HAPPY NEW YEAR! AND MOTOHISTORY UPDATE

Ed Youngblood in front of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. Circa 2004.
Ed Younglbood, publisher of the Motohistory website, has included a biographical piece about the Vintagent on his site today, with lots of embarrassing early pictures of me. The article is here. I encourage you to visit his site and explore the great depth of stories and articles included - it's uniformly excellent, and I'm flattered to be included within its pages.

Ed Youngblood
Ed has a lot of great stories himself, having been editor of Cycle News in the motorcycle boom years of the 70's, as well as many years of work on the Board of the AMA, FIM, and AMCA. He has curated or co-curated many motorcycle exhibitions (including the Art of the Motorcycle) and published quite a few books on motorcycles, including 'A Century of Indian', 'Heroes of Harley Davidson', and biographies of John Penton and Dick Mann (all these can be purchased from his website). He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

Get Desert Dawgs motorcycle rain guards before 2009 price increase

Tis the season...for Desert Dawgs, that is! Stay warmer and dryer with our motorcycle rain guards. The Desert Dawgs eliminate road spray and keep you warmer without a bulky motorcycle fairing! Excellent fit; installs easily on motorcycle engine guard bar, highway bar or freeway bar. Ultra Pockets provide extra storage!

And NOW is the time to buy, because next week we'll be forced to increase our prices! Click
here for more information!

BMW Recalls 2008 F650GS Motorcycles for Brake Disc Fastener Defect

BMW has issued a recall of certain 2008 F650GS motorcycles.

Due to production and assembly tolerances, the length of one or more of the front brake disc fasteners may be insufficient. If the length of a fastener was insufficient, this could result in the fastener not being tightened according to specifications. If this happened, the fastener could work loose from its threads. In some cases involving multiple fasteners, the brake disc could loosen, increasing the risk of a crash.

373 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

BMW Recalls 2008 F650GS and F800GS Motorcycles for Chain Sprocket Problem

BMW has issued a recall of certain 2008 F650GS and F800GS motorcycles.

The tightening of the chain sprocket fasteners may have resulted in various levels of torque being applied. It is possible for the fasteners to work loose from the sprocket, increasing the risk of a crash.

509 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Customer loves UltraTilt for mounting GPS on a motorcycle!

We just wanted to share the following comment from our customer, Dave: "The UltraTilt works great. I am VERY satisfied with it
and the mount after having used them on a 600-mile ride this weekend.
Very high quality in both pieces and I recommended them to fellow riders!
Thank you for the great service and for providing items that are actually
"Made in the USA." I really appreciate all you have done, thanks again."

For details about how the UltraTilt works with mounting a GPS on a motorcycle, visit our GPS eGuide Page.

Chrome Motorcycle Clock - "Talon" mounts to round bars

The NEW Talon Mount motorcycle clock is fast and simple to install and won't scratch your handlebar chrome. The body is triple-chromed billet aluminum. The unit is waterproof and shock resistant and has your choice of five different face styles. For details click here! (Also available with thermeter face.)

Mr. Motorcycle's word challenge game

I have a challenge for you.

Rules of the game. I pick the word, you get to tie that word into motorcycles in as few words as possible. The most creative one in fewest words wins bragging rights.

The word is Potato.

I'll go first since it's my blog.

"The sound a Harley makes while idling is Potato, Potato, Potato. "

(Of course I picked the easy obvious one! It's my game!)
However, this most likely guarantees me no bragging rights.

I'll do a poll on the best one after some entries are done in comments.

You'll have three days starting tomorrow morning.

Good Luck!!!!!

Sturgis video from DeluxeCAM motorcycle camera mount

If you've ever wondered how the DeluxeCAM motorcycle camera mount works, you should check out the video footage we took at the 2008 Sturgis rally. You can find it here:
Camera eGuide

We'll get more video footage when it warms up around here (Minnesota)! :-)

NEW BMW MUSEUM, MUNICH

I had the good fortune to visit the new BMW museum last October to see for myself this 'new experience' in museum design and display, which opened only last June (2008). Located near the 1974 Olympic Pavillion (designed by Otto Frei), which looks remarkably fresh, this reconfigured public area of the BMW factory connects a new high-tech showroom via flying bridge to the new museum, attached like a futuristic carbuncle to the original 'bowl' museum, built in 1973 to a design by Viennese architect Karl Schwanzer (who also designed the 'four cylinder' BMW office tower nearby). The concept for the old 'bowl' was an 'enclosed circular continuation of the road', on an upwardly spiraling ramp - an unaknowledged nod to Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim museum built in 1959 (although it came full circle when the Gugg hosted the 'Art of the Motorcycle' exhibit - somebody had been to Munich!). I last visited the BMW factory in 1988 (how time flies...), and have pleasant memories of the display of their racing cars and motorcycles, wired in place on large black faux-blacktop display walls.

The original museum remains in place (see pic from the new showroom above, and the interior below), fairly unchanged, althoug only temporary exhibitions are held there (or not - it was mostly empty), plus exclusive dealer/investor/client/new model unveiling events. Strangely, the interior spiral is printed with an oversize quotation in English. I was not allowed to photograph the many cars 'under wraps' inside the circular halls, but they all looked enormous and clad in polyester (the seamless 'skin', wrinkling at the door joints when passengers exit, is one design concept making the rounds in Munich).

Attached to the silver bowl is the new 'low building', designed by Uwe Bruckner, which also utilizes the concept of the 'road brought inside' (with black tarmac-ish walkways), but does away with the previous circular movement, in favor of a guided pathway through a series of seven concept-boxes on multiple levels. While the old concrete building had a graceful curved interior, the new space is rigidly rectilinear, using acrylic panel walls, illuminated from within. The illusion of movement is created with ceaselessly projected shadow imagery across the glowing white walls. Abstract shapes float ghostly grey in your peripheral vision, as a timeline of motorcycle specters march dutifully across the floor line. A dazzling effect, like visiting a museum in a dream. ICT (Innovative Communication Technologies), designers of the interior spaces, have created the entire interactive experience, with 'talking walls' in multiple languages (depending on where you stand - Deutsche or English) and the world's largest touch-panel display table, where teenagers intuitively grasp the process of exploring the company history.

To say the building is 'wired' is to understate the case; visitors are tracked by infrared beams from a central core which keeps tabs their numbers, migration patterns, and individual locations; activating movies when viewers come within range of an exhibit, triggering audio explanations or sound effects, changing light patterns around the cars and motorcycles. Large display books on tables are 'watched ' from above, and pattern-matching software reads the page while soundwaves of an audio track are bounced off the book surface to the viewer, changing as the pages are turned.


A(nother) new technology is 'panphonic' display audio; by stepping onto an inlay on the floor, a projected audio file can only be heard by a listener in that exact location - your friend nearby can't hear the audio at all. I'd read about this new technology being an unobtrusive targeted advertising media, but hadn't experienced it until now. The total effect is very impressive, and I've included a few videos which give the overall effect.

There's also a groovy kinetic sculpture room where 714 metallic balls (silver of course - I didn't mention that EVERYTHING is silver) are manipulated to create 3-d silhouettes of cars past and present - see the video below.


The new car showroom is a twisted concrete and glass carapace in the post-Bilbao Contemporary Museum style, all compound curves and spiraling glass towers. Inside, an elevated central platform is surrounded by a mezzanine; clever social engineering dictates an oasis of privilege at the heart - the punters gape from across a moat, from the encircling walkway/restaurant/bookstore area. Only purchasers of new BMWs are allowed on this dais, where customers become celebrities on a black-carpet drive, after being hosted around their new cars under the presumably envious gaze of the public. Once inside, the owners drive leisurely off the platform, down a circular ramp, in full view of the assembled throng. Clever.

That's the architecture - and so to the nitty gritty; the motorcycles! I was aghast on entering the museum to find a three-story stack of two-wheeled BMWs, arranged by date behind a glass wall; there's little I find more pointless than looking at motorcycles through glass.


My fears were shortly alleviated, as a small room nearby held a supercharged '39 Rennsport suspended on steel rods, fully accessible, with no alarms or glass to prevent a moment of intimacy with this pinnacle of BMW history. My photos tell the tale - get as close as you like, in any of 3 dimensions, even underneath, to answer any questions about the machine or just take it all in as one could never before.


And new facts emerged - I never knew that these machines used pannier tanks, bolted together.

I had a racing R51ss with period replica Rennsport tank, which was externally identical to this racer - but only in photos; the Works item is far more complex, and larger.


It's possibly a long-range tank for the machine George Meyer rode to victory in the '39 Isle of Man Senior TT (and I believe the museum bought this bike from John Surtees). The plunger rear suspension is damped by an Andre pattern friction damper, attached to the frame and the final drive housing.

Two other supercharged machines can be pored over in other rooms, where, again, the motorcycles are free-standing and completely accessible, almost haphazardly lined up (see photos). A streamlined WR500 record-breaker sits near an R90S production racer, with sidecar GP machines jostling with Paris-Dakar winners. The displays are restrained in the sense that there is no attempt to cram every important or historic machine into the capacious halls.


There are perhaps 40 motorcycles which are readily accessible, and another 40 or so behind glass or suspended above walkways, which may sound paltry, but it gives the visitor the mental space to take in the details of what is present, rather than glazing over at the overkill of a sea of motorbikes.

Of course there are cars, wonderful cars, historic cars, silver cars, even prosaic cars in funny displays which make a nod to period quirks.


An Isetta and a 2002 sit underneath clusters of 60's and 70's color-coded ceiling lamps, while in another room, a display of 60s/70s BMW sedans has a back wall of veneer zebra wood paneling and carpet, evoking a classic German business-office suite of the day; someone at ITC has a sly sense of humor.

My favorite car was the 1938 328 Mille Miglia racer, strangely glassed-off, in contrast to the motorcycles. A moving photo display lines the wall behind, and gives a bit of context, plus the evolution of the car's design.


It was clear from my visit that BMW has poured a tremendous amount of money into their premier showplace, and they've pulled it off; it's a cutting-edge facility with a wow factor which will last many years. The Olympic stadium nearby must have stood as a challenge to the architects - 'make something new, which will last'. I highly recommend a trip if you're anywhere near Munich.

Triumph Recalls 2008 Rocket III Touring Motorcycle for Pannier Rail Weld Defect

Triumph has issued a recall of certain 2008 Rocket III Touring motorcycles.

There could be a missing weld on the back of the pannier rail. The pannier rail may, after time, be weakened leading to a full fracture of the rail and possible loss of pannier and rail from the motorcycle, increasing the risk of a crash.

