New Bike Road Test in India

Honda’s naked urban weapon is here to enthral enthusiasts in the country. Adhish Alawani rides one hard to become a victim of this intoxicating machine

The main street just outside the BI office lane stretches for 400 meters before the first crossing. There is a four feet tall divider on one side and barren army land on the other, both of which ensure that nothing is going to cross your path on this small stretch. Coming out of the office lane at about 30km/h, I hit the main street, wrung my wrist hard and before I could start braking for the cross road ahead, I had already crossed the three digit figure on the small blue-backlit speedometer housed in a corner of the techy instrument console of the Honda CB1000R. The fact that this bike can so easily manage speeds in excess of 100km/h is a mind boggling reality indigestible for most people in a country where ‘fuel efficient’ bikes enjoy the maximum share of the market. However, times are changing and we are ready to take on these ruthlessly powerful bikes. At the same time, a thought crossed my mind. We, a few hardcore yet responsible bikers, are ready to exploit the abilities of the hundreds of horses packed on two wheels, but are such machines really practical in a country like India?

I had been baffled by this thought since the advent of big bikes in India. After a long wait, I have finally got an answer in the form of the latest offering from the Honda stable. The Japanese manufacturer recently launched a couple of their litre bikes in the Indian market in the form of the CBR1000RR Fireblade and the CB1000R. We tested the Fireblade a couple of months ago and found out how much power it packs in and how great a handler the bike is. We also learnt how clinical the CBR is and how we wished it was a bit more than just that. Or did we wish for a CB1000R? Probably!
Honda designed the CB1000R in Europe, more specifically in an Italian design house. The CB looks nasty, ready to attack everything that comes in its path. And it is meant to do so. The aggressive, urban street weapon has a striking design which yells out its European character. With the CB1000R, Honda has finally managed to shake off its conservative design philosophy and adopt something much more adventurous and exciting. The triangular headlight with a blue pilot lamp housed at the bottom is topped with a small cowl covering the futuristic instrumentation console. The edgy radiator cover gels perfectly well with the tank. The bike has a meaty front but tapers drastically towards the rear. The CB’s tail with the small LED brake lights is very narrow with a pillion seat for an extremely figure conscious girl friend. However, what catches your attention at first sight is the beautifully crafted four-spoke rear alloy wheel mounted on a single-sided swingarm. The stubby, state of the art exhaust on the CB1000R is simply fabulous and contributes a lot to the bike’s aggressive character. The upright stance of the machine furthers strengthens its street fighter appeal. The CB’s handlebar is not too wide, not too short and fits perfectly well in the seat-footpeg-handlebar geometry giving the rider a comfortable posture. Has Honda missed out on any of the design elements of the bike? I fear not. They have managed to pull out a bike that can put the Italians to shame and then they have launched it in India to kill a competition that doesn’t exist at all. By all means, this is a bike that will guarantee you a second look and maybe a third or fourth look from onlookers on the street.

