Bike Reviews in India

TVS are all set to launch the RTR 180 with ABS. Is the new safety feature good enough? Adhish Alawani tries to find it out on a track especially devised to test brakes
Photography: Adhish Alawani

TVS are all set to launch the RTR 180 with ABS. Is the new safety feature good enough? Adhish Alawani tries to find it out on a track especially devised to test brakes
Photography: Adhish Alawani

TVS had an RTR parked at their stall during the 2010 Auto Expo in New Delhi carrying a small sticker reading ‘ABS’ on the fender. It has been over a year since then and the curiosity to check out this new feature on the RTR had almost evaporated into thin air.

However, much to my surprise, the test turned out to be one of the most exciting ones. TVS invited  journalists to a track at Oragadam, near Chennai in Tamil Nadu, that has specially been set up to test brakes. The facility has a long straight having a variety of surfaces such as regular asphalt, blue basalt and ceramic tiles. Once bathed, these surfaces simulate real world road conditions like spilt oil, first rain etc. with a wide range of traction, the frictional co-efficient varying from 0.8 mu to almost 0 mu. The task for the day was to experience braking with ABS as well as without ABS and judge if TVS had got the technology and gadgets right.

To start with, the demonstrators from TVS rode two bikes – one without ABS and the other equipped with the unit – on various wet surfaces. The RTR without ABS had an out-rigger with four support wheels to keep the bike upright whenever it lost traction. Without doubt, the wheels of the one without ABS were bound to lock up and skid and so they did. However, the RTR equipped with the ABS unit showed immense road hold even when a fistful of brake was applied.

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To test it myself, I hopped on to the bike with the out-rigger and went out on the various wet surfaces. First, with the ABS off, I slammed the brakes and experienced one of the most fearful things ever on two wheels – the front wheel got locked, the front end went down and there was no chance of recovery. This was on the regular wet tarmac. On the blue basalt it was bad and even worse on the ceramic. After getting a feel of what happens without ABS, I switched on the unit and went in again. To my extreme disbelief, the bike was amazingly composed and stable even with the brakes slammed. I even tried braking at the end of the wet patch and carrying the brakes on to the dry patch. What I found out then was that the wheels, of course, didn’t lock up on the wet. However, when they hit the dry patch, the ABS was still working, but now it knew that the bike was on dry patch and it immediately improved the braking and reduced the stopping distance. Mightily impressed by the ABS unit, I returned to the resting area admiring one of the best upgrades on an Indian bike I had seen.

Talking technically of the ABS unit, TVS have developed it along with Continental. During the development, the company says, there were various challenges that had to be dealt with, especially considering Indian road conditions. These included slow speed control, more braking per kilometre, people stuck with the mentality of using only the rear brake and wide variations in road surface etc.
Another issue was that the RTR is essentially a lightweight machine and hence placing the extra three to four kilograms perfectly on the bike was a tough job. The ABS system comprises the HECU (hydraulic and electronic control unit) that has digital valves, low-pressure accumulator and a pump. The HECU has independent control over the front as well as the rear brake. There are speed sensors mounted on each wheel that send signals to the HECU if the wheels are locking up and then the HECU guides internal valves accordingly. The system also has a manual switch near the instrumentation console with which you can switch off the ABS unit. Though it is a highly effective feature, it cannot be denied that it’s electronics and chances of a failure, though very remote, cannot be ruled out altogether. In such circumstances, a light will come on in the instrumentation console telling us that there is no ABS support available but that the conventional brakes are working.

TVS say that the ABS system was developed and tested initially at the IDIADA testing facility in Spain under all possible road conditions before fine-tuning it for the Indian environment. Also, the company has stated that when the ABS system was tried on professional racers’ bikes at the Madras Motorsports Club racetrack, they were able to cut down their lap times by over one full second, which showed that not only was the ABS effective in day-to-day use for the average rider, but also boosted the performance riding of the skilled ones.

As for the features of the ABS system, it comes with RLP (rear wheel lift-off protection), which avoids stoppies. Of course, those who are willing to have fun stunting on the bike will always have the option of turning off the ABS system and doing what they want to do.

The RTR180 equipped with ABS will appear in the market in March and will come with a premium of Rs 10,000 (approximately). An upgrade definitely worth the extra money!

 

 

Yamaha have brought their street weapon to the showrooms in our country. We find out how this new entrant fits in the Indian scene

Story: Adhish Alawani
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

Yamaha have brought their street weapon to the showrooms in our country. We find out how this new entrant fits in the Indian scene

Story: Adhish Alawani
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

The motorcycle market in India is expanding at an unimaginable rate and the big bikes have been contributing their mite to this expansion. Though not through sales figures, the variety of motorcycles available in the market has gone up considerably: from supersports to hypertourers and entry-level cruisers to muscle bikes. However, the most suitable in all these for India are street bikes. Most of the big bike players in India introduced their urban street machines long time ago and the one who had missed out on a strong contender initially has offered one now. Yes, we are talking about the Yamaha FZ1 – the naked, litre-class urban machine.

Though the bike was introduced late last year, we didn’t get a chance to ride it then. The moment we got our hands on one, however, we didn’t feel like giving it back! I have reviewed as many as five V-twins of late and the feel of getting back on an inline four had to be unique.