8 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Top 10 Motorcycle Pictures of the Year 2008 from Motorcycle Views

The top ten motorcycle pictures were picked from pictures submitted to Motorcycle Views in 2008. The pictures are not ordered. They include three pictures of women on motorcycles, four pictures of men on motorcycles, and three pictures of motorcycles only.

The pictures were chosen for a variety of reasons. I looked at each picture, read each description, and picked those pictures that held my interest.

Check out the Top 10 Pictures for 2008.

DeluxeCAM motorcycle camera mount reviewed by Thunder Press Magazine

Thunder Press editors say, "a successful mating of the company’s eCaddy Deluxe mount and a Pana-Vise adjustable swivel camera mount."

To view the complete article:
Thunder Press

For details about the DeluxeCAM motorcycle camera mount:
Camera Guide

Hope your holiday's were filled with cheer!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday experience. I am truly blessed, and can say that I have nothing more that I could ever want, (except some not so important materialistic things) of course!

Seeing as I don't post pictures of my wife or kids, I'll share a couple of Christmas pictures of the cats and dog.

I don't have pictures with cats and their new mice, 'cause, well, they get them every year. I do have a few good ones though.

Can you find Beethoven the cat in this picture?


How about now?


(Wolfie on lower step, Beethoven on upper step)
Did anyone say Cheese????


Cy's new walkin boots (first time on his feet).
Doesn't look too happy does he???


Cy's new hedge hog


Cy's new moose


It was a joyous day with friends and family.
I hope yours was as well.

Harley-Davidson Guarantees Sportster Trade-in Value

Even in these tough economic times, Harley-Davidson has found a way to lure more customers into their showroom: Allow trade-ins at the original sale price.


Harley has a plan to allow their customers who have already purchased a recent Sportster to trade it in on a larger model but essentially cancel the depreciation on the Sportster. Here's an excerpt from an article by Rick Barrett of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:


    "Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG) has announced a new motorcycle purchase program that guarantees the trade-in value of a Sportster when traded for one of the company's more expensive bikes.


    Harley riders who either buy a new Sportster or trade in their recently purchased Sportster between Dec. 26 and March 31 will get the bike's original manufacturer's suggested retail price when they trade up to one of Harley's Big Twin or VRSC motorcycles." -- Rick Barrett, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Journal Sentinel


Read the complete story.

REX McCANDLESS AND THE FEATHERBED FRAME

Rex McCandless and his brother Cromie were responsible for the creation of the infamous 'Featherbed' Norton frame, among quite a few other innovative designs, regardless of the fact that he left school just after his 13th birthday, and had taken no courses in engineering.

"I never had any formal training. I came to believe that it stops people from thinking for themselves. I read many books on technical subjects, but always regarded that as second-hand knowledge. I did my best working in my own way."

Always a motorcycle enthusiast, he began to tune his own machines, and by 1940, had a new Triumph Tiger 100, which was faster than a factory-tuned bronze-head T100 of his friend, Artie Bell (future Norton Works racer). He won the Irish 500cc Road Race and Hillclimb championships that year, even though he felt his brother Cromie to be the better rider. In the '49 Ulster GP, he was the first privateer home, in 6th place (see pic above of Rex, left, and Artie Bell).

Yet he found that his Triumph racer was often making unreasonable demands of its rider, and began experimenting with weight distribution. "I had noticed that when I removed weight in the shape of a heavy steel mudguard and a headlight, that the bike steered a lot better. It made me think about things which swiveled when steering. I was in an area about which I knew nothing, but set-to to find out. It seemed obvious to me that the rigidity of the frame was of paramount importance. That the wheels would stay in line, in the direction the rider pointed the bicycle, regardless of whether it was cranked over for a corner, and to resist the bumps on the road attempting to deflect it.
Of equal importance was that the wheels would stay in contact with the road. That may seem obvious, but fast motor cycles then bounced all over the place. I decided that soft springing, properly and consistently damped, was required."

The first test-bed for Rex's ideas, built in 1944, was named the 'Benial' (Irish for 'beast' - see above). In general layout, it looked much like the double-loop frame used on the Gilera-Rondine watercooled dohc 4-cyl racer of the 1930's, but it had a proper swingarm at the back with vertical hydraulic shock absorbers (from a Citroen car). More contemporary viewers will see a direct lineage to the Seeley frame, and of course, many of the best Italian and Japanese space-frames from the 1980's. "The Benial was the best-handling bicycle I ever made."

Using the ideas garnered from his experiments, McCandless first designed a bolt-on rear suspension kit for rigid-frame motorcycles (see above), which was tested publicly by the Irish grass-track racing team at Brands Hatch in 1946. Prior to the race, other riders looked askance at the rear suspension kits, but after the race, they clamored for them. Rex had no ambition to go into manufacturing, and sold the rights to Feridax (pic below - Rex discussing his conversion with Stanley Woods).

Rex made friends with Freddie Dixon, famous as a tuner and rider/driver (for Douglas and Riley), and they were entreated by fellow Irishman Ernie Lyons to sort out the Triumph Grand Prix he had bought for the 1946 Manx GP. The Triumph as set up by the factory handled poorly, but Rex and Freddie sorted it out, and Lyons famously won the race, even though his frame had broken (see pic below).

