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

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

Honda CBR250R unveiled : Coming to India soon

The all new Honda CBR250R is out. It has officially been launched by Honda and here is a low down on the bike.

1. The bike will only be made in two countries - India and Thailand
2. Design theme taken from the VFR250R
3. All new single cylinder 250cc engine
4. Power is around 27-28bhp with 23-24Nm of torque, depending on the country specs
5. Three after market offerings from various companies including Mugen. Expect the kits to up the power to 30-32bhp!


India will get the bike in April 2011.
1. Pricing will be around Rs 1,50,000. In Thailand, it is around 1,00,000 Baht
2. Bike has awesome low end punch in addition to its high speed capabilities
3. I hit 140km/h indicated on the short Bira racing circuit in 5th. I think she will do 155km/h on open roads in 6th
4. Comfy bike with enough space for tall riders
5. Speedo inspired from the VFR
6. In India, it will be offered at 60% less than the Ninja 250R.

Honda Dazzler 150: Info and pics

Honda's latest 150cc offering, the CB Unicorn Dazzler has generated quite a lot of interest among the youth. It is slightly more powerful with 0.7 PS more and lighter with eight less kilos to lug around as well. Interesting? Read more about the Dazzler HERE

In the meantime, click this picture for a high resolution image of the Dazzler

Honda goes green with the EV-Neo

Weird looking scooter or a futuristic concept? Well no.. this is Honda's green baby, the EV-Neo. Production will begin soon and the EV-Neo will initially go on sale, no, lease sale in Japan by the end of this year. But, like most e-bikes out there, this one too has a few limitations. The battery is good enough only for 18 miles which isnt good even for 30km! Top speed is, well, 30km/h. That too on a flat road.

However, knowing Honda, there is for sure a lot more in store for the future - our fingers are crossed!

Honda VFR1200F ridden

It always feels special to be on a bike that the world has waited for years, a bike that when launched in its first avatar, rewrote quite a few rules. I was among the millions who had patiently waited for the all new VFR1200F to be launched and finally when it did, I found myself among a select few journalists, who were invited to the land of the rising sun for an exclusive ride experience.

"Even before I thumbed the electric starter, I knew this wouldn’t turn out to be a very long test ride that too on a road that this bike will seldom be seen on. Nevertheless, with a chance to experience one of the most awaited motorcycles in the history of Honda, I wasn’t really complaining. A few minutes later, with my left hand free, the big sweet sounding V4 motor was changing through the gears effortlessly on its own, downshifting quickly without abruptions as I slowed down for the tight curves on Honda’s HSR (Honda Safety Riding) track in Kumamoto. What you see on these pages is the all-new VFR1200F that, hold you breath, is slated for an Indian launch during the third quarter of the 2010 calendar year."

Read the complete ride experience HERE

INTERESTING READ

1. HONDA VFR1200F VS RIVALS

Honda VFR1200F VS Kawasaki Concours 14 VS Suzuki Hayabusa

The lucky blokes at www.motorcycle-usa.com recently pitted the all new Honda VFR1200F against two of its most likely rivals - the Kawasaki Concours 14 (the touring variant of the ZZR1400 / ZX-14) and the mighty Suzuki Hayabusa. Sparks did fly and how...

Read the full comparo at www.motorcycle-usa.com

INTERESTING READ:

1. HONDA VFR1200F - ALL DETAILS

Honda CB Unicorn launched

Motorcycle manufacturers are gearing up to meet the next level of emission norms in India, the Bharat Stage III norms, which come into effect from 1st April.
Honda, in a bid to make the 150cc Unicorn meet these norms has recently made a slight changes, in addition to a few other ones, and named the bike the CB Unicorn.

The Honda CB Unicorn now comes with a Viscous air filter to cut down on maintenance. Further a new color option is also on offer. There has been a slight hike the price as well
The CB Unicorn will cost the following (on-road prices)
DELHI - Rs 61,933
MUMBAI - Rs 69,116
PUNE - Rs 67,008
BANGALORE - Rs 69,042

Honda CB Twister road test review

Honda's little 110cc wonder for India, the CB Twister was recently tested by BIKE INDIA. It might be pricey for a commuter machine but then it does look the best of the lot, offers a lot of performance and is comfortable as well.
Read the complete road test HERE

Other Interesting reads:
1. BIKE India April 2010 issue
2. Yamaha FZ8 / Fazer8
3. 2011 Honda Goldwing?