Does that make it a poser’s bike? Definitely not! What Honda has done apart from the mind blowing design of the bike is that they have applied all their engineer brains in every possible manner while making the CB. They have taken the 998cc motor straight from the 2007 Fireblade, detuned it to 125PS and put it in the CB1000R. But hold on before you come to the conclusion that this bike is highly underpowered as compared to the Fireblade since it packs in almost 50 odd horses less than the CBR1000RR. What Honda guys have managed to do, in a flawless manner, is that they have brilliantly compensated the loss in peak power by providing a gain in low and midrange torque. Thus, the bike has become a lot more rideable in city traffic where it is likely to spend most of its time being a street fighter. Another reason why it becomes a lot more tractable in the city is its extremely linear and smooth power delivery. There is absolutely no hint of a sudden surge anywhere through the rev range which ensures a highly comfortable ride. Going at 2000rpm in the fourth gear you will be as comfortable as on any small capacity Indian bike. To add to that is the upright posture of the CB1000R which lends it an amazing flickability on congested streets. One has to really ride the CB1000R to believe that a litre class bike can be flicked around in the traffic and can be toyed around in the city. So while the low end grunt takes care of your lazy ride through the street, the midrange takes care of your urban assault. Go past 4000 revs and you are surely in for some serious fun. If that is not enough, go full blast past six and a half grand on the digital bar type tacho for those ‘front end floating’ moments. It becomes quite difficult to keep your front wheel on the ground under hard acceleration considering that the CB doesn’t have a front heavy posture. Does that hint to something called as wheelies? I doubt if I need to explain it in words when the pictures can do all the talking. The CB1000R is one hell of a machine to stunt on. Carrying those long wheelies at speeds in excess of 100km/h is no more a pro’s job. It is quite unbelievable the way the CB works itself up in the air with a slight clutch input in the second gear and continues to do so for as long as you wish and the road conditions permit. It hardly takes any time to get addicted to the immense amount of practical power offered by the Honda. Just one thing that I missed on the CB, considering that it keeps on lifting its front wheel every now and then when you are full on gas, is the steering damper. Even an expert might experience a heavy tankslapper if he is not able to land the front wheel properly.
While this is the story while city riding and stunting, I was not quite pleased with the Honda’s highway abilities. I am not saying that the bike doesn’t pack enough juice for the touring soul, but we have to accept the fact that every coin has two sides. The CB1000R with its upright posture does take care of your back on those long rides, but then you can’t go full blast on the highways either because of the same upright posture. The windblast starts disturbing you from 150km/h and the neck muscles start struggling to keep the head steady. I understand that 150km/h is in itself a very high speed over Indian highways, but then when the bike is capable of doing speeds in excess of 220km/h and can reach there within no time, you are not going to be satisfied with a ton and a half on the speedo. The CB will negotiate corners in a very stable manner and without losing its composure. But show it wet tarmac, and the tyres fail to instil even the slightest amount of confidence while leaning in corners.  
While this is the story while city riding and stunting, I was not quite pleased with the Honda’s highway abilities. I am not saying that the bike doesn’t pack enough juice for the touring soul, but we have to accept the fact that every coin has two sides. The CB1000R with its upright posture does take care of your back on those long rides, but then you can’t go full blast on the highways either because of the same upright posture. The windblast starts disturbing you from 150km/h and the neck muscles start struggling to keep the head steady. I understand that 150km/h is in itself a very high speed over Indian highways, but then when the bike is capable of doing speeds in excess of 220km/h and can reach there within no time, you are not going to be satisfied with a ton and a half on the speedo. The CB will negotiate corners in a very stable manner and without losing its composure. But show it wet tarmac, and the tyres fail to instil even the slightest amount of confidence while leaning in corners. 

Amit Chhangani tries to find a bit of love in the ‘Blade’s mechanical brilliance
Photography Sanjay Raikar

The windy roads of Lavasa are a biker’s delight. Riding the 1000RR is easy on the wrists and shoulders. The riding position doesn’t make you feel as if your hands have swapped the weight bearing duties from your legs. Unlike the R1, and some of its other Italian counterparts, the CBR’s riding position doesn’t make a newbie wonder how he can manage to turn those bars with so much weight biased to the front.

The new ‘Blade is an incredibly compact machine for its power. All the machinery between the wheels has been packed as tightly as possible in order to keep the dimensions small and shave off a bit of weight. The wheelbase is a tad longer to enhance stability but look at those minute details like the closer front forks, the tiny subframe and the stubby exhaust and you understand how far Honda have gone to keep this bike compact.

The ‘09 ‘Blade produces a whopping 178PS of neck snapping power at the crank which translates into a crazy 164PS at the wheel. With a bit of caution and relatively poor quality of fuel available in India, we managed a 0-100km/h acceleration timing of 3.44s.