Norton was none too happy of course, as they were having problems of their own with their 'plunger' Garden Gate frame, which had a tendency to break, and handle like a camel. Joe Craig, in an effort to cure the cracks, kept making the frames heavier, with negative results (below; 1948 Works Norton).

In McCandless' view, this showed an insufficient understanding of the stresses involved on the chassis, "...all they did was to fix together bits of tube and some lugs.." In 1949, he told Gilbert Smith, the Managing Director of Norton, "You are not Unapproachable, and you are not the World's Best Roadholder. I have a bicycle which is miles better!" The Norton brass set up a test on the Isle of Man, where a relative of Cromie McCandless' wife was Chief of Police. They closed the roads, "Artie Bell was on my bike, ultimately christened the Featherbed by Harold Daniell. Geoff Duke was on a Garden Gate and both had Works engines. Gilbert Smith, Joe Craig and I stood on the outside of the corner at Kate's Cottage. We could hear them coming from about the 33rd [milestone]. When Geoff came through Kate's he was needing all the road. Artie rode around the outside of him on full bore, miles an hour faster, and in total control. That night Gilbert Smith and I had a good skinful."

Further testing took place at Montlhery, with four riders (Artie Bell, Geoff Duke, Harold Daniell, and Johnny Lockett) going flat-out for two days. "We went through two engines, then the snow came on. The frame hadn't broken so we all went home." The debut of the new frame came at Blandford Camp, Dorset, in April 1950, with Geoff Duke aboard (below, winning that race). The string of successes which followed gave a new lease on life to a 20-year-old engine design, and Norton won 1-2-3 in the Senior and Junior TT's that year.

Interestingly, Norton didn't have the facility to produce the Featherbed frame themselves, nor could Reynolds (the tubing manufacturer), so Rex brought his own jigs over from Ireland, and personally built the Works Norton frames from 1950-53 (that original jig, as it exists today, can be seen in the pic below - what a historic piece of scrap iron!).

Rex McCandless was never an employee of Norton; he was paid by what worked - if an idea panned out, he was paid £1 per hour. If the idea didn't work, no charge.

By 1953, Rex could see that the writing was on the wall for the Manx engine, and pressed the factory to build a proper 4-cylinder racer, as Gilera and MV Agusta had done. "Joe Craig was against the 4-cylinder project, and persuaded the Board that he could continue to extract enough power from the single." (pic below, Rex and Joe Craig).

As a stopgap measure, Rex designed a new frame, more like the original Benial, with the dohc Norton engine vertical between lowered top rails. The petrol was carried in pannier tanks (see bottom pic), which allowed the rider to stretch out over the frame and behind full streamlining.

The bike was known as the Kneeler, and Ray Amm tried it out first in the North West 200 in 1953. It put up the fastest lap, with Amm calling it the most comfortable bicycle he'd ever ridden. Amm and Eric Oliver took the Kneeler to Montlhery, where it broke the 1-hour speed record at 133.66mph.

"After that, Norton put the Kneeler aside. I had nobody there to support me and they felt it wasn't a real Norton."

Although Eric Oliver used the frame design as the basis for his World Champion sidecar outfit (to be copied by every other outfit shortly afterwards! See pic above), they refused to pursue McCandless' ideas further, and the Kneeler never raced again. Disillusioned, Rex McCandless turned to designing cars.

Photo credits: Photos 1, 2, 3, 5 are from 'Sweet Dreams', by Gordon Small (Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, 1989). Sadly, out of print.
Photos 4, 10, and 15 are from Dark Davey Maertyn, Notorious Anglo-Cajun Photo Pyrate, Scourge of the Elektronyke Seas, Nemesis to the Evyl Muse Kopyryte, Drynker of Whysky, and Dryver of An Olde Pyckuppe Trucke.
Photo 6 (Triumph GP) is from Ivor Davies' 'It's a Triumph!' (Foulis, 1980). A transitional book; part 'Old School' publishing - the writing and small format - and part 'New Breed'; lots of great photos.
Photos 8 (first Featherbed) and 15 (tank shot of Kneeler) are from Mick Walker's 'Norton; the Racing Story' (Crowood, 2002). Still in print; buy it!
The remainder of the Norton shots are from Mick Woollett's excellent 'Norton' (Osprey, 1992), which is also still available, and with George Cohen's 'Flat Tank Norton', is the best book written about this illustrious marque.

cool art that I came across

It's called The Motor Lisa


New Bikes: Suzuki Shogun 125RR and 125SP

Suzuki Shogun 125 RR and Suzuki Shogun 125SP
(click to enlarge)

