17 Pulsar 180 UG IV: Review [Wallpaper]

I test ride the 4'th Upgrade (UG IV) of the Pulsar 180 DTS-i..

Back in 2001, the Pulsar twins (150/180) shook the sleepy Indian motorcycling scene out of its slumber in such a way that even after almost 9 years later the Pulsar Mania still refuses to fade out.

I was a little bit apprehensive about the 4’th Upgrade (UG IV) of the Pulsar 180 DTS-i..

..after all it was virtually the Pulsar 200 with a slightly tweaked 180 cc engine.

So far the Pulsar 150 has raked in the numbers and the Pulsar 180 has kept the enthusiast engaged. Till the UG III, the Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 180 had shared virtually everything, except the difference in cubic capacity. Both bikes shared the same chassis and appeared literally like, “Twins”.

But with the appearance of the Yamaha FZ in late 2008, the Pulsar 180 somewhat lost its edge in terms of exclusivity if not in outright performance. An upgrade was necessary and that’s what the Pulsar 180 got in mid 2009.

When the the 4’th Upgrade (UG IV) of the Pulsar 180 DTS-i was launched in mid-2009, I was a little bit apprehensive about it. The upgrade did not seem substantial to me at that time. After all it was virtually the Pulsar 200 with a slightly tweaked 180 cc engine. But after a year, the very sight of the so many Pulsar 180 UG IV’s on out roads have proved my apprehensions wrong.

So what’s so special about the Pulsar 180 UGIV? I try to find out..

4 Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor @ Jakarta Fair 2010

Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor display their products and a few concepts at the 2010 Jakarta Fair..

Modified Pulsar 135LS @ Jakata Fair 2010

Photos published only after due permission from Mr. Taufik, a popular 2 wheeler blogger from Indonesia

Bajaj @ 2010 Jakarta Fair

Along with its regular Indonesian model range (Pulsar 135LS/180/200), there were two modified Pulsar concepts on diaplay. Would these modified Pulsars make it into production?

I have previously seen some excellent specimens of locally modified Pulsars from Indonesia, therefore I have my doubts if the ones displayed at the Jakarta Fair would be production models.

100 Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler: Complete Review

I finally get to test ride the 150 cc, Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler..

After launching commuter friendly but stylish 125 cc (CBF Stunner) and 110 cc (Twister) motorcycles, Honda finally gives us a new 150 cc motorcycle with promise of more style, power and more features in the form of the new CB Unicorn Dazzler.

Why does the name "Unicorn" feature on the new bike? Well, the engine of the Dazzler is based on the same 149.1 cc engine of the Unicorn, albeit with high lift cams and tuned to deliver slightly better power. The result is a slightly more powerful (14 bhp comared to the 13.3 bhp of the Unicorn) engine.

The new engine also makes its maximum power and torque at higher rpms (8500 rpm and 6500 rpm) compared to the Unicorn engine (8000 rpm and 5500 rpm).

The Dazzler also weighs 8 kgs lesser than the Unicorn.

As a result of comparitively lesser weight and more power, the power to weight ratio of the bike is more than that of the Unicorn. Coupled with a more rev happy engine, the CB Unicorn Dazzler promises to be an exciting ride, at least on paper.

I finally get to test ride the Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler. So am I impressed?

Continue reading to find out..

10 TVS launches Neo X3i 110cc, entry level step thru in Indonesia

Indonesian bloggers get to ride the new Step Thru a couple of days prior to the official launch..!!

Indonesia is a very important market for both Bajaj auto and TVS Motor. Indonesia is the world's third largest 2 wheeler market by volume after China and India.

2 days prior to the official launch, a selected bunch of popular Indonesian 2 wheeler bloggers were invited to the TVS plant in Indonesia..

A couple of years back both Bajaj and TVS entered the Indonesia with entirely different strategies. Bajaj started assembling the Pulsar 180/200 and XCD 125 (Motorcycles) and TVS entered Indonesia with a specially made for Indonesia Step Thru model, the Neo 110.

Just a couple of months back, there was news of Bajaj launching the Pulsar 135LS in Indonesia. Not to take things lightly, TVS has also launched the "Neo X3i", its entry level step thru in Indonesia on 7'th June 2010.

Photo credit: Stephen Langitan

The Neo X3i comes in spoke wheels and alloy/cast wheel variants with a Disc brake option as well. The step thru also has a mobile charger as a feature. The starting price is 9.95 million Indonesian Rupiahs (around 50,000 Indian rupees).

17 Bike History/Timeline: Royal Enfield [1893-2010]. Is Royal Enfield the World's Oldest Motorcycle Brand?

Royal Enfield probably is the world's oldest "surviving" motorcycle brand..

I have been hearing about this for sometime now. So I decided to find it out the truth. Is Royal Enfield really the world's oldest motorcycle brand?

Imagine if Royal Enfield models gets the tag of "Manufactured by the World's Oldest Motorcycle Brand..!!"

.. who wouldn't want to own a piece of history like that?

After some "Googling" on the net, the following facts came into light:

• Triumph started to produce motorcycles in 1902



• Harley-Davidson started making motorcycles in 1903

Now there are some guys who say that Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901..!! The photo posted below is claimed as that of the first Royal Enfield motorcycle manufactured in 1901.

If it is true then that would definitely make Royal Enfield the world's oldest surviving motorcycle brand..!!

More about that later.. but first,

A brief history of Royal Enfield: