Life on wheels

A small affair with an Ingolstadt beauty – Audi A4 2.0 TDI

2010-09-02T18:28:00.000+05:30

A small affair with an Ingolstadt beauty – Audi A4 2.0 TDI

While I’ve driven Mercs and Bimmers earlier driving an Audi was somewhere in the middle of my ‘to-do’ list and today it’s been shifted to the ‘been there done that’ list. Was the shift exciting, average or disappointing? The words ahead will undress the truth.

At about 3:30 pm I got a call from the Audi guy and happily I pushed myself downstairs to the entrance of the office. Open the door and the beauty from Ingolstadt stood there draped in silver with her beautiful rear facing me. Although not as exciting to look at as Jennifer Lopez’s back the A4’s does look firmly in place and soothing.

Walked over to the side, opened the door and in typical European style the door opened in a three-stage fashion and the heavy thing closed with a firmly firm ‘thud’. Step inside and the black interior scheme was right up there to my taste considering my fetish for black interiors. Neatly placed controls and a clean looking instrument panel are a good sight for the eyes. The seats were in particular very comfortable and the leather spoke of high quality, something you would expect from a car of this segment.

Time to fire her up then. The ignition process is quite a swanky one. One just needs to take the key fob and insert into a slot on the left side of the steering (the way you put coins in a slot machine) and then with your right foot on the brake just press the fob and the 2.0 litre diesel engine comes to life with few but still audible signs of a diesel crank. Vibration though was close to nil. Reversing was the first thing to do and I wasn’t very comfortable with the sensors guiding me so I banked on the universal equipment – rotation friendly neck muscles. Slot the lever into “D” and we were away. No nonsense and smooth acceleration is what you expect from her and that is exactly what she gives you. Puttering along the roads was pretty easy and visibility was good at the front and side but rear visibility wasn’t very good and had me desiring for more.

While driving around was great this is not exactly what I like doing and hence it was imminent that I would bury the throttle to the floor sometime soon and it did happen that way. In “D” mode the build-up was lateral uptil 2200 odd RPM and it was only after that when the engine showed some character. There was a strong surge ahead although nothing close to spine shoving and the speed increased at a decent speed. Steering response was very impressive and at any speeds the steering communication and feedback between the soft leather and the palm was appreciable.

The next step was to check the performance in “S” aka sports mode. In this mode the throttle response sharpened up a bit and overall the driving feel improved a bit. Nothing astonishing though and strictly decent by my standards. Had it not been for a bloody spaniel I would’ve been able to hit a significantly higher speed than I achieved. One irritating thing was that the electronic handbrake is engaged by a small button and no conventional lever and that pretty much negates any chances of an interesting and fun-filled slide or a short drift.

The rear bench was very comfortable and even during long journeys comfort shouldn’t be an issue. The downside is that it is strictly for two passengers only or for a third passenger who’s a toddler or a homo sapien with no legs. This is due to the rear AC vents eating their way deep inside the rear legroom in the centre. But then again luxury for many isn’t a requirement in this segment.

Boot is pretty large and can easily swallow all your stuff for a 3-4 days outing and also home to the spare wheel known as the ‘donut wheel’ since apart from being a steel wheel it’s smaller in size that the ones acting as the shoes for the car and the difference is made up by a higher profile tyre.

Suspension is on the stiffer side but not as stiff as a BMW and if corner carving is what someone craves for the A4 won’t disappoint you despite being a front-wheel drive. So is this car worth Rs 29.6 lakhs, ex-showroom, Delhi. It entirely depends on what one is looking for. If comfort and safety are a requirement and snob value and features with little usage make sense for someone than the car is worth the money. An enthusiast though like me will really struggle to find value for the more than Rs 30 lakhs on-road price.

Consider this – The Audi A4 with no Quattro, rear wheel-drive or a mother of an engine costs Rs 31+ lakhs and does 0-100 in 9.4 seconds and some cars at1/3 of that price do it in 9.5 – 9.9 seconds. Wanna impress a lady in the cabin with swanky features of not much use then this does the job, want to experience pure driving pleasure then either lower your budget by about 2/3rd of the amount or wait till day after tomorrow by when I drive the Mercedes C-Class and the BMW 320i.

Why I would not and you should not buy a used car driven by a woman

2010-03-18T15:16:00.004+05:30

Classifieds of used cars are something we all have seen quite a lot and many of us have even taken their help to find ourselves a good used car. Typically the advertiser would decorate his ad by using a lot of adjectives and statements which we generally as a society seem to have accepted as a synonym for the word "good".

Mostly ads contain words such as "excellent", "clean", brand new" and many more depending on the height the advertiser's imagination can fly up to. Some popular statements include army driven, doctor driven, single-hand driven, senior citizen driven and lady driven. While most of these actually do support the theory that the car might be properly maintained the last two clearly suggest that the car is badly maintained and in case of a lady driver the car would surely be a mobile scrap under the hood no matter how good on the outside.

While this does not apply to all female drivers it does hold true for most (at least 95% in my opinion). Army driven vehicles are good since army personnel would rarely have a dirty car and their punctuality and desire for perfection means a regularly serviced car. Doctors are rarely fast/rash drivers and putter around sedately thereby translating into an engine that has only been foreplayed with but not yet screwed. Same holds true for single-hand driven vehicle. While senior citizen cars do have problems those are not major mostly and the ratio of occurrence is also not alarmingly high.

"Lady driven car" - Now this is where the problem starts. People generally think that since the car is lady driven it would have never been driven rashly or at high speeds. While I do agree that most female drivers find driving and handling high speeds as hard as swimming across the English Channel their cars are certainly driven rash. Rash driving does not refer only to high speed maniac type driving. It can be done at slow speeds also as proven daily by the drivers being discussed. For eg unknowingly changing lanes while talking on the phone, driving at 60 km/hr on the right lane in a 90 zone. This is also equally dangerous and rash driving. So out goes the rash thingy in the bin.

Let's move on to the problems now. The main problem is with the way women learn and drive cars. While learning they are always frightened to death and once they have learnt driving (I'm not sure if this part ever completes) they still drive with fear on the road. Now why they do this is because there are things which humanity and science cannot answer and this is one of them. I really find it impossible to understand that why does one need to see the hood of the car while driving. I'm glad that my wife is an exception here. The first day she drove the Cedia she adjusted the height of the seat to the most vertical point, steering set at highest point and seat pushed so forward that not only men without legs but even those with the reproductive organ will find it hard to sit in the car. However and thankfully by the 3rd day all the settings were back to lowest point and now only the seat is pushed forward but only to the limit which compensates for shorter legs but unfortunately not all women grow out of the full forward and full-up syndrome.

Reverse parking for women is generally as hard as it is for the moronic Thackerays to understand the meaning of the word "country". Just do a small check. Check out 10 lady driven cars on a random basis and I bet 7 of them would have damages on all four sides. Even cars driven by men do but not on all four sides, thereby proving the everlasting problem of assuming points of contact and gaps.

So the body although clean wouldn't be scratchless. Let's come to other parts now. Engine would normally be assumed to be in mint condition since the car wouldn't have been driven fast ever. Once again people who think so are wrong because if you observe the driving style of women, more than 90% use clutch as a foot rest. In bumper-to-bumper traffic they would half-clutch the car all the time thereby burning the clutch and putting strain on the engine. For those of you who aren't aware about half-clutching - It happens when you are rolling forward/backward at very slow speeds (say 5-10 km/hr) and you have the clutch lever pressed to half point and to move the car each time you press the throttle a little bit and release the clutch tiny bit. Do this and your clutch plates burn like incense sticks. For those who wanna check it just do a simple thing. Drive a lady driven car and try to move ahead in 1st gear. If you feel that the rpm is increasing more in co-relation to the actual gain in speeds then it's a sign of worn out clutch. So out goes the theory of a good powertrain too in the drain.

The gearbox would almost never be in good condition. Either very hard or very spongy lifeless shifts are what you will get in a 2 year old lady driven car. Women for some reason get it extremely wrong when it comes to gear shifting. In many cases they forget to engage 5th and keep driving in 4th at 60-70 km/hr. In other cases there's always too much of early shifting, more like a race to reach top gear. LADIES just reaching 5th at speeds of 40km/hr will not save you fuel but instead burn more of it. Gears should be shifted with the clutch fully pressed. I bet most of the women have never bottomed out the clutch. So gearbox too goes down the drain.

The reality then is that while there are cars driven by men too which could/are in more sad state that is the only place from you will get a good car also. Women on the other hand should be encouraged to learn more about driving. Till then I suggest that try and stay away from a lady driven car else you'll never have a smooth car with perfection. I've never seen a lady driven car till date which sounds the same and drives the same after 2 years as it did when it was new. Men though can be found in thousands whose cars remain spanking new even after 3 or more years.

I'll leave you with an interesting fact and a suggestion. Fact is that if women ever defend themselves to be equally good drivers as men just ask them why don't they look out for solely lady-driven cars when they buy a used one? Truth is that in 2 years they learn a bit about cars and grow smart enough to understand how they've poorly driven the car and hence try and stay away from another such car. The suggestion for women is that instead of just using the car as a machine try and understand the car a bit and learn to feel it. If there's a sound coming from the back then you won't have to ask stupid questions such as "where is this sound coming from?"

The idea about lady-driven cars being good and great then sadly.......goes down the sewage.

P.S. before women pull out their extremely clichéd and senseless MCP (male chauvinist pig) weapon learn that I strongly support and promote equality between men and the sexier sex and strongly condemn acts of suppressing them or their rights. All I want to make clear is that we are equal anyways being humans and in social terms the scenario is improving thankfully. But there are some things which women excel in and some in which men do and both cannot beat each other in these fields. Women can be/are equal in most cases but claiming to be equally good/better drivers/pilots than men is like a man claiming to be equally good in feeding babies from nipples and that women have a stronger sexual drive in general than men. If any of the above two statements are true barring exceptions than Ladies you surely can drive to glory with the crown of better drivers.

Images taken from birminghammail.net & ubishops.ca

Auto Expo 2010 - shameful event by shameless govt employees and organisation

2010-01-13T14:47:00.002+05:30

As expected the Auto Expo turned out to be worst than imaginable. Although it was great in terms of new launches and displays, all of it was useless since very few got to see it properly. I was at the Expo on 5th January, a day reserved for the media and it was a nightmare even then. People with a shabby beard, sack like clothes, pathetic manners and a face which could put their parents to shame were also present on the media day. They had absolutely no interest in the cars.

They were going from stall to stall only to get the media kits just like garbage pickers go from bin to bin to pick left overs and as expected, their appearances were strikingly similar. For reasons unknown to mankind some people were not even willing to wait for the car to be unveiled or launched and were shamelessly asking for the media kits despite the staff explaining that a media kit is supposed to be handed out once the car is launched. Asking for a press/media kit even before a car is launched is like shagging to the pictures of Monica Belluci while she is standing next to you, just that you couldn't wait for her to undress and then when you're done with your mental nerves going through a state of explosion you still don't wait to see her although she's undressed now coz you have her pictures.

This has primarily to do with the fact that apart from the big channels and newspapers most of the media and media persons in our country are brainless guts with logic as straight as pubic hair and intelligence at par with the people who inhabit most part of the place known as Middle East.

This however was on part of the people in our country who always want the best but don't want to give out even the ordinary. If we are asked to pay toll we start complaining about it without trying to understand the financial side of the thing and then we get to use bad roads we still complain and moreover in a stratospherically shameless way draw comparisons with the west, a land where people give out the best and then expect the best from their country. But here it never happens that way. Increasing the fare is a stupid idea since car makers need people and not vice-versa so why should a common man with the purchasing power of 3 lakhs be asked to pay 500Rs to enter a mismanaged event just to get a short glimpse of a prospective car. Taking off girls from the stands too is a bad idea. Apart from creating short-term employment the idea of having girls on the displays adds up to the overall aura around the vehicle.

Then come the main culprits, Govt officials and units (aka sarkari babu in hindi) who can not even manage to wear a shirt and pant properly leave alone managing such a big event, no matter what position they hold (minus exceptions which are an endangered species). The way the Expo was managed raises many questions. Why were non-media people allowed to enter on a media day? Why was there no system to verify the credentials of people? What were teenage boys and girls doing in the Expo with arms wrapped around each other? Why wasn't the layout planned in line with the number of expected visitors?

The hall where BMW had put up was in the worst state I guess. Surprisingly no sarkari babu thought (their mental abilities are so limited in India. Blame the selection and lifetime guarantee of job) that providing a single alley between BMW and Bosch would make it impossible for people to move two ways and that it would only add to clogging up of people.

Most of these questions won't be answered since they will fall on deaf ears of inefficient people with a lifetime job guarantee who are an absolute disgrace to the country on a global stage. These people revel in themselves only by flashing a red light or a coloured stripe or a passport with a different colour and by boasting about themselves in front of illiterate or poor people.

I suggest then that if we are to change as a nation and want to change our perception abroad we ll need to change first and become more willing to learn the characters tics of a homo sapien rather than behaving like animals. Moreover we need to change the thought about a government job and not join it for stability but for the reason that a government job allows us to directly contribute to the development of our country. Also I can bet on it that if the lifetime security is taken away from government employees, they would change overnight and start working efficiently else they will continue to lead their lives in the miserable and shameful state as they do right now and I'm sorry to say but the world on the other side will only think about us what Valentino Rossi thinks about us after visiting the Auto Expo 2010.

Fiat Grande Punto, the best VFM package money can buy in India

2009-08-19T17:02:00.002+05:30

It's been a while now since the Grande Punto hit the Indian turf and this lovely car has manged decent sales if not great. The good thing however is that Fiat seems to be going through a turnaround and that is great news for anyone who knows about cars as much as one knows about the number of testicles a human male has.

The looks of Punto has most of the people left in awe and the car is undoubtedly beautifully proportionate and a head-turner. Most of the Indian automotive media has appreciated a number of things on the Punto but all seem to get stuck on a couple of things - performance and interior quality & space . It seems as if road test editors from all the publishing houses sat for a beer and after 2 hours one drunk guy decided that we all need to keep a few things common in our review. Of course things which are bad appeal as bad to most but that's only if you're judging a crooked body, a face like the Williams sisters or a man living on a diet of Viagra. The Punto's performance though is not that bad and so isn't the interior quality or the space.

Things will be better to understand if taken one at a time for those who are frantically thinking of a comment they can leave me.

Performance
Both the 1.2 and the 1.4 engines are adequate as per the car's specifications. Undoubtedly the car could do with more power but is there really any limit to more power? Even the Veyron failed to satisfy some crazy nuts who at this point of time are busy tuning a Ford or Chrysler engine to a million horsepower while their wife is sleeping with the guy who comes to deliver parts for the car since the crazy contraption breaks down every time it moves an inch.

Considering Indian roads and the traffic and of course the highly courteous moves that people display on the roads every minute, a Punto should suffice for your needs. It's very easy to point out mistakes, a good thing to do but criticism is good only if constructive and not if you're forced to criticise a car because if you don't you won't get your salary since the magazine lost out on major advertising revenues.