This 1000RR has the most progressive power delivery I have ever experienced on such a bike. There’s not one sudden bump or dip in the power curve – it keeps on building power in an incredibly linear manner – right up to the peak of its power curve at 12,250rpm. Even the front wheel would lift up in a graceful, controlled manner as you power the bike hard in the smaller gears – no abrupt prancing here.

I was a bit surprised when I found myself struggling to turn the bike smoothly around slower, tighter corners. Also, I found that every minute bump on the road was getting translated directly into my buttocks trying to pop me off the bike. It didn’t take me much time to understand that the 43mm upside down front forks and the rear monoshock weren’t adjusted properly. You have to have the suspension setting right if you were to experience its magical virtues. Setting rider sag correctly cured the problem and the Honda felt much nimbler and easier to point and shoot around curves.

The compact dimensions, the low weight, the easy riding position and above all the evenly spread power delivery make this Honda a newbie’s dream.

To make the ‘09 1000RR even more idiot proof, Honda have introduced the C-ABS system on the bike. The rear wheel of other such bikes points skywards in no time under emergency braking but the C-ABS distributes the brake force to both wheels to prevent that from happening and provides additional stability under harsh braking.

Onto the bike’s design then. I preferred not to discuss the aesthetics of the new ‘Blade at the outset as it’s one of the very few areas where this bike doesn’t absolutely outclass its competition. It wouldn’t have been right to begin talking about such a brilliant bike on a negative note. To be honest, I am not very fond of the ‘09 ‘Blade’s design. I have heard people say that its design grows on you. I don’t dispute that – it probably does. But it’ll never draw the attention of a neutral eye when it passes it alongside something like an R1 or even a Gixxer. Even a piece of stone has enough details for one to examine and appreciate, but there’s something about the visuals of a diamond that makes it special. If something doesn’t snatch attention, you may have a hundred ways to justify its lack of charisma but it ideally should be an eye magnet if it is to be called beautiful. And the new CBR 1000RR isn’t a beautiful looking bike by that definition. It’s a shame that this bike is so understated, so devoid of visual and aural drama, so unrepresentative of its brilliance at first view.

As I blasted down the straight road leading up to the expressway, I saw the speedo needle nudging 220km/h. It’s a trivial chore for this bike to attain that sort of velocity. But from within that middle-of-the-road KBC helmet, the deafening roar of the wind blast, the blurred hedges on the median and the perennial worry of witnessing the legendary Indian dog that emerges out of thin air made sure that I rolled off instantly. I have done this earlier too, numerous times, but all the perils of a typical Indian road aside, this Honda felt the safest. The ‘09 1000RR is a brilliant machine. To me, the 1000RR is an achingly beautiful dame, unaware of her sex appeal. To make matters worse, she has a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Yale and a technical job in the world’s top investment banking firm. She applies no makeup, hardly smiles and sleeps in her formals bought strictly from Marks & Spencer. If only she’d let her hair loose. If only she wore Prada. If only she had a husky, seductive voice. If only…

 

The TVS Flame is back with a new look and better features. Is it worth it, asks Saeed Akhtar

When the Flame was first launched, it created quite a stir in biking circles for its DeltaEdge styling, fighter craft inspired bodywork and the bundle of features that came with it. Sadly, due to some legal wrangles over copyright infringement, the bike had to go back to the drawing board sooner than expected. Now TVS has introduced a new variant of the Flame – badged the Flame SR 125 – with new colours and a bigger spec sheet. Let’s take a closer look.

The first thing that strikes you about the Flame is its luscious paintjob done up in vibrant colours. The bike’s older iteration was no ugly duckling, but this one is simply gorgeous. Now available in vibrant blue, it outclasses most of the present 125cc bikes by a fair margin. It is all wedges and slash-cuts wherever you look, lending the bike a very bold and edgy look. The twinpiece tail lamps surrounded by black plastic panels looks uber cool and the pillion grab rail is also tastefully designed. The angular side indicators integrated into the fuel tank shrouds look smashing while the cubbyhole in the fuel tank itself is pure genius. However, it decreases the fuel capacity to a meager eight litres. The ergonomics are top notch; everything feels solidly built and made to last. The seat is narrow but quite comfortable. The biggest visible change on the SR 125 is the wider 100/90 tyre that adorns the black mag alloy wheel at the rear. Coupled with the 90 section front tyre, the bike features the widest tyres in its class. Together they impart a macho edge to the DeltaEdge styling of the Flame.

