There are all kinds of bikes made now(ofcourse barring the hi performance >250cc ones). All bikes have a purpose; they are made for the fulfillment of that very purpose, so there are no bad bikes as such. But, there are a number of highly overrated bikes which people think are excellent but in reality they are not so. So the top 5 overrated bikes in India are-
5.AVL engined Bullets- There are two types of bullets now. One the cast iron pistons ones(read electra, std bullet, std 500) and the other the AVL engined(read Machismo, Thunderbird). True, the AVL engined bullets give marginally higher performance and mileage than their cast iron engine counterparts, but what is the use of marginally higher performance in bullets where the USP is sound and riding pleasure. This is where the AVL engines lose out. They don’t have the classic thump associated with bullets and also they have a strange mechanical noise coming out while riding which somewhat ruins the riding pleasure of a Bullet. Go to a royal enfeild showroom and even they recommend the cast iron engine bullets.
- Super Splendour- Well, I know this is a Hero Honda. So what. The Super Splendour guys claim that their overpriced piece of junk gives a higher performance and higher mileage than the 100cc Splendour. 2 of my friends happen to own this bike and the bike gives 55-60 kmpl to both of them who ride their bikes with a very light right hand. A normal Splendour gives 65-70kmpl. Also the performance is nothing to be raved about. They test rode a Discover and came to know what performance a 125 cc bike can also give. The design is nothing great, just a revamped version of the 100cc Splendour. So the bottomline is that the SuperSplendour has the price and mileage of a 125 cc bike but the performance of a 100cc bike.
3.Ambition- What is the purpose of a bike which has the price and mileage of a 150cc bike(read unicorn, pulsar150) but the performance of a 125cc bike? I think Hero Honda excels at such combinations. Even a discover feels faster than this Hero Honda. It also gives mileage in the region of 55-60 kmpl but gets beaten by a Discover. The speedometer needle does not budge more than 95kmph, whereas the discover goes till 105 kmph. Also the Discover is more fun to drive and ofcourse has a higher mileage figure of around 65 kmpl. The design of the bike with the round headlamp was ugh. So what could the lazy Hero Honda guys do? They plonked the “non light giving” CBZ headlamp over to the Ambition. Thank god that the production of this bike has now stopped.
2.CBZ- I know I am going to upset quite a few MS members here but fact is a fact. Most people believe that as CBZ has a beautiful body and gives low mileage than other 150cc bikes so the performance must be higher than them. The CBZ is an old bike now and by letting some Hero Honda designer loose on the CBZ, they have somewhat spoiled the original killer looks of the CBZ. Bottom line- High asking price+ Funny graphics+low mileage+low performance+low reliability= CBZ
1.Karizma- This bike is the evergreen overhyped and overrated bike in India right now. Many think that because this bike has a mean fairing it is a “Dhoom bike”(read Hayabusa, GSX 750). They think that this bike’s performance compares with some super rocket. One of my freind who owns the Karizma(uff what a name) thinks he is the owner of the fastest bike in India, until he rode my Pulsar 180 dtsi(which offers the same performance but is more fun to drive), RX100, Shogun and then the Indian Superbike RD 350. Now, he has finally stopped bragging about his bike. That sums up what the Karizma is- Good design+high desirability+relatively low performance+very low mileage+relatively low fun factor+high asking price+no safety(no leg guard)+high cost of spare parts.
P.S.- I do not work for Bajaj Auto nor do I have anything against Hero Honda, its just their bikes.
If you do not approve of my selecting any of these bikes in the 5 most overrated bikes, you may proceed to the comments section.