9 Bike History/Timeline: Hero Honda Passion: [2001-2010]

The history and time line of one of the best selling 100 cc bikes in India, the Hero Honda Passion

When a common man in India thinks of buying an "affordable, good looking/stylish motorcycle which also returns good fuel efficiency", the first name that probably comes to his mind is the "Hero Honda Passion".

And its for good reason actually. After successfully surviving in India's thriving, but tough to crack two wheeler market for nearly 10 years, the Hero Honda Passion has now become a huge brand. It is probably second in terms of sales, to its cousin the Hero Honda Splendor (which is the world's largest selling motorcycle model).

In the meanwhile Hero Honda has stuck to it's promise of offering "Style" right from the launch of the Passion. The tag line for the Hero Honda Passion might have transformed from "When Style Matters" to a more "desi" "Ab Sirf Style Hi Style Bolega" for the Passion Pro in 2010, but Hero Honda has been consistent with its message.

With reliability always associated with Hero Honda products its not surprising to see why the Hero Honda Passion been so successful a model. Posted below is the history of the Hero Honda Passion so far.

33 Yamaha FZ, comprehensive review [Top Speed/Fuel Efficiency]

A comprehensive review of the Yamaha FZ.. over a three day period

The Yamaha FZ has successfully brought back the "Fun and Oomph Factor" while commuting..

This review of mine is of mine is actually late by 2 years. But when Yamaha had launched the FZ-16 in Oct 2008, I was not able to blog due to personal & professional reasons. I resumed blogging only since Jan 2010.

Meanwhile Yamaha went ahead and launched two more variants the FZ-S and the Fazer both based on the same FZ-16. Since the other two variants are just merely ones with a slightly different paint scheme (FZ-S) and with a fixed half fairing (Fazer), I don’t expect the other two to ride much differently than the FZ-16.

I had the opportunity to ride the FZ-16 over a period of 3 full days as one friend had gone home on his Diwali holidays while leaving his 16,000 Km old FZ-16 with me.

10 How to physically visualize "Torque"

Demystifying "Torque" and what "Nm" and "Kgm" means.. in simple English

Power and Torque are two terms that are always mentioned to convey the performance of the engine of an automobile. I had earlier posted on the difference between power and torque, and today let me post on how to physically visualize Torque.

"Torque is the simply the force which is responsible for twisting the wheels on your bike".

One easy way to visualize torque is to see the photo posted below in which the rider is performing a tyre burnout.

45 How to lose a "Dog Chasing a Bike"

Ever been chased by dogs while riding your bike..?? This is what I always do..

Disclaimer: Although I have been always successful in my tactic against the stray dogs, one can try the same at his/her own risk.

"You are retiring home on your bike at night. On a lonely stretch of road suddenly a pack of dogs get irritated by the sight/sound of your bike and charge straight towards you.

The look on their eyes is fierce and their incisors dangerously exposed. It seems that the primitive instinct of the dogs has suddenly come alive and they just want to rip apart your limbs..!!

"Apni gali mein Kutta bhi Sher..!!"

With countless number of stray dogs roaming around on every Indian city/town/village, I am sure that most Indian bikers must have experienced this unpleasant experience sometime in his/her life.

So what do you do for self preservation in such a situation?

36 Its Official..!! Honda to launch CBR250R in India..!!

Enthusiasts rejoice, Honda will bring in the CBR250R to India.. in fact it will be manufactured in India..!!

Honda has officially unveiled the new CBR250R in Thailand and stated in it's official press release that that it will sell the CBR250R in India too..!!

Wow..!! Its probably one of of the most significant launches for a bike enthusiast in India. More than what I expected from Honda. After getting a glimpse of the new CBR150R, I was hoping that Honda should launch the CBR 150R in India. But in fact Honda has surprised and launched a CBR250R instead..!!

And to top it off, the CBR250R will be manufactured in India. Which means that we can probably expect a competitive pricing.

From the official press release:

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (Pvt.) Ltd. will also start production of the CBR250R next spring and extend sales from India to South America.

Honda will also offer the CBR250R at a more affordable price in the diversified Indian motorcycle market by effectively carrying out global procurement of parts and materials in the same way as Thai Honda."