The new Xtreme avataar of CBZ

The very first thought that came to my mind when I heard about the new bike - CBZ- Xtreme was "Is this really something new?..... or is it just another re-badged & a pathetically newly styled bike from the Hero Honda stables?"

After seeing the photos of the new machine & going through the tech-specs of the machine, i was forced to at the least give it proper notice...

The side profile of the bike caught my attention 1st, and I was fairly impressed by its looks, atleast in the photos... What caught my eyes were the aggressive rear quarter panels, the split grip at the rear (which by the way looks really good, I must add). The tail-lights, though, not the best...were somewhat acceptable. Then, I happened to look at its front fairing & for a moment, I thought I am in a different world... the world of 100cc bottom-rung bikes. Well, I don't know of a better place where a squarish, flat headlamp would fit, other than in the budget class...!! Even the subtle, unique touch of the bulging, eye-like side indicators integrated into the fairing fails to compensate for the unbelievably bland front. I didn't get the funda behind the rectangular, flat & separate parking light above the headlight either. That indeed looks very odd! The tank is pretty decent, although, it has got lines of familiarity running all over it... The black finish of the engine is a nice touch, although, it would have been even better if it was matted...

When I finally got my chance to see the bike in its flesh, during a test-ride, I was quite disappointed, actually… The shiny black finish of the engine cover & the bottom half of the bike was reminiscent of the lower class bike though the color coded rear view mirrors is a nice touch...

Now coming to the engine… The essentials of the engine remain fairly the same as its sibling, the Unicorn, but, with minor tweaking to get the power output upto 14.4 PS @ 8500 rpm & a torque rating of 12.8 Nm developed at a very respectable 6500 rpm. This makes it the highest ranked mobike in the 150 cc segment, power-wise… In my short test ride, however, I could not test whether this translates to heroics on-the-road… The initial pick-up was pretty good, I have to mention, although the manner of power delivery is a little laid back, in comparison to the Pulsar 150 DTSi or the Apache. One aspect of Hero Honda which has made it legendary is the refinement offered by the impeccably smooth & refined Honda engine & the precise gearing… All these points are, thankfully, seen in the new CBZ as well… The gear ratios seem just about right… The gear shifting is as smooth & effortless as hot-knife-through-butter. The gear shift lever has only a front foot-peg, with no foot pegs for the sole. I know, this is the way it is in the sports bikes; but, from the practicality point of view, it would have been far more useful providing a sole gear-changer as well…

The ride with most HHs is pretty good & sorted out keeping the Indian roads (& pot-holes) in mind… The ride in this bike is also pretty decent… The riding position is almost spot-on & the seats seem to have the right amount of firmness, but, its effectiveness in long rides is yet to be found out…

The bike has a decent balance, with not too much of its weight being felt at the handle bar. So, maneuverability in moving in & out of the bumper-to-bumper traffic in the cities should not pose a major challenge… This should also help its handling…

The instrument cluster has new-look dials with a few detailed touches… The switches, though, are similar to the ones seen in other HH bikes… But, what is being provided does seem a bit less, especially when u get a fully-loaded Pulsar, with the digital speedo, self-canceling indicator, LED lights etc with a bit less of a pinch into your pockets…

With its price tag of Rs. 64000 odd, on-the-road Mangalore, its not exactly sending any chills down its competitors spines… Especially when TVS offers a brilliant looking, power-packed handler in Apache & the Bajaj guys raising the bar yet again with their brand new Pulsar… HH doesn't even come out with vague promises of over-the-moon fuel efficiency figures with this one…

In conclusion, although this is a much better work at renovating the CBZ than the previous efforts seen by the HH guys, it has still left wanting in several areas… The looks need to be improved, and a more aggressive power-delivery by the impressive engine would be most welcome & so will a few more paraphernalia at a competitive price… At this moment, however, I get the feeling; it will probably be accepted by only the HH faithfuls..!!

Sar mein Helmet.. Nahi toh hoge Hell's inmate!!!

With many of the states embracing (or proposing to) the “helmets are compulsory” rule, it has got the Mango people (didn’t get it?? our AAM JANATA) farting their hearts(?) out. And, surprisingly, instead of supporting it, we find that the opposers outnumber the supporters, and that too, by a far shot.

Helmets are really our true MATES in this HELL, called Indian roads (or any roads, for that matter). Whatever your ‘nut’ is made of, it needs to be protected, & helmets do that job to a "T"... providing an outer, tougher Nut, which is hard to penetrate. Also, they come with visors which ward off the dust & other elements, which is an oh-so-common thing in our dust-bowls called "roads".

The main hindrance to the use of helmets is undoubtedly the mindset of the people, although, they are not willing to accept it... For this very reason, they come up with complaints that it gets hot and sweaty inside the helmet... I agree, it does feel a bit hot inside during daytime when immobile, but, this is just a transient state... Once you get moving, there is enough airflow inside any helmet... And once you throw open the visor, you can enjoy the fresh air, just like before...

Another reason for its non acceptance maybe the added burden a helmet possesses in carrying it around, after parking... For this very purpose there are helmet locks to secure it to the vehicle...

Then, there r people suggesting that their drop-dead, gorgeous looks cannot be appreciated by the fairer sex because of these helmets coming in their way. I have nothing much to say about this, except that, there is nothing “macho” in having white bandages adorning your handsome face or, worse still, your photo appearing in the newspapers in the Obituaries section for all those birds to see. After all this, they will be left kissing tarmac, rather than u-know-who’s ;-)!!!

I, quite apparently, am not as good my fellow Bharathiyas in finding the cons (or creating one, as it seems to me) about helmet use. Coz, I’ve heard reports about demonstrators going out onto the streets with protests (can u imagine??) to ban the helmet rule, coz it causes hair-loss & what not!!! Of course, there is no proof to back their claims...

Forcing pillions to wear helmets may seem obscure to some, but, give it a thought... Are pillions spared in any accident; don’t they get hurt just as badly as the riders themselves.

I hope better sense prevails & this rule comes into effect across our Bharath-varsh. Coz, we Indians have a special liking for doing things out of compulsion, rather than out of conviction. But, even that, I feel is OK. Force it, if they don’t have the discipline to do it themselves. After all paying a fine is far better and cheaper than paying for the hospital bills; or worse still, paying for the funeral procession…!!

As they say, with this SAFETY device on your head, u can sip SAFE TEA(was’nt that a good one?!!) at home….!! This ensures that you BURN THE ROAD & not the BODY!!!!