People need to understand that at rs 3.99 lakhs (399,000) you get a car which resembles a Maserati and an Aston Martin. You get a car which safely cocoons you in case of an accident. You get great features and hence bigger bang for your money. Most importantly you get better driving pleasure overall because the handling of the car is as if it is on rails and what you lose in power you make up for more than that in handling. You've all read and heard journos cribbing about the short rev band, an absolutely crappy claim. How many of us really rev the car past 4000 rpm on a regular basis? The 1.4 is a decently powered car and compares well with other cars in its category. Does being 2 seconds slower to 100 mean the world for you? If it does then you don't and can't buy a satisfactory car with 4-6 lakhs. for being 2 seconds slower you get 2 million times better looks then any Maruti or crappy Hyundai, you get better handling and way better safety.

In no means I aim to reject any extra ponies that Fiat might give us but putting down a car of Punto's class and claiming a Hyundai to be better is what I stand against.

Interior
I completely agree to the fact that the interiors could have been better but they aren't' as bad as many suggest. The quality of interiors is down because a large chunk of the plastics has been localised in order to get cost advantage and that is what allows Fiat to give you a gorgeous car wrapped in a overall great package for 4-6 lakhs. If Fiat would've given the same interiors as in the European model then you couldn't pay just 4 lakhs for this car and drive off. And if Fiat did that then everyone would start whining about the car being badly priced. In short no matter what or how great Fiat does, some Indians challenged by the top most part of their body will criticise it for no reason.

In terms of space utilisation, there certainly has been wastage of space but that is because the car is more style-oriented than providing acres of space inside. I really find it ridiculous when the interiors of Punto are compared to the Jazz. For Chris sake the Jazz cost nearly twice of what the Punto does.

The bottomline is that people in Indian seem to have developed a notion that Fiat can't make reliable cars even though it has been making cars since most of us weren't even planned to be born. Quite surprisingly though they do believe that Hyundai, a company which couldn't even make or design its own engine till 1991 and till date can't design even the car's exterior body without ripping off someone else's designs can make better cars than the Italian marque.

The Grande Punto is the best overall package your money can buy you in its segment and if you want more of the things that Punto hasn't got you'll lose more important things if you buy any other car. However, if you want the best of everything then either go and learn to earn more quickly or become a saint and preach people (most successful business in India) and then go and buy yourself a BMW M3.

You decide what's more important for you. If you want to pick a beautiful girl from a disc or a pub who's not a hooker then get yourself a Punto. The car will speak a lot about your taste and attitude in life and believe me girls who are not prostitutes are damn good at judging a guy by what he drives and wears. However, if you do happen to be someone in your late 50s and in a state where even Viagra doesn't help you anymore then get the Ritz. If you haven't been to a good school/university and know about sophestication as much as your 4 year old knows about where he came from and how then buy an Indica Vista. And very disgustingly if you are a homosexual then don't think beyond the Hyundai i20. Just buy the i20 and drive to any pub and you will find a partner. the best part is that the i20 does have some good, soft and comfortable seats so when you head back to your home in the morning with a sore back your seats will comfort you to a great extent.

Electric and hybrid cars are useless, understand Global Warming rather than spreading the false fear

2009-07-24T12:41:00.004+05:30

Another crisis and suddenly the car once again seems to have come under the axe. Anything that runs on petrol or diesel is like a rich industrialist in a socialist economy and now needs to be stripped of his wealth, power and CO2 output in the case of a car. Every known form of media on this planet these days is filled with information on hybrid and electric cars and more than 99% of them without any logic are blindly supporting them.

Everyone knows about depleting fuel reserves and so-called Global Warming, with one I agree and the other I completely disagree. No one can challenge the fact that oil is finishing up and some day we would have very little or none of it. That certainly requires us to discover or invent alternatives and I'm perfectly in favour of that. The problem however is that too much is being spent on the inappropriate or wrong alternatives. Electric hybrids and electric cars are not the future unless the definition of future for mankind has changed from going forward to backward and if it has at all then that is certainly so gay and homosexual kinda stuff.

The reason why cars have become an indispensable part of our lives is because our lives revolve around it. Whether it is an occasion of happiness, sorrow, curiosity or any other human emotion, a car does play an important part in all aspects of our lives. the car has been able to be a part of every aspect of our lives because we can drive it for long once filled, when out of gas a car can be refilled in a couple of minutes and once again you can go for a week without having to fill. Unless you're not in the jungles of Amazon or with the penguins in the Antarctic, you will easily find a gas station to refuel. Imagine your life in the same way with an electric car.

First you had to recharge your car overnight for 8 hours on the electricity which is generated by burning coal, so much for saving the environment. Expectedly on a Monday morning you are running late for the office and quickly stuff your mouth with a toast and gulp the coffee. Kiss your wife goodbye and rush to the car. Since you're running late you'll need to drive fast to your office, 50 kms away. So where's the problem? The car brochure states a range of 150 kms on a full-charge and this is only 100kms to and fro. However, you did drive fast and hard in the morning so regardless of your driving style in the evening, you will run out of power about 20kms away from home. Weekend getaways will only turn into weekend nightmares if done in an electric car. Your wife will ask you to stop by a river for a few romantic moments but you can't coz if you take the diversion you won't be left with enough power to make it to your destination.

Electric cars have been selling since the time neither me nor my readers were born (not too many Grandpas read this blog) but still there haven't been any appreciable developments. A car named Henney Kilowatt could do 97 kms on a full-charge and reach a top speed of 97km/hr in 1960. More than 45 years later the Tesla Roadster does 300 odd kms on a full-charge and manages a top speed of 200 km/hr. I wonder if this rate of development can even be termed as a development because in real-world the Tesla doesn't come anywhere close to its claimed range.

The Ferrari Daytona (Beautiful car!) in the 1960s could do 270 km/hr and manage about 5 km/litre. The Bugatti Veyron in 2006 could do 408 km/hr and still manage a fuel efficiency of a little above 5 km/litre. Now that is development. The Tesla is by no means an innovation or engineering marvel. It's simply a Lotus Elise which has been stuffed with thousands of laptop batteries. the Veyron on the other hand is the epitome of automotive engineering. Everything for the car was built from scratch unlike the Tesla.

The other disadvantage of electric cars is that you'll find it hard to lose virginity. Just imagine a college guy having an electric car. He goes out for a long drive with a pretty girl. Now obviously the destination would be a pristine location and that would be far away so a couple of hours of driving. Since the distance is long the girl is in mood (probably drunk) she asks for loud music. sadly you can't have the air-con/heater and the music system working together because you need the power to reach your home back. Somehow you make it to the destination and just when things start to get closely interesting you blow it all away! Why? Because if it's hot she would have wanted the air-con to be on while both of them carried out some biology practical in the back seat. But the guy can't switch on the air-con for an hour because if he does that not only will the air-con stop working mid-ways there won't be any electricity left to go back home. This is regardless of the fact that the air-con was anyways ineffective. Quite sadly the guy lost his chance forever since he turned out to be a boring nerd and girls quite obviously don't like it when the going gets too sweaty.

Hybrids are also useless propositions. While they do emit lesser emissions from the tailpipe, overall they damage the environment a lot more and their looks are as good as those of a 50 year old, wrinkled and fat prostitute. The place where batteries for Toyota Prius are made is a dead land and nothing can ever grow on it or survive on it. Many other such components for the prius are shipped from various parts of the world in huge ships and interestingly one container ship pollutes more than 5 million cars in a year. Hard to understand how hybrids save the environment and why aren't such ships the main point of focus rather than cars? There are 8,000 such ships in the world today. An elementary level calculation will tell you whether cars are more serious threat to the environment or such ships and as a matter of fact not even close to 10% regulations exist for the shipping industry when compared with the car industry.

I am not against the replacement of gasoline but like every sane person I want value for my every single penny and the above two options sadly don't offer that. The electric and hybrid car hype is a hype created by politicians and various lobbyists who want to divert from real solutions such as hydrogen and focus on unpractical things and in the process fill their pockets.

All this is done on the back of Global Warming phobia and quite honestly things aren't remotely as bad as portrayed. You know about melting of glaciers since that is what people in power want you to read. No one tells about the new glaciers being formed. Melting of glaciers is a normal process so why has it suddenly become the talking point now? Polar bears have substantially increased in population so why show ads fearing their extinction? Global warming is a globally misinformed hype and people very willingly accept anything fed to them in this regard and very conveniently label any non-believer as a fool. This is simply because sadly most of the humans today accept fear easily and are willing to believe in anything which can cause destruction. Belief in the power to heal and sel-courage is a rarity these days and those who understand this are the ones who feed you with all the information and make you believe what they want to. All this so that their bank accounts multiply every year. For more truth on Global Warming click on the link below and you'll be surprised to know what a fool you've been. Also try and remember that how many articles that told of global warming actually provided proof or evidence. The link below thankfully does that.

http://www.climatescienceinternational.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=1

Oh and in case you're wondering about the girl thing in the car. Well I still stand by it and if you want to learn more about the human body better drive a petrol car. No one likes it sweaty or freezing unless you're a perverted jerk.

I'll leave you with an interesting fact. If Germany manages to achieve its target of having 1 million electric or hybrid cars on the road by 2020, the reduction in greenhouse gases will equate to an inconsiderable 0.1%. Doesn't the world have other issues which are of greater relevance to humans, their lives and their survival?

Homosexuality, is back-door entry better than front or is not being normal better than normal?

2009-07-13T15:50:00.001+05:30

In the recent days there have been loads of debates and even more of arguments on whether scrapping article 377 of the Indian constitution, which criminalises homosexuality is right or wrong. Let's start with the Indian media, a media in a very sorry state of affairs. I wonder everytime when I see a crappy news channel that how on earth could someone hire such a mangled ape who can't even speak his native language even remotely close to what anyone would term as proper. This pathetic media filled with apes, donkeys and a few ageing hyenas somehow finds it very nice to support homosexuality. Well donkeys wouldn't know much about it.

While it must be becoming evident on which side I stand I by any chance am not a supporter of any of the morally degraded babas who are nothing else but cheater cocks and in short cocks. They are always against anything new since they gain publicity but for a change and I think only for once do I and they strangely support a same cause.

To set things straight let me state clearly that homosexuality is not a right to fight for, it is only and only a helplessness and inability which is being portrayed as a right to cover up the deficiencies of some people. I am aware of most of the reasons given in favour of such people. Well firstly this disorder was told to be not natural wnd it honestly isn't. Then came a bunch of homos and their supporters (homos dicreetly) who said "hey look this is absolutely natural and animals have been doing this since the time when man was still the ape that homos are even today". They also got some videos of a few penguins and a few more animals to prove their point. Despite the fact that the percentage of animals practising the back door entry is negligible compared to such elements they proved their point. In short they proved themselves to be animals by setting such benchmarks and saying "hey I'm not wrong because this is what my dog also does". There are a lot more things that animals do so should we adopt them too. God knows where these people want to lead the world to, just to accept their filth. This is really ridiculous. It's like having a Ferrari and crashing on a turn at a mere 100kmph and then saying "oh that's fine, nothing wrong. A Hyundai would have crashed here at the speed of 50kmph". Hah..so much for standards and benchmarks.

Then comes the stupid theory of so called personal choice. This is even more ridiculous. I fail to understand what kind of a man would like to have a back-door entry, gets even worse for women. What do these idiots mean by personal choice. Just because two adults are consenting they should be allowed to screw each other and feel proud about it and then want the society to accept them with open arms. That's exactly what you call a mountain of shit. There are millions of adults who want to have an extra marital affair and that too with both the man and the lady consenting, then why the hell is that bad. Is it because that thing ruins the life of their existing partners and children. What makes you think the same doesn't happen when two men decide to screw each other or two women decide to..umm...anyways let's not get plastic and rubber into the topic. Don't their parents, brothers, sisters, friends and relatives have to go through bad times? If anyone tells me they don't then that person needs to get out of the bed. This is not about India but it is something you will find regardless of the area being US, Europe or Australia.

Many of us support such people only because we think that supporting them will make us look very modern and open-minded and doing the other way around will make us look old-fashioned and orthodox. I'm sorry to say but not everytime 'new' is better than 'old' although it is mostly.

Many people support homosexuality just for their personal benefits. For instance let's talk about a female celebrity named.....oh damn...what was her name..ummmm...googling with keywords such as "unsuccessful, failure, loud-mouth"...ah yes! Celina Jaitley, everyone knows she has got no work and wouldn't have any regardless of what she does so just in order to get some cheap publicity and to remind people that some plasticy and witchy looking person with this name still exists. Some people just do it to look ultra-modern. Soem women do it because they feel safer with gay men rather than normal men. Beyond these there may be..who knows a million reasons but there are only a few foundations for these reasons. The biggest and strongest is that the supporter himself/herself is gay. Second, someone in the immediate family is of similar inclinations. Third, just for quick and cheap publicity and fourth, to prove that one is very modern and 21st century kind of.

I do not want gays to be arrested. How many of them were arrested when the law was in force? It's just that anyone who wishes to do something like this can do it in their privacy but asking for it be accepted by all and being labelled as normal, right and ethical is what I oppose. This is just one law which has been scrapped. In a few years again some heads will po-up demanding for gay marriages to made legal and then something else and on and on and on. It's a never-ending vicious circle that we all are giving birth to.

Just think for yourself. Everyone has front and back door entries in their homes and that is normal but would you consider a house normal only if it has a back-door entry or even worse no entry and you need to use an artificial ladder to get entry. Just imagine having to enter your car from the rear windshield everyday because the doors are of no use are unable to do their job. Please feel free to express your opinions. I would welcome them with an open mind.

Tuners vs supercars - It's your wife vs the Playboy cover girl

2009-06-24T11:45:00.004+05:30

I've come across many half wits who have an annoying habit of always trying to project themselves as super intelligent androids even on subjects which they know about as much as a a wolf knows the taste of a Mc veggie burger.

It is quite entertaining though at times to be with such characters (I'll refer to these people as cocks in this article for the comfort of my readers). I'm sure many of you would agree to this. Despite the fact that the cock's blood contains more of ego cells and irritating cells than RBCs and WBCs, cocks are sometimes fun to talk to and even look at. One such cock who comes to my mind is a guy who had this strong tendency to always argue or start an argument just to try and prove that he knows all that one can about cars and the industry, and I would think to myself and say "Oh no you haven't you alien-looking half wit baboon".

Google, Wikipedia and similar sources are good to read and gain so-called knowledge about things things but what many people fail to realise is that just reading a few websites for a day does not make a cock look like a peacock and even if it does you still remain a cock. If reading a few elementary websites for a couple of days could make anyone an expert then we wouldn't need so many universities and professors. Every second house in Chandni Chowk would have a launching pad on the terrace with technology that NASA could only dream of, most of the men would become gay since women would be too busy inventing every thing from the wheel to the plane in pink and the world would come to an end because every child would drop a nuclear bomb on his buddie's house since he snatched the AK-47 they were playing with.

