7 What is a Café Racer Motorcycle?

Royal Enfield has plans for a Café Racer motorcycle for India next.. let's get to know a what a Café Racer motorcycle really is..

Posted below is the photo of the Café Racer concept that Royal Enfield had shown at the New Delhi 2010 Auto Expo. But what exactly is a Café Racer motorcycle?

Origins of a Café Racer motorcycle

In the 1950’s-60’s, production motorcycle of those days (BSA, Norton, Royal Enfield etc.) were basically styled in the same traditional manner.

British motorcycle enthusiasts back then modified those stock motorcycles to replicate the road racing motorcycles of those days. And thus the Café Racer was born.

The stock tank was replaced with customized tanks with knee recess so that the rider could grip the tank with his knees while riding.

The front foot pegs were replaced with rear set foot pegs and accordingly the normal handle bars were replaced with clip on handle bars. Another signature modification on the Café Racer is a humped rear seat to mimic the road racing motorcycles of those days.

These "Café Racer" modifications result in a sporty front biased riding stance.

10 Royal Enfield: New Classic Chrome/Bullet 500 UCE for USA. New models in the pipeline

Royal Enfield has been in the news lately.. and for all the good reasons

Royal Enfield Bullet Classic Chrome 500

Royal Enfield in the news:

1. Royal Enfield launches Bullet Classic Chrome & Bullet 500 UCE models in the USA [Source: Click here]

2. Royal Enfield gets a new CEO

3. Royal Enfield has plans to set up a new plant in India [Source: Click here]

4. Royal Enfield might set up an assembly plant in Brazil [Source: Click here]

5. Royal Enfield is mulling over a new 500 cc Thunderbird model and also the possible development of a 750/1000 cc Twin cylinder model [Source: Click here & here]

6. Royal Enfield also has plans for a diesel powered motorcycle and a "cafe racer' model [Source: Click here]

15 Petrol could reach Rs. 100/Litre in India. What the #&(@..!!

With petrol prices reaching unprecedented levels in India, What can the Govt. do? What can we do? What do I plan to do..

After getting a car, I have rarely used my motorcycle to commute or go shopping with my wife. Probably it’s good for the biker in me, since now I view motorcycling as a leisure/pleasure activity and not just merely for commuting. But with petrol prices hitting record highs, how long can we afford to take pleasure burning the precious resource?

In my early teen days (early 1990’s), I occasionally used to accompany my dad to the neighborhood petrol pump to tank up our Bajaj Scooter.

The 1990-91 was also the time of the Gulf war, when Saddam Hussain had invaded Kuwait. For the first time in human history, people watched the the war almost live on cable TV (courtesy CNN). But more significantly what followed the Gulf war was a sharp rise in Global petrol prices.

Back in those Gulf War days I faintly remember my dad shelling out around 22-25 odd rupees for a litre of petrol (along with the 2T Oil).

Flash forward 2011 and the petrol prices are now around the Rs. 60 per litre mark..!!

Nearly 200% increase in petrol prices in the last 20 years..!! And one thought that the Gulf war was bad enough..!!

The price rise has been most steep in the last couple of years. Given the current state of affairs, I suspect the price of petrol in India will touch the Rs. 100 per litre mark in 4-5 years time very easily.

Why is the price of petrol rising so rapidly in India?

11 Pulsar is now the Official Sponsor of Ghost Ryderz Stunt Team..!!

Ghost Ryderz becomes the first professional motorcycle Stunt Riding Team from India to be officially sponsored by a motorcycle brand..!!

"Pulsar, India’s No.1 Sports Bike is the official sponsor of Ghost Ryderz, India’s No. 1 Motorcycle Freestyle Stunt riding team".

That’s what the landing page of the Ghost Ryderz site says. Ghost Ryderz has indeed become India’s first professional motorcycle stunt team to be sponsored by a corporate entity. The team has recently revealed a new set of Pulsar 220S bikes which has been custom modified into genuine street fighters along with a customized paint theme as well.

Who are Ghost Ryderz?

They are a team of 5 talented young guys from Kerala who call themselves as "Damboy", "Smokey", "Phenom", "Nio" and "Dauntless". They first shot into national limelight in 2009 when they were picked up to tour with MTV for the 2009 Pulsar MTV Stuntmania auditions (to perform stunts in front of the crowd at various cities across India). They were once again chosen to tour with MTV for the second season of the MTV Pulsar Stuntmania "Rockathon" Auditions in 2010.

23 Honda CBF Stunner/PGM-Fi Review

Review of both the 125 cc Honda CBF Stunner (carbureted) and the Honda CBF Stunner PGM-Fi (fuel injected) models..

Positives:

+ Good looks
+ Comfortable & Sporty ergonomics
+ Good handling
+ Smooth engine (fuel injected variant)

Negatives

- Vibrations at high engine revs (carbureted variant)
- Pricy for a 125 cc
- The CB Unicorn Dazzler should have got this styling

The 125 cc CBF Stunner was the first motorcycle from HMSI (Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Ltd.) which proved that Honda was taking motorycle designs for India seriously. Just look at the products prior to the CBF Stunner i.e. the 150 cc Unicorn and the 125 cc Shine. Both the Unicorn & Shine were/are conservative in design to the point of being boring.

Therefore it was kind of a pleasant shock to see Honda launch the 125 cc CBF Stunner in 2008, it was as if HMSI wanted to prove a point to its detractors. Even harsh Honda critics like myelf (till then) had to appreciate the attempt HMSI had made in designing the new bike.

2008: Back in 2008, it definitely seemed that the new 125 cc Honda bike had a very good chance of making a big dent in the 150 cc category (read as the Pulsar 150 territory). After all it looked like a mini Karizma (thanks to its fixed half fairing) and being a 125 cc, it was expected to return decent fuel efficiency as well. There was no reason for anyone not to look at the CBF Stunner.

2011: I had read somewhere that the conservative Shine still continues to be the largest selling motorcycle from HMSI's portfolio in India..!!

What went wrong with the high hopes from the Honda CBF Stunner? I take a test ride of both the Carbureted and the Fuel Injected (PGM-Fi) variants..