Hero Honda launches refreshed Glamour and Glamour FI

The world's largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, Hero Honda has refreshed its 125cc offering, the Glamour and the Glamour FI. No changes have been done to the engine and are limited to the look of the bike only.
The new additions are eye-catching checkered graphics, attractive aerodynamic shroud, a new muffler cover, new-age trapezoidal headlight, and a stunning new visor with racy graphics and a chiseled front cowl. The remarkable maintenance-free battery ensures peaceful and uninterrupted ride. As usual, the Glamour continues to be priced nicely - at Rs 50,500/- (cast/drum/self, ex-showroom Delhi) and Rs 52,500/- (cast/disc/self, ex-showroom Delhi) and the Glamour FI is at Rs 59,500/- (cast/disc/self, ex-showroom Delhi).

Audi to launch A7 in India on 11th May

Audi is all set to launch its model, the A7 in India on 11 May. A five-door coupe , the car is based on the Volkswagen Group MLB platform. Imported in India as a completely built unit , the car is expected to be priced around Rs. 65 lakhs.

Audi A7 is expected to be launched in both petrol and diesel versions. The 3.0 TFSI Quattro Petrol version of Audi A7 will be powered by a 2995cc engine offering 300 PS of power at 5250-6500 RPM and 440 Nm of torque at 2900-4500 RPM. The other version 3.0 TDI Quattro 6-cylinder Diesel will have a 2967cc engine offering maximum power of 245 PS at 4000-4500 RPM and 500 Nm of torque at 1400-3250 RPM.

2011 Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey

The 2011 edition of the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey is here - the biggest, the toughest, the highest and the most fun-filled ride above sea level, now in its eighth edition.

Keeping in line with the tradition of promoting leisure and adventure motorcycling culture across the country, Royal Enfield brings the Himalayan Odyssey 2011, a ’trip’ of adventure riding across the rugged and treacherous landscapes of the Himalayas including a ride to the legendary Khardung La pass.

Ladakh literally means the Land of the Passes. This Holy Grail of motorcycling roads famed world-wide will take you through three mountain ranges, and many passes to a dizzying 18,380 feet high at Khardung La and a 40-km off-road ride through a high altitude desert at the Moré Plains. Rich in natural beauty, the landscape in its silence, emptiness and unbelievable vastness is breathtaking. As it enters its 8th edition of successful running, the annual tradition of the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey today has proved itself to be revered as a ritual of ultimate adventurous motorcycling.

This ride has always been considered as an exalting pilgrimage to the Mecca of endurance motorcycling, the mighty Himalayas, Ladakh region in particular. It is this ride from Delhi to Ladakh and back that Royal Enfield Riders undertake every year which is often considered as an achievement by many a motorcyclist. The bikers who choose to embark on this adventure trip are not just guided to understand the perils of rough weather, rugged terrain laden with gravel and boulders but also taught how to make use of their understanding and negotiate and tame this difficult and treacherous route.

It is this ability that the riders develop during the course of the ride that makes these able bodied men (and women) ride on together, Covering each sector of this extraordinary adventure with panache and confidence.

The adventure run begins from 25th June 2011 and goes on till 10th July 2011

Details of the same could be had from:

http://www.royalenfield.com/company/events/himalayan-odyssey-2011/himalayan-odyssey-2011_.aspx

WORTH A READ
1. My ride to Marsimik La : 18,640 feet above sea level

New Ford Fiesta Classic launched

With the all new Ford Fiesta just around the corner, Ford yesterday launched a cheaper variant of the current Fiesta, christened the Fiesta Classic, which will continue to be sold even once the new Fiesta is out next month.

The Fiesta Classic will address a much broader customer base with two new trims - LXI and CLXI. With this the Classic becomes more attractive and affordable with the petrol variants starting at Rs. 549,030 (ex-showroom, Delhi) and diesel variants at Rs. 648,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The new Fiesta Classic retains its core characteristics of surefooted balance on the road, responsive steering and compliant suspension. Its reputation as a driver’s car is enhanced by its refined, trusty and proven 1.6 Duratec and 1.4 Duratorq powertrains, which deliver on the optimum mix of gripping performance and frugal fuel consumption.

The elegant new Fiesta Classic gets a refreshingly classy new interior with Ebony and Jasper Blue coloured instrument panel, a new centre and floor console finished in Graphic Metallic, new seats with soft feel fabric and enhanced dual-tone door trims. In addition, all the product variants will display the ‘Classic’ moniker and will be available in a striking new body colour – Colorado Red. It is offered in both petrol and diesel engine options across three variants – LXI, CLXI and SXI to suit growing customer requirements.

