My List of Best Indian Bikes

Beggers cant be choosers. We Indians have for long been given 1970’s technology. What with single cylinder, aircooled, carburrated, single camshaft engines? Manufacterers put dust in our eyes when
they take out their (supposedly) new technology like DTSi, Vti, TPFC, AMi etc. They are nothing but marketing gimmicks to improve their numbers. You can count the performance bikes which have descended on our land on your fingers. And most of them are the heady two-strokers which have been given the bone due to tightening emmision norms. So here’s my list of the best bikes which have ever set foot on our country.


Yamaha RD 350 - Let me take you back in time. Does the name ring a bell? If it doesnt, dont bother reading any further. In a time when Bullets ruled roost, 11bhp bikes were called performance bikes, 4 speed bikes were the norm(though there were some three speeders too), there came a bike that had 39bhp of raw power, 2 cylinders, 6 speed gearbox and looks to die for. With that round headlamp, timeless shape, two silencers and buckets of chrome, which would never go out of fashion, it set youth’s hearts on fire. And when it was kickstarted and revved(in neutral) made an orgasmic sound that was never ever matched by any other bike. Put it in first gear, rev a little, let the clutch go and give throttle (just a bit or you’ll be below the bike in no time), and whoa! you’ll have both your balls down your throat. Such mindblowing acceleration, top speed, looks, sound, power delivery and most of all character can never ever be matched by any other bike. Period.

Bottomline- It still feels like riding a laser guided artillery shell with handlebars.
Performance- 200/100Mileage- 30/100Looks- 85/100Fun Factor- 999/100


HH Karizma - Hero Honda, a name known for producing mileage monsters with rather pathetic names, first produced the first ever 150cc bike in the country, the CBZ. After its market share was killed by the Pulsar twins, came out fully loaded with a 223cc bike with a real sorry name. Karizma, now whats that supposed to mean? Released in mid 2003, the P180 classic(non-DTSi) ruled roost in the performance segment. Zma had a much longer wheelbase than the classic, a half-fairing(not the first though, remember LML Adreno?), had a digital meter which housed even a clock! More importantly, it was a full 2 bhp more than its nearest rival (discounting the Enfields). That was on paper. But on road, the P180 classic gave a tough chase to the Zma. Zma, known for its lazy long stroked engine is better known for touring. But nowadys, since zma has become a whole lot cheaper( aaargh.....my resale value’s down), roadside romeos buy zma and pose on it, putting loud ugly end cans and full fairings and ride helmetless. Crazy fools. But a fun dampner on an overall nice package is a lack of sound and vibes(thats a +ve point for some), which is frankly not my cup of tea. Though now i’ve redeemed it with a K&N filter, which makes music to my ears. A must buy for all those who own performance bikes(in the indian context :p)

Bottomline- It feels like watching an action film, with the TV on mute :D
Performance- 85/100Mileage- 65/100Looks- 70/100FunFactor- 30/100


Bajaj Pulsar 180 - The one bike which brought/will bring about the evolution of the zma, P250, fazer 250, TVS 250. There are three versions of this bike. First, bursting upon the sorry Indian biking scene came the 180 classic, tearing the competition apart. Then in September 2003 came out the Karizma challenger/beater in the form of Pulsar 180 Dtsi. Making just one odd bhp more on paper, it kicked all reigning bike’s arses. Then in December 2004, Bajaj added gas-shocks and alloy wheels to Pulsar’s portfolio. Also they slightly increased its wheelbase, and coupled with the decrease in height(due to 17 inchers) Pulsar’s stance was altered. Now it’s long and low. But, sadly they decreased its top speed. Positives were improved acceleration, midrange and Low end torque. In mid 2005, the alloys, exhaust, engine and its casings, saree guard, crash guard and chain cover were made black from the familier silver. What a change it made! Even now the Pulsar looks refreshing after four and a half years. Raw power was/is P180’s forte. Instant throttle response, responsive brakes and handling were always there from day 1. But what makes the P180 what it is, is the amount of performance it packs, with mindblowing mileage(40+) in a package of just 58000Rs.

Bottomline- Perfect fusion of Looks, Performance,Mileage and Price.
Performance- 85/100Mileage- 95/100Looks- 75/100FunFactor- 85/100


RX 100/Shogun - If you’re in your twenties, you must remember the traffic lights where you raced your 2 stroke screamer. Those were the days. When petrol was cheap, there were no pollution norms, no strict policemen, when you could hear one of these bikes from a mile away. Twist the wrist and behold, blue smoke all over behind you blinding the CD 100 owners and you dissapeared away in the smoke. RX 100 was 98cc and 11 bhp. But it packed a punch. Shogun was made with one thing in mind, beating the crap outta’ the RX 100. Made 14.2bhp out of its 108cc engine. Both when ported and when fitted with an expansion chamber can beat the pants out of P180/Zma and the likes and just about keep up with an RD 350. But shogun suffered from reliability problems. RX 100 went on and on and on. Even now you can spot many RX’s around. Two of the most simple yet powerful bikes ever made.

Bottomline- I prefer an RX over these 16-17bhp tree huggers. Need i say more? ;-)
Performance - 75/100Mileage - 60/100Looks - 65/100Fun Factor- 95/100


Other Performance Bikes which cannot be described due to space constraints-

Kinetic Comet 250-------------------------------------------90/100
HH CBZ--------------------------------------------------------75/100
Any Yezdi-----------------------------------------------------70/100
Kinetic GF 170 City/Lazer----------------------------------65/100
Yahama RX 135( 4speed and 5 speed)--------------------70/100
Yamaha RXZ-------------------------------------------------80/100


Other Bikes which made history-(not necessarily PBK’s)

HH Splendor/Passion/CD 100 - Yes these bikes set the sales charts on fire but only because of these bikes we are (still)deprived of Big Bikes.
Bajaj CT 100 - A small(but good) package of looks and mileage, reliability still a question.Bajaj Pulsar 150(all versions) - A killing combination of performance, looks and mileage which half of the biking population have invested in.
RE Standard 350/Electra - You can love it or hate it but you cant ignore it.

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