This brings me to a similar if not exact situation in the world of cars. Most of the cars around the world are built for a specific segment unless it's a Hyunda/Kia because only they understand which insects do their cars look like that they had in their dinner last night. Many half wits claim that their Lancer Evo. Impreza, Supra or a Nissan GT-R can outrun a Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche, McLaren and any other supercar. The reality however is that these cars cannot compete or outrun the supercars. tuners and supercars are two different segments and both cars cater to entirely different needs.

Whilst an Evo or a GT-R can keep up with a supercar on a racetrack it would get completely owned on an open stretch of road. On the track too the Japs can stay close to the lovely backs of the European beauties but try and do this for 40 laps at a go and the Evo will start peeling its body bits off, the Impreza will lie in a tyre wall with cooked brakes and the Supra will probably be on fire. People need to understand that if a heavily modified Evo outruns a Ferrari in a drag race it doesn't prove anything about the two cars. An Evo or Impreza cannot go on full chat for 30 continuous laps but a Ferrai or a Porsche can do that 100 laps and that is what makes them "Supercars" and not rally-based road legal high performance cars.

Tuners are like middle-aged wives, great for living with in the real world day after day and year after year but supercars are more like Salma Hayek and Pamela Anderson. You get to spend time with them sometimes but you know that every moment will provide you with an adrenaline rush higher than what you had a second earlier. A supercar betters all this by sending you into a multi orgasmic zone every time you drive it and allows you to do it over and over again for as long as you wish to.

Of course, very few would like Salma Hayek or Pamela Anderson as wives and even I would be happier with my wife and that too for years but somewhere still there is something in us that makes us want Nicole Smith and Pamela Anderson. You can't have them in your bed everyday and you cannot drive a supercar everyday to your office as well. So who would you like to go out with on a cool Saturday night..your sweet and caring wife or the ravishing and voluptuous Salma Hayek or Pamela Anderson.

I'll leave you with a question....What would you like to drive now on a cool saturday evening....the Evo and Impreza league or the gorgeous Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
If your answer to the first question was your wife then no point n proceeding to the next question.

Women drivers - Laden and America's lost opportunity

2009-06-16T12:13:00.002+05:30

Ever since a woman drove the car for the first time, there have been endless debates on whether women are good drivers or not. Quite expectedly with females involved and being 50% stakeholders any conclusion hasn't been reached upon yet.

However, that wouldn't stop me from adding my two cents to it. Whether it adds fuel to fire or helps making a decision depends on factors which are hard to pen down.

There have been numerous research reports on this subject and everyone seemed to have a stratospherically different result. I personally believe more on insurance claims data. I came across some data by a UK insurance company and found that men had a crash ratio of 5.1 crashes per 100,000 miles (160,000kms) and women were the leaders on this front with 5.76 crashes per 100,000 miles. The initial reaction on seeing the data would be - so what if a woman broke a couple of additional arms and limbs of a pedestrian or a few doors and seats of some car. Yes, it's and expected reaction but the interesting fact that you missed out is that men drive 75% more than women in a year. Oh hell !!, suddenly good ol' ladies living next door seem to be like a murderous vampiress lurking in the dark for her kill, just that the vampiress uses a couple of grams heavy fangs against a 1-2 ton car and that most men would rather be bitten by a seductive vampiress than be mashed to pulp by someone not so pleasant to even look at.

Well not all women drivers are worse. I personally know women who can mop guys off the tarmac whether on a track or on the road. The problem however is that I've personally known only 3 such females in my entire life. Some girls thankfully are devoid of the most common problems other women face, the largest being close to nil reactions. If a vehicle suddenly comes in the path of a car, in 99% cases the time to avoid a collision would be a second or two at the max with the scales tipping south on many occasions. Now a woman driver would in 99% cases waste that time doing this - Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!Oh God (uuiiii maa, mummmyyy in India) and then BANG.

Speed limits are a major issue. Not that they break the limits too often just that most of them in an entire lifetime fail to be at the limit. In a 90 zone 60 in the 2nd lane is something very common and couple that with a phone call underway and you have an oxygen cylinder leaking its gas and running wildly in all directions over the road. Now that's truly scary.

Parking and reversing a car too seem to be a universal problem. Getting in and out of tight spots normally costs 4 bumpers, 4 headlights and 4 backlights. When a learner is required to have a big "L" in red on the front and rear windscreen to indicate that the person is learning and can crash anytime, why aren't women required to have a similar "W" indicating that the car can kill anyone anytime.

But not all is so bad. Everything with a dark side has a bright one too, whether the bright side is any good or not is a different thing. One needs to accept the fact that not many men can drive in the amazing way women do and very few could manage some heroic stunts such as swerving on a highway or coming to an abrupt halt on highways or drive at 45 in a 90 zone, so this means that this is a talent, a talent possessed by women only. And every talent could be put to good and bad use. Well the US could have sent a few drivers in Iraq and all they had to do was to know about the routes Saddam would take a particular day. They could then ask a few undercover female drivers to casually drive on that route on the planned day. Even without letting the females know about the purpose Saddam would inevitably get killed in a road accident. Billions of dollars and thousands of lives could have been saved.

Laden on the other hand could hire some women and place them in the west. Once again inevitably many would get killed and many injured. All this without any bombs or planes and Laden could still live in the open since he wouldn't be known as a terrorist. To make it better he could ask the drivers to use hybrid or electric cars. With very less or no noise no one would know that a car is coming their way. I'm not sure though if hybrids or electrics can ever reach speeds enough to kill humans.

The bottomline is that especially in a country like India, license is one of the easiest government approved document empowering an individual to kill and still not spend even a couple of years in incarceration. The authorities should hence be fair while issuing licenses and conduct exams for both males and females, but females being mandated to buy cars with hands free kit, pass parking and reversing tests and driving small cars first and subsequently being allowed to drive bigger weapons of mass destruction if the previous record is fine.

Koreans not the dumbest, American car industry proves

2009-03-05T16:15:00.005+05:30

Ever since the Genesis was launched, Hyundai seems to be doing everything right. No, please don't jump to conclusions as I said "SEEMS".

The Genesis is undoubtedly the best car to have ever rolled out of a Hyundai assembly line. Not that it beats the BMW and other targeted competitors but this is the closest that Hyundai has managed to come to the level of Europeans.

Now how could Hyundai come close to BMW or Mercedes? Well, the recipe for making a Genesis is not too complicated if you happen to design or make cars for Hyundai, a company whose motto is "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".

When on a drawing board, the designer starts with images of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 5-Series & 7-Series, Infiniti M and a Lexus LS 460. These images are very important for the designing process as Hyundai builds cars to a price and all other cars mentioned here are built to a standard. Once ready with the images the designer takes the face of the Merc, body outlines from the BMW 5-Series and the Lexus and the rear design from the 5-Series and the Infiniti. By the time the designer did all this hard work he was completely exhausted and didn't want to spend more time on modifying the lines a little bit. However, the trunk lines were yet to be drawn so that's where the 7-Series made its contribution to the Genesis design. It appears as if the trunk from the 7-Series was ripped off and bolted on to the Korean car.

Talking about the engineering and technology (I always need to think for long when these terms are associated with Hyundai). Surprisingly though, Hyundai seems to have got the game right in these areas. All the test reports suggest that the Genesis is a decent performer in these areas. In case someone from Mercedes, BMW or Toyota have something missing from the R&D centre, you guys know where to search.

The next model in the Genesis line is a bit more impressive than the elder brother. I'm talking about the Genesis Coupe. A good looking and practical sports car at an attractive price. Sounds perfect eh? The catch is that even though this car won't just break down it really won't do much of what a sports coupe is supposed to do despite the fact that you would buy one(according to the company manual).

Despite the fact that the Genesis is not an original product entirely one can't disagree with it being better than its earlier siblings. There are still many shortcomings in the car but many improvements too. If you are an executive who has just been nudged by the crisis and know about cars as much as Paris Hilton does about IQ and logic then the Genesis is a perfect buy for you.

What has been most impressive about Hyundai is that they have proved themselves not to be the dumbest in the car industry. The ongoing financial crisis has resulted in the Koreans losing their long-held title to the Americans. What they have done in America is truly appreciable and I am not putting anything in brackets to contradict this line.

Three companies(GM, Fo.Mo.Co. and Chrysler), which were born in the USA and have been around for generations have no clue about selling cars today. All this despite them having better brand value and better technology. Hyundai recently announced that if someone buys their car and loses his job to the recession the company will bear the monthly payments for next three months and in case one can't find a job even after that they will come and take away the car. It is a hard to understand but a very bold and sensible move too. Rather than just sitting and begging for money and doing nothing to increase sales it's better to increase sales with such an option along with the risk of paying for people who get laid off. The end result if negative would be same in both scenarios but Hyundai still has a chance because with some luck and constant work they could get to the other side of the crisis using such offers as life jackets.

Regardless of what Hyundai makes or how it does it the most impressive thing about them is that they have dared to think differently. Whether it's been launching big cars at a time when everyone around seems to be screaming"small" or coming out with hard to understand offers, Hyundai has definitely improved in all areas where the Americans have lost ground.

Six months back if anyone suggested me to buy a Korean car I would refuse immediately but if someone suggested me to buy a Korean car today...I would think about it once and then refuse. At least they are making people think once who never even considered them so kudos to them for this.

Using motorcycle brakes

2008-08-19T21:46:00.004+05:30

I know many of you reading this would know how to use the brakes on a motorcyle but there are many other fools who do not know and this goes out for them. A lot has been written about this but I will still add my two cents to it as I came across a few jerks in the past few days, who believe that only the rear brake in a motorcycle should be used to stop it.

They are jerks not because they don't know the truth because they were adamant that using the front brake will only cause the motorcycle to topple off.

For Chris sake, nothing like this would happen unless it's a really bad day or you are an idiot. Even physics supports the fact that using the front brake is better in most conditions than the rear brake. While braking the weight of the bike shifts forward so if only the rear brake is applied the rear wheel becomes light and loses traction, and thereby increases the chances of skidding. On the other hand if you apply the front brake, the weight shifts forward onto the front tyre and thereby increases the grip due to the increased pressure. There's a lot more written about this everywhere on the net. Go and read it.

The ideal proportion to brake on a motorcycle is 70% front and 30% rear but one shouldn't use the same ratio while negotiating a turn. This is something you will learn as a biker with time. Time unfortunately is not much for me so I can't explain all the details.

I hope more morons read this article and learn how to ride a motorcycle.

Yamaha R15...a mean machine or just a hype

2008-08-18T22:07:00.005+05:30

All these days that i have been quite busy, I did manage to find some time to read reviews of the Yamaha R15...by auto journos and buyers both. First things first...to me the R15 just seems to be a hype that is initially raking in moolah just coz of its publicity and consistent ignorance of so called bikers.

Now I don't mean that the bike is not good or a poor performer...it is indeed a potent performer in the 150 cc segment but quite honestly the package is not worth the cost being asked. At close to 1 lakh and 5 thousand on road in Delhi it is a shocker. I know that Yamaha would have infinite reasons to justify the high price tag but in the end if you calculate it in real terms then it's actually a waste of money. I also know that close to 40% of the parts on the R15 are imported so that attracts duty making the price tag higher but didn't Yamaha know all this before? I agree that it isn't fair to expect a 150 cc machine belt out 25 bhp or so as there are many pollution norms in place and those can't be met with such specifications.

My point is that Yamaha could have kept the price tag lower by at least 10-12 grands and then this bike could surely have been worth a look at, mind you even then it would have been only worth a look at for me. I wrote first that I was pretty fine with the price tag but as I learnt more about this bike I found myself wrong and the moment I rode this bike...well I simply decided to pull away anything I wrote in favour of this bike.

Now about the auto journos....well most of them are forced to write further from their thoughts and some of them like to portray themselves as experts. The automotive media went frenzy praising this bike's handling on a track or curves. Now how many of the R15 riders seriously intend to take their bikes to a track!! People staying in the northern, eastern and western parts of the country don't even have a track..Only people from two cities in south have access to a racetrack and maybe the adjoining areas might have an advantage too. The journos keep talking about tracks and now some would say that everyone globally does. Well first go and check how many racetracks does the US, UK or other European countries have. Won't get into much details as these guys have a job to do and they earn primarily through ads so they definitely can't write against any potential sponsor.

About the riding impression - First of all the bike is too small to be close to any sports category. The tank is too small and tyres are too thin. The rear end looks very cheap..in fact Unicorn looks a lot better from the rear. I know that tyre size is not the only instrumental factor in providing grip and the tyres on the R15 are good and an upsize would have surely hurt the non-existent and hyped up performance. BUT if people like to call it a supersport or sports bike then a sports bike does need to have balanced looks from all angles. Unfortunately that is not the case with the R15.

I would surely feel better riding a Pulsar220 or a Karizma coz they are on the outside what they are inside, not imposters like the R15, which is just an ordinary bike that wants to be a sports bike. The bike always gives you a wannabe impression rather than reflecting a true identity.

The performance - Once again this is ok only if you are on a track or a open road and how many times do you get open roads these days? There is hardly anything impressive in the low or the mid-range. The bike surges ahead with confidence only once you are past the 5k rpm mark at the minimum. The top speed is claimed to be 140 km/hr but only if the rider is completely crouched and weighs 60 kg...I tried my best to get it past 135 in neutral winds but the bike just didn't have any juice left in it. The Pulsar 220 does 130km/hr so why the hell would I pay 20 grands more for 5-6 km/hr. Regarding the handling...well give me an Apache RTR Fi and I will show that even round a track there would be hardly anything to choose between the two although the R15 would nudge ahead marginally but only marginally and on the roads the 220, 200 and Zma are quite apt of surprising a R15 provided the rider is a good one.

I just hope that people start understanding bikes rather than just auto magazine articles and advertisements. If your dad is willing to give you more than a lakh of his money to waste on a R15 then let me know. I will tell you far better options than the R15 for more than a lakh rupees. In fact just wait for the Apache RTR with performance mods sue in this year. That bike alone with an additional cost of 5000 for the mods should be good enough to land a punch in the R15's face.

In the end...R15 = all show no go. Hope the riders turn from no brains, no skills to something better in India.

The Ninja 250 on the other hand would be a great value for money package. At a little above then 2 lakh rupees (if sources are right) the baby Ninja should be a really good bike. The acceleration of the Ninja would be unmatched by any car manufactured in India. The top speed at close to 170km/he would be parallel to many c-segment cars. Wait for the Ninja to be launched and the term - Value for Money should get a right synonym in the Indian biking scene. Till then the Pulsar 200/220 and the Apacher RTR are the ones which are the best VFM packages currently on sale in India.

Ford's future plans: A freeway or...

2008-04-17T10:34:00.010+05:30

With America's plastic economy turning soft, industries have been going through a traumatic time for the past few years. Very likely the automotive industry too has suffered. Ford, GM and Chrysler, popularly known as the "Big 3" are currently facing more problems than they could have imagined or can handle. GM has been able to consolidate its operations to some extent. Chrysler's future seems to be the darkest among these three.

Talking about Ford one wonders whether the company is heading in the right direction or rolling backwards in neutral. Obviously this is something hard to predict but then again if I and others don't do it, we will find ourselves very soon in a position like Chrysler and that is a bad thing.

