, with the same being reflected in the spec sheet, it gets a five speed gearbox, and is more refined than the Flame too. Touch 70kmph and the Flame breaks into a frantic, noisy dance of vibrations, while the Gladiator is calmer, poised and has that fifth gear in reserve to smoothen things out further.

These apart, it is amazing how close these bikes are in every other respect, handling in particular. In the city, both bikes are brilliantly easy to ride feeling light and flickable at slower speeds; the Gladiator more so thanks to its better riding position. Around fast flowing bends it’s a similar story; both the Flame and Gladiator offer just the right chassis and suspension stiffness making corner carving fun and predictable. However, the Yamaha does manage to pull a slight advantage through a lengthy sequence of corners courtesy better brakes and sharper steering geometry.

Overall then, the bikes are pretty evenly matched. But, it’s the Gladiator that feels better to ride, and even though it isn’t styled as well as the Flame and lacks the digital console and the cubby hole, it still gets my vote. And to make the deal sweeter, at Rs 44,380 ex-showroom in Delhi, it’s also a tad cheaper to buy than the Flame.

Specs
TVS Flame Yamaha Gladiator Type SS
Engine
Engine capacity: 125cc 125cc
Max power: 10.5bhp 11bhp
Max torque: 10Nm 10.5Nm
Gearbox: 4-speed 5-speed
Performance
0-60kmph: 6.64s 6.66s
0-80kmph: 12.47s 12.45s
0-100kmph: 30.42s 30.64s
Top speed: 101.7kmph 102.4kmph
Price: Rs 45,990 Rs 44,380

Help needed!!!

Ok, here’s the thing…
I am interested in knowing what exactly would a motorcycling enthusiast like you, want to see on tele in an auto show; for bikes, of course.
But, before I get into the details, let me share with you where I am coming from - I have been part of an auto show for almost two months now, and have a done few bike stories on the show as well. As there’s very limited time, four maybe five minutes for a story, it’ impossible to talk about everything.
So, I’d like you to tell me what I should focus on in the future.
To make things simpler, I am listing a few aspects and would like you to rate these in terms of what you’d like to see, hear and know.

Want to know about…
1- features
2- engine specs
3- performance
4- ride & handling
5- pricing
6- competition
7- and whether you ought to buy it or not.

Want to see more of…
1- more stills showing all angles and various details of the bike
2- tracking shots (moving shots taken from a car ahead or behind: these mostly lack drama)
3- Passing shots (camera is stationary,while the bike comes from a distance and zooms past)
4- Cornering shots

Want to hear about…
1- More of me talking into the camera
2- More of bike shots with a person talking about the bike in the background – in tele terms it’s called voice over or VO in short.

I am really hoping, I’ll get some feedback here. Will also put a poll for it soon.
Thanks for your time.
Cheers,
RPM

TVS Flame road test

I don’t quite like the Flame ad, because plainly, I don’t quite understand it. But, it isn’t me all the way. You see, when a motorcycle advert shows a guy racing through twisty roads on a bike, being hunted down by a women coming down a parachute, for a date, there’s something seriously wrong somewhere. And then to learn from a company insider that the bike and the advert, both are targeted at the self employed lot; well, it just leaves me tragically confused.
Thankfully, the bike herself isn’t as confusing.
She is brilliantly styled: the fuel tank along with those ‘delta’ styled side flanks with turn indicators incorporated, adds a sense of occasion to the Flame’s presence. She does get an alien like face though, which when viewed head-on looks good, but otherwise fails to gel with the overall design.
Having said that, besides the tank, the rest of the design isn’t as gorgeous; it’s nice of course, but it’s more regular than outstanding. The clocks are part analog (for the speedo), part digital (for everything else), like on the XCD. It’s much better executed though – looks more up-market, is easier to read and has a yellow hue to it as well.
Get on board, and you aren’t really sure what the designer and engineers set out to do. The racy styling notwithstanding, they wanted to make this a smarter commuter, now that I am sure off, but an uncomfortable one? Don’t think so!
It’s, therefore, a case of the ergonomics going bad – the handlebar and the footpegs are set low, and the latter are set too far forward as well. The only thing that seems in the right place then, is the seat. And the complete ergo comes across as if it were meant for a long legged masochist.
To the designers’ credit, they did think of a lockable cubby hole as part of the tank. It’s not big enough for a lot of things, but will house your cell phone, wallet, and even a tiny water bottle (200ml or something). Neat touch. But, it has robbed the tank of its fuel capacity all the same, which is now down to just 7.5 litres.

Thankfully, there’s nothing embarrassing about the bike’s cycle parts. The Flame uses a single downtube chassis suspended on the customary telescopic forks up front, but at the rear, in come gas charged dampers to offer a better compromise between good handling and cosseting ride.
And the Flame delivers: the handling is predictable and relatively sharp. She also has a good turn in, a must really, if she is going to be ridden aggressively. And the tyres offer good grip too. The bike does have a longish wheelbase for a 125 and as a result it blossoms in a straight line. Ride too is comforting.
The performance from the all new 125cc engine, developed with the help of AVL of Austria could have been better though. The single spark plug, three valve head – two for intake and one for exhaust- layout develops 10bhp and 10Nm of torque, which is pretty much the same as the most powerful 125 currently, the Gladiator. The Flame also uses a trick carburettor to feed the intake valves – with the throttle partially open, the carb only feeds one valve, through its single open tract. Wring the throttle open further, and the second tract comes into play and the juice is now being feed into the combustion chamber through both valves.
The idea here is to save fuel in the initial stages, and then pump in more air and fuel when the rider wants to up the pace. However, the theory hasn’t really translated all that well in the real world – the bottom end isn’t great, and there’s nothing to grin about the Flame’s top speed either.
To add insult to the wound, the engine is harsh as well, and the well-shifting gearbox has only four gears, limiting the engine’s flexibility.

