Hero Honda Karizma ZMR [2010]

# buying experience :

i fell in love with this bike just after watching the hrithik's commercial of bringing back his cap from the storm on this bike.When i got this bike in oct 2014, i was having two issues :

1) hero updated this bike with cosmetic changes and few performance changes, but the new one was ugly

2)there weren't any older models available for sale in showrooms, so after searching a lot i found one in chandrapur district in maharashtra. Without giving any second thoughts i bought the bike from there .

# about the bike :

- the looks of this bike are subjective,some may love it ,while others might hate it.But no one could deny its presence. It was a huge and heavy bike for its time. It sported a full fairing with integrated front and rear indicators, an all digital instrument cluster housing a 223cc air cooled engine borrowed from it's brother the karizma r but they did provide fuel injection with the zmr.

- the engine churned out around 17 bhp of power and around 18 nm of maximum torque.

- the engine was refined with good low and mid range but after crossing 6000 rpm there was nothing more to expect from this bike.

- though the bike manages to do 0-60 km/hr in under 4 seconds thanks to the amount of torque available at disposable.

- the bike was equipped with disk brakes, both front and rear but the rear lacked the initial bite. Also the fuel tank capacity was around 15 liters which was decent for touring as the bike used to give around 400-450 km range on full tank .

- the only issue i wished hero should have addressed was about the ground clearance and tyre size. I always end up scratching the under belly while crossing speed bumps or potholes and for a bike of this size the tyre's were skinny.Specially the rear one wasn't confidence inspiring while going into a corner.

# riding experience :

- the seat height was decent for and average guy with height around 5' 7",moreover the seat was wide enough to sit comfortably and the clip on handle bars were big enough and easy to reach.

- the bike was heavy and it was a pain to ride this bike in city traffic, and the engine used to get pretty hot .

- the vibrations were minimum up to 112 km/hr mark but after that it was a shaky affair till the top speed of the bike of around 125 km/hr.

- due to short gearing ratio you would always feel the need for the sixth gear in this bike.

#servicing and maintenance :

- parts were readily available and normal servicing was cheap, but if you messed up with any of it's electronics like the fuel sensor, be ready for emptying your wallets.

- the bike was not high on maintenance, and would work perfectly fine with regular checks on oil,brake pads etc.

#pros and cons :

* pros : 1) the bike was lot cheaper than it's competition, the yamaha r15 and honda cbr 150 /250 r in category of fully faired motorcycles.

2) due to it's relaxed riding positions, big fuel tank it was an option to consider for daily commuting and weekend touring.

*cons : due to it's heavy weight,lack of top end power and other factors mentioned this bike wasn't considered truly to be value for money.

About the Reviewer

The motorcycle is more for the sports tourer and a perfect city commuter. The slim profile of the motorcycle and the power delivery makes it easy to manuver within city limits and traffic, which makes it the perfect city commuter.

On the other hand, the karizma is one of the most comfortable touring motorcycles. It is the most comfortable at around 100-115 km/hr, and with the 17 liter fuel tank, has the range of about 500-600 kms. The riding posture is upright, the engine and the gearbox is smooth and precise, suspension is well dampened, which makes the karizma one of the most comfortable motorcycles for touring.

The heart of the karizma is a 223cc air cooled engine, which is stress free, and still honda smooth.

If i have to change anything about the karizma, the first thing i would will be the headlamps.(could be more powerful, in par with modern motorcycles) and the tyres (could be at least a 140 for the size of the motorcycle), considering the costs .

Overall, the karizma is an all-rounder which does not need any introduction. If you are a regular city commuter and occasional tourer and looking for a motorcycle at that range, you cannot go wrong with the karizma.

About the Reviewer