The Kawasaki Ninja 650R made a highly favourable impression upon its launch over a year ago. The new Ninja goes several steps further to make things easier for the rider. We just experienced how it does so
Bike Reviews in India
StopGo now for bikes
There are several mid-level and high-end cars that come with a Start/Stop system in India.
The system automatically senses when the vehicle comes to a standstill or if the engine is idle, and subsequently switches off the car’s engine. Similarly as soon as the accelerator is engaged, the engine automatically cranks-up and you’re ready to roll again. The obvious benefit of this system is that it protect the environment by reducing CO2 emissions and, more importantly does what everyone desires – saving valuable money by boosting the fuel efficiency.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that India predominantly moves on two-wheels and the idea of installing a similar fuel-saving system on them would be a dream come true for millions. Specially with the rocketing gasoline prices. Several companies are working on this technology, like Mahindra 2-Wheeler which displayed the Duro DZ equipped with the Start/Stop system, making it India’s first scooter with ‘Micro Hybrid’ technology.
And now, international component supplier SFK have developed ‘StopGo’, a Start/Stop technology adapted to be used on two-wheelers. With the StopGo, SKF claims to reduces CO2 emissions by 5g per kilometre on two-wheelers. If you estimate an annual mileage of, let’s say, about 8,000 km, this equates to a reduction of almost 36 kg/ CO2 per year! Now imagine if one million motorcycles were equipped with the SKF solution, the reduction would be 36,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. Besides making your bike more environment friendly, it is also said to increase the fuel efficiency by 6-8%.
The SKF ‘StopGo’ is a three-in-one integrated sensor-bearing system solution that performs a bearing function, senses speed and has a stop-start function. The unit fits into the hub of the front wheel, like a standard bearing, and is connected by a plug-and-play connector to a mating connector attached to the engine stop-start electronics. The design is a ready-to-fit unit which can be assembled easily for both OEMs and as a retrofit for a wide range of two wheelers models.
Speaking about the new product, Harsha Kadam, SKF Automotive, Two Wheeler Business Unit Director said, “The technology for SKFStopGo reaffirms our commitment towards providing sustainable solutions and helping our customers and end-users to reduce the carbon footprint. This solution for the two wheeler segment shuts off the engine when the vehicle has stopped, for example at traffic lights. It restarts the engine when the throttle is turned on”.
There hasn’t been any update yet as to the pricing or when the product will be available in the market. But be sure we’ll be the first to let you know when it does.
Shootout: Hyosung GT250R vs Honda CBR 250R
The proven Honda CBR 250R now has a new competitor in the form of the Hyosung GT250R. We take a ringside seat as the rivals lock horns
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
It was a long time ago that Hyosung entered the Indian market in a tie-up with Kinetic Engineering and offered us the Comet. In its naked avatar, that twin-cylinder 250-cc motorcycle was a hit among the enthusiasts, but its success proved ephemeral owing to the limited number of bikes sold, poor after-sales service and non-availability of spares. This month Garware Motors are all set for that bike’s re-entry in a new garb – the Comet R. The additional R in the name is because of the full fairing on the motorcycle. Another technical change in the bike from the old Comet is that they have dumped the carburettor and introduced fuel injection, primarily to meet the emission norms. Apart from these, there isn’t much that is different in this bike from its old version. How would this bike fare against the current 250-cc all-rounder, the CBR 250R? We decided to find out.
Design And Styling
The CBR 250R as well as the GT250R are both full-faired machines and that is the only thing common to both so far as styling is considered. The GT250R looks quite nice from a side profile with its big bike looks. It is actually the same size and shape as its elder brother, the GT650R. This works both in favour of the bike and against it. There is a whole bunch of buyers who want these bikes for their muscular and big looks and the Comet R serves this purpose quite well. However, so far as performance goes, this big and heavy bike fails to impress.
As an individual bike, the GT250R does appeal with its muscular styling. But when compared to the CBR 250R, the design looks a little dated. For example, the front screen of the bike is flattish, something that we have seen in the early 1990s. In fact, the bike has very little curves all through, which might add up to its aged looks. Nevertheless, there is no denying that the Comet R has a lot of road presence and manages to attract the attention of quite a few. The CBR 250R, on the other hand, is much smaller with modern styling. The layered fairing and the Y-shaped headlight make it quite an appealing motorcycle.
