Hero Honda’s CBZ Extreme…

So here comes Hero Honda Motors with a new product that it advertises as the CBZ Xtreme. Taglines like “Blink, and you will miss it!“, or “Once you see it, impossible to forget!” hyped the product up, like never before. If you had followed the Indian biking scenario, and saw this kind of advertising, you would be thinking the CBZ Xtreme to be at least a quarter-litre bike delivering 25+ bhp (One wouldnt expect litre class bikes from HH, after Honda has entered India on its own).

Ah! But that is the twist in the story. The CBZ Xtreme is a bike in the 150cc class, which is.. the same class as the original CBZ was! Shaking your head in disbelief? Dont, not yet! There’s more to it.

First, the power - reportedly a increase to….14bhp(from 12.62)! Didnt you jump with joy? No? Not even for that extreme hike in power? Well, never you mind, I have more info for you to jump with joy on.

New Hero Honda’s HUNK.

Hero Honda’s newest member in the premium segment ‘HUNK’ (Err…What name?) has been launched today, with a price tag of Rs. 55K (Ex showroom Delhi). The Hunk Does not come with all the features that it was speculated to come with, and is a 150cc premium segment bike, sharing a tweaked engine with CBZ Xtreme. The engine volumes 149.2cc and produces 14.2 bhp @ 8500rpm with a max torque of 12.8Nm @ 6500rpm.

The Hunk now comes with gas charged, adjustable rear shocks (first on a Hero Honda) and no mono shock as expected. There’s a new tank design with a fairing extending from it. The tail piece though is disappointingly similar to Hero Honda’s Ambition. No Digital instrumentation, no LED tail lamps, no rear discs, no split rear grabs, no body colored mirrors and full fairing as expected but you can do without them either.

There some freshness in the bike’s design by means of the new tank and a new bikini fairing (not the one that I would hate in the CBZX), but the tail piece though could have been improved. The design however feels very Apache-ish in terms of the tank design and the rear tail piece. Similarities in looks can also be drawn to Yamaha YBR 250, but of course I am not belittling Hero Honda’s efforts in to the design. I do criticize Hero Honda for their sticker upgrades; this one thankfully has no silly stickers stuck around, surprising right?

The bike is available in two options, kick start and self with the self start option being at Rs 57K (Ex Delhi). Here are the rest of the tech specs as posted by Diesel on Autocar India Forum.

There some freshness in the bike’s design by means of the new tank and a new bikini fairing (not the one that I would hate in the CBZX), but the tail piece though could have been improved. The design however feels very Apache-ish in terms of the tank design and the rear tail piece. Similarities in looks can also be drawn to Yamaha YBR 250, but of course I am not belittling Hero Honda’s efforts in to the design. I do criticize Hero Honda for their sticker upgrades; this one thankfully has no silly stickers stuck around, surprising right?

The bike is available in two options, kick start and self with the self start option being at Rs 57K (Ex Delhi). Here are the rest of the tech specs as posted by Diesel on Autocar India Forum.

Custom Drag Bikes Sportbikes & Superbikes

Customized Sportbikes, Drag Bikes & Street Rods

This genre is difficult to categorize - part purpose-built dragster,
part boulevard cruiser, part radical custom show bike, and a little hip
hop style billet-bling thrown in for good measure.

Some builders opt for the stripped-down, anodized, minimalist
approach, and others never saw a metal bit that didn't deserve a layer
of chrome. Different stokes for different folks, but any way you choose
it, audaciousness is the prime mover of this rapidly growing niche in
the world of motorcycles.

This page contains custom builder portfolios, and photographic archives
showcasing an extensive assortment of custom motorcycles, show bikes,
radical custom drag motorcycles, and street rods.

Gold Member

'Gold Member' Dragster by Goldammer Cycleworks

Kawasaki ZX-14 Sportbike

Kawasaki ZX-14 Sportbike/Dragster by Roaring Toyz

Yamaha Metric

Yamaha Metric Custom Dragster by AFT Customs

Yamaha Metric

Yamaha Metric Custom Dragster by AFT Customs

'Cafe9' Ducati 999

'Cafe9' Ducati 999 Custom Sportbike by Steffano Motors

Zyborg 1430cc 8-Valve Twin Hemi Evo Dragster

Zyborg 1430cc 8-Valve Twin Hemi Evo Dragster - 2007 Legend of the Motorcycle show