2011 Honda Goldwing? Hold on... here is the history first

UPDATED: Found this interesting video from Honda. It does give a lot of clues. Don't give it a miss.
Link - http://www.ml122595.com/media/curvid.php?DealerNumber=105845&Pwd=nice&Page=current

The Honda Goldwing is one of the most iconic motorcycles in the world. The last major update came in 2001 when the GL1800 was launched. Most enthusiasts and fans are eagerly awaiting updates on the 2011 Honda Goldwing, but no concrete stuff has come up. Right then, till we all wait for updates to come our way, here is a small tribute to this bike in the form its history.

GL1000 - released in 1975

GL1100 - released in 1980

GL1200 - released in 1984

GL1500 - released in 1985

GL1800 - released in 2001 - after a gap of 16 years!

GL2000 - releasing in 2011? - your guess is as good as mine

Dont miss to watch this lovely pictorial video of the history of the Goldwing..

If someone from Honda is reading this, dudes, we are really waiting for the 2011 Honda Goldwing with crossed fingers...

Honda CB Twister 110 ridden

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has quite a few products in India - both scooters as well as motorcycles. However, recently they entered the Indian commuter segment with the launch of the 110cc CB Twister. Needless to say, the CB Twister looks like a scaled down CB1000R.

It comes with a 9bhp 110cc engine. To read the first review, go to BIKE INDIA NOW

2010 Honda VFR1200F ridden and experienced

A selected few of us were invited to Japan to ride and experience Honda's finest and all new VFR1200F. I experienced both the manual as well as the much talked about DCT variant. The bike will most probably be headed to India for a launch somewhere in July 2010. For more, pick up the Jan issue of BIKE INDIA magazine

ALSO SEE:
1. VFR - DETAILED PHOTOS
2. OFFICIAL PICS N SPECS

2010 Honda VFRF : Detail photos

Click HERE to see the first official pictures of the 2010 Honda VFR1200F.

Here are a few more shots of the motorcycle's finer details

The front disc

The heart of the 20101 Honda VFR1200F

Speedometer console

The exhaust looks great. No really...

Yep - the VFR1200F is shaft driven!

Fucking sexy!

The cockpit..

2010 Honda VFR1200F : Official pictures and specifications

The cat is finally out of the bag! Honda has unveiled one of its most awaited motorcycles till date, the 2010 Honda VFR1200F. Here are the official pictures of the three different colors along with a few action shots as well.





The 2010 Honda VFR1200F comes with a 1237cc liquid cooled engine that is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with two modes - the new Dual Clutch Automatic Transmission system. Pricing of the VFR1200F thought hasnt been announced yet... Stay tuned for more!

ALSO SEE:

1. India gets the Ninja 250R finally!!

2. Hero Honda's new ZMR

2010 Honda VFR1200T pictures

First the spy pics, then the sketches and now the real bike. Motorcycle News has revealed the pictures of Honda VFR1200T and we think it looks great!

This V4 engined bike will replace the Pan European model and when launched will be the most technologically-advanced bike in the world.

The bike looks absolutely amazing regardless of the color schemes, but these do help in forming a better opinion of what Honda will create and so encourage people to mention what they think about what they see. So, what do you think about the 2010 Honda VRF1200T?

2011 Honda Goldwing : details

CLICK HERE TO SEE GOLDWING'S HISTORY

While details are still sketchy, but here are a few pointers on the 2011 Honda Goldwing that is believed to be out sooner than expected

- The engine capacity is likely to jump from 1800cc to 2000cc
- It will retain its horizontally-opposed six cylinder layout
- The engine will now have both twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder
- According to www.gizmag.com, the bike is shaping as a technology showcase with Honda's variable cylinder management, a beefed-up Human Friendly transmission, airbag system, ABS braking, GPS, electronic traction control, Bluetooth phone integration and an iPod compatible sound system.

In the meantime, see this video of a crazy guy, popping wheelies on the Honda Goldwing!



ALSO SEE
1. HONDA XRE 300
2. HONDA CB300R
3. RIDING TO 18000+ FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL

CLICK HERE TO SEE GOLDWING'S HISTORY

Honda XRE300 details : replaces XR250

We told you about the new 300cc CB300R that Honda has launched to replace the 250cc Twister in Brazil HERE. Going a step further, Honda is also aiming at replacing the 250cc Enduro bike, the XR250 Tornado with this XRE 300 bike soon.

The XRE 300 will use the same engine as the CB300R which means the 292cc engine developing around 26.5 bhp will made good use of. Such small capacity Enduro bikes make a lot of sense in countries like Brazil, and ofcourse, we would love to have it here in India as well!

Enjoy the pictures in the meantime: