I was going through the January edition of Overdrive where they included a CD with snippets from the 24hr X-treme Karizma test. On the whole the presentation looked slick although I personally felt that the video clip included in it was quite amateurish. The point that I’d like to make though is not this. It’s just that one wonders why HeroHonda isn’t waking up to the stiff competition (that’s surely an understatement) provided by the DTSi twins. So they are still the largest share-holders in the market, so they’re brand name still notches the no.1 spot, but for how long.
The Karizma ia a beauty - and this little statement would probably sum up everything that one might want to express when confronted by this top-of-the-range product from the HH stable. But do you really think it’s been done justice to ?
Well, so the price tag is a little steep... correction - very steep indeed. For bike-enthusiasts like me though, it’s more than affordability that matters.... it’s the rush of adrenaline that floods the body when you’re one with the machine. And then comes the fast-expanding motorbike market - forget first-timers, everybody wants power, speed, performance and it is saddening to see the situation as it is today. Bajaj stole a march over the overs in the foray when it tasted success on it’s Pulsar.
Instead of satiating their team, it speaks a lot about their passion that they went on to come up with the DTSi variants of both 150/180 models. Does the Karizma feel the heat now ? With a top speed greater than Karizma, better fuel efficiency, and a 0-100m sprint time less than the other - it’s saddening for a HH-fan like me to accept the fact that a 180cc Pulsar could surpass the 233cc-Karizma. Why would anyone even with 26K extra to spare buy the Karizma.
The solution : either the prices should be revised or something better be done about the bike specifics. All in all it’s sad to think that a premium-level sports bike like the Karizma could be deprived of it’s due... due to superior technology from rival companies.