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
Bike Reviews in India
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.
Bajaj Discover 125 ST – All the Details
The 125cc segment has always been one of the most important segments for two-wheeler manufactures in India. With increasing number of manufactures focusing their attention on this segment it was only a matter of time before Bajaj had to radically re-invent the popular Discover series. The good thing is that this time the changes are not only cosmetic but also delves deep under the skin.
The new design is sportier than before, now focusing more on a youthful appearance than the commuter-biased looks of its predecessor. The bike has been christened as 125ST, where the suffix stands for ‘Sport Tourer’. The headlamp is borrowed from the Pulsar 135 LS, and the tail lamps are the now de rigueur LEDs. The instrumentation console houses a large analog speedometre, along with fuel gauge and tell-tale lights. Other small changes include aluminum footpegs, new alloy wheels and split tyre-hugger among others.
Now the mechanical details. The highlight of the new bike is a Nitrox-damped monoshock suspension at the rear. Continuing the family tradition, the ST features a twin spark, 4-valve engine developing an maximum power output of 13PS @ 9,000 rpm and 10.78Nm of turning force at 6,500rpm. Bajaj claims that the new Discover has best in class power to weight ratio and a top speed of 105 kp/h.
The company states that the new ST will be sold alongside the current Discover 125 DTS-i and will be priced slight higher than the latter. So, considering that the DTS-i (disc) retails for Rs 53,380 (OTR, Pune), we expect the ST to go on sale for a premium of a couple of thousand rupees.
They Sure Look Sharper Now
As the TVS Apache series gets a facelift, we ride the RTR 180 to see if there are any surprises under the skin
The TVS Apache series has been quite popular in the sub-250-cc performance motorcycle segment. The last time the Apache received a notable design upgrade was in 2009 and three years is long time in the Indian motorcycle market.
The company, therefore, went back to the drawing board and tweaked the Apache’s design to come out with a sharper looking motorcycle. The new design has been adopted by the entire Apache range, which includes the RTR 160, RTR 180 and the RTR 180 ABS.
To start with, the RTR has a new head cowl that gives the bike an aggressive look. It also gets all-time running LED pilot lamps that were the highlight of their teaser campaign and they look stunning. The other most prominent change is the elongation of the tank shrouds. The tank shrouds are just pieces of plastic clinging on to the tank shell and are supposed to give the bike a sporty look as we know it, but, according to TVS, they also improve performance and aerodynamics, which helps in reducing engine heat! Looking at the design, we were baffled: why this otherwise proportionate bike has these sabre teeth when the ones on the earlier model were so much better. Other than those, however, the chiselled, sharper lines of the bodywork, with carbon-fibre finished plastic inserts in a few places look good. The bike also gets new switches that are very ergonomic, decals hailing from the Hyper Edge variant, all metal rear foot-pegs and a better looking seat cover.
Under the new body, however, there are hardly any changes. The RTR 160 is powered by the same 159.7-cc, four-stroke engine producing 15.4 PS of power and 13.1 Nm of torque while the RTR 180’s 177.4-cc engine churns out 17.3 PS of power and 15.5 Nm of torque.
The bike is still plagued by high-frequency vibrations from the seat, handlebar and foot-pegs and, owing to its stiffer suspension, it does not offer a very comfortable ride. However, handling still remains a strong point in case of the Apache.
The colours available in the new series include dual-tone colours for the RTR 160 (green, red, yellow or grey with black base) and single-tone (yellow, grey, white or black) for the RTR 180 while the RTR 180 ABS comes in either white or black. The prices of the 2012 series Apache are Rs 75,493 for the RTR 160, Rs 82,554 for the RTR 180 and Rs 94,447 for the RTR 180 ABS.
The 2012 series Apache hasn’t met the expectations of upgrades in performance, but the new look has given the heave-ho to the dated looking design and will help the bikes hold their own in this heavily fought segment.
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
CBR150R First Impressions
After ruling the 150cc performance bike segment for almost four years, Yamaha YZF-R15 has finally got some competition from none other than the compatriot – Honda. The CBR150R has arrived and we are here with the first impressions of the bike that seems to be determined to dethrone the king that has ruled so far.
The first look at the CBR150R is enough to tell us that this one is almost identical to its elder brother CBR250R. However, a detailed look at the machine will bring out the differences like the two round pilot lights in the headlight cluster have a different treatment than what we see on the 250. The exhaust end can is much smaller; the front visor gets a slightly darkened tint and of course a whole new set of graphics. Look closely and you notice a whole new twin-spar frame on the motorcycle. Once in the saddle, the bike feels a little smaller and shorter than its elder brother and weighs only 138 kg as against the 161 kg (non-ABS version) CBR250R.
The first riding impressions of the bike tell us that this one needs some high revving to get going. With red line at 11,500 rpm, there is no doubt you will be twisting your right wrist harder for more fun. The bike makes 17.8 PS of peak power at 10,500 revs and 12.66 Nm of maximum torque at 8,500 revs. This, for city riding looks like a little on the negative side. However, let the horses lose on a weekend ride to the twisties, rev the engine hard and you won’t be disappointed. Aiding the performance and sporty side of the bike is its chassis and suspension that work perfectly well for hard cornering.
All in all it looks like a good machine for sport riding, touring but an average one for city. However, the final word will come once we have done the performance testing and pitted the bike against the YZF-R15. Stay tuned for further updates!
Price: 1.32 Lakh (Std, OTR Pune)
1.33 Lakh (Dlx, OTR, Pune)