The Flame then is a good attempt by TVS – she is brilliantly and thoughtfully styled, rides and handles very well too, but is she really worth going for? Well, if you base your buying decision on how the machine looks, and what the world thinks of it; buy it, now!
But if you are slightly sensible, wait for another week, cause the Gladiator vs Flame comparo is round the corner…

Specs
Engine
Capacity: 124.8cc
Max power: 10.5bhp
Max torque: 10Nm
Gearbox: 4-speed
Performance
0-60kmph: 6.64s
0-80kmph: 12.47s
0-100kmph: 30.42s
0-400m: 21.37s
Top speed: 101.68
Cycle parts
Chassis: Single downtube rectangular cross section
Suspension F: Telescopic forks
Suspension R: Coil springs and gas charged dampers
Brakes F: 240mm disc
Brakes R: 130mm drum
Tyres F&R: 2.75 x 18” & 3.00 x 18”
Price: Rs 45,990 ex-showroom

Where have all the riding roads gone?

I am not completely pleased with all this road development that’s been happening. It’s adding to such monotony. Imagine, negotiating never-ending stretches of arrow straight roads, with just the road markings and the odd stray dog to keep him company. It’s scary, I know!
Cause riding, as the adage goes, is about the journey and not the destination. The journey therefore, needs to have a potent mix of flat-out straight stretches to open up the bike’s lungs and of course, winding roads, with the latter dominating the mix.
Bikers need roads with corners. Roads where we can put our bikes down scraping footpegs, and even the odd knee. Roads that need us to continuously work the bike’s handlebar to make the bends successfully, one after the other, in quick succession. Roads, where there is a hint of danger lurking behind every cliff, crest or trough; the danger of going into oncoming traffic or going off the edge if we were to overdo it. Roads, which are involving but more importantly, intoxicating.
Sadly, such roads are fast disappearing as the development authorities go about their road widening work with vigour; changing great, enthralling roads into safe and comfortable but equally boring means of commute.
Was riding in Maharastra the other day, a road I have ridden on for years. And when you spend a lot of time on the same stretch of road, no matter the distance, you tend to have your favourite sections. I had mine too. But to my horror, the road widening work had taken away my much-loved corners, blasted them into tedious straights!
This isn’t just a one off instance. I am sure the Golden Quadrilateral has taken a few great riding roads away, and so have the North-South and East-West corridors.
This fascination with road expansion, reminds me of the cartoon movie Cars, wherein part of the old Route 66 leading to the sleepy town of Radiator Springs which promised excitement and charm in the way it wrapped itself around the hills, is left abandoned in favour of an eight-laned motorway. But as it happens in all good family movies, the road is back in action thanks to one Mr Lightening McQueen.
However, in the real world, our great biking roads are going away forever. Bikers now need to travel further each year to enjoy riding. There are a handful of good sections around Delhi I am told, the road to Simla is one, then there’s one leading up to Shivpuri and beyond. But these are a long way off, and a long way off through painfully boring roads.
I do have a humble request: please somebody help me out with some good riding roads in this part of the world – in and around Delhi!!!

Where are the P150 and P200?

Is it me, or have you noticed it as well; the P150 and the P200 are very conveniently missing in the latest Pulsar advert – Pulsar mania!

Now, with the Discover 150 set for launch this year, there was a thought that the P150 would be axed. And Pulsars would only be focused on performance biking. So you will have the P180, 200, 220 etc catering to the enthusiast while the XCD and Discover brands would look after the commuting segment.

The point of the Pulsars focusing on performance biking is of course true, but while I still ponder about why the P200 is missing from the advert, I have figured something out about the P150.

The P150, chances are would not be killed after all. Here’s what might happen – the P150 would be completely revamped. It will get new styling, sportier ergonomics (like the Apache RTR – rearset footpegs, lowered handlebars etc), and a more powerful four-valve single cylinder engine. Moreover, the bike might also get a monoshock. Now, I am not completely sure about the last bit, but I think it’s possible, especially with Endurance, Bajaj’s suspension supplier already having prepared and submitted a gas charged, continuously variable monoshock to the company.

Pricing, needless to say will go up!

It’s a brilliant move, no doubt. But, my only worry is whether Bajaj will be able to make the bike handle well or not. I am not a fan of the way the current P150 handles – it’s a little soft and flexy. The P180 isn’t anything great either, and the P200, well, being so front heavy, she’s dreadful!

The light at the end of the tunnel though is the P220. The biggest of the Pulsars has the right weight bias, is correctly sprung and the chassis leaves very little to complaint about, given her conservative performance.

My take – I hope Bajaj does a sporty 150, and gives her the customary innovative and exhaustive features list, the customary breathtaking styling, and yes, the customary brilliant adverts!