Ford's problems started with it's inability to cope up with the new production techniques and fierce competition from Toyota and Honda. Toyota eventually went on to claim the #1 spot in car sales ahead of GM. Then came the resurrection time for Ford. Fortunately Henry's company took many new steps and implemented many new plans. Unfortunately most of these plans and strategies turned out to be duds. Losses continued to mount, sales kept on falling, share prices became volatile with "low" being an area oftenly visited by them.

Finally the Ford management decided to sell its brands which did not fit into the company's strategy. Away went Aston Martin. Well Ford did need cash and so selling brands made sense but for Chris' sake not Aston Martin. It's hard to know why Aston could not perform well under Ford despite having a steady cash inflow. However, since the day Aston was disowned by a problem ridden father, it has witnessed a significant improvement in all areas including sales.

Then came the turn of Jaguar and Land Rover to go and off they went into the hands of Tata for less than half of the cost they were bought a long time back. Land Rover should not cause any major problems to new daddy, Tata but Jaguar is a concern. Despite making all efforts Ford could not ge Jaguar back in profitability but with the Jaguar XF going on sale, I expect things to turn around the good way. Jaguar on its current footsteps is expected to be profitable by 2009.

Alan Mullaly is now left with just Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Volvo and Mazda to play around with. Mercury's fate does not hold anything good according to me. I see this brand being sold off for peanuts in another year's time or a little longer or probably dying away. The other three brands however have a lot to offer and if the product line-up of Ford hits the bulls eye then it won't be long before the company starts finding its way upwards again.

So let's see if the road ahead is a freeway or not.

1) 2009 end or 2010 may see a new Mustang sporting an all new EcoBoost V6 engine. A 3.5 litre V6 will replace the existing 4.6 litre V8 and still produce more horses at the crank. Not only that the car will also deliver better fuel efficiency, an increase of nearly 2 mpg.

2) A new Fusion slated to be launched in 2010 will again sport an EcoBoost engine. This will be an all-wheel-drive (AWD) car with performance being the prerogative. The new Fusion's will get the 2007 Mondeo's EU Copyright Directive (EUCD) platform replacing the existing Mazda based CD3 platform.

3)Ford will launch a new Escape in 2009. A Lincoln version will be available from 2010.

4) The 2009 Ford Flex and the Lincoln version are also a part of the queue to recieve EcoBoost engines. Details have not yet been revealed but the Flex will need to battle it out with the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, sporting a 3.6 litre V6.

5) Taurus is all-set to get a label of new. Ford however has not yet been able to zero down on a platform. Rumours have it that the Taurus could be based on the D3 architecture or it could turn to the CD3 platform as well. If D3 is ruled out then the platform could probably be sacked. That is because D3 will be left only with the Taurus X and the Lincoln MKS in that case and these models do not have enough volumes to make the platform a cost-effective proposition, especially in the circumstances Ford is in right now. Ford announced this model to be launched by 2009 end but with the platform still not being in place, I see a 4-6 months delay in he launch.

Ford is betting big time on its newly developed EcoBoost engine. Apart from being compact this engine also provides more power while delivering better fuel-effiiciency and lower emissions at the same time.

The product line-up seems to be good on the paper. Honestly it sounds quite promising to me. But to say anything certain about anything in America is pretty tough now. Who had expected Ford to be in this condition 10 years back, but it happened. Hoping for the best I believe that Henry's legacy will soon make a turn around and although it may not leap frog the stairs but it will certainly crawl its way up.

Superbikes in India

2008-03-19T13:10:00.005+05:30

With Yamaha having launched its R1 and MT-01 in India, bikers have a lot to rejoice. The slow and mundane Indian biking scene seems to be picking up speed. Going further Honda and Suzuki also plan to bring their flagship models to India. Even the Italians...yes the Italians will start selling dreams in India in a few years. MV Agusta has already confirmed that and Ducati is in the planning stages.

With so many developments happening bikers in India surely have many reasons to celebrate. But, and for me its a very loud BUT....is everything really going in the right direction? I don't think so. Now one may wonder why a bike afficionado like me would think like that. Hell most of you would think I have lost it completely like the Chinese. But how many of us have tried to look beyond the rosy picture of all these machines coming in here?

The first and the biggest problem I see is safety which is and will continue to be compromised due to the Govt officials. People need to understand that "Riding a superbike is nowhere similar to riding a Splendor, Discover or even the bigger Pulsars or Karizma". But Indians since we are, so we are conditioned to believe that if one can ride a Splendor, he can ride a Ducati as well. 6 out 10 riders on the road think themselves to be better than anyone else and the remanining 3 think themselves to be better than Valentino Rossi. The problem starts when such people start buying superbikes.

With the Indian economy booming and the real estate market overshooting the Earth's ozone layer, many illiterate and ignorant people have become millionaires. Many such live examples can be found in and around Delhi. The problem I have with these guys...Well here they are

1) These guys have no sense of riding any bike, be it a Yamaha R1 or a Pulsar. All that maters to them is racing on the streets.

2) They are the ones who spoil the image of bikers by getting aggressive on the streets and trouble innocent people in the process.

3) They wear kurta pyajamas and sandals while riding a Yamaha R6 as I saw the other day. Helmets are an inconvinience to them as they think the girls will be impressed by their looks.

These people are not bikers but simply imposters who don't have an identity of their own. They don't ride motorcycles to enjoy the connection between man and machine but just to flaunt to the people that they have got sacks filled in their home with black money. These ignorant fools are not only a risk to themselves but to others on the streets as well. The streets are not meant to check whether a bike can cross 250 or 300 kmph. However the sole motive of these people is to test the top speed from the very moment the bike leaves the showroom.

Spoiled brats from rich families also pose the same problems to the society. Getting a license is one of the easiest things to manage in India when it comes to getting your work done in a Govt department. When such fools falter on high-capacity machine it's game over in most cases. Such an incident occurred recently on the DND flyover in Noida where the rider and the pillion died on the spot when their litre bike went out of control and hit the side-walls.

The licensing authority of India should install a system for such machines where a rider would be required to pass theoretical and practical tests before being able to ride these bikes. If it were only these fools to die, it was ok but why should innocent people who drive properly become a victim of these idiots' acts. I don't see any reason for their family mourning over their beloved's death because of some moron rich bloke on a superbike.

As the saying goes that social service starts at your home first, everything cannot be left to the Govt. Parents of rich kids and ignorant fools who became rich by selling lands should think over it that are they really ready to handle a machine which does a power wheelie even at speeds of 150 kmph if the throttle is opened instantaneously.

I have always said and still maintain that 90 out of 100 riders in India don't know a cent about riding motorcycles. Till date there are morons who think that only the rear brake should be used for stopping the bike coz if the front brake is used the bike will toppple over. Superbikes will continue to come in India and the companies can't be blamed for it as they do all that they can. But if these machines continue to get into the hands of such fools then our roads are at the mercy of God only.

Getting a superbike is like a dream come true and I understand that but all I want to convey is that before getting your hands on such a machine just prepare yourself to handle it properly and keep the safety of other people in mind. Last but not the least, while riding a superbike PLEASE do not wear pyajama kurta. Safety gears are easily available all over the country. If you can't get one let me know and I will arrange it. And do not ride a sports bike wearing a local helmet bought from the road-side vendor. get a good lid and by a good one I mean the ones which cost Rs 3000 upwards. An ISI mark Rs 1000 helmet will prove useless when you crash at a speed of 220 kmph.

Ride safe and burn the roads not incense sticks on photo frames in your and someone else's home.

So my take on this scenario is that Superbikes in India have arrived at the right time but in the wrong way. Hope some improvements take place before too much damage is done.

Major car making countries -Part 2

2008-02-15T13:31:00.008+05:30

Now that some people have agreed and some people have cursed me for the part-1, I think its time to start with part-2 of this series.

P.S. In case you haven't read the part-1 of this series then please do that first so that you can be able to link the story. The article below this one is the first part.

In part-1 I had briefly written about car making countries and their strengths and blunders. Well it's time to get a lot more descriptive on how good or bad these countries are when it comes to making performance-oriented cars. I will herein not talk about Britain, Sweden, France, China and India since what I have written before sums up most of the facts for them. So let the revs build up.

America : Previously I had mentioned that America is good only for muscle cars and nothing else and I still stand by that. So are the muscle cars really good then since the burger land has a specialization in that. Well...sadly no and that's a big, loud NO. See the thing is that from the moment you set your eyes on these cars, it looks as if they can intimidate anything and everything on the road unless its a tank and that is actually a good thing. Take a look at the spec sheet and one feels that the car has really got some serious muscle under the hood. Look at the cost and it's like "oh great that's less than half of any Lambo or Porsches and still more power.

Unfortunately the picture is great only till this moment. Err. slight correction, even when you get into the car and have a look at the interiors the picture is good. Fire the engine and floor the pedal and the picture is still great, not just good. The acceleration just shoves your spine in the seat and your adrenaline glands start working at twice their production capacity. All this till the time the road is straight. Try and be brave over a curve and its time for your heart and the adrenaline to stop. Some American cars will have so much understeer that the car is not in the desired angle even after going wide and hitting a tree else the rear will spin out so easily that onlookers will start wondering which direction are you driving in.

Yes there are exceptions like the Ford GT 40 but sadly again that is the only exception and the only proper performance car or supercar the burger land has ever built. That this also was accidental is evident by the fact that later versions which should have been faster, better, sharper turned out to be the worst ones. The GT 70 and then the confused looking GT 90 were pure blunders despite Ford having access to better technology. Even the original epic GT40 was actually not built by Americans. It was built by Ford's British division when Henry Ford wanted to buy Ferrari and Enzo pulled out so Henry ordered his British division to make a Ferrari crushing car and the Brits did it, not the Americans. Other car like the Mustangs, Vipers, Camaros, Chargers just look good and are good drag machines, nothing else than that.

The Corvette...well what do I say about a car which claims to be a supercar and uses leaf-springs!!! Some say that GM is not foolish enough to use leaf-springs if they are not good. So are all the other car manufacturers mad to be using modern suspension systems in their cars? About reliability and build quality...I won't even talk about that. Its so greatly disastrous that I really cant explain that.

Now many people say that Americans can't make good cars. Well....NO...If they can make the best space-shuttles, fastest planes, missiles and other million things which are technologically way more advanced than cars then cars should not be a problem. But the thing is that Americans' idea of "good" is quite different from the rest of the world. To them only the things which are big and have big effects are good. Just like their food (big ham-burgers and sausages), their health (really big overblown tummies) and stuff like that and that's why all that matters to them is big cars which mostly turn out to be disastrous. Fortunately though the turmoil in the American automotive industry is forcing the burger land people to shift to smaller cars and the car companies too are finally learning pretty fast from the Europeans and Japs. Wanna know how? Chrysler recently tested some of its new models on the Nurburgring and then worked on improving the handling till the cars could lap the track in a respectable time. At least they learn to use testing for making cars.

Germany: The story began with a sketch by Hitler to make a people's car (The VW Beetle) and fortunately with time the story just got better. The Germans today are known for making some of the best cars in the world.

From luxury to performance, you name it and they make it and they don't just make it they also excel in it. Pick any German brand and they have a unique identity in the car-making business. Porsche have retained the same design for 911 since the time I wasn't even born but catch a glimpse of any 911 today and it still looks fresh and soothing to the eyes. Its a perfect car in every sense.

BMW offers the best of luxury saloons but it ain't no dud either when it comes to performance. Take the M3 out for a spin on a track and it will blow-away any Mustang or Viper. Audi showed it to the world with the R8 that supercars need not be excessively powerful or unpractical and that supercars can also be efficient. The only negative which can be said about German cars is that they seem to be so perfect and so mechanical and so complete that at times the fun-factor is missing but still no one in the world can beat Germans in terms of build-quality.

Italy: Like sex isn't comlete without a woman (I meant the normal people, not the mentally-ill ones) and a celebration isn't complete without champagne, motoring isn't complete without Italians. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Fiat...the mere mention of these names sends one into a world of beauty, passion, perfection, refinement and all the good things in the world.

Italians don't just make or manufacture cars, they craft them and there is a world of difference between a product and an art masterpice . Like the Americans, Italians can make their cars go fast in a straight line but unlike them and quite surprisingly for Americans, Italian cars can turn by rotating the steering wheel without hitting a tree!!!, and that too at speeds which Americans find to be fast in straight lines. Unlike American cars they manage to look pretty too. Let me tell you how..To say that a Dodge Viper and a Chevrolet Corvette standing besides a Ferrari F430 and a Lamborghini Gallardo look better is like saying Venus Williams and Serena Williams look better than Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley when standing together. I know that looks are subjective but for those whose looks are sooooo subjective.. Well the governments in almost all countries these days provide free cataract check-up camps. Please visit one soon..

If someone finds the car in green to be better-looking then please do quickly what I have written just above the pictures.

Japan: The saviours of the people who can't afford European cars but still are not willing to compromise on safety, performance, handling, looks.

Japanese companies are quite good at making all-round packages and in fact they have also taught a lot to the entire automotive industry about the production techniques. Japanese cars are generally very light on your pocket as well as the environment. But that doesn't make them ugly like a Dodge Viper, or slow as a Ford Escort or technologically bland like the Corvette or a complete dead duck like a Hyundai.

Japanese cars have all the good things in just the right quantity. Reliability is a hallmark for them. By the time their neighbours' cars( Hyundai and Kia) have got their major engine parts changed more than twice and are going to or have landed into the junkyard the Japanese cars don't even require the clutch plates to be changed. The only area where the Japanese cars lack is that when you are driving an Italian, German or some European car, you can feel as if you are communicating with your car, as if the car has a heart and a soul of its own and Japanese cars lack just this bit but that still doesn't take away any credit from them for the commendable contributions they have made to the automotive industry.

Korea: Have you ever heard a saying- "Korean Efficiency"? Well I just made it and its absolutely false, rubbish and pointless so forget it and never use it unless you want to tell the world "Hey look, I am an ass".

The problem with Koreans is that they always try and make cars which have a little of everything good but unlike the Japs their cars turn out be a lot of everything bad. Reliability is a problem, spare costs is a problem, technology is a problem so what else is left then. I tried hard to find a major automotive invention done by the Koreans but failed to find one. In case anyone knows one please let me know about it. Performance wise......thinking.....thinking.....thinking.....still thinking.....forget it. No point in trying to think about something non-existent.

In the concluding stages of this article I would like to point it out that the reason why I have mostly made comparisons to American cars is because it annoys me that despite having the ability to make great cars they just don't want to and the industry is paying a price today for this callousness. I didn't make much comparisons to the Koreans because they just don't seem to have what it takes to make good cars, leave alone great cars. Expecting Koreans to make good cars is like expecting a failed art student to straightaway jump in the cockpit of a Stealth bomber and go and bomb Iraq and bring the plane back in one-piece. The day this happens, the Koreans would have made a car better than BMW and Audi and not just that. I will also go and buy myself a Korean car then.

Major car-making countries-Which great and which worse

2008-02-08T14:57:00.001+05:30

Cars have always been an object of passion and desire for millions across the globe and so it would be a good idea to sum up the major car manufacturing forces and compare them and then decide who's the big Daddy. This will be a two part review. The first will give a brief introduction about the contenders and the second will be the deciding one in detail. So let us first have a look at the contenders:

America : Pure muscle cars and sadly nothing else at all.

Germany: A mix n match of all good things but the end result is always a technologically advanced car.

Italy: Italy to the car-making business is what cleavage is to a woman's beauty.

Britain: Classic cars but sad that none of the British marques is owned by Britain anymore.

Japan: Practical cars with all essential ingredients in the right amount. Low price is the USP along with reliability but the soul is still missing.

France: They always made good cars but somehow didn't or couldn't make great cars. That was until the Veyron arrived.

Sweden: Safest cars in the world but when I say that I am not including the Koeniggsegg.

China: Hard to differentiate between solely Chinese made cars and cheap old hookers.

India: Still a long way to go but on the right track though.

Korea: Will sombody ask these suckers to stop making cars. Well seriously I don't want that as many lives would be affected but I wish my desire could come true without harming or affecting anyone. Maybe these people will someday learn to at least design a car, leave alone making one.

Part 2 to hit your screens very soon.....Till then enjoy your drive and ride but be safe..Cheers.

The fastest V-Twin and Ducati still won't stop

2008-02-05T10:19:00.000+05:30

The original Ducati 1098 belted out 160 bhp and was the fastest v-twin made by Ducati but....Italian since they are so they had to follow it with a better and quicker version and so came along the 2008 Ducati 1098R.

Now this bike ain't another version with better aesthetics and a teeny weeny bit more power. This is the world's fastest production v-twin bike. Let's take a look at some biblical figures. 1198cc....good, 180 bhp....wow, 165kgs.....WTF!!!, race exhaust kits....isn't that sufficient....traction control....who says I can't beat Rossi. 'Nuff said, if you happen to own this bike by any chance then don't waste your time reading things on the web. Go to some track and spend the entire day kissing. I meant corner kissing but make sure you don't end up kissing the tarmac.

Ok dreams apart, this bike is definitely a stunning machine and it's been long since bikers around the world have been searching a successor to the iconic 998. Well, I think the search ends here.

The 1098R sports the highest torque-to-weight ratio in the sport bike segment. There's a lot of techno wizardry that has gone into this beast. It comes with all the unique features of the 1098S and also sports some additional ones like sand-cast crankcases, titanium valves, TTXR rear suspension and a lot lot more. All these add-ons actually reduce the weight and produce an additional 20bhp at the crank. An add-on racing exhaust increases the output by 6 more horses but that seems to be underrated coz sources have confirmed that on previous occasions Ducati claimed 192bhp with the exhaust. This exhaust however is intended only for track use. In fact the 1098R lapped the Misano track in Italy a complete second quicker than the Desmo RR. And about the looks...well don't tell me any Jap bike even comes close to this graceful Italian styling.

A lot has been said and a lot will be said about this bike. I however believe that with the 1098R Ducati has already gifted the world it's best production sports bike. This is not just a fast motorcycle, it's a machine, no it's THE machine which can bring out the best of a rider's skills and biking emotions.

For complete details about the bike read the Ducati press release below and don't forget to view the video of this bike. The sound is simply mindblowing. I haven't heard a better soundtrack in ages and the best part is that the Japs don't even come close to it. In fact no one can match the finesse of Italians.

Press Release:

DUCATI 1098 R

The lightest, most powerful twin-cylinder bike ever and true competition-level traction control system supplied as standard for maximum track performance.

The 1098 R is the ultimate Superbike. The most advanced, most powerful twin-cylinder motorcycle ever built, with the highest torque-to-weight ratio in the sport bike category. It is the product of a team of designers and engineers focussed on one objective only – to win.

The 'R' is a race bike, pure and simple. Its competition specification and superior components together with advanced electronics and race-proven chassis technology deliver a level of performance that empowers you with confidence and capability.

World Superbike rule changes mean that the road-going 'R' version is closer than ever to the factory race bike. The 1098 R is not a replica - it's the real deal. An incredible 180 hp L-Twin Testastretta Evoluzione engine in a race-winning Trellis chassis set-up tips the scales at an unbelievably lightweight 165 kg (364 lbs) and comes with a race kit that introduces Ducati Corse's world championship winning traction control system.

Once again, Ducati raises the bar and sets the world standard for sport bikes while turning the heads and racing the hearts of enthusiasts throughout the world.

1098 Technology: Trademark Ducati features like the high tail section, compact front end, twin under-seat silencers and single-sided swingarm are just some of the features that turned the 1098 models into an instant award-winning success. When launched in November 2006, the 1098 and 1098 S introduced a number of 'firsts' for Ducati and production sport bike design. It was the first production motorcycle to have the amazing stopping power of Brembo Monobloc brakes, the first to have a data acquisition system integrated as standard equipment and the first to use an ingenious construction method for its weight-saving single-sided swingarm. More 'firsts' for a road-going Ducati included the direct application of MotoGP technology, like the power producing GP6-derived elliptical throttle bodies and the use of the information-rich instrumentation originally developed for the World Championship-winning Desmosedici GP7.

The 'R' version of the 1098 is not only the flagship of the Superbike family, but also the platform on which the very latest Ducati Corse technologies are expressed in street bike form. The 1098 R takes all the original 1098 features, reduces weight even further and adds an extra 20 horsepower, traction control, sand-cast crankcases, titanium valves and con-rods, TTXR rear suspension and much more to produce the most awesome performance ever seen in this category.

The 1098 R comes with a race kit, which is intended for track use only, boosting power output from 180 to approximately 186 hp. The kit consists of a 102dB carbon fibre slip-on muffler kit by Termignoni and a dedicated ECU. The ECU not only has reconfigured mapping to suit the racing mufflers, but also initiates the system dialogue that controls the DTC (Ducati Traction Control) system. The 1098 R is the first ever production bike to be fitted with a true competition-level traction control.

1098 R Testastretta Evoluzione power
The 1098 R engine represents the finest twin-cylinder technology in the world. It produces 180 hp (132.4 kW) @ 9,750 rpm and 99.1 lb-ft (13.7 kgm) of brute torque @ 7,750 rpm in standard mode and an astonishing 186 hp when using the supplied race kit, which is intended for track use only.

The specification of this engine underlines its no-compromise race technology. To help contain the massive 'R' power output, the crankcases and cylinder heads have been sand-cast produced, a process that improves the molecular quality of the casting, increasing strength while ensuring that intricate shapes are achieved with absolute accuracy. Confirming the 1098 R's race specification by minimising weight and increasing performance, the crankshaft connecting rods are made in titanium saving 130 g over the stock 1098 rods while reducing their reciprocating forces and improving crankshaft acceleration. Cam belt covers moulded in carbon fibre and cam covers cast in magnesium alloy complete the lightweight package. The result is a weight saving of 5.6 kg (12.34 lbs) over the 999 R engine and 2.2 kg (4.8 lbs) less than the 1098.

The increased capacity of 1198.4 cc is the product of a larger bore and stroke of 106 x 67.9 mm and is fed through four titanium valves per cylinder and compressed to a ratio of 12.8:1. The valves, which are chrome nitride (CrN) coated, have been increased in diameter by approximately 5% to 44.3 mm for the inlet and 36.2 mm for the exhaust. They are actuated by rocker arms that are super-finished for reduced friction and fatigue, and double overhead camshafts with radical profiles that achieve approximately 16% more lift than the standard 1098.

These incredible valve performances are only possible because of Ducati's unique Desmodromic system, where valve closure is activated mechanically. At high rpm it would be almost impossible for the valve to follow the steep closure profile of the cam lobe if it were relying upon a normal valve spring, but with the Desmo system the valve is mechanically closed with the same accuracy as it is opened, enabling steep cam profiles and radical cam timings. This system is used on every single Ducati motorcycle including the world-beating Desmosedici MotoGP bike.

The pistons utilise the same design developed for the Desmosedici in the Ducati MotoGP program by using a distinctive double-ribbed undercrown to achieve high strength with minimal piston wall surface area and, therefore, less friction. In this way, the 106 mm RR58 alloy components are able to operate reliably at high rpm while delivering incredible performance.

The 1098 R elliptical throttle bodies have been increased 6.5% in size compared to the 1098, a diameter now equal to 63.9 mm. For the first time on a road-going Ducati, twin injectors are used on each cylinder. The first centrally mounted injector feeds through a 4-hole nozzle while the second offset injector feeds through a 12-hole nozzle ensuring progressive and fluid power delivery throughout the rev-range. With this configuration the system has the capacity to provide much heavier fueling when used in competition.

The gearbox shares the same ratios as the 1098 and 1098 S, except for 3rd, 4th and 6th gear, which has a higher ratio so as to be able fully exploit the speed gained from the supplied race kit or additional performance modifications. Also with performance in mind and because of its high resistance to fatigue, the gears are machined from the same high-strength steel used in Ducati Corse race applications with 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th gears being subjected to a shot-peening treatment that further ensures their strength and reduced fatigue. The dry, multiplate 'slipper' clutch reduces the destabilising effect of aggressive downshifting and helps provide the fine control required when used under extreme track conditions.

The 2-1-2 exhaust system, which complies with Euro 3 emission standards, is formed in 52 mm-57 mm diameter tubing with a wall thickness of 0.8 mm (.030 in) and terminates with Ducati's trademark twin under-seat mufflers beautifully formed in super lightweight titanium and stainless steel.

Chassis
The 1098 R chassis and suspension components are the results of detailed study and a performance first priority approach to development. The goal was to achieve even more weight saving while building in strength and rigidity to manage the incredible power of the new 180 hp engine. The result is an impressive 16 kg (35 lbs) overall vehicle weight reduction compared to the 999 R and an impressive 6 kg (13 lbs) over the already lightweight 1098 S.

Trellis frame
Developed in cooperation with Ducati Corse, the 1098 R Trellis frame features main section tubes in ALS 450 with a diameter of 34 mm and 1.5 mm thickness to achieve a total weight of just 9 kg (19.8 lbs) and an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio. Race-proven with hundreds of victories, the Trellis design remains the chosen engineering solution by Ducati Corse and a feature of every Ducati motorcycle.

Front subframe
As with all the models in the Superbike family, the front subframe is produced in magnesium alloy to reduce the weight to just 0.61kg (1.3 lbs). While its construction ensures secure, rigid support for the headlamp, instruments and fairing, the weight-saving around this high, forward position contributes considerably to overall 'feel' and control of the machine.

Rear subframe
Underlining its competition intention, the 1098 R is designed as a true 'monoposto' with no provisions to carry a passenger. By producing the rear subframe in aluminium alloy it has enabled a 50% weight reduction (compared to biposto models) to 1.3 kg (2.8 lbs).

Single-sided swingarm
The 1098's unique single-sided swingarm is made up of main operational components in aluminium castings so as to ensure strength around the pivot points, wheel hub and suspension links, with fabricated aluminium sections used to fuse the construction into a single, beautifully engineered component. For the 'R' model, the swingarm is finished in black to denote its racing status as well as to contrast sharply against the 'racing gold' wheels.

Rear Suspension
Working together with the single-sided swingarm and an efficient linkage is a fully adjustable Öhlins TTXR single shock. Used for the first time on a Ducati production bike,this exclusive shock gives top performance while enabling considerable weight-saving over similar components produced with traditional technology.

The TTXR uses twin tube technology and offers totally separate damping adjustment in compression and rebound. It uses experience gained in MotoGP to minimise friction and reduce the risk of cavitation under extreme conditions. A vitally important feature of the rear suspension system is the ability to adjust rear ride height independent of spring pre-load and other suspension settings, critical when seeking the perfect set-up for personal riding style or track conditions.

Front Suspension
The front the of new 1098 R boasts fully adjustable 43 mm Öhlins with low friction Titanium Nitride sliders feature radial Monobloc caliper mountings. The unique look of these mountings further endorses the no-compromise racing specification of the 1098 R. The Öhlins set-up offers superior road holding, delivers precise feedback, and enables every rider to be more confident and in control. The Öhlins package is completed with a control-enhancing, fully adjustable steering damper.

Control
Brembo Monobloc calipers
The 1098 R is also equipped with Brembo's Monobloc caliper racing technology. The M4 calipers use four 34 mm pistons and two large surface pads for maximum stopping power. The calipers are machined from a single piece of alloy compared to the bolt-together construction of conventional ones. The Monobloc design has much higher rigidity and resistance to distortion during extreme braking and gives a much more precise feel at the brake lever. The massive 330 mm discs and Monobloc caliper technology combined with the legendary stability of Ducati's Trellis frame and the 1098 R's lightweight 165 kg (364 lbs) now makes world championship level brake performance available for the road.

Super lightweight wheels
One of the most effective ways to improve the handling and performance of a motorcycle is to reduce its unsprung weight by using superior lightweight wheels. The 1098 R uses lightweight Marchesini Y-shaped spoke wheels created from forged then machined alloy and finished in 'racing gold'. Both front and rear wheels achieve a lower moment of inertia and unsprung weight to enhance the 1098 R's change of direction and braking performance.

Fairing and finish
Wind-tunnel development has enabled excellent aerodynamic penetration, allowing the rider to take a perfect racing stance, effortlessly. Great care has been taken in the design of the air supply ducts so to ensure efficient air-flow through radiator and oil coolers as well as provide ample air delivery to the airbox feeding the powerful Testastretta Evoluzione engine. The fairing belly-pan, tank lower side panels, seat assembly and front fender in carbon fibre are contributing factors to the overall performance of the machine.

In true 'R' style, the red bodywork sports white background number plates on the tail section and nose fairing. The front and rear Marchesini wheels are finished in 'racing gold', exactly the same as the F08 official factory race bikes and the fairing belly-pan, front fender and side panels are left in a contrasting natural carbon fibre finish.

Finally, the small red, white and green tricolore graphic, neatly shaped between the twin headlamps in the nose fairing, proudly underlines the Italian design, style and precision race engineering of this motorcycle.

Electronics
Instrumentation
Desmosedici-style digital instrumentation is taken from Ducati's MotoGP World Championship winning GP7 project. This pure racing, minimalist solution has no switches or buttons to compromise its clean lines. Instead, information additional to the default read-out is managed by handlebar-mounted switch gear, allowing the rider to scroll through and select from various menus. The default read-out presents rpm and speed, with the former displayed across the screen in a progressive bar graph. Optionally, the rpm and speed can be displayed in numeric values. The instrument display also doubles as a control panel for the activation of the data acquisition system as well as listing lap times recorded by using the high-beam flash button as a stopwatch. For the 1098 R, fitting of the race kit initiates dialogue between the race kit ECU and the display to activate the DTC (Ducati Traction Control).

Traction control
For the first time ever on a production motorcycle, a true competition-level traction control system comes integrated into the 1098 R electronics as standard equipment. Activated by fitting the race kit ECU, which is designed to be used with the race mufflers and so intended for track use only, the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) system is accessible via the digital instrument display and offers eight levels of control.

The DTC is the same system developed and used by Ducati Corse for their world championship winning MotoGP and World Superbike projects and offers a choice of eight profiles developed by professional racers. Each profile has been programmed with a wheel-spin tolerance matched to progressive riding levels of skill and confidence from one to eight. Underlining the fact that this is a professional system intended strictly for track use only by competent riders, profile eight has been developed by the official Ducati MotoGP test rider, Vittoriano Guareschi.

Choose the profile that best suits the track conditions and riding style and, upon activation, front and rear wheel sensors compare speed differential to sense when rear traction is being broken (wheel-spin). Using exactly the same software logic developed and used by Ducati Corse, instant electronic adjustment to the ignition advance or a pattern of 'spark cuts' initiates immediate control over power output so as to restore traction at the rear wheel before re-establishing normal power delivery. In this way, DTC provides an incredible advantage during mid-corner acceleration.

Once again Ducati raises the bar for the sport bike category by transferring its MotoGP race technology into production.

Data acquisition
Supplied with the 1098 R, the Ducati Data Analyser (DDA), which includes PC software, a USB-ready data retrieval card and instructions, enables owners to review and analyse the performance of the bike and its rider, and make comparisons between various channels of information.

Normally used on race bikes only, the system records numerous channels of data including throttle opening, vehicle speed, engine rpm, engine temperature, distance travelled, laps and lap times. The system also automatically calculates engine rpm and vehicle speed data so as to also display gear selection as an additional channel of information. At the end of a ride or track session, up to 2 mb (approximately 3.5 hours) of data can be downloaded to a PC ready to compare, analyse and get an inside view of the performance of both the rider and the 1098 R.

Data can be analysed in graphic form with options to zoom into detail of specific sections. Dragging a trace along a timeline to reveal individual values of the above listed channels enables the user to analyse performance in the same way that data technicians are able in factory teams.
Further information are available http://www.ducati.com/en/bikes/my2008/FamilyPage.jhtml?family=Superbike

Life saving helmet

2007-12-14T15:39:00.000+05:30

Few days back I had a nasty crash on my motorcycle. Luckily I came out unscathed but the bike's entire front end was finished. Repairing costed in excess of 18k. The incident happened due to a silly cycle-rickshaw but will write abou that in detail some other time. The main thing is that after colliding with the rickshaw and losing control I went and hit a pavement head-on and I am writing this post today only because I was wearing a helmet. Had it not been the case the previous article would have been the last one of this blog as the force of the impact was so high that my sporty red helmet cracked. Imagine what would have happened to my skull in a helmet's absence.

I once again urge to everyone reading this blog to always wear a helmet while riding a two-wheeler even if it is for short distances because accidents always come unexpected. Some people feel the helmet to be a burden on their head but bearing that burden is way better than letting your family bear the burden of your dead body. The choice is entirely yours coz its your life and you need to decide what is better - unexpected death, permanent disability or LIFE.

2007 Honda commercial

2007-11-13T14:18:00.000+05:30

Hey guys. Check out the new Honda commercial. A really good commercial and quite retro too. I really liked the way it has been picturised.

Motorcycles going the four-wheeled way

2007-11-05T11:24:00.001+05:30

For long we have been riding motorcycles with two wheels and most of us love riding them till date. But not long ago Piaggio introduced the MP3. No its not music related. Its a bike which has three wheels!! Yes two in the front and one at the back. That certainly added to the handling aspect in a positive manner. Now Yamaha has gone a step further and added another wheel. Yes a four-wheeled motorcycle!!

So is this a wheel-adding competition? No nothing like that and I dont think there will be any five or six wheeled motorcycle for a long time to come. The motorcycle in discussion here is the Yamaha Tesseract.

Unlike its conventional two-wheeled counterparts the Tesseract has four and they work really well. But then can we really term this as a motorcycle coz technically anything with four-wheels is not a bike. Well Yamaha wants to say so so we will accept it for now.

This motorcycle is a hybrid, featuring a V-Twin gasoline engine and an electric motor as well. So depending on the mood one can switch fuel alternatives and experience two entirely different experiences on a single machine.

Now many of you must be thinking that has the fun of leaning into a curve gone into the bin with this bike. Well the answer is fortunately no coz the Tesseract can very well lean into a corner and in fact do it better than two-wheeled motorcycles. Now how does this bike work. Well that would call in for a very big explanation which at the end of the day won't help so I will let the video do the explanation job.

After watching the video you must be thinking what happens to the suspension when stopping or parking. Well it can be locked upright so that wont be a problem for the rider. The suspension has been named "Dual-Scythe". The bike is still a concept so no surity about it getting the approval to hit the streets. But one thing is for sure that I would definitely like to ride this kind of a motorcycle on a long-trip.

Italian missile

2007-09-13T20:20:00.001+05:30

So how does a company make a car go faster? Well plonk in a bigger engine or tune the existing engine to produce more power, stretch the rev band, make some changes to the chassis and the faster car is ready. But but but Ferrari does it in a better way. So now that we know that Ferrari is the company behind this speed hunger, why would any company make an existing road-burning machine go faster and how would it do that?

Ahem..Ferrari is the company who did it. They did it because they can. So say hello to the new and insanely fast Ferrari F430 Scuderia.

As if the F430 wasnt fast enough, Ferrari have gone ahead and put this monster on testesterones. They have shaved a whopping 100 kilograms off the F430's 1350 kg. They have tuned the monstrous engine to prduce 27 bhp more than the original 483 bhp engine of the F430, which gives the Scuderia a stratospherical power of 510 bhp at 9,000 rpm. Now with the lighter weight and increased power this prancing horse sports an amazing power to weight ratio of 378bhp/tonne! Hey don't start dreaming. Open your eyes. Ther's more to it. Ferrari have also added a new free-flow exhaust which they claim to sound better. Now have I ever heard of anyone complaining about the engine note of a Ferrari.

After all the stupendous increase in power how could Ferrari afford to be left behind on techno-wizardry. The Scuderia is a step closer to an F1 car. It gets a revised drivers-aids package, coming from the 599GTB Scaglietti. The gear shifts are quicker than the F430. Overall its a right step in every direction and considering Ferrari's expertise in the handling department ther is hardly anything to discuss of.

The interiors are all black loaded with carbon-fibre sporting a beautiful cluster of metres and LED lights on the steering. From the moment you set your sights on the car to the moment you drive it, the overall experience is simply intoxicating.

Although words seem inadequate to describe this superb Italian effort, I will still go ahead and describe it one word and the only word which comes to my mind and suits the car to my understanding is "BIBLICAL".

Being a woman rider in India..Easy or not?

2007-08-29T15:53:00.001+05:30

Few years back if anyone would see a girl riding a motorcycle, it would be something out of this world especially for men. People around the locality would keep discussing the sight of a woman rider for the rest of the week. Some would instantly start with their comments (better expressed as tippani) and try to prove that a girl is not supposed to be riding a bike and many other things. But people are changing with time and today the scenario is a better one. Most of us would not have their jaws dropping to the floor on seeing a female rider. Instead of coming out with tippanis most of the men would appreciate the girl for her guts and determination to break free from the silly, orthodox and pathetic thought process of our society. So now with more and more girls getting onto the saddle of a motorcycle, the question arises that are women really good riders?

Well I personally feel that there is nothing wrong or unusual with a woman riding a bike. It’s just that our male dominated Indian society does not want women to be independent as ego fuels their lives more than food, water or air. Most of the educated male lot of India would not mind a girl riding a bike or comment on her viability as a rider. I have come across few girls who ride motorcycles and trust me girls ain’t no chicken when on the tarmac. Back in Jaipur, I knew a girl who rode a Pulsar 180 and she used to beat the living daylights out of guys trying to race her. Hell she could even pull off better stoppies then I could manage at that time. So skill is not an issue here because there is no such theory which proves that men are born with the skill to ride bikes and women have to earn it on earth. But still women face certain challenges while riding a bike. So what are these challenges and how do they affect women?

First of all i wilI highlight some physical aspects which do matter.

Women generally face the difficulty of finding the right bike to suit their short height.. To ride a bike comfortably I feel that one should be at least 5ft 6 inches. Now the average height of girls, especially in India is lower less than this which sort of limits the shopping cart for women. A 5 ft 3 inch girl would find it very hard to get astride a Karizma or a Pulsar 220, unless she manages to bolt on supporting wheels on the side of the bike or get boots with a 5 inch high soul.

The other thing a girl needs to consider is the usability of the clutch and brake with smaller hands. If the distance between the grip and the clutch or brake lever is beyond the comfort of a woman's hand, the bike may not be controllable in a panic situation The other proven fact related to handling of a bike is that women have a lower center of gravity which affects the handling of a bike negatively.

Apart from the physical challenges, there are certain social challenges as well which a girl needs to face. Now most of the points mentioned under are more visible in the Indian society.

Ok now this might sound silly but this is true. Most of the girls in our country have arranged marriages wherein the girl is mostly scanned from head to toe and even a minor flaw is termed as a reason for rejection. Now biking generally calls upon for a long term affair with defying physics laws and kissing the ground quite often. In case of guys it hardly matters but if a girl gets a scar on her face, it can lead to her marriage becoming an uphill task for her parents.

Although things are changing for good but the change is still limited to bigger metro cities only. Then there are personal safety issues and many other reasons as well which a girl needs to face.
The first problem arises in her home where her parents are concerned a lot about what people will think (log kya kahenge, ladki haath se nikal gayi). Convincing most of the parents to allow their daughter to ride a bike is a very tough task.

Once on the road a girl has to face the problem of guys constantly following her or overtaking her repetitively. These guys just want to prove that only they can ride bikes better despite the fact that she is least interested in them. I find it hard to understand that how can one prove his skills in such a pathetic manner.

So next time when you see a girl riding a bike just appreciate her for her the guts and remember that what I have mentioned here is only a fraction of what girls have to face in our society. It is unfortunate and bad but we men will have to help the women overcome these challenges. After all , it would only be an addition to the biking community. A charming one, I must say.

All the points stated above have been made taking the Indian society into consideration on a general basis only.

Fuel Injection explained

2007-08-22T15:20:00.000+05:30

Hi everyone. I’m back, but just for today and then again I will be available on the earlier mentioned date. Guess its hard to stay away from motorcycling for too long. Now what could be the reason which forced me to come and write here? Well for a couple of days I have been having a discussion with my friends on a forum (most of you know where) about the Fuel injection (FI) system. So I thought of penning down whatever I know about this system along with whatever I could find on the net.

To start with one needs to understand the basics about an FI system.

Why? Well the best answer would be “because we can” and a more realistic one would be that the FI enhances fuel efficiency, improves throttle response and reduces harmful emissions considerably.

How does it do that? I’ll come that later. Let me first explain you what an FI system actually is.

So what is it? An FI or EFI (Electronic fuel injection) is a fuel delivery system which is controlled by a computer unlike the carburetor. The entire system comprises of an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and some very intelligent sensors. ECU can be called the mind of an FI system. All the fuel maps are stored here and all the calculations are also made here. In most of the cases ECUs control the fuel injection along with the ignition system. It is this combination which is largely termed as Engine Management System (EMS). All these functions have a sensor for them – RPM, engine temperature, air temperature, throttle position, manifold pressure and few more things.

Coming back to How does it do that? The ECU gathers information from various intelligent sensors and then calculates how much fuel the engine should be allowed to drink (or burn rather). The ECU controls the opening and closing of injectors and his cycle is based on the information taken from the sensors and the fuel map. In this system the sensors calculate the amount of load on the engine by the amount of throttle opened by the rider. The sensor which does this job is called the TPS (Throttle Positioning Sensor).

How does the process work? I came across a simple diagram on the net and I think this should explain how an FI system works.

Fuel flows from the tank to the pump. The fuel pump in turn transfers the fuel to a fuel rail with high pressure. The fuel rail consists of injectors (Two injectors for a V-twin, so only one for us). The fuel rail has a pressure regulator (PR) attached to it which limits the fuel pressure and regulates it to maintain consistency. The PR is attached to the intake manifold by a vacuum line and any excess fuel supplied is returned back to the fuel tank.

How does this bloody intelligent ECU work? Well since I ain’t no hot shot Techie wizard, I allowed the internet to do this part for me and voila instant results!! I found a very good explanation about the working of an ECU. All the text in Italics below is not my conspiracy.

1. The computer takes the RPM and Engine Load information to look in the Fuel Map table located in the ECU. While an actual fuel map has more values in it than the sample map in Table 2, a real table looks very similar to the simplified map shown. In our example, the number in the table represents the duty cycle of the injector, or what percentage of the time is the injector actually open and allowing fuel to flow. If the computer can not find exact matches to the RPMs and Engine Load, it is able to estimate the required value by looking at the values just higher and lower to calculate the needed value. For example if the engine is running at Wide-Open Throttle at 3900 RPMs, it calculates the fuel value to be 44 that is half way between 33 and 55.
2. Now that the computer has the main fuel value, it needs to determine if any "adjustments" to the fuel map value are needed.
3. The computer determines the engine temperature. If the engine is cold, then the fuel number is adjusted up by a pre-determined percentage. For example when the engine temperature is a 30 degrees F, the computer knows the engine is cold and needs more fuel, just like a choke on a carburetor. The computer looks up an engine temperature adjustment percentage that could be 20% (see table 3). If our previously looked up fuel value was 44, the computer now adds 20% to that number resulting in a new fuel value of 53. As the engine warms up, these adjustment percentages become smaller and at normal operating temperature the value is zero.
4. The computer determines the ambient temperature of the air entering the intake by reading the Intake Air Temperature sensor. As with the engine temperature adjustment, the computer will look up the percentage adjustment. Lets go back to our full throttle acceleration at 3900 RPMs and assume our engine has warmed up to normal operating temperature, but the outside air temperature is 90 degrees F. The computer looks up an adjustment percentage of -2% (see table 4). The computer actually understands that at high air temperatures, the engine requires less fuel so it leans the fuel value down from 44 to 43. If the air temperature had been cold, the fuel mixture would have been made slightly richer.
5. The computer has now determined that at Wide Open Throttle, at 3900 RPMs, normal engine temperature and a 90 degree air entering the intake that the engine needs to keep each fuel injector open 43% of the time.
6. The computer now checks to see if it is time for the fuel injector to be activated. When it is time for the fuel injector to open, the computer allows current to flow through the injector for the required amount of time. The opening time can be controlled very precisely, down to the millisecond.

Now back to my thoughts.

One of the main apprehension people have about an FI system is that it is not easy to customize or enhance the performance. Well that is true to an extent. For eg. on a carbureted bike if one wants to change the exhaust its not a big hassle but while doing so in a FI bike one has to keep many things in mind. If you want to bolt on a better air filter and a performance exhaust system on an FI bike, the fuel map also needs to be updated in order to adjust to the increased air entering the engine. Simply put, FI is not affected directly by the exhaust but the amount of air getting into the engine does affect it. More air would call in for more fuel but if the system cant detect a change in the airflow then the ideal air/fuel ratio will not be provided to the engine which is the reason why a modification in the fuel map is required.

Gosh that was a long one and now I feel so mechanical after writing about so many sensors and referring to chips brains!. Well I guess I have been slow to accept ahange and the world is eager to move on so I am left behind. But no worries as I am more than happy with the good old Carburetor.

Will be back to posting very soon

2007-08-17T15:29:00.000+05:30

Bucket loads of work and other things are preventing me from posting on the blog these days. I so want to post,post nd post but if only wishes were horses. But I will be free from the load of work in a few days and will start posting from the first week of September. To compensate for the time gap in between you will be able to feast your eyes and brains on a very hard worked article..Yes when im back I will be publishing a shootout between the most sought after motorcycle in India. Ok now I need to get back to work. Hope to see you guys around in a few days.

Regards
Hawk

Which bike??Confused...This might help.

2007-07-30T15:44:00.000+05:30

With so many new performance bikes hitting the Indian roads it has become a diffcult process to select the right bike. Moreover availability yesteryear bikes like the RD350, RX100 and Shogun only add to the confusion. The final decision will entirely depend on the rider's personal prefernces and circumstances. But there is always some scope for a discussion which yours truly is doing. The topic s good enough to fill up a lot of pages so to curb that I will just give one or two liner tags for all the bikes that come to my mind. The one or two liner tags will themselves tell about the bike and its character.

Current performance Bikes

Bajaj Pulsar 220 Dts-Fi = A half-faired true sports bike by Indian standards. Comes with a whole lot of goodies at a reasonable price. Best performance in the country currently and promises to lend the rider loads of exclusivity for many months to come by from now.
Pulsar 200 Dtsi = A naked sports bike which shares most of the parts with its elder sibling-the 220. Comes minus the fairing, rear disc and the Fuel Injection system. A good VFM bike with oodles of power on the tap(by Indian standards) and sufficient to beat the living daylights out of any other Indian bike barring the 220. Has a minor problem of understeer though.
Pulsar 180 Dtsi = Once again comes with most of the goodoes that the two elder siblings share and offers decent power with mid-range being its forte. Good VFM but a little common on the streets.
Hero Honda Karizma R= First true sports bike with decent styling and power. Boasts of very good torque figures and a good top-end. Downside is the price which hardly leaves any VFM. New version is more of an old product in new packing. Refinement levels still unmatched by any other sports bike.
TVS Apache RTR 160 = A decent upgrade over the older Apache which is out of production now. Loads of features and gadgets at a very good price. Fit n finish levels however need some improvement. Looks is something subjective. But the bike is cleanly the fastest in the 150c segment and handling is also best in class.

Legends of the past
Yamaha RD 350 = Do I need to say anything about this bike? I dont think so. Go ride one and then you will understand that words will never suffice when it comes to explaining the feeling of being on this bike. Maintenance and spares availability is a major problem unless you dont have your own specialsed mechanic and other sources.
Yamaha RX 100 = Quick, light, zippy...please advise some more appropriate adjectives for this bike. First affordable performance bike according to me. Pollution norms however killed it a little too early. Maintaining one even today is not a problem. Can give even the Pulsars and Karizma a run for their money in 0-60 drag.
Suzuki Shogun/Shaolin = Two great efforts and great performance but maintenance and reliability was never up to the mark when compared to the competition at its time. A good choice though for aftermarket performance fittments.

I have included only 15+bhp bikes in the four stroke segment. Havent included any Royal Enfield(Bullet) as its more of a lifestyle bike rather than a performance bike.

The beast will be back again

2007-07-24T12:06:00.000+05:30

Open roads, cool weather, hot chick besides you, Steering of a Ferrari or Lamborghini in your hands..there cant be a better way to define the word Bliss or Nirvana. But suddenly a low slung car zooms past you when your speedo says 270kmph and before you can react the car is gone. That my friend was the McLaren F1and it is capable of doing that to a Ferrari or a Lamborghini.

The F1 needs no introduction and till date barring the 1001 bhp Veyron and a few redesigned cars no other machine has been able to beat the performance of the F1. But a the old saying goes.."All good things must come to an end".. The F1 was produced in limited numbers and currently out of production. Its more of an investment rather than an expense because every morning when you wake up somebody is standing on your door with a bigger cheque than the previous day to buy it. The car is still remembered as one of the best supercars ever to have harmed the nature. Put in simple words the car was much ahead of its time.

The modern supercars are more like the kids of mother nature unlike the older ones which were selfish,outgoing,loud and destructive machines. but what about the McLaren and its F1. When we all know that its gone and the cars these days are good babies then why the hell are we discussing it.

Well that is because McLaren is readying its warhorse to put it back in the battle. The project is currently codenamed as P11 and McLaren is expecting to put this cr into production by 2010. The possible Mecedes-Mclaren car is expected to be a mid-engined car with a carbon-fibre body. The engine will be a Mercedes AMG engine borrowed from the SL. The engine has been codenamed R231 and is expected to be a V8 or V12 with or without forced induction. The V8 engines have a 6.0 liter capacity and sport twin turbochargers which allow it to produce power in excess of 600 bhp. The big daddy or the V12 which is still under development is expected to be capable enough to cross the 700 bhp mark. The design as seen in the pictures below has a lot of resemblance to its predecessor.

So in case any rich bloke is reading this (I meant someone rich enough to afford this car) he knows what to wait for till when and for the likes of us...Phew let us all save money for the posters and 1:16 scale models which should be available in all leading toy stores once the car is launched.

Source of information - Autoweek.com

Bajaj Ducati or Bajaj Triumph. Which one?

2007-07-16T13:40:00.000+05:30

Bajaj Auto eyeing Ducati, Triumph: report
India Infoline News Service / Mumbai Jul 16, 2007 12:35
The maker of Pulsar and Avenger bikes has been scouting for either a partnership or an acquisition to augment its product portfolio in the premium segment.

"In a bid to increase its lead in the high-end motorcycle segment, Bajaj Auto Ltd. is planning to make an acquisition in Europe. Italy's Ducati Motor Holding SpA and UK's Triumph Motorcycles are the possible takeover targets for Bajaj Auto, a financial daily reported today. The newspaper added that the maker of Pulsar and Avenger bikes has been scouting for either a partnership or an acquisition to augment its product portfolio in the premium segment. According to the daily, the company has also held talks with Japanese giant Yamaha about the same. Bajaj Auto MD Rajiv Bajaj has been on record, saying that the 100cc bikes will become extinct going forward as Indian motorcycle market matures going forward. Accordingly, the company will soon launch a new bike platform, which will seek to shift consumers from the entry-level segment to the higher end models. Also, the two-wheeler companies have been under tremendous pressure of late owing to hardening of interest rates and rising raw material prices. An acquisition of a niche player will enable Bajaj Auto to kill two birds with one stone. "

Now imagine what will happen if this kinda acquisition takes place. We might see Ducatis and Triumph's selling in India at a very reasonable price. Well a name like Bajaj Ducati 1098 or Bajaj Triumph Daytona would suck big time but then again who gives a damn when you are getting a litre engine bike for a lot less than what you have to pay today. The news is definitely hard to believe but then again it is a news and we have to cross our already crossed fingers a bit more and hope for the best. Things might turn out the other way also which seems more probable to me. If an acquisition like this takes place then Bajaj will surely launch the premium bikes at a much lesser price but still it may not be within the reach for most of us so in turn to counter this problem we might see 250cc-500cc bikes from Bajaj sporting the technology of the acquired company or maybe even the name on the tank. At the end of the day all depends if the acquisition ever takes place and then again what are the terms and conditions of the deal so till then we have to do what i just said above...Cross your fingers and hope.

TVS Apache RTR160 tested

2007-07-11T09:28:00.000+05:30

I test rode the RTR 160 today . Now my quick take on the new baby. lets not compare it to the older Apache as its far better than that so lets pit it against its arch rival P150.

Seating - The seating position feels improved although i suspect the comfort to prevail over distances excceding 50 kms at a stretch but it still fares out better than the Pulsar. The bike has got one of the best knee recesses in the business and till the time one is not above 5feet 10 inches the bike shouldnt feel uncomfortable.

RTR160 = 8/10

P150 = 7/10

Style & build quality - A glance from a distance of 30 odd meters wont distinguish the RTR but a closer look reveals the new goodies it comes along with. Longer wheelbase adds to the confident handler looks. LEDs and split grab rails are not something new but still add to the zing in the package. The meter console became more and more irritating as i looked at it. Feels tooooo plasticky. The only eye sore i found was the shabby looking exhaust can. The design somehow takes away a bit of character from the rear of the bike. Overall I found the entire rear of the bike to be a little overdone and a tad too loud. The bike has lost the aluminium foot pegs as seen on mags previously and sports rubber cased ones like in all bikes. None of the bikes in the showroom had aluminium foot pegs. P150 and CBZ-X silencers score more in this department.

RTR160 = 7/10

P150 = 7.5/10

Engine & performance - Now this according to me is the USP of this bike. Not that the bike has stratospherical performance but it is the best in 150 segment. Im sure the bike will cleanly beat P150 and the X off the line. Not too sure about the top end due to the non-functional speedo. At an rpm of nearly 9k in the top cog the bike felt pretty stable. Vibes were a little beyond the comfort level near the red line but not unacceptable. The bike still feels a tad short and i guess the wheelbase should have been increased a little more. But at the end of the day this is the quickest 150 your money can get you.

RTR160 = 9.5/10

P150 = 8/10

Handling = Now this is one department where im sure the TVS guys have slogged it out day and night. The handling is like a treat offered to you everytime you get astride the bike. The only minus is that bike does feel nervous under hard braking. Overall the bike is a good effort from the TVS guys and the bike surely is a winner in terms of the VFM factor. Some parts in the bike fail to appeal because they seem to have been overdone with. But then again as the old saying goes "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder". So things may look better to others. Reliability should not be a major issue as well. Any speculations about the RTR beating a P180 seems to be false to me. So the bottomline is that on a RTR160 you can smoke P150, Xtreme and other 150s but not anything beyond that. The overall rating which I would give this bike is 8.5/10 against the 8/10 for P150.

Now can this bike dethrone the king of sale(P150) or not is somrething interesting to watch out for as this is the best competitor the P150 has ever faced and with a price tag of Rs 59,900 on-road in Gurgaon(Haryana) it is a pure steal. So all you guys who want a bike which can smoke out any 150 and defy the laws of physics(in Indian terms only) have a great bike at their disposal which is amazingly priced. The only thing is if you can digest the little overdone styling.

World's fastest got even faster!

2007-07-03T11:57:00.000+05:30

Hold your breath everyone. Suzuki has launched the much awaited and the all new 2008 Hayabusa in Rome (Italy) on 2 July 2007.

The new Hayabusa has some visual changes but not to a massive extent. Most of the parts from the older model have been carried onto the new ones and have been married to some new tits and bits. The only one visual difference which caught my eye at the first sight were the newly designed exhaust pipes. But still with some visual alterations the Hayabusa looks as if its undergone a dieting or weight loss program despite an increase of 3kg over the current model.It looks a lot more sleeker than its predecessor. And this baby's got some cool curves too!

Now coming to the USP of the Hayabusa. The ENGINE. The displacement of the engine has gone up from the previous 1299 cc to 1340cc. Suzuki has not yet revealed the exact power figures but the power is strongly expected to be around 198 bhp at the crank(how many bhp short is this bike now from flying?)!!! Now that is one more than the ZZ-R1400. To add to the better package Suzuki has gone out and fitted the bike with slipper clutch, titanium valves and shot-peened con-rods.

The frame and the swingarm look aesthetically similar to the older version but Suzuki claims that it has tweaked them for better rigidity and torsional stiffness. The new Busa gets smaller 310mm front brake discs in order to reduce the unsprung weight. In addition it also gets entirely new fully-adjustable upside down front forks . The new wheels sport much lighter alloys. The rear subframe has been lowered to provide a lower pillion ride but the rider height remains the same at 805mm. The bike retains the same speedo and rev counters.

So in the end it wouldnt be wrong to say - "The world's fastest got faster"

Click on the link below to view the launch ceremony video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiTtvhhFZS0

Pulsar 220 finally launched

2007-06-26T09:13:00.000+05:30

Following is a press release about the launch of Pulsar 220. A short review is available at the end of the release.

Bajaj Auto, the pioneer in performance biking has further extended the portfolio with the launch of the new 220 cc ‘Pulsar’ DTS-Fi in Delhi today. The new Pulsar DTS-Fi (Digital Twin Spark-Fuel injected) is the first bike from Bajaj Auto with the powerful combination of twin spark plugs and fuel-injection technology and is an ultimate machine for the performance motorcycle enthusiast. The latest offering has set new benchmarks in technology, performance, and styling to address the needs of a growing segment of pro-bikers.

The biggest feature is the fuel injection, which gives the bike that linear power curve, crisp feel and instant throttle response so essential for a power bike. Besides the mesmerizing looks, the motorcycle boasts a highly refined low noise, no vibes 220cc motor that gives a heady 20 BHP & 1.95 kgm of torque. The bike also comes equipped with an Oil cooler, which helps maintain Lube oil viscosity under extreme conditions of stress and ambient temperatures. Helps in cooling the engine internals. The bike will only be available in first-of-its-kind chain of 'Probiking' showrooms. Designed for biking enthusiasts, the showroom offers prospective "probikers" a chance to test-ride the bikes on a specially designed Indoor dynamometer.

It also features both front and rear tubeless tyres, which besides offering superior stability are safer than conventional tube types and in sync with the offerings abroad for similar applications. The rear tyre is the broadest in its category to ensure better road grip and stability.

The new digital console is an advanced version of the latest Pulsar family. Apart from the Digital Odometer, Digital Speedo Meter, Digital Fuel Gauge and two Digital Trip Meters, the console on the 220 cc Pulsar DTS-Fi has indicators for Air filter condition, Engine temperature, Battery voltage and Oil level, all of which contribute to enhancing rider info for trouble-free riding.

Another is the use of split seats for styling and comfort. The split grab rail perfectly compliments the new rear chiseled looks. It is equipped with an electric start as the sole means of engine cranking, dispensing with the kick lever.

Mr. Amit Nandi, General Manager (Marketing), Bajaj Auto Ltd said, “The Bajaj Pulsar 200 DTS-i took biking to a new level, and the new Pulsar DTS-Fi is all set to take it to even greater heights. With the launch of Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi, we have created a new technological benchmark for the bikes in performance category. The bike joins the immensely popular Pulsar family, which is now available in four stylish versions across a range of price and performance points.”
He added, “We are continuously enhancing our product offerings to premium segment and this launch of Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi would further reinforce our focus of offering outstanding technology and performance to pro-bikers.”

The bike would be available at exclusive Probiking showrooms at select locations across the country. Performance biking now also comes at an attractive price of Rs.81280/- ex showroom, New Delhi.

Now my take on the launch and the bike - So finally after months of waiting the bike is out and that too at a very very attractive price. Advantages over Pulsar 200 are Fuel Injection, rear disc brake, clip-on handlebars and the front fairing(now is this one good or bad depends on the beholders eye). My view about the bike is that anyone who wants a bike with truly international technology and features should be heading towards a nearest Probiking showroom with a chequebook. There have been endless discussions about the FI Karizma and Xtreme but both the launches appear very unlikely to me within this year and especially taking into the consideration the already overpriced Karizma an FI system would only make it more expensive and lesser of a competitor to the 200 and 220. Keep checking this space as very soon I will put up a detailed review about the 220's performance and features.

Tata to face competition even for its 1lakh car

2007-06-21T11:16:00.000+05:30

Everyone’s got their eyes set on Tata’s people’s car(1lakh car) and are waiting desperately for it. Even international OEMs are monitoring the project development very keenly. The 1lakh car will actually cost between Rs1.2-1.4 lakh and will sport a 600 cc engine to take advantage of the duty exemptions. In the future the car is also expected to sport an air-powered engine which will run on air if driven below 50km/hr. Considering all this the car is expected to be a great success in the Indian market. But things may not be so easy for Tata after all. Renault of France and Nissan are jointly planning to introduce a $3000 car in India so the cost should be somewhere near Rs 1.2lakh.

Renault SA and its Japanese ally, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., are considering a $3,000 car for India, said Jean-Louis Ricaud, Renault's deputy managing director for quality and engineering. But no decision has been made yet."We think about it, and so does Nissan," Ricaud told journalists at Renault's headquarters in Paris today. "Each of us has teams working on the concept. All options are open". Asked how long it could take Renault or Nissan to bring such a car to the market, Ricaud said it depended on whether the project required a new engine or could use an existing engine. "If we have to develop a new engine, then it would typically take four to five years to bring that car to the market," Ricaud said.Ricaud referred to the car as "l'Entry." as in entry level car. "It will basically be a four-wheel, four-door rickshaw," Ricaud added, in reference to the three-wheel modified motorcycle that is widely used in eastern and southern Asia.If Renault manages to fit the car with an existing engine, then the development time can be reduced to three years or less, Ricaud said. Earlier this year, Renault, Nissan and their Indian partner, Mahindra, announced plans to build a plant in Chennai, India, that will start production in late 2009 with an initial capacity of 300,000 units a year.

The budget car segment suddenly seems to have come to life with all major players fearing Tata’s dominance in the market if they don’t have something in their arsenal to fight back. Companies which are planning to enter this race are as follows:

Tata with a 600cc car which is scheduled for a mid or end 2008 launch
Bajaj Auto will unveil its concept for the same segment at the 2008 auto expo in New Delhi.
Hero Group is rumored to have entered into partnership with Canadian Bombardier to design and develop a mini car as Honad refused to help Hero on this front stating that it will clash with the interests of Honda SIEL India Ltd.
Maruti Suzuki is also developing a 660cc car to compete in this segment although the company has not said anything concrete about it.The budget car space seems to be on full heat presently. Which company wins and which loses is a story for time to tell but in the meanwhile budget conscious customers who want to upgrade to an affordable car sit back and have a blast with the slew of cheap cars to hit Indian roads soon.

And you thought your bike is safe!

2007-06-19T14:47:00.000+05:30

Irrespective of what bike one owns, a bike enthusiast treats his/her bike as his baby. We do whatever we can in our limits to keep the bike running well for a long time. We all love doing this and love all those who do this. BUT there is someone who doesn’t care about anything. All he wants is some quick buck at the cost of your happiness.
He is none other than the THIEF (Bike thief or whatever you may call him). Just a few minutes of his expertise and all your wishes, happiness and hard work could be flowing down the drain.

But are we also not to be blamed? I think we are. I say this because a few days back my motorcycle got vandalized. Someone ripped off the entire right frame off my P200 which includes the foot pegs, brake pedal and brake wire. Till date I am riding the bike without a rear brake as i have to commute to office without any other option existent. If not nullify, we can at least make the thief's life harder by following some simple steps.

· Always park your bike in a well-lit area during the nights. Yes it does make your bike more visible but the thieves also become visible in the light and this scares them off many times.
· Make sure the entrance or exit of your home is closed or secured before parking the bike overnight.
· If possible park the bike in an area from where your physical presence is as close as possible. This would help you in reducing your reaction time in case you suspect anything fishy.
· In case you are willing to spend a little extra, please install a Blackcat bike security system. It will reduce the chances of your bike getting vandalized or being stolen by a significant percentage. It could cost you anywhere between Rs1600-Rs1900. But kindly do not fit local security systems as they can harm your battery and the electrical system as well and they are not too reliable also.
· If you are not willing to spend on the security system then please get yourself a strong iron chain which should not cost more than Rs100 and a branded padlock. Cjain your bike to a strong boundary or a tree. In case you cant find these supports hen chain your wheels with the rear shocks.
Following these simple steps can someday prevent you from being robbed of your bike and your infinite dreams and memories attached to it. Please consider this for your bike’s security.

The wait for a true sports bike is over

2007-06-13T09:52:00.000+05:30

Ok now can you please stop drooling over the chic, oh i meant bike and read something about it?
Not long ago we heard about the tie-up between Cagiva and Kinetic. Under the deal Kinetic was to manufacture 125cc 2stroke and 4stroke bikes. That wasn’t exciting by any means for us, considering the existing number of 125 cc bike in India.

But then finally we got to know that Kinetic is also considering manufacturing the Cagiva Mito 500, a 500 cc sports bike with a single cylinder engine to be sourced from Husqvarna. Now that was music to the ears of horsepower and cc starved Indian bikers.

But now things just got better. Yes the Heavens have finally opened up on the dry land of Indian biking. The 500cc bike will now be a 650cc twin. The engine will now be sourced from Hyosung. Moreover the engine will now be a liquid-cooled, DOHC, 79bhp(Yes 79 bhp!!!! Look ma finally a true sports bike in India) v-twin. The bike does not disappoint one on the styling front but does not excite either except for the fact that this may be India’s first full-faired bike. The Ducati look-alike headlights seem a little out of place as it doesn’t gel with the rest of the body but overall it’s impressive and will surely cause many heads to turn.

Now the big question is about the pricing. Well even on this front the tie-up has kept things attractive. Since Kinetic will build these bikes in India, the cost should not rise too much. If everything goes as planned then the bike when launched should be available between 2.6lakhs to 2.9lakhs on road. But considering the present scenario I am not very sure if this bike will be launched here and how much time is again a big question. It might be offered in limited numbers though like the Aquila. Let's hope this also doesn't turn out to be another story which never saw the face of reality.

BMW bikes to shift on Hero gearboxes

2007-06-11T11:29:00.000+05:30

Hero Motors has joined hands or may I say BMW has joined hands with Hero Motors again. Yes I used the word again as many of us know that in the early 90’s Hero Motors had taken up the challenge of 5+ lakh costing bikes in India. We all know that the end result was a failure but this time things sound and look very different and positive too.

Hero Motors will be supplying gear boxes for BMW bikes and not to any teeny weeny bikes for the Asian or the African market, but 800 cc bikes for the Europe and US markets as reported by the Financial Express. This is not the first contract of the group in Europe as it has been regularly getting orders from the Western markets.

In an interview with Financial Express, Pankaj Munjal said that the sampling and testing will start by September 2007 and the company is scheduled to supply 8,000-10,000 transmission units initially. But Hero Motors will not supply to BMW directly. It would be done through Bombardier-Rotax which has been supplying transmission units to BMW for a long time.

Apart from this contract the company has $400 million worth of orders in the bag. These are for transmission units and full-vehicle assembly like the 250cc-500cc ride-on lawn mowers.(Look ma, their lawn mowers are more powerful than our bikes.). The company is also looking at further prospects and has already got down to development and designing of 1000cc transmission units to be supplied to Bombardier.

The company seems to be pretty busy in terms of overseas orders and ventures. Last week Hero Motors entered into a joint venture with Kiriu/Sumitomo Corporation of Japan to produce disc brakes and knuckles.66.6% share is with Hero. Under this joint venture Hero will get technology assistance from its Japanese partner for manufacturing of brakes.

Well all I can say is that it is really heartening to know that Indian companies have reached a level where they can work with names like BMW. Hero is manufacturing 500 cc lawn mowers but the irony is that the same company does not produce even 50% powerful of a bike. But at the end of the day this is something for all Indians to be proud of.

F1 finally pokes its nose into motorcycles

2007-06-08T14:24:00.000+05:30

Since a long time people have been speculating the involvement of F1 designers into motorcycles. Some favored and some opposed but now it hardly matters what you want coz finally F1 engineers have poked their nose into motorcycles. Now is it good or bad?well let's check it out.

Two designers from the British F1 have created the Ecosse-Spirit ES1. They claim it to be a radical superbike which has the balls(errr...i meant power) to offer 220mph performance!!!! To achieve this feat the designers went back to the basic principles of motorcycle architecture which meant that they had to design a new riding position in order to improve the aerodynamics. The next and tougher step was to design the bike in such a way that it could support the radical riding position.

Similar to the Busa the design is a very different one but indeed a very practical on too. Now all of us know that the biggest hinderance in the aerodynamics of a bike is the rider so the designers wanted to position the rider a lot lower to minimize the negative effects of the air. But then arose the golden question.How to position the rider lower without sacrificing on ground clearance while cornering. Only one way seemed suitable. Get the rider closer to the machine than ever before.

On the normally designed superbikes, it’s pretty hard to move the pegs closer together, as the width of the swingarm prevents it. So the designers developed an entirely new design for the gearbox, with the drive chain exiting from the centreline rather than the side. This allowed the swingarm to be made much narrower in front of the rear wheel. The first, central chain then has to run a shaft mounted inside the swingarm, powering a second drive sprocket and another chain which takes the drive to the rear wheel.The front suspension was redeveloped.Using a single-sided front swingarm, means there’s no need for conventional forks, a headstock or even a frame – both front and rear swingarms are bolted straight to the engine. An extensive use of carbon-fibre made sure that the bike weighs significantly less than the existing superbikes. Computer predictions say that the 1000cc, four-cylinder machine – which is expected to make around 200bhp in production form – will weigh just 120kg.

The bike is still not in production but computers have predicted its aerodynamic efficiency. Thanks to its smaller front, the ECOSSE-SPIRIT ES1 is twice as aerodynamic as a normal machine. The computer says that with as little as 170bhp it could reach 220mph, and in tuned, 210bhp form, it would manage 240mph.

For pictures and videos kindly click on the following link
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/June/june4-10/jun0607spirites1picturegallery/?&R=EPI-91813

Pulsar 200 vs Karizma

2007-06-08T10:27:00.001+05:30

Lion is a symbol of pride,glory and dominance. It is a synonym for sheer power and its jungle presence. But every now and then younger lions come and challenge it for its territory out of which many lose.But come one day when the lion has grown old a new lion comes and takes over the territory.

Now put this same logic to Indian biking scenario. Established Lion=Hero Honda Karizma R and challenger = Pulsar 200. Can the existing king be dethroned?Read more to know. HH launched Karizma with a lot of hopes and expected to create an entirely new segment,which it did but the sales never picked up as expected initially. Later down the line discounts and big time publicity helped the sales somewhat. But at the end of the day although small but the Karizma defended its territory very well against the like of Pulsar180 which constantly saw upgrades but was never able to be a true Karizma beater. Currently Karizma is the fastest production sports bike in India but it has a big problem and the problem is none other than its old adversary..the Pulsar, but this time its not a 180 with an upgrade(ok its the same engine with a bigger bore). Its the all new Pulsar 200.

Looks are not very different alhough still easy to distinguish it from others. Passing a general judgement on the looks would be a little unfair to both the bikes as it is a very subjective matter. So my personal opinion is that Karizma is a more decent looking bike with smooth lines but the 200 is like a young wild beast completely immersed in the hooliganism of newly discovered youth. The new "R" version has got too many stickers all over which somehow conceals the pretty lines of the bike. More like the wonderful dressing sense of the icon--Govinda..The older Karizma looks better and more apt for its job. Both the bikes carry an extra plastic fittment and in both the cases they look good but more of an aftermarket attachment. The plastic panels on the tank of the 200 have a huge gap between them(enuf for me to put my hand inside and clean the tank)...hey wait maybe that's an advantage? Similarly the engine cowl on the Karizma gives an impression that the bike has recently been to a local modification shop. But somehow the naked and mean looks of the 200 give it a slight edge over the Karizma in terms of looks courtsey the Govinda style stickering job on the Karizma.. The digital orange back-lit meters, LED tail lamps and a radiator at the front of the engine also add oodles of style.

Now performance is a forte which has been very well defended by the Karizma since its launch. With a 223 cc heart the engine churns out 16.7 bhp whereas the 200 churns out 18 bhp from 200 cc. The R version of Karizma gets no changes to the engine in any ways. Performance might be hampered slightly, although theoretically because of the added 1kg weight of the engine cowl. Karizma still beats the Pulsar on torque and top speed although the difference in top speed is only of 3-4 kms. In terms of acceleration the 200 emerges as the winner. It accelerates very quickly till 90kph after which Karizma takes the honours. Although mentioned as oil-cooled the engine of 200 is not so. Its actually an oil-cooler which prevents the engine oil from overheating and losing viscosity. The engine still remains air-cooled with one cylider like the Karizma. Overall the difference between the two bkes is not very substantial and on a street race only the rider skills could decide the winner but for the records Karizma stays on top with a better top speed and overall acceleration.

Karizma has always been one of the best handling bikes available in the country but the 200 shod with fatter and tubeless tyres and a longer wheelbase makes it a very hard to beat competitor. The 200 feels more comfortable to quick and sharp turns than any other Pulsar till date. Now since the 200 is the quickest of the pulsar family it needs the best brakes so Bajaj bolted on a larger 260 mm disc which is more than sufficient. 130mm drums continue the job on the rear end. The best part about the front brake is that unlike the older Pulsars which had a very sharp feel, this one has a very progressive feel while braking which is a boon for any bike rider. But even in this department Karizma has an edge primarily due to its better handling in the wet conditions.

The 200 somehow manges to return very good figures of 45-50 kms per litre of the fossil fuel if ridden sanely whereas the Karizma manages 35-40 in the same conditions. And last but not the least, the cost. Karizma comes for nearly 86 grand on road in Pune whereas the Pulsar comes home for a lot lesser 71 grand on road. Given the instrumentation, features, mileage and technology of the 200 its a far more value for money when compared to the Karizma. So Finally after all this discussion has the lion lost or not?Well I would say it still hasnt lost the war but has lost some battles. The 200 has shown the Karizma that if it wants to survive it better change for good rather than coming up with new stickers. So in the end both the competitors fare out pretty even but the VFM factor gives 200 an edge considering the Indian market. The 200 has shown Karizma the way out of the jungle. But Pulsar 200 is only a warlord and the real challenger is yet to come and that challenger my friends is none other than the Pulsar 200 DTS-Fi. So friends let us all wait for the Pulsar 220 and then enjoy this epic battle. May the best bike win.

Under construction

2007-06-06T12:56:00.000+05:30

Hi guys..I am putting up a page to discuss everything about motorcycles and to provide the most recent information.The page is currently under construction so keep checking for new updates and please leave your comments also.