I know this post is a little bit late. I was thinking whether to include this bike or not on this blog because this blog is mostly about Yamaha cub bikes but I can't resist the temptation given by Shogun 125 SP by Suzuki.
When I was studying in secondary school, my father bought me a Suzuki Best 110. At that time, there were Yamaha SS 110 and RG Sports 110 as the contender to Best 110. So, I think it is also relevant to put it into this blog.
The wow element that I can find in this Shogun is on the installation of front and rear disc brake. Front and rear disc brake is very hard to find fitted on cub bikes. The bikes that I know have this kind of installation is Yamaha 125Z and Suzuki RGX 120 in Malaysia. In Thailand, it is a different story because they have a lot of cub bike fitted with front and rear disc brake like Honda Sonic, Honda Nova, Kawasaki Leostar, Yamaha X1R and many more.
The other good element in this Shogun is the availability of manual hand clutch which gives better acceleration and torque to the bike. The other bike that have manual hand clutch is Yamaha LC135ES only.
The sport rim is also my favourite because it features the Y-spoke. Y-spoke sport rims is used in many popular bike like Aprilia RS125 and Kawasaki Ninja ZX250R. Both which are also my favourite bike other than Yamaha.
The downside of this bike is the use of old style rear suspension which is still NOT monoshock. This make the overall looks of the bike look safe and nothing special. You can modified your LC135 to get front and rear disc brake, but it is much much harder to change the double shock system to monoshock system. One more thing is about the displacement(cc) of the Shogun. It is only 125cc where nowadays the buzzword is 135cc. I really think Suzuki need to do something about it.
For more information, head up to here.
Shogun 125 RR (Clutch auto) RM5,253.75
Shogun 125 SP (Clutch manual) RM5,400.25

via : motomalaya.blogspot.com

Motorcycle camera mount

You don't need a PhD to get your digital or video camera mounted on a motorcycle. Get the KISS ("Keep It Simple, Stupid") solution: a DeluxeCAM motorcycle camera mount! If your digital camera, video camera or camcorder can be put on a tripod, it can be mounted with the DeluxeCAM!

Check out new photos and videos on our
Camera Guide page!

Bajaj Pulsar 300cc


During a conversion about new bikes in India, my friend was talking about Bajaj, India’s largest and world fourth largest two wheeler manufacturer revolutionary in India. Frankly speaking I am no fan of Bajaj Products I always believe in companies like TVS, Yamaha and Honda when it comes to biking.

Talking about my friend who alerted me about Bajaj’s upcoming release of a new powerful biking which is probably the BAJAJ PULSAR 300CC. At first it was 100CC then 120,150,180,200 and now its 220cc.

So now a 300 cc bike for Indian roads? Are we power drivers? Already Price of fuel is sky rocketing while traffic in parallel increases. Soon I went through a research over internet about Bajaj launching the new 300cc bike to confirm the news.

At last I concluded it is PURELY HOAX. Bajaj has officially not announced any plans to launch 300cc right now in India. So if you come across any news about it then it’s completely one of false gossips.
pulsar300cc1.jpg

Above is the picture of Virtual stimulated photography of Pulsar claiming to be 300cc bike from Bajaj.

Lastly guys please don’t offend me I don’t like Bajaj products due to their constant discontinuation of vehicle models. Some of examples are they discontinued Sunny, Chetak, Cub, Super, Wave, Legend, Bravo, Eliminator, Wind 125, Kawasaki 4s Champion, Kawasaki KB 100 RTZ, Boxer and Caliber. No news at all about Blade and Sonic.

Do anyone ever thinked about the customers using the above model vehicles? Are they assured with any availability of Spare parts? So I usually depend on TVS and other companies! Although many companies constantly discontinue vehicles when they are out of fashion but Bajaj has a biggest list.

The new Pulsar 200 cc



Bajaj Auto Ltd unveiled 200 cc Pulsar DTS-i. The company hopes to sell 50,000 units of Pulsar per month from June, which will be available in 150 cc, 180 cc, 200 cc, and 220 cc engine capacities. In January, Bajaj Auto sold 43,000 units of Pulsar. Bajaj Auto will be unveiling its new platform of motorcycles in July-September this year. The company had last week announced exit from the 100 cc motorcycle segment.

The new Pulsar has many firsts to its credit. It comes equipped with an Oil cooler, which helps control engine oil temperatures at sustained high speeds and rpms, thus ensuring more stable engine oil viscosity. The 200cc DTS-I engine generates 18 Ps of raw pulsating power to provide riding excitement to performance hungry bikers. This makes the Pulsar 200 the most sporty and stylish powerhouse on two wheels to pace the Indian roads.

It’s also the first bike in India to feature both front and rear tubeless tires, which besides offering superior stability are safer than conventional tube types and in sync with the offerings abroad for similar applications. The rear tire is the broadest in its category to ensure better road grip and stability.

The new digital console is an advanced version of the latest Pulsar family. Apart from the Digital Odometer, Digital Speedo Meter, Digital Fuel Gauge and two Digital Trip Meters, the console on the 200 cc Pulsar DTS-I has indicators for Air filter condition, Engine temperature, Battery voltage and Oil level, all of which contribute to enhancing rider info for trouble-free riding.

Latest Technology in Bajaj Pulsar:

DTSi - Digital Twin spark ignition: This technology helps the motorcycle a phenomenal performance augmentation and its being introduced for the first time in Bajaj Pulsar. Twin Sparkplugs for better and faster combustion in Bajaj Pulsar: As per convention there is only one spark plug at one end of the combustion chamber. This somewhat results in slow burning of air fuel mixture. 2 spark plugs at the either end of the combustion chamber helps in better and faster combustion Ignition handled by Digital C.D.I: A digital cdi powered by 8 bit microprocessor chip handles the spark delivery thus gives maximum efficiency to the bike. Constant velocity carburetor in Bajaj Pulsar: The CV carburetor provides high level of performance.