GC Hellion

GC Hellion Custom Sportbike by Gregg's Customs GC-Cycles

MTT 250-Series Gas Turbine

MTT 250-Series Gas Turbine Superbike by MTT Turbine Vehicles

MY TURBO GSXR 1100

Instead of the traditional draw-thru single
carburetor system this bike has been designed to blow through the
Electronic Fuel Injection System to preserve the stock bikes
driveability, even fuel distribution and heat management. The
electronic injection gives me complete automatic control over all
functions such as cold start, acceleration, enrichment and
automatic altitude/ barometric correction. The user friendly
Software allows me to use my laptop computer to adjust the fuel
system. We mounted the turbocharger in front of the engine near
the exhaust ports to minimize heat losses and improve turbo
response. Tuned 180 degree firing, heavy wall stainless steel
exhaust headers insure perfect exhaust timing and even heat
delivery to the turbine wheel. Front mounting of the turbocharger
isolates the heat from the rider, eliminating burned shins, and
as a further benefit removes the turbocharger from its
traditional location behind the engine where it can get hot
enough to boil the fuel in the gas tank. Twin intercoolers lower
inlet temperatures an average of 150 degrees Fahrenheit under
boost giving The cylinders a cooler, denser charge . Without
intercooling higher boost pressures could not be reliably
maintained. It can run 15 psi on unleaded premium and up to 28
psi on high octane racing fuels. This system features a
sophisticated priority breather valve that allows the engine to
breathe directly at the inlet plenum. thus bypassing the turbo
and intercoolers to eliminate any turbo lag. Also on the bike is
a digital air fuel ratio meter thats on the dash . This gives me
an instantaneous readout of my exact air fuel ratio for both
monitoring and tuning my engine. This system is reliable and
predictable enough for everything from daily commuting to sport
bike activity and out and out racing.

QUALITY PIT BIKES - TRAIL AND POCKET BIKES - DIRT BIKES

Extreme Dirt Bikes
is an established business
in the dirt bike market
and has considerable knowledge
and experience in the
sales and maintenance
of "Off Road"
motor vehicles including
pit bikes and trail bikes.


We have chosen our overseas
manufacturers because
they meet with strict
quality and standards
of the US and European
markets.



Browse through our range
by clicking on the left.
You may choose from 70cc,
125cc
or 110cc
engines or see our CURRENT
PIT BIKE SPECIALS .

Still More Dahon D3 Musings

First off, if I was really smart, I'd figure out some way to get a kickback from Dahon. I'm not that smart.

My friends have figured out that I really like my Dahon D3. I think the fact that I ride so many places on this bike tips them off. Now you have to understand, I have bikey friends and they are used to seeing me show up at places on a bike, but somehow they are still surprised when I show up on the Dahon instead of one of my bigger bikes. Especially when the places I show up at are miles from my home. "You rode here? On that?" they say. It's like they think I'm making some kind of sacrifice. Surely my bigger bikes are better?

I think my ongoing interest in the sufficient, as opposed to the optimal, is part of what explains my preference for the Dahon, but the simpler answer is that the bike is fun. The little wheels are zippy; they spin up to speed quickly but by the same token, they don't tend to hold speed as well. The bike feels quick, it is quick, but it doesn't seem fast like a racing bike. It just seems fun.

It is impossible to have Lance Armstrong fantasies on a Dahon D3. You are sitting more upright and you look too big for the bike. On some forum I read that riders on folding bikes look like they "rode out of a Dr. Seuss book." That writer has a point, but it's a point I gladly embrace. Dr. Seuss would understand.

I ride my red bike here and there,
I ride my red bike everywhere.

I take my red bike on a bus,
On the street folks question us.

"How fast does that red bike go?"
"As fast as I pedal, don't you know."

"Does it have the gears you need?"
"I've found three give needed speed.

"One for up and one for down,
One for riding in the town."

"Can you ride it in the night?"
"Yes, I have a little light."

"Do you ride it near and far?"
"Yes, every place you'd take a car."

"Can you take things on your bike?"
"A rack and sack hold all I like."

"My bike goes with me on the train,
I ride in sun, I ride in rain."

"I ride to the store and to the bank,
I never put gas in a tank."

"I fuel at the grocery store,
I ride and eat then ride some more."

"I have a red bike that I like,
I'm glad I have this folding bike."

Die Moto dogged to topple the Land Speed Record

Michael Sturtz along with his team of environmentally conscious vehicle enthusiasts has developed a custom built performance diesel motorcycle at the Crucible, an innovative industrial arts education facility at Oakland, California. The motorcycle is capable to run on diesel, bio diesel, or on straight vegetable oil fuels and is named Die Moto which is out to prove the practicability of alternative fuel technology in the every day use vehicles.