Thrilling performance and fuel efficiency are signature attributes of the Fiesta Classic, which customers have been experiencing and enjoying throughout their ownership. This was proven once again by delivering 30 kmpl with the diesel and 20 kmpl with the petrol, as per a cross-country drive undertaken by a leading automotive magazine.

Ford India is all set to launch the all new Fiesta next month. This car will finally take on the likes of the Volkswagen Vento and Honda City.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze : Back in black!

Chevrolet has cleverly incorporated quite a few changes in the Cruze for 2011. These are:

For the LT model
1. New Interiors - Jet Black and Medium Titanium Dashboard and door trims, Monotone Jet Black seats with titanium stitch highlights
2.Improved Rear seat with new seat cushion design
3.Audio Controls on Steering Wheels
4.USB Port in audio system
5.Automatic Climate Control
6.Illuminated vanity mirror

For the LTZ model

1. New Interiors - Jet Black and Medium Titanium Dashboard and door trims, Monotone Jet Black seats with titanium stitch highlights
2. Improved Rear seat with new seat cushion design
3. USB Port in audio system
4. Illuminated vanity mirror
5. Bluetooth connectivity in audio system
6. Automatic inside rear view mirror

Price changes : 20k extra for LT, 15k extra for LTZ model

2012 Honda Crossrunner ride review

Pic : www.motorcycledaily.com

The guys at www.motorcycledaily.com recently rode the 2012 Honda Crossrunner is here are a few lines on what they feel about the bike

- "The Crossrunner is a fun bike with 100 hp, and an easy, comfortable nature driven by the character of a V4"
- "Acceleration is not fierce down there, of course, but you could open the throttle in sixth gear at just above idle and the bike would respond with a smooth, linear pull, unlike most other bikes"
- "The passenger seat is generous in size, comfortable and accompanied by integrated grab handles"
- "The new Honda Crossrunner strikes us as a successful design that will indeed appeal to a large group of riders, providing comfort and practicality combined with a healthy dose of sporty handling and power"

Read the complete review directly on www.motorcycledaily.com


WORTH A READ:
1. VIDEO - HOW NOT TO PARK YOUR BIKE

2011 Harley Davidson Forty-Eight for India

Last year, we told you about the 2010 Harley Davidson Forty-Eight that was launched in the US market. Now, for 2011, the Indian arm of Harley Davidson has announced the 2011 version for the same model for the domestic market.

The Forty-Eight will be introduced at Rs. 8,50,000 (ex-showroom Delhi) and is a factory custom in the legendary tradition of the hot rod Sportster line with the raw, elemental appeal of the Dark Custom™ bikes.

Riding low with a slammed suspension and featuring the classic "peanut" fuel tank, the Forty-Eight backs up its bulldog appearance with the performance of its blacked out and polished rubber-mounted Evolution® 1200 cc V-Twin engine. The low solo seat, under-mounted mirrors, side mount license plate, clean rear fender and tall and fat front tire emphasize the Forty Eight's focus on chiseled customization.

With Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) and performance tuning with a broad torque curve, the Forty-Eight motorcycle delivers a powerfully responsive ride with smooth clutch effort. The pipes on the chrome, shorty dual exhaust pound out the distinctive Harley-Davidson V-Twin sound.

The Forty-Eight embraces the street up front with forward foot controls, low profile custom handlebar, fork-mounted turn signals, slammed speedometer mounting bracket and fork brace with lightening holes. A unique dual texture seat with a height of 26 inches fits the lone rider, while a passenger pillion, footpegs and backrest are some of the many accessories that can be added.

WORTH A READ:
1. VYRUS LAUNCHED IN INDIA!!

Hyosungs in India by 20th April : The Korean Assault

Picture : Bobby Roy Chowdhury

Remember Hyosung? It was the same company that gave us, Indians, a chance to own and ride a proper full fledged 250cc motorcycle some years back. The same Korean giant is now back in India with Pune based Garware Motors and will soon be launching the GT650R as well as the ST7 models in India.

To be commercially available from 20th April, the GT650R is a proper sports bike - fully faired and with a powerful 650cc engine. The ST7 on the other hand is a proper Yankee cruiser and comes with a slightly larger capacity engine. It is also the one I would pick from among the two machines.

