Bike trip Malshej ghat, near Pune

Hi Guys,
Malshej ghat is a beautiful place, and these the first words which come to my mind when i decided to write about it.

Direction: Malshej ghat is about 119 kms from Pune. You would have to take a road straight from Nashik phata (not towards Mumbai), i.e. in the direction of Nashik itself. Ride is about 65 kms from Nashik phata, and you would reach Narayan gaon. Please note carefully, that as soon as you cross the bus stand at narayan gaon, a left turn would come, with a sign board of shivneri fort. This a short cut to Malshej ghat which is another 30-35 kms from this turn. The road is good except for a 15 kms patch. But since it goes from within villages, its worth to go atleast one way.
Another road is via Ale phata, which is another 20 kms straight from Narayan gaon and then a left turn from there. Ale phata to Malshej ghat would be 20 kms.

Places on the way to Malshej ghat: Shivneri fort (birth place of Shivaji maharaj), Ozur Ganpati (Ashthavinayak ganpati).

Best time to visit Malshej ghat: Monsoons. It would be in the last week of July, when the scenery is amazing and then there are small waterfalls everywhere.

Things to carry: Extra pair of clothes, towels. You are bound to get wet over here and while returning, it would be better to wear dry one's. Wear floaters. Carry raincoats as well, if you are on bike. Umbrellas would not work as the winds are high.

Itinerary: Ours was a one day tour from Pune, so we started at around 7 in morning. Had breakfast in one of the hotels in Nashik highway. Since roads are good, it should not take you more than 3 hrs to reach Malshej ghat. But, since the scenery is so good, you would definetly want to take a break journey in between, have some clicks or climb a small mountain in between. So, realistically, if you start at 7 am, you would Malshej ghat at around 11:30. I am considering breakfast and around 1 hr stop in between for clicks, etc. Once you have reached iver there, believe ne, you would not want to come back soon. As soon as you enter Malshej ghat, you would see a small waterfall in your left, where people would be enjoying. Please do visit this place. Take the stair case and go up. In the first level, you will find another fall, and there you could enjoy under it. For the enthusiasts, on the right hand side you could opt to climb another level up. This is a bit difficult to climb but is full of thrill.
Once you are done with this, it would have been 2 hrs. Recommendation would to go ahead and see the many small waterfalls ahead. There are points ahead from where you can see the clouds ar your eye level. Its amazing to stand near the cliff. Not to worry these are man made constructions and after cross the tunnel, you would reach a road on whichbthe water falls from above. This is the main place of attraction here at Malshej and the waterfall which i mentioned above. Once, you have enjoyed over here, you can eat alongside the roads at local vendors or can go back to the start of the ghat, where there was a MTDC resort. You can change clothes over here and have some lunch. Quality of food is ok.

I hope you would enjoy the place as much as i did.

CBR 250R mud guard issue

Hi guys,
This post is just to highlight, Honda, that the CBR250R's rear mud guard has been poorly designed. In typical Indian rainy season, a lot of mud and gravel, gets upon the pillion rider.The tail light also  gets completely covered during rains.
I request Honda to improve the design of the rear mud guard. Honda owners,I am sure you might be facing this issue, thus rather than taking this as a negative comment, we all must make company aware of the situation.
Thanks...

Chain And Sprocket Change in Bike

How to know when your chain and sprocket needs a change or are damaged?

There are a few symptoms chain and sprocket wear out:

1. You would feel that your wheel is not moving as freely as it used to move earlier.
2. You should get an irritating sound, or a a "tak,tak" sound.
3. Down-shifting would be a bit difficult.
4. It wont feel refined to drive the bike

How to check for chain and sprocket is damaged and needs change:

1. First open the cap on the chain cover, if you have one, or just check a slack in the chain by manually moving the tyre. The slack should be even, but if, you see different tension levels/slack, then its time to change the chain and sprocket kit.
Basic question: Why to change chain and sprocket both?
Answer: The sprocket is the part where the chain moves upon. SO, wear out happens on both of them simultaneously. The reason for chain/sprocket damage is that, the chain becomes elongated and the grooves on the sprocket become unevenly deeper/shallow.

2. If you would still like to go deep into the analysis, then, open the chain cover and the front sprocket cover.(The smaller one). You would notice wear-out, but in really worse cases.

Now, you have known that you need a chain and sprocket change, so here are few pointers:

1. Chain and sprocket generally comes as a kit by OEM (Original equipment manufacturers). The kit involves three things: (a) Chain (b) Front sprocket(smaller one) (c) Rear sprocket(bigger one)

2. Generally, for bikes less than 250cc the kit comes at less than Rs.1800. For Hero Moto corp the parts price is a bit cheaper.(E.g. Karizma ZMR has a chain and sprocket kit for Rs.971 only)

Hope this helps...