Ride And Handling
The CBR 250R has been built on a twin tubular frame while the GT250R sports a cradle frame. This itself puts the GT in a better position than the CBR. Also, the Hyosung has a set of 41-mm upside down forks upfront and a pre-load adjustable rear mono shock suspension. The CBR sports 37-mm regular front forks and a pre-load adjustable mono shock suspension at the rear. However, the big difference between these bikes is the set-up that they run. While the GT250R is on a much stiffer side, the CBR runs a soft set-up. Now this distinction in set-ups gives different characteristics and usability to these bikes. The Comet R comes across as a very good bike for hardcore sport riding with excellent handling and road grip, but becomes a bit of a pain in daily city commutes. The CBR 250R’s soft set-up gives it a very comfortable ride on city roads, but while cornering hard, it induces a little bit of wallowing, especially if the surface is uneven. Also, the relaxed sitting posture on the Honda is much more practical for daily riding than the extremely aggressive seating of the Hyosung.
Engine And Performance
The engines powering both these bikes are 250 cc. Apart from the displacement, though, there is hardly anything common between the two motors. The Hyosung engine is an air-cooled, 75-degree twin-cylinder that pumps out 28 PS of peak power at 10,000 revolutions per minute and 22.07 Nm of torque at 8,000 RPM. As against that, the Honda’s engine is liquid-cooled, single-cylinder that pumps out 25.5 PS at 8,500 RPM and 22.9 Nm at 7,000 RPM. Greater power and twin-cylinder configuration might make one think that the GT will have an advantage in outright performance. However, it is not so. Under outright acceleration, the CBR sprints to 100 km/h from standstill in 8.47 seconds while the GT250R takes 9.62 seconds. The CBR has an advantage not only in outright acceleration, but also in in-gear roll-on acceleration. Furthermore, the CBR scores more on top speed too by getting to 144.4 km/h with one gear to go while the GT makes it to 141 km/h in the top gear.
The CBR gets this advantage over the GT for several reasons. Firstly, it has 0.83 Nm of extra torque. Secondly, it makes peak power and peak torque at much lower revs than its competitor. Thirdly, the CBR’s engine is mated to a close ratio six-speed box as against the five-speed box on the GT. And very importantly, the CBR weighs just 167 kg (ABS version), which is a whole 21 kg lighter than the 188 kg GT. The only advantage that the GT250R has over the CBR is that due to its slightly lower gearing and twin cylinder engine, it can run easily at slow speeds in higher gear.
The Verdict
The CBR 250R has turned out to be the better of the two in various aspects so far and continues to do so when it comes to versatility. It has a more refined engine and comfortable ride quality that gives it an everyday practicality. With its relaxed seating posture, the CBR proves to be a great one on the highway too for touring. The GT250R, on the other hand, has great road presence with its big bike feel. It has better handling for sport riding too. But as an overall package, it fails to make an impression with its engine’s slightly lower performance, unrefined character and heavy weight.
Another thing that disappoints a little is the quality of material used and the fit-and-finish. The price of the motorcycle is yet to be announced and it will certainly play an important role in deciding the fate of this machine. With the CBR 250R ABS model priced at Rs 1.9 lakh (OTR, Pune), it will be quite a task for Hyosung to beat it. Besides, the missing ABS option on GT should be a factor to think about, since buyers today demand more value for their money.
Harley-Davidson Street Bob
A humble Harley-Davidson machine, called the Street Bob, just got a potent dose of customisation, making it a mean, sinister-looking motorcycle that is out on the streets to hunt those so-called choppers down. Bike India meets this demon from hell
Honda CBR 150R vs Yamaha YZF-R15 v2.0
Honda are all set to take on the mighty Yamaha YZF-R15 with their latest offering, the CBR 150R
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Motorcycling in India witnessed a change in perception when Yamaha launched the YZF-R15 back in mid-2008. This 150-cc offering from Yamaha changed everything that a 150-cc bike meant for the Indian customer. It had all the elements that made bike enthusiasts put it on a high pedestal where no one else dared to challenge it.
After almost four years of being on the top, there is some competition now for this supersport machine. Honda have quietly (I say quietly because I haven’t come across much media hype for this product) fielded their CBR 150R in the market and started selling it bang on against the R15. That naturally gives rise to the big question: which of these two is the better bike? Both are Japanese, both are 150-cc supersport machines, both have names with a legacy and both are priced competitively. Then what is it that sets them apart? What differentiates the two machines? Let us find out.
Design And Styling
The YZF-R15, which has been in the market since 2008, got a cosmetic enhancement a few months ago. The upgraded R15, version 2.0 as they call it, is an outright aggressively styled machine. Its sharp edges and straight lines make it a stunning looker. The R15 has enjoyed a lot of love and craze among the youth owing to its fast bike looks derived from the elder sibling, R6.