The instrument console remains the same analog speedo-digital odometer/tripmeter combo with a real time mileage indicator, clock and fuel gauge. There are also power and economy mode indicators that blink alternately depending on the strain you are putting on the throttle cable. The only thing missing is a tachometer but that’s not a standard feature on 125ccs anyway. The overall layout and fonts are very stylish and this has got to be one of the most striking consoles ever on a 125cc Indian bike. It looks even better once it gets dark and the backlights are turned on.

Like its previous iteration, the SR 125 employs a three-valve engine and not the regulation two valves normally found in Indian bikes with TVS’ patented Controlled Combustion Variable Timing Intelligent (CC-VTi) thrown in for good measure. Developed in conjunction with AVL of Austria (they also helped Royal Enfield develop the lean burn 500 engine), the CC-VTi employs a twin-port layout with tumble and swirl induction technology. The layout has been optimized keeping in mind factors such as emissions, fuel efficiency and rideablity for small capacity engines. Peak power and torque remains unchanged at 10.5bhp produced at 7500rpm and 10Nm at 6000rpm respectively.

On firing up the engine, the first thing that strikes you is the throaty soundtrack, uncharacteristic of most TVS bikes. The delta shaped exhaust can emits a throaty wooden sound once the revs rise and the second inlet valve kicks into action. It keeps getting louder as you continue to wring the throttle but those who love smooth, quiet and refined engines may feel a tad disappointed by it. It’s another matter for performance enthusiasts though. Despite the presence of bar-end weights, the handlebar is quite vibey and you need to squint into the rear view mirror once the speeds rise above 55km/h. The performance figures haven’t changed much and are on par with other bikes in the 125cc segment. The front disc brake is quite sharp and coupled with the wide 90 section contact patch it takes minimal effort to lift up that rear. The suspension is set too firm (it is adjustable though) considering the target buyer of the bike who will mostly consist of college goers and youngsters with a sporting intent. Handling is neutral and the bike scoots wherever you point it. My only concern was the low set footpegs that scraped the ground far too early, but it is highly unlikely that most buyers will be hearing the metal versus tarmac sound everyday on their commute.

In all probability, the majority of owners will be using the Flame for riding to college and occasional trips to popular hangouts. For that purpose, the Flame, with its striking good looks and attractive colours fits the bill admirably. It is distinctively styled, packed with goodies and has some additional tricks up its sleeve too. The new SR 125 comes for an on-road price of Rs 54,705 (in Pune) with a front disc brake and electric start as standard equipment. It remains to be seen whether this well-rounded exec-commuter succeeds in making a dent in the most cutthroat segment of the domestic motorcycle market.

The instrument console is one of the most comprehensive ever on a 125cc bike	A wider 100/90 rear tyre, twin tail lamp lens and a snazzy grab rail – the rear of the Flame looks as good as the front

Bunny Punia feels the world’s best 250cc motorcycle has been worth the wait. But is it worth every single penny?
Photography Sanjay Raikar

 

It won’t be wrong to say that the bike you see on these pages is probably the most speculated, hyped and awaited motorcycle in the history of Indian two-wheelers. Since it was first showcased at the 2008 Auto Expo in New Delhi, enthusiasts have been waiting patiently for the Ninja 250 to be launched commercially by Bajaj. Before the patience of thousands of local bikers and Ninja fans turned into sore disappointment, the Pune-based manufacturer finally decided to take the right step and uncovered the baby Ninja as well as, most importantly, disclosed the bike’s pricing for the Indian masses last month. Many people say that the bike has come too late and at a price too steep. I do agree with the first statement but for the second argument, all I can say is that one needs to be in the saddle of this bike to really feel and experience true entry-level sports biking in its purest form.

