3 TVS Tormax 150, "Liquid Cooled with Monoshock" launched in Indonesia. Apache RTR with Liquid Cooling & Monoshock next?

TVS has launched its first ever product to feature a "Monoshock" suspension and a "Liquid Cooled" engine.. in Indonesia..!!

Looks like a TVS Apache RTR with a Liquid Cooled engine and a Monoshock is not far away from reality..!! What you see below is a Step Thru model called "Tormax 150" which TVS Motor has recently launched in Indonesia. The Tormax 150 features a 3 valve, single cylinder, liquid cooled engine plus it also gets a Monoshock rear suspension..!!

0 Motorcycle Scene in Guwahati, Assam [2011]

Last month I was on a vacation to my home state of Assam. Posted below is the motorcycle scene in Assam as seen and understood by me over the years..

Foreword: The following is my observation of the changing motorcycle scene of Guwahati and also a few towns of Upper Assam like Jorhat & Dibrugarh.

Hero Honda Splendor/Passion models are passé/history in Assam..!!

For most Indians that I have met, the North Eastern part of India is shrouded with mystery.

The most common stereotype for my home state of Assam is that; "It is on mountains", "The weather is chilly", "The people there wear clothes like the extras which danced behind Kareena in the song “Yeh Ishq hai” from the movie “Jab we met”..!!

The North East is surrounded by hills ok, but Assam is actually a “valley” which is surrounded by hills (the neighboring states). So essentially Assam is not hilly but on Plains. It has got a good Summer + Monsoon (May-July) and a normal Winter (December to Feb).

The motorcycle scene in Assam (over the years)

Assamese people seem to have a penchant for dimensionally big bikes..

I have observed that compared to the rest of India the Assamese people have got a mind of their own. Models that have not been best sellers in most parts of India have sometimes found love and affection here. But one thing that has stood out is that there have been no particular models which continue to be best sellers for 10-25 straight years.

Posted below are the highlights of the Assamese taste in motorcycle as observed by me over the years:

2005-2006: I had not seen as many LML (Lohia Motors Limited) motorcycles (LML Adreno/Energy, LML Freedom, LML Beamer/Graptor) in any other part of India as I had seen here in Assam.

2007: I had noticed that the preference for the (quirky) CBZ Xtreme was visibly more than the Pulsar 150/180 UG III (Upgrade III) models [read about this here]

2008: The 125 cc Hero Honda Super Splendor which hasn’t been the best seller in most parts of India was slowly becoming a very popular model here in Assam.


So how is the current motorcycle scene in Assam in 2011?

5 Not Every KTM Bike is an Off Roader

Introduction to the world of KTM motorcycles..

The other day I was chatting with a biker friend of mine about our next purchase. I told him that I am quite interested in the KTM 200 Duke. To which he spontaneously replied, "Oh Ok, but that is an Off Roader!".

I have come across this perception about the KTM brand even across many guys in xBhp.Com. For them too "KTM = Off Roaders".

First of all let me clarify that the KTM 125/200 Duke is NOT an off roader.

In my words the baby Duke can be called is a two wheeled "Urban Soft Roader"

The strong image of KTM with off road motorcycles is not without reason. KTM is definitely one of the most famous brand when it comes to off road bikes.

KTM currently has around 180 plus world titles in various off road competitions and also 10 consecutive "Dakar Rally" (one of the toughest rallies in the world) titles to its name.

Secondly, NOT every KTM motorcycle is an Off Roader. Posted below is the chart which shows the various kind of bikes that KTM manufacturers.

3 Honda CBR250R Review: Looks, Fit & Finish

Initial Impression of the Honda CBR250R..

"I Enjoy the Quality", this is the current tag line of Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India Ltd.'s (HMSI) in India. Which actually reflects how the brand is perceived in India. i.e. Honda = Quality.

I was therefore surprised to read the initial reports of the CBR250R (HMSI's flagship model in India) which reported of "Chipped Paint", "Not so great Quality of Plastics/seat cover material" and even leaking cylinder heads..!!

[Check out these reports on Team-Bhp & xBhp].

I finally went to the HMSI showroom the other day as they had recently put a CBR250R on display. Sadly I did not take my camera, therefore am posting a few pics which has been taken from Team-Bhp & xBhp. Test rides are still not being offered, therefore this is just the inital look and feel evaluation of the bike.

CBR250R first impressions:

• Looks: Ok. Size is not too big & not too small



• Fit: Ok



• Finish: Should have been better on certain parts

Although I did not come across any chipped paint (like posted on Team-Bhp & xBhp and shown below), the quality of certain parts definitely should have been better for a premium flagship product which costs Rs. 1.5-1.8 lakhs.

5 2011 Yamaha FZ Series (New Colors + Kick Starter)

Yamaha freshens up its FZ series for 2011 in India..

The 150 cc motorcycle scene in India is getting quite predictable and a bit boring..

First launced in 2008, Yamaha India had unveiled its entire FZ range (FZ, FZ-S & Fazer) by 2009, and then it gave the lineup new colors in 2010. In between it also launched limited edition all "White" colored FZ's in 2009 and all "Black" colored FZ's in 2010. Now Yamaha India has once again decided to "freshen" up its FZ range for 2011.

So what we get are new color combinations, a blackened exhaust cover and slightly redesigned stickers. Apart from new colors, there are two other things which stand out for the "keen eyed" biker.

1. Kick start has been added to all the FZ variants (Why..??)

2. Yamaha seems to have dropped the "16" from the original FZ16 and is now being branded as just "FZ" (at least in the official press release)

2011 Yamaha FZ in new Colors

Posted below is the 2011 FZ-S in "Yellow Streak" color. Other new 2011 color combinations are also posted below..