I wondered what kind of a name it is for a sportz bike. I never had ZMA in my dream bike list. And neither did I ever dreamt of owning one, mainly because of its price and the bulk. I was planning to buy the Unicorn. I liked its smooth engine and a no-nonsense stance. But then it dint match the image of the Pulsar brothers. I referred to many magazines before taking any decision.It was only then that I gave Karizma a serious thought. I went to the nearest HH dealer and took all the info. Red and Black Karizma were ready to be delivered, but I wanted a truly sportz color bike and ordered for a sparkling Yellow ZMA. It took 20 days for the color to arrive, but the wait was worth it.
On 17th of March 2006, I finally got my sparkling new baby but with few dents on its silencer. When I brought this to the delear’s notice, they said it must have happened during transportation. But with few arguments and raised voice, I got the silencer replaced. I had never ridden a Zma earlier, so that first stint was a special one for me. The huge fairing and hood facing straight while turning was a bit uncomfortable in the first two corners, but I soon got used to it.
Good stuffs;
On roads, Karizma is surely a head turner and believe me I have liked the attention. It must have got some of its styling from the Honda VRF 800, but that’s fine. Honda and HeroHonda are Bhai-Bhai, so that’s all right. Those who cannot afford this beauty, they will come up with off-putting points like the huge fairing being an unwanted part, the digital panel wont last long, but that’s Karizma for you. From every angle, the bike looks stunning; like the amazing front panels, nicely designed 15ltrs fuel tank, side indicators and crystal clear headlamp. Moving ahead, the side panels and the seats are nicely crafted… the huge silencer and the twin brake lamp ends the bike’s styling very well. The 18’ Alloy wheels are black and solid too.
Now moving on to its ride; ignite the engine and it feels different. Engage in First gear and there she goes. The acceleration is amazing, although the 1st gear pull isn’t that great. Shift to 2nd & 3rd and you can experience its extreme power. With all the 17 horses coming alive (16.8bhp to be precise), you can stretch your ZMA at the speeds of 60-70 for the third gear with extreme ease. Further ahead, the fourth gear can move on till 90-100 followed by the fifth, overdrive - this will take you till 125-130kms/hr.
Its 223cc engine looks similar to that of the older CBZ, but it is much more powerful and the HH guys have made full use of its capacity. The engine feels smooth and the 17bhp is definitely not the max this machine is capable of. I feel the HH guys have done this to keep it stress free. Now with such speeds, you cannot ask for average figures matching Splendor, Platina or Star City. But with some sensible riding on the city roads and highway, you can expect something around 32-35 and 39-41 respectively.
Bike’s handling considering its bulk is much easier then anticipated. Although the turning radius isn’t anywhere near to the Pulsars, but it moves along the corners pretty well and within the city traffic, it can be maneuvered easily. The front disc brakes are good and it does give you some confidence at high speeds. But the rear drum brakes are sad.
The shock absorbers are great, both at front and rear. The rider has a sporty stance but nothing compared to the newer pulsars; 200dtsi and 220dtsfi. With Karizma, the rider has a better knee support due to its tank design, and I love it. I rarely happen to be a pillion rider on my own bike, but whenever I have been one, it has felt great. You sit relatively high, so u can pretty much see what’s happening ahead. And believe me, ZMA seats are comfortable then the Pulsars’.
The durability of HH bikes as compared to its competitors is the best. Get a Karizma and forget any maintenance issues. My bike has clocked around 5000kms and is 15 months’ old. I haven’t come across any maintenance bills apart from regular servicing.
Fit and finish in Karizma is amazing. You can simply make out from the kind of work done on its beautiful fairing.
*Not so good;
The head light is not that powerful and u can feel it on the highway. It has a mere 35W bulb which I wish to change to 60W. But this modification needs an expert hand, so I haven’t done till now. The ZMA also has a blind spot when riding on high beam. So pls be careful at nights.
My karizma has got morning start issues. When I start my bike after 3-4 days, I have to use choke or else it takes 5-6 cranks to start the engine. (If choke doesn’t help then just open the fuel tank and close it. Try giving a crank again and it will start immediately). Take care of rain water going pass the fuel lid. It sometimes passes thru and hampers the ride.
No accident guard!! ZMA doesn’t come with a factory fitted accident guard. But you can easily get it fitted from the showroom for Rs.550. These black color powder coated guards are specially made for Karizma. You can also get other kind of guards from various acc. shops for rs.350 and above. But I preferred the showroom one. They are good and very essential, looking at the costly Hood & Fairing cluster.
I hardly happen to use the side kick, but whenever used, it has given me nasty back kicks. The kick starter is HARD and it doesn’t start on any gear apart from neutral. It has got the same styling adopted from CBZ of folding the foot rest and then operating the kick.
If you bump hard in a ditch, the front mud guard might get scratched by the number plate. Ya, it sounds foolish! But it has happened with me. So take care!
Many of my friends hate this, but I like it a lot - the gear shift takes place thru a toe shifter… it feels sporty to me. During rains, your shoe or toe might get dirty due to this, but who cares…. its monsoon…!!
Points to remember
Avoid the RPM meter to drop below 2500rpm in all gears. This will help run the engine without any knocking sounds.
Give your bike a Teflon Coat. It helps ur bike shine throughout and also protects from minor scratches. For rusted nuts and bolts, use WD40. It’s a nice spray.
If possible then try using the hi-octane fuels available on various fuel pumps. It will improve the average and smoothness of your bike.
As the ZMA has an air cooled engine, there is an air flow pipe beneath your seat. So avoid keeping plastic bags or a cloth in the way of the pipe.
In Monsoon, do take care of the switches or they might cost you anywhere from Rs.650 to Rs.1000.
Avoid putting aftermarket engine belly to ur bike. It might obstruct the air flow required by the engine and this may cause it to over heat.
All in all, Karizma is a great bike to own… it looks amazing, it has the speed. Controlling is good and so is the riding pleasure… It has got a true Sportz bike feel and I would say Karizma is one of the better bikes on Indian roads. For all those who have it will definitely go by this, “Ride it to Feel it”.
So here it is… a review from an owner himself… hope this was helpful.
Thankzzz… Cheers…. Ride safely and always wear a Helmet…