The Ninja 250 had been selling pretty well in various countries without any major changes for over two decades. In 2008, the motorcycle got its first major revamp on every single front – from the design to the engine – and the modern Ninja 250R was born. What we have here is the 2010 model which remains more or less unchanged from the 2008 variant. However, the bike will be sold in only two colour options in India, namely the classic Kawasaki lime green and the all-black version which is called the Ebony in a few markets. The former colour variant, for the year 2010, gets a black rear body panel along with a green seat and a black exhaust instead of the chrome one on earlier models. Visually, this baby Ninja has a very strong character. It looks like a bigger machine and has the right amount of curves with minimal graphics running along its length. The twin front headlamps (one works all the time, similar to the bikes available abroad) look distinctive from a distance but the stupid Indian government regulations mean that the position of the front number plate spoils the mood a bit. Side on, this bike looks the best – the full fairing, petal discs up front and at the rear, the beefy 2×1 exhaust with dual catalysers (do I smell prospective owners already thinking about aftermarket units?) and the raised rear go a long way in making the Ninja the prettiest thing on two-wheels this side of the bigger superbikes in the country. Look closely and you notice bungee hooks below the pillion seat – a boost for tourers. Even though the bike is assembled in India and imported from Thailand as a CKD (Completely Knocked Down) unit, on closer inspection, we found the overall quality of the workmanship and the fit-finish to be perfect.

Swing a leg over and suddenly the big looking small bike seems to shrink. To start with, the fuel tank (in spite of having a capacity of 17 litres) does feel small. The seat height of 790mm is low by sport bikes’ standards. Another thing that really disappoints you is the analogue speedometer console which frankly looks very ‘90s. This bike will be sold in India without a single change from the versions sold abroad and hence the dated looking console. Don’t be discouraged by the above lines though as the moment you bend down a bit, hold onto the clip-on handlebars and thumb the starter, the fun begins. The parallel twin, 249cc, liquid cooled, fuel injected, eight valve motor immediately sets into a slightly high set idling. It doesn’t really sound very exciting until you rev it. Shift into the first, raise the revs, dump the clutch and the next few moments will change your perception towards 250cc bikes completely. This Ninja is the same European model which means we get 33 ponnies on offer along with 22Nm of torque. The bike weighs in at 172 kilos (kerb weight with fuel and oil). This number is three kilos more than the UK model due to the extra weight of the saree guard and the number plate which means the bike has a power-to-weight ratio of 191.8PS per tonne. Impressive? You bet.

SECOND OPINION The Ninja’s task is to infiltrate, combat and emerge victorious after assassinating its enemies. Though the baby Ninja doesn’t really have any enemies in the Indian market, I feel that it has emerged victorious in every sense. The Kwacker looks sensational especially in its green dress (I personally don’t like the black tail and green seat funda though). Leaving aside the looks of the bike, the Ninja 250R is a brilliant performer. Extreme refinement, linear power delivery and a peaceful exhaust note make you feel that you are riding something not as fast as a Ninja. However, twist your right wrist and glance at the dated instrumentation console to witness the prowess of the green. It will take you past 100km/h quicker than any other bike in India (not considering those CBU bikes sold in the market) and will max out past 165km/h (on the speedo). The IRC tyres on the bike provide a good grip around corners and the tube diamond frame surprisingly lends amazing handling abilities to the 250R. Pointing the bike heavenwards is no big deal as well. Show the rev friendly engine slightly higher revs and dump the clutch to feel one wheel ecstasy. My final take on the bike? It is a pure Kwacker with a slightly steep price tag. Ride it to get the price tag justification.

