BMW R Nine T Cafe Racer Motorcycle

BMW R Nine T Cafe Racer Motorcycle

BMW Motorrad has launched the R nine T motorcycle in India. The bike is one of the cooler looking BMW motorcycles since it is based on a cafe racer theme. The BMW R nine T is priced at Rs. 23.5 lakhs ex-showroom Mumbai and is a straight CBU import from Germany. This bike is called the R nine T as it celebrates BMW Motorrad’s 90 years of existence in the motorcycle business. The R nine T comes with a detachable pillion seat that can be replaced by a racing cowl to give it a more sporty look.

Honda Amaze compact sedan to get engine noise reduced

Honda Amaze compact sedan

Honda’s 1.5 liter iDtec diesel engine has allowed the company to make a big comeback in the Indian market. Both cars using this engine, the Amaze and the City, have done very well. The main reason for the good sales of the Amaze and the City has been the fuel efficient 1.5 liter diesel engine.

The engine suffers from a slight issue. The issue we’re talking about is the noisy clatter that it makes. Since the 1.5 liter Honda iDtec engine is built of aluminium, it is noisier than diesel engines found on other cars. The diesel engines on most cars are made of cast iron and this material absorbs noise better than aluminium, resulting in a quieter engine.

To solve this, Honda should have added a lot of sound deadening in the Amaze. It didn’t happen and the Amaze Diesel continues to be a noisy car. Honda made some corrections in the City and gave the car more noise insulation. The result is that the City is much quieter than the Amaze.

The upcoming Mobilio will get even more insulation and become quieter than the City as well. The same approach will be followed on the Jazz too. All four cars mentioned above will use the 1.5 liter iDtec diesel engine. Honda plans to make the Amaze quieter next year. The compact sedan will get a facelift next year end when Honda will also add extra sound deadening on the diesel models.

It’s good that Honda is taking car buyer feedback seriously and making the required changes. The Indian car buyer is no longer in the Ambassador-Premier Padmini era when noisy engines were tolerated as normal. Modern day cars, even diesels, are very refined and Hyundai’s latest diesel cars are good examples of great refinement. Since Honda is quickly addressing the issue, more buyers are expected to queue up for diesel cars bearing the straight H logo.

Test Ride Joyful TVS Star City+

TVS Star City+, as the name says company wants this bike to be the star performer in the high volume commuter segment which is primarily targeted at Indian city consumers. In this relay race, to challenge the well settled competitors, Star City+ takes the baton ahead from the hands of TVS Star City which again is the successor of TVS Star. Understanding the importance of entry level urban commuter segment and revenues generated in that segment, engineers in Hossur had big responsibilities on their shoulders while designing this next generation bike. This 110 cc bike comes with all the weaponry essential to threaten the bikes like Hero Splendor+, Honda Dream Neo, Bajaj Discover 100 series, Mahindra Centuro and many other similar bikes. We got a chance to test ride the bike on the city streets of Mumbai. Let us explore the Star, which shadowed the star of Indian cricket MS Dhoni in TV commercials, and find out its core competence areas.

Appearance:  (4.3/5)

Highlights: Attention to details like 3D emblem, faux mesh on side panels, Apache like engine housing design, contrast stitching on seat, silver finished rear coil spring and grab rails etc.; adds an extra pinch of flashiness and makes the Star City+ look premium compared to other bikes in the segment.

2014 Bajaj Pulsar SS 200

Bajaj has been testing the Pulsar SS 200 for a long time now. Images of the bike having reached dealerships came in months ago and yet, Bajaj hasn’t given any hints of when they plan to launch the machine. We have just received a fresh spy shot of the SS 200 or possibly the SS 400. Our spies tell us that the bike appeared bigger and lengthier than the test mules seen before, but as the spy shot looks similar to what we have seen so far, we can’t say if it’s the SS 400 with absolute certainty.

2014 Bajaj Pulsar SS200