Bajaj Pulsar 200cc Test Ride

I took a test ride & I enjoyed the ride. Seating is not cushy but it took the bumps & pot-holes with ease. The foot pegs are not commuter style & I didn’t like it as i ride commuter bike. but to my surprise my posture was upright. It is even balanced but i was not able to do quick turn maybe because the bike is heavy or i didn’t have the confidence on my riding on a new bike. But vroom it & it literally flied over pot-holed road. It loves to be man-handled but note it on a straight road! The mid-range power just surges & makes you want more. But in slow speed she doesn’t responds well.

About oil cooler its utility as i read is to keep the performance at same level at ideal temp. Gear shift is good but not totally devoid of false neutrals albeit less than previous ones. About top speed they say it goes to 120km/hr but i feel it is exaggerated, plz comment on this. I believe it will go to max 115km/hr. About mileage they tell it will give 45 km/. The styling is a bit of this & that i expected at least a modified tank with new styling but what we get is an attached tank attachment. Yes if you see value 4 money it is good. With 124 kph showing on the orange-lit LCD speedometer of the new Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi I’m on, I really should be doing other things. Like figuring out how to get the motorcycle to slow down for the uphill left turn that is coming up quickly.

It really isn’t a concern, as the brakes are the best I’ve used. If my visor were dry and my raincoat was still in my kit bag, I’d probably be seeing closer to 135 kph on the speedo right now. On my umpteenth fast-but-not-pushing-it lap of Bajaj’s Chaka plant test-track, I’m impressed with the motorcycle and what it represents. we haven’t had this classy, this fast, this good a performance motorcycle at all. It takes corners with a delightful, eager poise, is accurate like a surgeon’s scalpel and can brake hard with easy confidence. The throttle is superlight and crisp and I can already see all sorts of careless riders using it to scare themselves silly. More importantly, I can see hordes of serious riders grinning in delight. Bajaj’s design brief for the DTS-Fi was to create a no-compromise machine for the performance motorcycle enthusiast. This, they have achieved.

Bajaj Pulsar 200cc Road Test

The DTS-Fi isn’t intimidating, too heavy or bulky for a 220cc bike. Its front fairing is larger than the older Pulsar, packs better weather protection and mounts a pair of attractive and angular mirrors. The fairing additionally supports a unique brace of vertically stacked headlights, which offer chaste white light. We haven’t yet taken the DTS-Fi out at night, but the twin 55W projector low beam and 70mm parabolic high beam assemblies scream potency — with Pulsar trademark twin pilot lights also offering white illumination.

The switchgear on the Pulsar DTS-Fi is backlit and contact-free. Positive to the touch, they go a step further, offering self-cancelling turn indicators. Instruments on the new Pulsar intelligently vary intensity to offer bright visibility during daytime and a more subdued, less obtrusive effect at night. Speed can be read off an electronic speedometer, which also employs a contact-free digital pick-up. The handsome, large rev counter is analogue and rider-friendly. Meanwhile, the array of warning lamps is astonishing — all those little bulbs have been replaced by LEDs and you get a fuel gauge with reserve warning flasher, twin trip meters, air filter choked, battery low, oil low, fuel low, engine redline flasher and engine overheating/malfunction lights, apart from the usual neutral, indicator and high beam indicators. And you would do well to not lose your new Pulsar’s pilfer-proof keys; these are virtually non-duplicable.

Thoughtfully, there’s a tank pad on this Pulsar to protect from belt/zip scratches as you sit on a lightly stepped seat surrounded by sporty two-piece grab bars. Flank panels and an exquisite tail fairing are all-new, as are a duo of flush LED break lamps. Adding meaty substance to this bike’s proportions is a stainless steel silencer that ends in a substantial alloy canister. This alloy theme is tastily extended to various other bits including the wheels, clip-on handlebars, triple-clamp, footrest mounts and fuel filler.

Bajaj has packed a whole lot of innovation and hard work into the Pulsar’s 220cc Digital Twin Spark-Fuel injected (DTS-Fi) engine (see ‘Technology - Fuel Injection, p118). Though it’s a single-cylinder mill that still runs twin valves, that’s about where the similarities with the other Pulsars end. Firstly, this self-started engine has shed its kick lever. Next, this air- and oil-cooled engine features an oil-radiator and a capillary of internal oil galleries that circulate and cool oil to disperse excess heat. As the name suggests, fuel injection and twin spark plugs work in tandem towards obtaining the best possible combustion in any situation.

The fuel injection system is computer-controlled — here, complex computation algorithms factor in a plethora of data including intake air mass, crank position, intake air temperature, throttle position and engine speed before deciding and delivering a precise air-fuel mixture at the intake tract. The sequence in which the twin plugs deliver their sparks also varies all the time, and is perfectly controlled to match every individual condition. And then the DTS-Fi motor enjoys some regular Bajaj features like roller bearings for the rocker arm pivots and camshaft interfaces, as well as an exhausted resonator that bumps up torque lower down in the power band.

A counterbalance negates crank vibes, while the bike puts out a vigorous 20bhp power at 8500rpm. And 1.95kgm of torque is obtained at 6500rpm. The new Pulsar preserves its battery by tripping a circuit and pausing its engine-start sequence if the self-starter is engaged continuously for too long. It also automatically cuts the headlamp when the starter engages.