If that is the story of the Yamaha, the Honda gets its styling cues for the CBR 150R from the CBR 250R, launched last year, and the big VFR1200F. It is a little on the subtle side that would suit a sports tourer more than a supersport rider. The black treatment to the headlight cluster, the stubby exhaust and eye-catching white and orange graphics (our test bike in specific) are the elements that appealed to us the most. The glossy paint on the frame is the only let down, though. It would thus be very difficult to decide which of these two bikes looks better, for each speaks its own design language and each is impressively styled.
So far as the quality of material and fit-and-finish go, the R15 scores over the CBR. The switches and the clip-ons on the Honda have a little less exquisite feel to them. In fact, the switches seem to have come straight from one of Honda’s commuter bikes.
Posture And Ergonomics
The YZF-R15 looks aggressive and feels aggressive too. Its sitting posture is such that it demands a lot of lean-forward style. The seat is tall and the clip-ons and tank are low. Because of this geometry, it feels as if you are sitting too high and away and give a feel of stretched out posture. Besides, the knee recesses along the tank are quite deep, giving the bike a skinny feel.
On the other hand, the CBR 150R offers a more relaxed seating. The handlebar, seat and foot-pegs geometry is perfect for a comfortable ride – whether in the city or on the highway. Also, the wide tank offers a good feel to clamp on with the knees and its tall position gives it a bigger bike feel.
Engine And Features
This is what matters the most when the two bikes under consideration are high-performance machines. Both have four-stroke, four-valve, 150-cc engines, liquid cooling, fuel injection and are mated with six-speed transmissions. However, the R15 uses the SOHC mechanism while the CBR makes use of DOHC. So far as power and torque figures are concerned, the R15 makes 17 PS and 15 Nm while the CBR makes 17.8 PS and 12.66 Nm. It shows that there is a small difference in the power output of the two bikes and there is a considerable difference between the torque figures.
The differences don’t end here. The biggest variation between the two engines comes in the way they produce the power and at what RPM they do so. Whereas the R15 makes maximum power at 8,500 revolutions per minute, the short stroke engine of the CBR does it at 10,500 RPM. In case of the torque too, the R15 puts out the maximum torque at 7,500 RPM while the CBR does so at 8,500 RPM. These differences show up when it comes to outright performance testing. The slightly more powerful CBR 150R accelerates quicker from standstill to 100 km/h in 13.62 seconds while the R15 does the same in 14.13 seconds. Though the outright acceleration varies so much, things look a little different when it comes to in gear roll-on acceleration where the R15 goes much quicker from 30 km/h to 70 km/h in the third, fourth as well as the fifth gear and that too with a good margin over the CBR 150R. This is basically because the Yamaha puts out higher torque at lower RPM than its competitor.
What is worth mentioning about the engine of the CBR 150R, though, is its ultimate refinement. Even at high RPM, the silken smooth engine barely has any high-frequency vibrations.
Chassis, Suspension And Handling
The best part about both the bikes is the chassis and suspension settings. The YZF-R15 was the first Indian made bike to introduce the twin-spar or deltabox frame, as they call it in India. The CBR 150R follows the Yamaha now and brings in a similar frame. Both the bikes have a monoshock suspension at the rear and neither allows pre-load adjustment. However, there is hardly any need for it unless you are taking the bikes out to race professionally at the track.
It is really a very tricky proposition to decide which one handles better. Both are rock-steady in the corners and commit themselves to what is demanded. The only small difference that we found between the two machines was how briskly they turned in while attacking a corner flat-out. The CBR 150R, thanks to its shorter wheelbase, feels a mite sharper here.
Living With The Machines
Being slightly on the sporty side, one would expect neither of these machines to be comfortable for everyday use. Well, that isn’t really the case with the Honda. Because the R15 has an extremely committed stance, it automatically lends itself better to sport riding purpose. It is a great machine to challenge the corners. However, it suffers a little when it comes to everyday riding comfort (for the pillion as well) and while touring. On the other hand, the CBR can serve very well in almost every aspect. It has a comfortable seating for commuting everyday from home to college/work and back, can make for a good machine over the weekend and can be a wonderful machine on the highways.
The Verdict
So which one to buy then? Well, for those who are looking at hardcore weekend rides towards the twisties and don’t care much about their or their pillions’ comfort, the R15 makes for a good machine. It’s engine also offers good rideability in the city. But for those who want an overall package with a good top-end performance, comfortable ride and a comparatively fresh styling, the CBR is the obvious option. However, be prepared for a slightly sluggish performance while riding around town and also be ready to shell out an extra Rs 4,000.
