After riding my Karizma Racer for about five months, I find it really great to put in my thoughts about this masterpiece of engineering.
Five months back I was like many of you readers standing confused as to which bike to take. The first bike you take ... You expect it to be the best ofcourse. So I spent about a month going through different reviews of bikes above 150cc segment -
Pulsar, Karizma, CBZ, Eliminator etc. I read lot many good reviews in Mouthshut and still couldn’t make up my mind whether to join the Pulsar family or the Karizma family. I decided to give it a try by trying out a test ride for each of these bikes. Started with the Pulsar 150, then Pulsar 180 and Pulsar 200. Pulsar 150 felt really shaky once we cross 70kph.
Riding Pulsar 180 and 200 felt good but somewhere I felt something missing(that adrenaline flow). Pulsar 200 is a really powerful bike but the braking left me thinking more about its stability at high speeds. Then one fine day decided to test drive a Karizma inspite of its comparitively high price tag. Tried out one yellow Karizma Racer in a LalBagh showroom. The test ride was really a thrilling experience. I never had to think twice about buying this sexy bike.
I will just give out my sincere thoughts after my few months of experience driving this bike. In looks its the best bike available in market at present. The front fairing, seating arrangement and the rear side gives the bike a sporty look, you would feel like a Rockstar. You know one of the greatest things I enjoy while riding the bike, its the way how people(mainly girls) look at you and admire your bike. Really cool.
Coming to engine performance, you have a 223cc 4stroke engine delivering 17bhp power which is really wow on indian roads. One thing I like most about the engine is its acceleration, 60kph in about 4secs, that means no one beats you in overtaking. You should see the look of the people around when the traffic light turns green ...
My bike goes vrooom way ahead of evryone. If anyone u know says that it is difficult to handle the bike in traffic, just ignore him. I ride 20 kms daily along Airport road, Bangalore (gotta see the traffic on working day mornings) and I find this bike the best to ride through traffic. The main reason is its low weight on the handle and the quick acceleration ... essential for overtaking.I have read many reviews that say that due to comparitively large bend radius sometimes it gets difficult to get through fourwheelers on traffic roads. Personally speaking I do not consider this as a serious issue.
The bike rides very smoothly at even 100kph, I usually ride at these speeds in the late night when traffic is very less.The bike has a rated maximum speed of 125kph but I have already came upto 130kph. We can experience slight bit of shakiness just after 115 kph ... very slight.
Coming to braking Zma has internally exapnding rear brakes and really good disc brakes in front. I dont find the rear brakes so effective/special, essentially its used only for slowing down. But a combination of both are highly effective. As I am a mech fellow, there are two things that are considered while designing braking for speed bikes. One is the quality of the brakes and the other is the location of the Centre of gravity. You get the CG wrong, and you will see the bike toppling at high speed braking. Hero Honda has really done a good job in this aspect. Imagine applying a sudden brake at 90kph and still bike remaining stable, this happens only in a Zma(I did this once when a cow came right into the middle of the road. But please dont try this, these things vary according to road conditions too).
Now coming to the biggest point that anyone looks at is Mileage. Yes I get close to 30kmpl on busy bangalore roads and above 40kmpl on highways ... my driving is sort of rash. But cmon guys just imagine u are getting 30kmpl on a powerful 223cc engine, thats really good. I still have lot of guys around me who criticise me about the mileage. But do these guys know about the feeling you experience when ur riding(or gliding I should say) smoothly at 100kph.
The showroom service and maintenance is very good. The hero honda showrooms give a bit more preference for zma’s during service.
*Cons :*
(1)main thing is the high price tag (Bought at Rs 82, 000 in blore). But comparison with bikes in this segment shows price is not bad.
(2)Another thing is the lack of a side bar. So this means if bike falls down, u may injure your leg, break the bike fairing(Each of the front cowl (right and left) costs Rs1000/-) and crack the windshield. I read in many reviews where they mentioned the cowl was something like Rs 10, 000; which is rubbish. I recently met up with an accident, and I guarantee u that total price of cowl is Rs2000. So always take care while ur on the bike.
(3)Some reviews say that the horn doesnt work fine, my friend also faces same problem. Fortunately my horn is still working good. This can be solved by putting a new horn anyways.
(4) The headlight does not turn along with handle. So many reviews say this to be a problem while riding in nights, but seriously I do not consider it too serious.
(5)By default many guys may be knowing that Hero Honda spare parts are relatively costly. But you can avail certain amount of discount using Hero Honda passport.
(6)Last but not the least the main problem, you may get frequently attacked by girls obsessed with bikers. So take care.. Hope these comments may help you through. Only one advice, even if go through as many reviews as you can, a test ride can only find the best bike for you. So try out each bike that you can. Will keep updating this section with more information.
All the best.
Prashanth