With Aspi in the saddle and our test equipment strapped on, the bike managed a naught to 60km/h timing of 2.98 seconds. Zero to 100km/h came up in just 7.9 seconds and the way this Kawasaki continued to gather speeds was simply amazing for a small capacity bike. With a limited straight of just 1.1km at the Bajaj test track, exiting the last left hander in third and pinning the throttle hard saw the test equipment register a true whack of 152km/h. Mind you, this was in fifth with another gear to go. We believe that given the road, this little screamer will go onto hit a genuine 160km/h or around 170km/h on the speedometer. Brilliant! What is also impressive is the way the engine feels at high speeds – completely fuss free with enough power in reserve. We expect the bike to run around 25km to a litre in city traffic and while on the highway, the tall sixth gear should help extract good numbers while touring as well.

But the Ninja is not just about out and out performance. For one, the little two cylinder mill being short stroke, loves being revved and while doing so, it remains almost vibration free. A lot of credit for this goes to the 180 degree crank which helps when it comes to a smooth and free revving character. Like its bigger brother, the ZX-6R, this bike also features dual throttle valves which aid responsiveness across the rev range. The Ninja also has a linear yet terrific midrange, although in the limited riding environment, I really couldn’t judge how well the bike would fare in day-to-day traffic. What I could easily evaluate however was the nimble, effortless and forgiving handling of the bike. The 37mm telescopic front forks and Kawasaki’s UNI-TRAK rear suspension along with the rugged diamond shaped frame and a beefy square cross-section swingarm go a long way in giving the bike a very sweet handling nature. Further, the 110mm front and 130mm rear IRC tyres also lend a helping hand in the way they hug the road. While flicking the bike around the test track or gunning the throttle hard through high speed curves, the Ninja felt like no other small capacity bike in India today. Yes, that is a very strong statement but it is a fact. You can aim the bike in the intended direction without losing composure and take the exact line you want to with perfect ease. The punchy, high revving nature of the motor also helps as you can stick to a lower gear and rev the hell out of the small engine without losing steam on most occasions. The braking feedback is impressive too aided by the 290mm front and 220mm rear brakes work more than exceptionally well.

Before I took the bike for a spin, I already knew its retail price. Yes, I was disappointed like thousands of others but after a half hour riding and thrashing session, my perception changed. This is a bike that draws its lineage from the legendary larger Ninjas. Its rides and feels like one too, albeit in a toned down way. It looks absolutely ravishing and will satisfy those looking for an exhilarating performance too. Being backed by Bajaj’s Probiking network is another added advantage. We are told that spares have already reached dealers and full backup support will be provided to Ninja owners. At Rs 2.69 lakh (ex-showroom), I don’t deny that the bike isn’t cheap. Given the fact that it is imported from Thailand (with which India has a FTA agreement) as a CKD unit, I feel it was possible for Bajaj to have a lower price tag. But then who said fun, excitement and involvement come cheap? The Kawasaki Ninja 250R is a practical sports bike too and its full potential can be easily extracted on Indian roads. At the same time, it has more than enough juice for owners to have ‘grinning from ear to ear’ moments inside the helmet every day. Those who understand the value and meaning of taking the first real step into the world of genuine and legal superbikes will surely look no further.

Beautiful, gorgeous, graceful, sexy – pick your word!	The clip-ons are sporty wiithout being too low. The Ninja can be a good companion for long rides	The liquid cooled parallel twin engine works brilliantly, especially once the tacho needle inches towards the 10,000 mark

Honda plays it safe with a new powerplant for the Aviator. Adhish Alawani answers the questions ‘why’ and ‘how’

The Indian automobile market has some peculiar characteristics. When Honda entered the Indian market more than two decades ago (along with Kinetic), the company’s intention was to study the customer, his requirements, his mentality and the market behaviour apart from making a name for themselves. The Japanese manufacturer did its job flawlessly and got out of the venture to set up their unit. The first independent wing badged product to roll out in India was the Activa. I clearly remember that the scooter market was almost dead at the time of Activa’s launch way back in 2001. Would you believe it if I said that a leading two-wheeler manufacturer in India had actually ridiculed Honda for entering India with just an Activa on offer when the market for scooters was rapidly fading? Honda proved the critics wrong and how! Not only did the company run down the competition with a mere Activa, but they also came up with products like the Dio and the Aviator which featured the same function in different forms. The Honda scooters ruled the segment for years before facing some competition. Now when there are products in the market that can challenge Honda’s prowess, the company is on its way to upgrade its line-up.

