5 Mahindra and Ten10Racing, to be the first ever teams from India in MotoGP..!!

MotoGP 2011 will have two teams from India..!!

If there was a manufacturer sponsored factory team from India which deserved to participate in MotoGP, it's TVS Racing

I have never bothered to follow MotoGP (the glamorous motorcycle racing championship) simply because so far I did not have a team to cheer for. Label me a jingoist but fact remains that unless India is participating, I just don’t get the motivation to follow that sport.

But that would soon change in the 2011 season of the MotoGP championship, because in 2011 there would be not one but two teams from India donning the Indian tricolor at the 125 cc class MotoGP championship..!!

The two teams would be "Mahindra" and "Ten 10 Racing".

33 Honda CBR250R Video Review [Autocar India] + Official specs

Autocar India gives the intial review of the CBR250R.. Honda finally reveals the power/torque figures.. Real shocker is the price tag..!! Booking starts from Jan 01..!!

[Update, Nov 15'th: Booking starts in India from Jan 01, 2011.

One can fill up the online inquiry form for the CBR250R on Honda India's website.

The Yamaha R15 and the Hero Honda Karizma ZMR will find it hard to justify their 1 lakh plus price tags..

Autocar India magazine happends to be my current favourite Indian Auto Publication due to their honest and "to the point" (without the hyperbole and the eloquent crap) style of auto journalism.

I even like their TV show the Autocar Show, which is aired on the UTVi channel. But reading a magazine a watching a TV show is a different matter altogether. Credit goes to "Kartikeya Singhee", the host and (Dy. Editor Autocar) of the Autocar Show, whose lively / cheerful presentation and screen presence makes the show a must watch for me.

Screenshot of the Autocar Show CBR250R Review

Autocar Show has recently posted a video review of the CBR250R on its YouTube channel. In the video, Kartikeya Singhee covers the global launch of the CBR250R straight from Thailand.

Highlights from the Review:

• Great low and mid range torque


• Decent handling on the race track (though not in the same league as the Ninja 250R)


• Company claimed Fuel Efficieny of 50 Kmpl..!!


• Less than Rs 1.5 Lakh price tag (From the mouth of HMSI boss)..!!

3 New Pulsar Commercial (Pulsar Mania II?) to feature Jorian “Untouchable” Ponomareff..!!

A new Pulsar commercial is being shot which will feature one of the hottest young international talent in the world of Freestyle Motorcycle Stunting..!!

New Pulsar Commercial: Pulsar Mania II?

Right from it’s birth in 2001, TV Commercials of the Pulsar has always set the benchmark for motorcycle commercials in India. The iconic 2008 Pulsar Mania commercial (posted below) has so far been my personal favorite among the lot. To me the Pulsar Mania TVC with its "synchronized ballet on motorcycles" is till date the Best Motorcycle Commercial in the world.

Participate in a contest and get to visit the sets where the new Pulsar commercial will be shot..!!

Improving perfection is a very tall task, and I have had my doubts whether the Pulsar Mania commercial could ever be superseded by anyone, including Bajaj themselves. But it looks like now there is a new Pulsar commercial (Pulsar Mania II?) in the making which is poised to do just that.

And this time Bajaj has roped in Jorian Ponomareff, one of the hottest new international talents in the world of freestyle motorcycle stunts to feature in the next Pulsar commercial..!!

Who is Jorian Ponomareff?

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.