Fuel injection, like in any car today, translates into easy starts at any altitude or temperature. It also means cracking throttle response and an uninterrupted, flowing power delivery right through the rev band. In addition, you also can be assured of critical, behind-the-scenes benefits like good fuel efficiency and lower emissions. A five-speed, one-down-four-up gearbox does duty on the Pulsar DTS-Fi. Yet another significant feature is the exposed and ‘O’ ring sealed drive chain that comes with all links pre-lubricated and separately sealed for corrosion fortification caused by moisture and dirt. Expect this bike’s drive chain to offer minimal maintenance, increased reliability and good life in spite of running exposed to India’s harsh conditions.

We got to ride the DTS-Fi on Bajaj’s Chaka test track, and straight off we can tell you the bike sounds exciting and feels even better. Thumb the starter and its motor cracks in, immediately settling into a quiet and steady idle chatter. Clutch feel is spot on, with each gear clicking home with a positive shift action. Initiated Pulsar riders will immediately identify with this machine’s character-rich DTS-i whir as it fluently stretches stationary into fast-forward mode. The exhaust note, though soft and unobtrusive, also manages to offer a throaty tone.

Performance is smooth, linear and torque laden, a light throttle delivering responsive power low in the band. It’s near-impossible to go easy on this bike as it piles on the revs with the furious feel of a far smaller and lighter machine. Smooth, vibe-free power coaxes you to push hard, slam home quick-shifts and ride silly speeds all the time. It took only one lap to feel at ease and start pushing the DTS-Fi for all its brawn. Chaka’s back straight is long and allows opening up and getting up close and personal with all those 20 horses. This new Pulsar feels perky, swinging smoothly from one end to the other of its rev-band, instruments flashing out an approaching redline and signaling time for each new gearshift. The bitumen was wet under a light drizzle, but we did comfortably nudge 124kph, with some power still in hand.

The DTS-Fi is composed at high speeds, with ample room to snuggle under its large front fairing and peer through its tinted fly screen. Bajaj claims a 135kph top speed and 50kpl as fuel economy — but we will get the complete picture only after a comprehensive road test. Riding position on the Pulsar DTS-Fi is unashamedly sporty, with damped clip-on bars, footrest pegs and stepped seat, all falling neatly into position. This is a bike that doesn’t feel its 150kg — it feels light and even nimble while cornering on its 17-inch wheels. While 37mm, pinched clamp telescopic forks bring up the front, the rear uses adjustable, dual gas-charged shock absorbers and an elliptical swing arm that mounts on slick needle roller bearings. The new Pulsar surely promises sparkling ride and handling, although our brief and wet ride forces us to reserve comment till later.

Meanwhile, for the first time in Indian motorcycling history, tyres have gone tubeless and have been specially developed by MRF for the DTS-Fi. Which brings us to the brakes — you get hydraulic discs, both front and rear. The front 265mm disc offers progressive and sure braking, and although we were initially worried about the 230mm rear disc possibly being too powerful, both ends actually are reassuring when braking hard through the gearbox at the end of the long, wet straight. Our few moments with Bajaj’s Pulsar DTS-Fi reveal that it surely has the goods to take forward the performance baton from the 180 DTS-i. This is clearly a no-compromise bike that’s going to have the competition curling their toes and breaking into a cold sweat. With undeniably good looks, a more-than-generous helping of features and clever engineering, the important questions now revolve around the DTS-Fi’s performance, price and the reliability of all the new technology. We feel Bajaj will slot this one in well under Rs 100,000 – good value for money in India, and if the bike reaches out further, a bargain abroad.

Engine and Transmission:

Pulsar 200cc features India’s first oil cooled engine which delivers a maximum power of 18Ps@8000rpm making it most powerful engine offered by Bajaj. It’s an air cooled single-cylinder with an alloy barrel and head as well as twin valves. Oil cooler placed just below the fuel tank helps in further cooling of engine lubricant and keep the large 198.8cc motor cool. Digital twin spark ignition (DTS-i) and torque expansion chamber — ExhausTEC ensures the pulsar to provide sufficient levels of torque at low engine rpm levels and is optimized to provide torque distribution in the mid and higher range rpm levels. Pulsar 200cc features a five speed gearbox with one down and four up pattern.

For the face lifted Karizma the engine remains the same. Karizma scores over the pulsar when comes to torque, the bigger engine provides a healthy 18.35Nm@6000rpm against the pulsar’s 17.17Nm. The progressive feel, multi-plate wet-type clutch and the smooth five-speed gearbox are again the same as in the previous version. Pulsar 200cc clocks a top speed of 121kph against the 125kph offered by Karizma 223cc. Pulsar 200cc is not quicker as Karizma 223cc and it cruises to 60kph from rest in 4.73 seconds. The pulsar 200cc offers an impressive mileage of 38.3kpl in city and 42.4kpl in highway against the Karizma offers only 30kpl in city and a decent figure of 45kpl in highway. Performance figures are taken from auto car India.