No pricing has been announced but we feel the GT650R will go on sale for around Rs 4.5 to 5 lakh whereas the ST7 will come with a sticker price of Rs 5 to 5.5 lakh. Fingers crossed till 20th April 2011

WORTH A READ
1. THE PIMPED UP AQUILA 250

Stupid biker - how not to ride your bike in a truck!

We all go through this at some point of time - shifting homes.
Apart from the usual house-hold stuff, we also need to shift our prized possession, our motorcycles. However, the way this guy does it is so bloody wrong. We couldn't stop laughing at his way of crashing his cruiser!

So if you are looking at shifting your house, and your prized set of wheels, better learn a thing or two from this video!!

Vyrus Superbike launched in India.

Is this freaking true? In India? WTF!
Exactly - we too had the same feelings until we finally got the official news just an hour back. These are the first two images, right from the launch ceremony here in New Delhi, India.
The radical Superbike Vyrus has gone on sale in India and while u might wonder why such a bike in India, trust us, there are enough millionaires in India to make our country this bike's best market easily!

WTF: Changing tires on the move - all the way from Saudi!

People from this part of the world are known for their crazy antics. They are also known to drive their big SUVs on two wheels but what in the world is this?

Words can do justice to what you end up thinking once you see this video..

Honda VFR1200F and CBR1000RR : Mumbai to Delhi ride - Day 2

While riding to Ahmedabad on day1, it had started drizzling lightly. My last ride on a Superbike on this route (on the Hayabusa) came back to my mind - that time too, rain gods hadnt been kind of me!

By morning, the roads outside the hotel were all wet! We still had over 900km to go to Delhi and reluctantly, we were back on the road. The 245km stretch to Udaipur has its own set of long sweeeping curves. The roads however were wet which meant we had to force ourselves to ride 'slowly' at speeds between 105-110km/h only. At these speeds, a twist of the throttle was all it would take to spin the rear wheel madly!

Passing the 'Line'

We stopped for a few pictures whenever the drizzle stopped but eventually before we got to Udaipur, we were shivering to the core. Wind blast on high speeds (when you wet) is bad, very bad! We almost ended up taking a night in Udaipur itself but that would have been a shame for us...

Photo-shoots at the Chittorgarh turn-off

So we contined to Chittorgarh and within a few km had to take shelter in a road side restaurant. The cold was simply too much. A few cups of tea, spicy and hot meals and we decided to ride to Chittorgarh for the night. We had no option but to ride on. The bikes in the meantime, though dirty, were proving to be our companion - they adjusted well, sipping a litre for every 20km. Though the roads were wet, they instilled confidence in us and made us eat the miles slowly but steadily.

370km were all we did that day. It took us around 8 hours for the same - blame this on long and numerous breaks to fight the cold. The bikes wore a mucky look outside in the parking and all our luggage was wet to the bone. What next we asked ourselves...

Our clothes scattered all over the room in Chittorgarh!

Day3's log coming up : the last battle to New Delhi

Read Day 1 here

Honda VFR1200F and CBR1000RR : Mumbai to Delhi ride - Day 1

Riding a full blown motorcycle is one thing. Riding it for over 1400km through congestion, rains, cold and single lane stretches is another.

India is known as the land of commuter motorcycles. Eight out of ten motorcycles on the roads are from the 100-125cc category. Superbike manufacturers have starting showing interest in the Indian market but slowly but steadily, lucky individuals can now catch a glimpse of these in big cities. But, are these only meant for the occasional ride or can they take on long distances as well?

Our aim was simple - pick up two of the best models in the history of Honda and take for a ride - a long one. The bikes were the iconic VFR1200F and the sexy CBR1000RR. The route was a 1450km ride from Mumbai to the capital of India, New Delhi.

Blame it on hitting the bed late, but we managed to get out of Mumbai's mess by 11am. Ahmedabad was roughly 500km and in all probability, it seemed to be our night stop.

Even though we were just an hour and half into the ride, roads like these greeted us once in a while

The first 100-150km out of Mumbai are average. Diversions and lotsa traffic means our average speeds were low. However, past the cut off to Silvassa, things improved.

A restaurant looks on - somewhere on the highway where we stopped for a quick bite

The VFR1200F which till now felt heavy and lazy suddenly seemed to come in its own. Superb is an understatement for this machine. The CBR1000RR surprisingly was uber comfortable for Bobby Roy Chowdhury, the man also responsible for these pictures.

It took us around 10 hours to cover 520km to Ahmedabad including numerous breaks for photography. Enjoy these photographs from Day 1

Day 2 of the ride coming up...

Also read:
Honda VFR1200F ridden and experienced