To start with, the FZ1 is a beast that makes an impression right from the first glance. The meaty tank and the sharp, angular headlamp sitting at the front make for a masculine façade. The naked part of the bike exposes the huge 998-cc engine beneath the solid twin spar frame. The mighty front tapers drastically towards the short and stout tail. The big, plain black exhaust is the only part that fails to impress on the styling front. The earlier version of the FZ1 used to have a silver tip to the exhaust and without a doubt it looked more striking than the current one. The bike looks gorgeous with its frame and engine painted in matte black, topped with a pearl white tank. Look at the FZ1 from any angle and the one thing that makes itself highly noticeable is the compactness of this machine while not taking away the aggressiveness that certainly makes its presence felt on the streets. The short wheelbase (1,460 mm) and a tall seat (845 mm) take the credit for this compact look.

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Essentially, the FZ1 is powered by a 998-cc motor that comes from an older generation R1 that was being sold from 2004 to 2008 before the engineers at Yamaha came up with the crossplane crankshaft. No doubt, the engine has been detuned, but not so much as to give one the feeling of lack of power. Basically, different camshafts have been used in the FZ1 from what were given in the R1 and this has also brought down the rpm at which the peak power is produced. With 150 PS of peak power and an extremely impressive 106 Nm of maximum torque, the FZ1 has a lot to offer. However, leave aside that top end power and look at what the bike offers for typical Indian road conditions. It was nothing short of  mind-boggling to see the kind of response and drive the bike offered from the lowest possible rpm. The FZ1 quite literally pulls from as low as 1,300 rpm in as high as the third and fourth gears to offer perfect rideability in the crowded streets that force one to vary riding speeds all the time. The bottom end of FZ1 is unimaginably strong and that is what makes for its biggest plus point. At the same time, it’s not as violent as its competition. The front stays planted even under abusive opening of the throttle all the way until the red line. It wasn’t feasible to do high speeds during the short period of time the motorcycle was with me, but it still was enough to make me realise that the lack of a quarter fairing or a windscreen will make long highway journeys tiring due to wind blast.

One major update for the FZ1 came in 2006 when its tubular frame was replaced with a twin spar one that offers excellent handling. The riding position is fairly comfortable without taking away the tiny bit of sportiness offered by the slightly low-set handlebar. Though we didn’t get enough time to exploit the handling capabilities of this bike round the corners, whatever we experienced was impressive. The bike is happy to lean and comfortable even while powering out of corners. Though the bike shares its engine with the R1, it’s not as vicious in the higher revs, but instead feels a lot more user-friendly all round the rev range and through the corners.

On a concluding note, I would say that the FZ1 is a very practical machine considering its tremendously strong bottom end. The upright posture is good and easy on the palms. Light clutch lever action makes it an easy bike to ride around the town. The only place where the FZ1 might suffer is on fast highway rides where wind blast might be troublesome for the rider at speed.

All said, the FZ1 comes with a price tag of Rs 10 lakh (OTR, Pune), which is much lighter than that worn by its competing litre-class street bikes. Our take? It came late, but it came strong!

The long wait is finally over. Though the big bikes arrived in the country long time back, the affordable options were still absent. So, what Kawasaki and Bajaj do? They brought in the Ninja 650R – a pure sports tourer machine with a tag of Rs 4.57 lakh (Ex-Delhi).

The long wait is finally over. Though the big bikes arrived in the country long time back, the affordable options were still absent. So, what Kawasaki and Bajaj do? They brought in the Ninja 650R – a pure sports tourer machine with a tag of Rs 4.57 lakh (Ex-Delhi).Now that is what we call as the smartest move one could have made in a market like ours. Here’re the first ride impressions of the Kawasaki Ninja 650R that has blown us off with its potential and price!

To start with, the bike looks stunning in green and black combo. It’s typically Kawasaki. The offset monoshock and underslung exhaust are unique design features that will distinguish this bike from anything else on the road. Single seat looks old school but serves the purpose when riding with a pillion – comfort at its best!

The Ninja is powered with a 649cc motor that pumps out 72 PS of peak power and 66 Nm of peak torque. These figures translate to superb 0-100km/h acceleration run – just 4.56 seconds. The maximum speed we could read on the speedometer before running out of road was 198km/h (true 191.8km.h), which sounds more than sufficient for the Indian highways. The bike can cruise easily at 120km/h with the engine spinning comfortably at just 5500 rpm. Adding more to the highway and touring abilities is the full fairing and wide windscreen at the front. With no windblast troubling you whatsoever, this bike is a serious touring machine.

Put the bike around corners and the handling of the Ninja will continue to impress you. Though the softer suspension doesn’t give a solid feel when leaned over, it doesn’t make the bike nervous in any case. The monoshock is seven-step adjustable for preload giving you an option for a slightly stiffer ride too. Also, with the monoshock connected directly to the swingarm without any linkages, there is hardly any flex.
If that is the story on highways and twisties, the Ninja 650R scores maximum points when it comes to city rideability and practicality. Strong bottom and mid range make sure that the bike can be ridden around crowded streets effortlessly in higher gears without any hint of knocking. Thus, not only is this sports tourer a fantastic bike on highways and outskirts of a city but on the urban scenario too. It’s a perfect package with best of all the worlds and then at a price that is super competitive.

Our say? The Ninja 650R is the perfect machine priced so appropriately that there is hardly anything that can challenge this bike. The competition definitely needs to pull up their socks if they have to survive in a market where Kawasaki is rolling in the good times!

Words: Adhish Alawani