A few months ago, Honda reintroduced the new Activa with restyled bodywork and more importantly, a new 110cc engine. What follows as the next step in their current market strategy is the introduction of the same 110cc engine in the Aviator. Why? Simple. The Indian consumer believes in one major factor – brand name. The Honda tag has come to be associated with reliability. Plus, the Indian consumer wants something unique that is not very common on the road. So, the Aviator is kind of an answer to this situation. Honda is providing the same reliability, performance and efficiency as
that of the Activa in a machine with a different form. But what is this new 110cc engine all about? What exactly is its benefit over the earlier 100cc engine? To start off, the Aviator now boasts 8.1PS of peak power, almost 1PS over its predecessor. More importantly, the peak torque figure has also gone up by 1.2Nm over the previous iteration giving the scooter a much better rideability in city traffic. The stop and go chaos in urban areas demands more torque and that is where the Aviator wins over its predecessor. Its potent motor is ever ready to propel you ahead comfortably every time you wring the right wrist. However, that doesn’t mean you should expect a sudden surge of power when the scoot is abused with a full throttle. Like a typical Honda, the scooter’s power delivery is extremely linear and smooth giving you a jerk free ride. Also, with its slightly increased cubic capacity, expect the Aviator to hit a top speed that is a tad higher than the previous variant. But does this increase in power and torque translate to compromised fuel efficiency? Surprisingly not. The Aviator managed to deliver an overall economy of 52kmpl as against 46kmpl of its earlier version, which translates to a fantastic 13 percent rise in efficiency.

While more power and torque coupled with a better fuel efficiency is the story of the new 110cc engine from the Honda stable, there are some additions to the features list of the Aviator as well. The scooter comes in two variants as earlier – one with a disc brake up front and the other with the plain simple drum. The company has also introduced the Combined Braking System (CBS) on the Aviator that was first seen on the refreshed Activa. However unlike the Activa, since the Deluxe version of the Aviator sports a disc brake in the front, it calls for a more complex CBS system than the regular cable actuated drum brakes. The CBS unit has been nicely concealed behind the front board under the handlebar. Basically, this back-to-front CBS system ensures that even if you pull just the rear brake, the front one is also partially actuated making deceleration safer. This helps in reducing the braking distance as well as the braking time. The chassis, suspension and wheels from the old version of the Aviator have been retained in the new model thus assuring the same class of handling and ride quality. Also new on the features list is the introduction of a new viscous air filter and a maintenance free battery.

So will your new Aviator stand out from the older one? Yes, but very frankly, not in a way that I would want it to. The Aviator has carried a polished and elegant look since its launch a couple of years ago. Its styling has either attracted a lot of love or a lot of hatred. I have personally loved the Aviator’s design considering the fact that the scooter is primarily targeted at the executive male consumer. However, the elegance of the Aviator has taken a hit with the introduction of chrome in place of the matte finish front panel parts. In my opinion, the chrome adds a lot of bling to the scooter rather than elegance. There are a couple of new colour options on offer and the grab rails now come painted in the body scheme. Apart from that, there is nothing noticeable in the styling of the Aviator. Moving on to the fifty grand question – would you buy it? If the chrome at the front doesn’t matter much to you and you have that extra moolah to shell out on reliability, performance and the feel good factor offered by the Honda, then there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be riding the Aviator.

The grab rails on the new Aviator now come in the body paint scheme unlike the silver ones on the earlier version	The front end of the new Aviator sports chrome in place of the more elegant matte finish panel – a change less welcome