Bajaj Pulsar 200cc Design

When comes to cruiser bikes power and style is the deciding factor but with proven engines style occupies the centre stage. The two bikes derive their styling from their previous version and have added some interesting features. Pulsar 200cc derives its identity from 180 and 150. Bajaj’s new additions in Pulsar 200cc are:-

*Black paint theme carried over to the front fork legs, the rear shock absorbers, and the swing arm, in addition to the engine and six spoke alloy rims, for deadly looks.
* A lowered Headlamp/Fairing assembly along with a high tail-end, giving it an aggressive, ready to pounce stance.
* An all Stainless Steel silencer with an aluminum muffler can for genuine sporty looks and long life.
* Sleek, Twin row, Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) derived from the upgraded pulsar 180cc along the split grab rail perfectly compliments the new rear chiseled looks.
I have seen many Bikers love to alter their Pulsar 150cc, 180cc and other bikes with modern diffuser, more powerful horns, replacing rear tyres with bigger tyres, raising the rear suspension to give a racing look and exposing the drive train which demands higher price . For those relief comes in the form of pulsar 200cc Bajaj has offered some of these as standard features
* It’s the first bike in India to feature both front and rear tubeless tyres, which besides offering superior stability are safer than conventional tube types and in sync with the offerings abroad for similar applications. The rear tyre is the broadest in its category to ensure better road grip and stability. Another first is the use of split seats in pulsar 200cc for styling and comfort.

Handling and Engineering

Pulsar 200cc is lengthier than new Karizma but its wheelbase is shorter than new Karizma which means you have to be careful with the Pulsar 200cc while negotiating a turn. Both the bikes offer disc at the front and drum brake at the rear as a standard feature. With the MRF tubeless tyres at the front and the back Pulsar gives excellent traction control. Even though Karizma features a 276mm disc at the front a little larger than 260mm offered in pulsar, the massive 150kg Karizma comes to halt in 18.36m from 60kph as against 16.47m taken by pulsar 200cc from the same speed. Both the bikes offer a commanding position for riders. But with split seats and carefully placed foot rest the pillion in the pulsar 200cc gets better visibility. The split seats are not only meant for the sporty look, but also resides a modest lockable and cable released storage under it.

Special features

In addition to the features mentioned in design section both these bikes have special features which increases their practicality Pulsar 200cc also leaves its drive chain exposed with O’ ring sealed, which is pre-lubricated to help it stay reliable inspite of running open without protection is one such example. Similar to its sibling Pulsar 220cc-soon to be launched, the pulsar 200cc bike throws away the kick lever and makes you to crank the engine only with your thumb unlike the Karizma which offers both self and Kick mechanism for cranking.

Both these bikes use best instruments and unheard features in any Indian bike. Both Pulsar 200cc and the new Karizma have Digital odo Meter, Digital Fuel Gauge and Digital Trip Meter. Pulsar 200cc features a digital console which uses only LEDs and intelligently varies its amber backlight intensity for viewing in either day or night. The new Karizma features a night vision in the digital console, which illuminates the console to bright neon yellow and makes the speedometer stand out in the dark, forming a stunning contrast. It also features powerful multi-reflector trapezoidal headlight with two pilot lamps for that added beam, an integrated clear-lens lamp tail light for better visibility at the rear. Real time clock is found only in the console of Karizma. Both these bikes use 15 liter reservoirs and bar end weights - which keeps off the vibration. Karizma has safety switch for clutch which actuates when the vehicle is started in gear.

Technical Specifications
Engine Type 4-stroke, DTS-i, Oil cooled
Displacement 198.8 cc
Max Power 18 Ps / 13.25 Kw
Max Torque 1.75 kgm / 17.17 Nm

Suspension Front Telescopic forks 135 mm stroke
Rear Triple rate spring, 5 way adjustable, gas charged NitroX shock absorbers

Brakes Front 260 mm hydraulically operated disc brake
Rear Mechanically expanding 130 mm drum type

Tyres Front 90/90 x 17” Tubeless tyre, shod on aluminium alloy wheels
Rear 120/80 x 17” Tubeless tyre, shod on aluminium alloy wheels

Fuel Tank Full 15 Lts ( 2 liters of usable reserve)

Electricals System 12V AC + DC
Headlamp 35/35W clear lens type with 2 pilot lamps

Dimensions Wheelbase 1345 mm
Weight 145 Kg

Yamaha FAZER 250CC

eres some pictures of Yamaha FAZER 250CC, bike was found in two different models, just look at both.





Specifications of Yamaha Fazer 250cc:

Dry Weight = 134 kg
21bhp @ 7500 rpm
Torque = 20.5926 NM / 2.10 kgm @ 6500 rpm
282mm Disk up front
130mm drum at rear
Compression = 9.80:1
CC = 249.0
Bore x Stroke = 74.0 x 58.0
Tank Capacity 19.2 litres
Fuel Injection = AISAN
Battery = 12V 6AH
Electric Start
Front tyre = 100/80/17 M/C 52S
Rear tyre = 130/70/17 M/C 62S
Engine = 4 stroke SOHC
Clutch = 5 speed
Suspension Front = telescopic
Rear monolink/monoshock
Prize = 70k to 80k
Motorcycle Motorcycle Insurance, Bike Insurance, Motorcycle Shipping, Motorbike, Cheap Motorcycle, Motorcycle Touring, Online Motorcycle, Classic Motorcycle, Scooter, Motorcycles Uk, Motorcycles Australia, Motorcycle Covers, Motorcycle Tires, Motorcycle Jacket, Mens Motorcycle, Motorcycle Lift, Leather Motorcycle, Buy Motorcycles, Womens Motorcycle, Motorcycle Gloves, Motorcycle Boots Motorcycle Riding, Motorcycle Bluetooth, Harley Motorcycles, Motorcycle Helmets, Motorcycles Canada, Motorcycle Gear, Wheel Motorcycle, Motorcycle Parts, Suzuki Motorcycle