The KB 100 - When people ask me about this bike, I tell them whenever I think of this bike, the word S - T - A - B - L - I - T - Y comes to my mind. ’’Stability’’, that’s the word. Never have I come across a bike in its category that is as stable as this. Simply superb. With a Kb you could take on any corner with ease. Bend your heart out at the corners... rip at top speeds, it will not sway. Solid as it is, after more than 10 years from the kb era, not many have managed to match the standards set by this bike in this department.
To me, it was the most lovable thing I had. A bike that never let me down and just performed and performed till age caught up with it. The bike looks good... sleek and long. The long tank and well equipped speedo units are all great examples of class and design. The unit is generously equipped with a speedo, fuel gauge and a rpm meter, one of the first Indian bikes to do so.
Power is sufficient... in fact beats the daylight of the rest. It was released to compete and dislodge the cult status that RX 100 and 135 commanded but sadly did not have that much to beat the yamaha’s. Nevertheless, it was the next best thing. Fast, quick, stable, sleek looks and decent economy - in short a great bike.
The ad campaign of the cheetah was what which kicked off its popularity but sadly after the initial boom, the bike’s sales started dropping. The bike had a superb and unique sound. It stands out. A few bikes like the bullet has this character to stand out owing to its commanding sound and nature. What I strangely found in my bike was the vehicle starts off well, then kind of restrains itself till it reaches a reasonably great speed and then keep going - going on chewing the distance at good solid speeds. Frankly, it was unlike a cheetah, which would have great initial speed, accelerate and then die out with exhaustion. My bike could keep climbing and climbing on the speedo units on a longer distance and would beat the other bike well after the other bike reached its peak.
This is with reference to my high-speed highway ventures with my friend who has the classic yamaha. When we start out to let our horses go and unleash the fury of our throttle, my friend’s yam beats the pulp and would race off to 90-100 km. Initially, I would kind of head along in the first burst, before he speeds away. And then, the characters of the bikes are revealed. My friend’s yam touches 90 -100 plus in no time and the vehicle reached its max. Mine slowly kept coming up and reached the 98 mark. And was continuing to accelerate more. The yam by this time was no longer very stable as it starts swaying due to its light weight, so he cuts speed, and I go on to overtake him still climbing on the speed till it stopped at 109 km per hour. The yam was fast but was not very stable. Mine was stable but took its time to reach there and could drive at 100 plus speed for a long time without it swaying. That was the best loved feature of this bike...stability...unmatched. Without a shadow of doubt folks, a yamaha is anyday a greater and better overall bike so dont get ’red’ all you yam lovers.
Rain, heat any condition… this tough bike will eat and receive all blows yet it will deliver. When it comes to averages, when it is decently driven, it gave me good figures of 45 - 50 for over 10 years. When u rip it and break off, it will deliver 28- 30, it all comes down to how you drive it.
Finally the flaws: Seating comfort is poor. Becoz of its long tank they have sacrificed in seating space. Doubles can be a rather cramped and sticky affair unless u got a ’’princess’’ behind you. Riding position is excellent with your arms stretched out so is great for handling and balance. Full marks here. Build quality of electricals - HORRIBLE. Bajaj makes great design bikes, priced cheaply too...so they have to compromise somewhere... therefore build quality. Every 500 odd km, something or other kept popping out, bulbs especially Indicators, oil seals, kept breaking with the vibration: bulbs easily get fused, Switches constantly having to be replaced. I can with all my heart and soul tell you that when it comes to service - bajaj is horrible, terrible and bumbling. Somebody should give them a crash course in mechanics and also ’’service’’ - what a customer is. They don’t know that. My bike did well for a good 10 years and had except for the frequent electrical changes had few serious visits. My good old mechanic who had served me well decided to start a business abroad left and then since the worst face of this bike had started. I had no choice but to leave my bike to the bajaj service people. They ruined it. The bikes performance dropped badly, giving me figures of 28-30. The problem began when the clutch plates and a few other engine components had to changed and they needed to work on the engine. That was it, it came back a completely different bike. It was smoking and drinking like hell. I bet I could have chased a lot of mosquito’s through the exhaust. Gear system kept making weird sounds, kept on falling in false neutrals. Shouting, howling at them had no effect as they kept checking it and each time it went to them it came back worse..plus bajaj was burning a hole in my pocket with me having to spend a good 2500 bucks each time I give it to them every month just to get it fixed. I even sent a complain through their website.... deaf ears...i guess Mr. bajaj is too old now to hear :). Tried giving it to local mecs and the bikes performance improved but could never reach what it was. Dejected, frustrated and totally broken I decided to get a new bike for myself, a victor which is doing great.
It is amazing how a good bike gets ripped off and left to scrap with bad service and it is disappointing that it came from the hands of the maker. I swore I would never again get a bajaj product again - bad quality, bad service. All you bajaj bike owners, you soon will see how some thing or other keeps conking off from your bike. I guess their standards were better when kawasaki was around with the KB. Once kawaski’s collaboration ended for the KB, things I guess changed rapidly.
I still have my bike with me... nick named ’’Ghost’’ becoz its bore makes a hollering sound like some ghost trapped in a machine. And I ain’t talking about casper :(. When I take it out, it still surprises me with a quick dash and I guess it’s hinting at me that this old cheetah has still got something in him. I do agree, and would take my hat off in respect to my old’ friend... u are old, cannot venture out like you used too, but still would deliver till its last breath. And deliver it will... till its demise...there is no question about that.