User Review : Hero Moto Corp Karizma R - Nikhil Sutar

• On-road price: Rs. 92,500/-  as on 4/9/2012
• Colour : Sports black.
• Waiting Period: 25 days
• Dealer: Fort point, Vasai, Thane
• Freebies & Accessories: Handle Grip, Helmet (low quality), Parking Cover, side indicator buzzer. 

This is the first time I am writing an owner's review. And honestly speaking I am very proud owner of my new Hero Moto Corp Karizma R. To begin with, personally it is a dream come true for me. Right from 2003 when the 1^st Avatar of Karizma was launched by Hero Honda, I wanted to have this machine with me. But it took 9 years to actually own it. It has been pleasant one year from the purchase of my new Karizma, but the pleasure which it gives fueled me to write this review.

The first thing people ask me about when they see me with my bike, is Why Karizma? Why not Pulsar 220 or Pulsar 200NS? And some people who are not aware of biking much even ask Why not TATA NANO? As it cost almost the same?

Pretty annoying questions, but to answer them, I just handover the key of my bike and ask them to take a ride. And when they return, they return with a smile on their faces and congratulate me for my new bike. Ya, it is the performance of Karizma which gives you the pleasure.

Engine:

I rode the biggest rival of Karizma R i.e. Pulsar 220, it has some sheer power behind its wheels and I respect it a lot. But when it comes to maintenance and riding comfort Karizma wins the battle with ease. The gear shift is like butter, good distribution of power for all gears. In city, with the light handle of Karizma, you can easily dodge the Rickshaw-walas in first or second gear, when it comes to highway superb power-to-weigh ratio comes into picture; Bike remains rock steady and keeps on rolling at higher RPMs at higher gears. It is heavy i.e. 150kg kerb weight but when you roll it on 60kmph+ it is as good as sitting on a couch and watching TV; this is the comfort I was talking about. Hero Honda has put on lot of efforts to achieve this and it is worth my respect. The best part of Karizma’s engine is it never tires, if you push the throttle the bike will push itself with ease without giving jerks or vibrations, which the riders always loves. The bike responds to biker's commands, and is meant to do that with ease.

Styling:

Apart from its engine, the next thing is its style, which speaks for itself. Good aerodynamic design nice graphics black coated swing arm & engine adds to style and muscle of the bike. Head-light and tail-light are the identity of Karizma in terms of styling is concerned. This is the only bike in India; you look from any angle it just looks stunning. Even after 11 years no other manufacturer is able to achieve the style of Karizma’s standard (personal view off course). Girls tend to give you more respect and time when you drive a Karizma ;) 

Brakes:

Braking system of Karizma is what disappoints!!! It lacks a rear disc brake. Still the braking is pretty decent. It has a nice large disc in the front and moderate drum brake in the rear. I wish Hero MotoCorp updates the Karizma with rear disc. Then the Karizma will be altogether different bike.

Suspension/Ride Comfort:

I have taken my bike on stretch from Mumbai to shirdi and back in one day. Total of 500km around 8 hours in stretch, suspension is damn good along with the riding position which is just about perfect. And for the comfort of the pillion, it has a 5 steps adjustable suspension which can beat any bike in its class even the pillion rider won’t get tired touring. Keep the tyre pressure maintained to get good ride comfort. 

Stability & Handling at high speeds:

Thanks to the power-to-weigh ratio of Karizma, bike remains steady till 120kmph, above it poor plastic starts to vibrate and bike tends to leave the road if there is even a slight a cross wind. Cornering is a bit scary at higher speeds, as the rear wheel is not broad enough, bike loses its stability while cornering at higher speeds

Ease of ride & Fuel Economy  – City & Highway :

About fuel economy, Karizma is not for people who rely more on fuel efficiency, the bike gives you sheer pleasure but at the cost of money in your pocket, it has mileage of 35kmpl in city and 40kmpl on highway. But according to me it is the best mileage you can get from a 223cc engine. 

One best experience my bike:

The best experience with Karizma was when I was travelling from Mumbai to Pune on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, there's a small section of ghat of about 5 km near Khopoli with twists and turns and inclines. The bike just kept on giving me the adrenalin rushes till I reached the top of mountain. It was just some kind of pleasure after that I have travelled from that route many a times but the first time I rode on that route was something out of this world.

Issues with the bike till date:

There were minor issues which I faced during this one year.

• Clutch wire I changed it 2 times
• Digital speedo wire replaced once
• Chain sprocket was adjusted once after 10,000km
• Side indicator slide switch gets stuck sometimes
• Very poor headlight!!! only 35W!!!
• Poor horn

As Hero Honda has not done any significant changes in this bike from its launch, here are the few things I would like Hero moto corp. to think about for its new upgrade:

• Poor head light, currently it has a 35W headlight; it can be upgraded to projector headlight.

• Very poor horn, to drive on highway you need good horn, Karizma still have the horn as in any 100cc vehicle.

• Rear discs, as mentioned earlier it will add up to the performance.

• Tubeless tyres, tubeless tyres can assure you to go offroad and unleash the power of Karizma.

Finally to conclude my review, I am extremely happy with the performance of my bike, it gives me sense of achievement, allow me to live my dream every day. Every time I drive it I feel to drive more…

"Wear helmet while riding, ride safe, happy riding"

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