Friends I had been away for a while from mouthshut but never far away
from bikes.in this review I will give you a lowdown on CBZ extreme
apart from discussing other competitors derived from my exp as well as
impression.plz correct me if I am wrong in any aspect.
CBZ XTREME
i had this bike for 2 years before I sold it to my friend as I planned
to buy another bike.this review is about the 1st generation cbz
extreme but I dont think new version has any major changes in engine
apart from cosmetic one.
i had this black color one(most popular color on this bike).i had
always planned to buy apache but when I heard it has vibration
problems I planned to wait for RTR version but it was a long wait & I
couldn’t wait any longer.i had seen ads for cbz xtreme & I was
impressed.i had pulsar in mind too.so off I went to bajaj & test drove
it.gears were like butter through knife, ultra smooth.everything was good till I hit a bad patch.no shockers were xtremely good.but the plastic mud guard just cracked from joint & fell down.the pillion guy(showroom guy)said not to tell anyone else he will be reprimanded.this was like a sour taste.if a new bike parts are so plasticky then how can I risk my hard earned money.i am not saying whole bike is like that.
then I went to hero honda showroom.they had an old bike which I test drove.nothing was right about that bike.i was not comfortable with 1 down 4 up & brakes were much relaxed to my comfort but still I had fun.its shockers (spring ones) are not that effective as gas shockers of pulsar but will do in city condition.its wide tyres take all minor shocks with panache.its disc brake are effective & even saved my life, that I will tell you later.
even though its heavy its mileage never dropped below fifty right from day 1.
this bike is not for guys like me who are short.a def NO NO as I its ok to ride alone but not without pillion.with pillion short riders will def become jittery as you will think bike has grown its own mind.
as to performance I had it tested to full.on DELHI-GURGAON express highway I fought neck to neck with an apache RTR(by that time RTR had been launched)& I lost by a little margin that too near toll gate of gurgaon.inspite of a heavier guy like me & heavier itself it fought well.but at extreme speeds apache is like a mouse whom you can try to catch but always ahead of you.its very agile in zipping behind cars(hardly any car you will see on that highway riding below 80), while xtreme can’t change lanes in a hurry.even though I tried every trick in the book I could never go ahead.come at par many times but never ahead.and the saddest part is at 120 km/hr top gear just gave way.it gave a harsh sound and after that whenever I hit full throttle at top gear it would start emitting rough sounds.so I gave up the fight as I was handicapped now but still it was hard fought till the finishing line.
as to disc brake I was going at 118 km/hr(speedometer reading) and it was dark and I saw road closed sign very late with a passerby on a cycle who was distracting me as he wanted to cross over the chowk ahead of me inspite of seeing me at god speed.when I did realise about eminent danger it was late but I din’t lose cool !!!i tapped brake twice still black drums(road construction)tied with ropes was looming large & I had to brake hard & bike never swerved nor acted funny.and I stopped inches from brake drums.phew what a save I had..my heart just went boom boom !!!
HH service centre guys are professionals and you can rest assured your bikes are never tampered even if leave the keys with them for servicing.extremely well managed SCs with balcony view for owners to watch work progress in bays apart from option of watching TV in ac room.
as to my impression about other bikes they are :
pulsar150-value for money like all other bajaj bikes, gives mileage of 45-50 depending upon riding style, old styling(bajaj has to take risk & go for new designs, there is obviously life beyond pulsar Mr Rajeev bajaj, i took a rode less chosen by & it has made all the difference, so why not give it a try))great for 30+ guys who are mileage conscious(they have family to think of, he he), over all a bit of everything, you can never go wrong bike.
suzuki GS150-commuter 150 bike with great tail light but trying to be a man like pulsar.aping doesn’t makes a great bike.suzuki also don’t have a strategy about dealers.they have closed shops in our city, real bad as customers dont like those where after service can be a problem.won’t recommend this one.looks like a labrador in performance.
yamaha FZ16
with fat tyres & naked styling it has all the oomph but girls wont be turning their head when they see it from front.head light looks like a boxer punched on the nose.mileage is on the lower band.looks best when seen from behind.paint quality is not the best & ride quality you tell me.looks like a bull dog on leash.
honda dazzler-looks wont win it any brownie points but performance sure will.great mileage at great price.best mileage in the segment with great handling & performance.not a looker.you may mistake it for its 100cc younger bro also.best for executives.no windshield & no cool graphics.has a no nonsense attitude.
apache 160 & 180-looks the best among all.180 is simply angelic while 160 yellow is hot & RTR F1 orange will def force girls to give a second look to biker & bike.attention grabber for collegiates as white is becoming common now while orange is still unique(though costly).raring to guy like a doberman on leash.truly hooligan to the core.ABS option you can forego as hardly anyone races on wet tracks in city condition.don’t expect good resale value if you plan to sell it soon.servicing major TVS problems is a headache as whole engine has to be unmounted from frame before repair unlike HH or bajaj(both are the friendliest manufacturers to bike mechanics are concerned as what a bike mechanic told me)
HH hunk-all plasticky, beefy yet slim.but all the time spent in gym is not of use when you have the body of shahrukh khan.all you can get is 6 pack abs but not the killer punch. Looks good but falls behind others.if you take out the tank extension it looks all fake.but I must say tank console is not all that bad which gives character to bike.nothing unique.stays with the crowd never far behind.true dalmatian it is.good for executives who want a dash of fun yet give good mileage for all those endless client calls while being circumspect about rest 150 cc as to resale value or service or risk averse.blindly choose honda dazzler(my choice)else pulsar or hunk you will never regret.