-Gaurav

Indian Super bike Festival, Pune

Recently, the city of bike rides Pune, got even sexier when it got to witness more than 200 super bikes all at one place. At the Indian Super bike Festival, Amanora Park Town, Pune all the bikes one could dream of buying was there. There was busa's gixxers, honda's, bmw's, aprilla, even Harley's. Treat yourself with the pics I clicked. All the credit goes to the organizer's who made this possible and owners of the bikes.

g

Bike Cornering Tips

Cornering, if the word itself gets you goose bumps then let me explain my personnel experiences to do it safely and in style. Biking has been a passion to many but to get involved with your bike and understand the balance is the foremost trick to get started with. One must feel the weight distribution of his/her bike when one accelerates and does braking.

As a common phenomenon, everyone must have felt that, when you accelerate, the weight shifts toward the back of the bike & while using brakes the front gets all the weight. So, on a turn if one is accelerating one must lean a bit forward to counter balance the rear pull. Once, you have superior grip on the front wheels, the confidence level, will rise exponentially even when you are braking a bit on the turns. The brake distribution should be more on the front wheel, as compared to the rear, but only slightly more. But it entirely is in tandem with the rear braking pressure. Either one if put alone, will end up you in trouble. Remember, skid of rear wheel is still recoverable but not the front, this is where you have to make the judgment.

Now, you must know the exact braking pressure and the way your bike reacts. Hard braking is always inefficient. On normal roads, if you’re on a straight line then braking does not have those drastic results, unlike when you are on the turns, where the bike tries to nullify the outward force. This is actually the same stuff we studied in physics. The centrifugal force is directed outwards, while the centre of gravity tries to balance it out when one leans, thus the correct speed is necessary. The wheel traction would be in the opposite of the centrifugal force.

 

One must learn that when you turn, the speed of the vehicle plays an important role. Please do not brake hard when you have approached a turn. Try to get a steady speed on turns.  You will have superior grip and even better chance to lean your bike when you sort of approach a turn with a smooth acceleration.

The most unfriendly situation is when, you have gained speed just before the tune and you are hard braking on the turn with your head faced in the straight line of the bike. So, when you approach a turn, first make sure there is no gravel in front of you, and then try to foresee just the turning road. This will give you a confidence to attack the road rather than just turning. The bike should start leaning while you turn, and soon when you approach out from a turn, you must try to speed up but evenly.

Last but not the least, get yourself geared up before leaning in and practise consciously. 

Cheers~

Used Car Market 2012- Birds eye view

Used car market over year has evolved a lot in India, especially with players like Mahindra & Mahindra entering into the competition with  brand Mahindra First Choice for used cars. But before I go into the details, lets look at the major branded players in used car market in India 2012.


Physical distribution centers(The most popular one's):


1. Maruti True Value
2. Mahindra First Choice
3. Carnation- by Jagdish Khattar is the former Managing Director of Maruti Udyog Limited.


And then there are the online stores where individuals/local car dealers can post. These are:


1. www.gaadi.com
2. www.carwale.com
3. www.cardekho.com

And then there are many. These websites serve as a platform for prospective buyers to do research, buy, sell and also come together to discuss and talk about vehicles. With these websites, users are very well informed and also, get a know how before buying a used car.


The Maruti, Mahindra & Carnation are big players and offer a hassle free dealings as they have a set of self quality checks. These checks assure a buyer about the genuineness of a car especially whether the vehicles had met an accident as oppose to the local dealer where you are on your own.


Anyways, with petrol prices sky rising diesel car selling has picked up a pace and that's why one can get some really pretty deals on used petrol cars.



My birds eye view recommendation would be to go for car(used) in 2012 based on these parameters:
1. Not older than year 2007(As financing is difficult)
2. Not run more than 50k kms



The most common petrol car buys one should look in year 2012 are:
1. Hyundai i10 (high demand, high availability)
2. Maruti Swift (high demand, moderate availability)
3. Honda City (high demand, less availability)
4. Hyundai i20 (high demand, moderate-less availability)


Also, LPG can be fixed into all these above cars but please make sure that it is from authorized store only. CNG kit should be fitted as a part of factory settings only.


More details, on the posts to come. Suggestions are welcome from all...


-Gaurav

Karizma ZMR

Hi Riderz,

Karzima, is the one word synonymous with Indian biking unleashed during early 90’s. I always had a thought what could HH could do extra in such an old model given the fact the power mill is the same and that’s why I was apprehensive before buying this bike.

A quick intro about me, Software professional, mostly travels on bikes on weekend getaways, passion for Bikes & Cars, best rides driven in past- Bajaj Pulsar 200.

 Let me recap the decision before buying Karizma ZMR and the possible options which came in my mind.

Budget!!!- Being from my own Kamai/Earning, had to limit the budget around 1 lac, thus Honda CBR250R was an obvious No, Nope!!!

First bike, which came to my mind, was Bajaj Pulsar 220F. With a whole lot less burn on my pocket, More BHP, Top Speed less than none in the this category, this was the obvious choice. But, but, but, I took a long Ride before buying!!! Then did flip my mind like a coin in an instant. I had a lot of expectations as far as handling is concerned and the power delivery is concerned. Pulsar 220F is quick but it doesn’t feel like one, it has weight, but doesn’t feel like one connected to. I wanted to speed up the bike on corners but couldn’t. Probably, I needed something which connects better to the ground.

