It has been since december 2000 that I have been riding a Caliber and it has been a very happy ride.
This was the time just before a range of models started to hit the indian market and the bike was really seen as a better alternative then scooters. I was looking around for a good bike and visited hero Honda for a ride. well since I am six foot tall and I dont really like riding practically sitting on the road, Hero Honda models were out. For an entry level model in four stroke motorcycles, my options were rather restricted.
Caliber turned out to be the only model that is really comfortable if you are tall. Mind you, it is heavy compared to other bikes and cant really be manouvered like to agile Yamaha’s. I have tried riding other bikes since and have found all of them puny in comparison.
The ride is really comfortable and handling superb due to the weight but acceleration is not really what will put butterflies in your stomach. The average is no great deal to talk about and will be beaten by Hero Honda hands down.
Of course the scenario has changed with new caliber 115, disc brakes etc. and hence this relic doesnt deserve much attention.
The most important comment that I have is on the service offered by Bajaj. I have been faithfully to all the services and can say with confidence that the entire concept of servicing is a joke. It seems that service station is not really of Bajaj and hence the only intention of the service guys is to push out the bike ASAP. I had fights with them over this and we made a major scene with the Customer service.
Outcome: Customer service is an alien notion at Bajaj Auto Ltd and the aura of a monopoly still lingers.