MoToPsyche

There were times when  everything was  about kilometers to the litre, then came the time of 150 cc’s where one could expect just more than commuting, then again there have been some really great tourers from the past, but in nominal numbers. Then came the era of serious biking ,which is the recent times, when the manufacturers started making bikes which could do just more than transporting souls from point A to point B.
Karizma on the other hand belong to this different breed altogether. Powerful engine, Comfortable seating stance, tall gearing ratio powerful headlamps etc all favored those sport touring, a completely new concept for the Indian biker.

Karizma was a true sport tourer, with the kind of cubic capacities it packed in; Karizma was the tool for scaling those long distances. But with time we expect more, everyone wanted the Karizma to change, well that’s what the trend is, but Karizma needed much more than just a new paint job or a new set of stickers. That’s when Karizma R came in with nothing but just a few works of the painter and the stickerwala. And yes not to forget the underbelly, which dint actually looks all that bad. But a lot was expected from a bike which was going to be upgraded after a good 4 years.
Now after another  2 years comes the new Karizma ZMR, Fully faired, Fuel injected, new clip ons, LED tail lamp, Gas filled shock absorbers, Rear disc brakes and a new completely digitalized console.
That’s almost everything people wanted from a Karizma!! Forgotten were Mono suspension, but hey! We know what the Next Karizma might come with!
From the riders view you can see the dashboard fits the new console really well. New handle bars feel good and the rear view mirrors in place. I can actually see the road behind me when I am riding the bike unlike a few other bikes.
Tank is the same as the previous two generations but the seat feels a bit more padded. Foot peg position is the same, but the handle bar position makes the stance a bit sportier than the earlier Karizma which had the upright seating position.
Hero Honda’s never had any issues with their engines. And same was the story with the Karizma R. smooth as always and reliable. So it can be said that the refinement that those predecessor’s should come down the genes.
The ZMR practically has not gained much power, but the fuel injection has made the ride even more refined and one can expect better mileage. On the downside, the addition of FI has given the bike a bit of a lag on opening of the throttle.
Not much has changed in the front brakes, though the rear disc brake the bike has, is quite soft on the bite.
The new gas filled suspension do wonders on the ZMR which are quite apt for the normal commuting with the regular pot holes and also good enough for the twisties where you won’t find them too soft nor too hard.
Even with the fairing on, I personally felt that the weight on the bike was well distributed.
I am not much of a fan of this full fairing on this bike, which looks downright ugly from some angles and looks mostly concentrated on the front.
The Tail piece resembles to that of the CBZ Xtreme, but the brake lamps and the indicators concealed are nothing like that of the CBZ. The exhaust gets a matt black treatment compared to the previous metallic coat.
Plastics!  That’s the word that scared most ZMA owners on the past. Poor design which wouldn’t last. Go off-roading for a while and you had panels that rattled like crazy. Hope that’s not the same story with the ZMR! Only time can tell how well these panels last.
Pricing: The ZMR costs around 1.03L on road Pune. The big question is, is the ZMR worth the six figured number? The answer depends on buyer.
If I am a Hard core tourer, who does more miles in a day then most people in a fortnight, if I am the guy who wants to climb up the Himalaya’s without the fear of my carburetor giving up, If I am the guy who swears by Hero Honda’s name or the extra 20,000 over the Karizma R doesn’t bother me, then the ZMR is for me.
But if I am the kind of a guy to whom all those reasons stated above don’t matter then I would rather spare some extra change and get myself a R15.

Article By:Eshan Shetty

Guest Author for MoToPsyche.

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