My best friend owns a yellow Hero Honda Karizma for the past 1.5 years. Its more my bike than his. Its done about 18000 kms and we love to take the bike every where we go.
Riding this bike is fun, adventure and costly. It easily makes up to 125 kms per hour and is pretty stable at high speeds. We have been out of the city several times and have absolutely enjoyed every occation.
Here’s my review on this wonderful bike:
Top Speed: Never made more than 140 kms per hour but the throttle was not used to the full extent.
Handling: Its not as easy as Pulsar 150(which I own). Its good for highways not for a crowded, narrow street. Its heavy and not for slim-medium built at all.
Pickup: Karizma has an awesome pickup. Better than any of the bike I have ever rode in my life.
Shocks: Hero Honda has the best shocks in any of its bikes.
Gears: Smooth and efficient. A two year old can change the gear and tell you which gear the bike is in. The best in the country with no doubt
Ergonomics: Good and not the best. After a long ride in the city limits you may feel a back ache, but not on highway.
Mileage: This is the area where the bike sucks. It pumps out only 32- 34 kms in city and about 38 kms on highway
Spares: The costliest spares in the country come from Hero Honda. Though the quality of the spares are goods, it occupies a lot of space in your wallet when you buy spares or try servicing it.
Looks: Looks are pretty good…. though not as good as, yet to be launched Pulsar 220, it surely receives good amount of onlookers in the city traffic. Its got an ultimate paint job and definitely a must buy when it comes to looks.
Karizma is a bike for biking adventurers with a deep pocket. But once you ride it and get used to pickup and top speeds you will never enjoy another bike on highways.