Definitely, Yamaha YZF-R15 was the second bike which crossed my mind but then came the long waiting period before me, a whole 2-3 Months, this just made me switch-off. But before that, I had also taken R15 for a ride from my friend and felt that this ride was made for highways only, it ran just like a regular bike under 5k rpm and needed high revving to get that smooth feel within city. Although, it felt the best on cornering, it felt way more balanced then Pulsar220F. Also, the rider position was not all that comfortable. My mind started tossing on the ocean, being a city rider mostly…Ultimately; Yamaha Brand was getting away from me…

The next ride was TVS Apache RTR 180. “Wohhh….what a ride this is, the power is bang on!, The handling is quite good, price is also good, looks good/OK” these are the words which came to my mind when I had seen/driven this bike. But again, due to engine issue in past which I had seen with my friend’s RTR, I decided not to go with Apache. Although, I must admit I liked this bike ☺…

The last test ride which was in my mind was HH Karizma ZMR. Reasons: Price 223 cc bike and Hero Honda being not the parent to the technology. Now about the test ride, what can I say, I felt just so right when I rode this bike for the first time. The ride position is just so comfortable, it feels just so connected and the power is also there, which I earlier assumed to be absent. On the test ride itself I was able to corner at 60-70 Kmph which I wasn’t able to do confidently with other bikes. Well, I had made a choice for myself, I had made my mind that this is what I would like to ride… I searched a few more showrooms in Pune and finally bought a white Karizma ZMR as it accentuated itz bulky looks quite grace fully.

Ride Experience: It’s been 7.5k on the run with top speed gained around 127kmph and also throne the bike into quite a potholes as well, what can I say, It’s running as one would expect it to be…

I would like to break the ride experience into two categories: (A) Riding In outskirts of city, (B) Daily routine to Office, purely city traffic

      
       (A) Riding In outskirts of city: The experience so far has been quite good for the ride I have done to places like Lavasa, Lonavala, and Sinhagad to name a few. Well one thing is common in all these rides is twisty roads, Ghats, some steep corners, And I am happy to say Karizma ZMR brought smiles to my face at every turns…If any one of you like to do less gear shifts then this is the bike for you, absolutely marvelous. A comment from Pillion on a ride to Lavasa:”I feel your bike is much comfortable yaar, compared to FZ-16 and Bajaj Avenger”.    

      (B)Daily routine to Office, purely city traffic: If anyone is from Pune and has office in Hinjewadi, he would know what I am referring to. The traffic is like hell and maneuvering through it is quite painful, but it is quite less with Karizma ZMR owing to the fact that I have driven some other bikes as well on this road. The mirror position is quite practical but requires folding in case of extreme less gaps to pass through from.

Technology:-

        a. The bike has PGMFI engine, so better mileage smoother ride

        b. The suspension is very comfortable; GRS is what HH have termed it.

        c.The digital speedometer console is undoubtedly the best on any Bike available in India    Under 500cc as per my observation. 2 Trip meters, clock, welcome message with your name, adds a nice touch, last 10 secs fuel average in kmpl. Easily viewable in day light as well.

       d.Disk brakes at both front and rear

       e.Tubeless TYRES

       f. Sensor: 7 types- crank position, oil, throttle, air intake, etc. Totally awesome!!!

       g.       Lights are good looking and illumination is decent, rear one’s are LED.

Here are the PROS of this bike from my Angle,

     1.       The bike is well built, the paint is good, the plastics are of good quality, and it’s a head turner.

     2.       The suspension is on a softer side thus can absorb the potholes quite easily without any concerns.

     3.       The ride position is just awesome; you won’t feel stressed even after long rides.

     4.       The power is Okay, it can take you 0-100 kmph quite comfortably without letting you know.

     5.       The 5 speed gear shift is smooth; the engine is the smoothest I have ever driven (at all RPM’s).

     6.       The balance of bike is excellent

     7.       Fuel injection engine give smoother ride and better mileage as well. It give 35-40 Kmpl any way you ride

    8.       Longer seat length, Split seat isn’t there, I feel, this is better, practically if tripling is to be done at some point of time, (although not advisable)

CONS of the bike,

     1.       The top speed isn’t that great, although you can cruze at 110-120 kmph for all day long.

     2.       The bike suspension is on a softer side, so isn’t made for track surface.

     3.       May be bulkier for shorter people, it’s quite huge in size.

     4.       Braking isn’t that great either, need better skills to manage the braking.

     5.       TYRES could have been broader, given the fact that every other manufacturer is giving it now.

     6.       Rear of the bike looks puny compared to the front.

Verdict: If you are looking for head turner, if you are looking a comfortable bike, if you looking for refined engine, decent mileage then ZMR is the one…