Title : WHERE SERVICE IS TOP !!!
Review : After almost 12 months of motorcycle research in India, my eyes fell on the Kinetic Laser 170 and it was LOVE AT THE FIRST RIDE.
In the previous 12 months I had researched the Indian market for something more fashionable than the technically outdated Enfield Bullet 350. Starting from the 110cc category I have test-driven about every motorcycle in the market, many of them a few times, the Yamaha, Bajaj, Hero Honda, TVS and Kinetic bikes. I was searching for a reliable bike with excellent handling capabilities that would take me on a trip ’once around India’.
It simply needed to be fit for cities, villages, highways, steep mountain slopes and dirt road situations in the Himalayan mountains - that’s in short the field of applications for that most people are still using the Enfield Bullet. And then - when out of town - service and spare parts are also an important issue. After many months and test-rides my final contender was TVS Fiero F2 - that’s until I took the Laser 170 for a test ride.
I approached the factory Kinetic Engineering in Pune with my plans. My major concern was that the Laser 170 was just released in the market - and proper service and spare parts probably difficult to get at more remote places.
I was overwhelmed with KINETIC’S support. As a first gesture of support I received by e-mail a list of authorised distributors, then soon afterwards by courier the company’s confidential Spare Parts Catalogue that usually is only issued to their service centres - along with a Fax number and a contact name to order spare parts from them.
Finally Kinetic even volunteered to assemble for me in their factory in Pune a yellow Laser with electric+kick start, as per my knowledge the first Laser with electric start released by them. For a large manufacturer like Kinetic it is a very costly and time consuming exercise to assemble just one bike and deliver it separately - and this without any extra charges except the standard adder for the electric start. The support by Kinetic’s Marketing Department was terrific.
THAT IS TOP SERVICE I DID NOT FIND WITH OTHER MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA.
WHY YELLOW COLOUR ?? How many bikes in night reflective yellow colour have you lately seen on India’s roads ?? There are many bikes in blue, black, red and even silver... I fancy things that not everyone has - with yellow my bike sticks ’out of the crowds’. And then the safety aspect at night - highly visible to approaching traffic when parked on the side of the road in the dark...
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS POWER STEERING IN CARS ?? Please take a Pulsar 150 / 180 or a CBZ for a test ride AND then take the same afternoon (!!) - when the memory is still fresh - a Kinetic Laser for a test ride - you will then know what is ’’power steering’’ in motorcycles. By simply taking the weight of the lamps and fairing off the handle bar, Kinetic have built a bike that handles easy even on rough roads. The price of the wider handle bar is a larger turning radius BUT on rough roads with luggage (or a pillion) you will appreciate that wider handle bar - you don’t need strong muscles to hold that handle bar and your palms will remain dry as well. I also appreciate the wider crash guard - almost as wide as the handle bar.
I further appreciate the double head lamps and the ’’pass switch’’, already frequently in use. I invested another 120 Rs to change the two standard 12V/35W bulbs into halogen - the night road is now brightly lit - no other bike can compete with that. The double rear lights add to safety - more visible and if by chance one bulb fails in the future a second one is there to keep me safe at night on busy highways. And that’s the same with the head lights - I am not stranded in the dark when one bulb fails - the remaining one on its own is as strong as a Fiero F2’s.
MILEAGE: Too early to comment - I have travelled a lot through small mountain regions with up and down slopes (some of them steep) and found myself with about 45 km per litre - though I have some doubts that the litre at the petrol pumps here is really 1000 milli-litre.
I am the proud owner of a yellow Laser with electric start since 2 weeks and I am gearing up for a long trip ... - once (or twice) around India. Currently the bike is being fitted with custom made luggage racks - and then you might see me in your town. With that bike you won’t overlook me in the crowds ...
Pros : TOP SERVICE AND SUPPORT, Great Handling (Power Steering), Strong Engine 15HP/14Nm, 5 gears, wider crash bars, double front and rear lamps, double horns and all electrics supplied through a strong battery (like in a car).
Cons: So far not found any