The Karizma was launched in 2003. Like the other offerings of Hero Honda, Honda was responsible for providing the Hero Group with the technical know-how. Now did Honda design the engine of the Karizma especially for Hero Honda and for the Indian market..??
Honda CRF230F
In a bid to search for the origins of the Karizma, I came across a model from Honda called the CRF230F. The CRF230F is basically a 4 stroke dirt bike from Honda and sold in countries like Brazil where off road bikes are quite popular. Now by going through the official specs of the CRF230 and comparing it to the specs of the Karizma, it looks that both the engines share the same DNA. Published below are the tech specs of the CRF230 and the Karizma. Even the two engine blocks look similar.
2008 Honda CRF230F Specifications
- Model: CRF230F
Engine Type: 223cc air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke
Bore and Stroke: 65.5mm x 66.2mm
Compression ratio: 9.0:1
Valve Train: SOHC; two-valve
Induction: 26mm piston-valve carburetor
- Engine Type: 223cc air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke
Bore and Stroke: 65.5mm x 66.2mm
Compression ratio: 9.0:1
Bajaj Pulsar 220 Vs. Hero Honda Karizma
Overview
The Bike looks good & it’s stunning. It feels big when you sit on it, infact it gives you a big Bike feel the moment you sit on it, mainly due to the clip-ons & slightly backwards footrests. BAL as again has got a winner here, the fit & finish levels are very good infact much better than HH or for that matter ZMA. The digital Speedometer console looks great & the self test looks charming The first things that you notice are missing choke lever, fuel knob & a new pass beam switch along with the backlit switch panel & of course the LCD Digital console.
The Riding experience
My biggest worry was since this Bike doesn’t have kick starter how good would the self be & am glad to say that the self starter lived up to its expectation. The Bike starts very smoothly & almost effortlessly.
The gear shift is smooth & precise but still doesn’t not slot like CBZ\ZMA, some like it some don’t. I was fine with it as I had used this type of shift on my pulsar 180, but yes this one was better than the one on mine. Not a leap change in the gear shift but nevertheless a good one. Those who like slotting gears may still crib but I was happy with it as I had no false neutrals & no wrong gears.
The engine is smooth really smooth & the Bike picks up really sweetly, the exhaust note is nice but whether one likes it or not may differ from person to person. Once revved up the Bike gets the typical pulsar vibes near tank & fairing though they are minimal but can still be felt on the knee touching the fairing near tank. These vibrations come around 70kph & above.
Just like its smaller siblings (other Pulsars) the Rear View Mirrors on P220 become useless at these speeds as they vibrate so much that you cant make out what you see in the mirrors but since you cant see much anyways its not much of a problem. Oh, that reminds me that did I tell you guys that the Rear View Mirrors are absolutely useless especially if you are wearing a minimalist riding gear, reminds me of classic Pulsars which had stylish mirrors but very poor visibility with respect to the ones sported by DTSI versions, Yeah BAL did it again.
The Bike picks up really well on roll-ons, the most amazing thing was that even at 5th gear the Bike picked up at 25kph, though it pinked a bit but still picked up without any jerks.
Riding Comfort
I found the suspension to be a little stiffer than the ZMA while Pawan felt otherwise. The roads had no bad patches so cant say about how they would feel under bad road conditions.
The Bike has very sporty feel to it. The seats have good support & it holds you well. The Bike is really good if you want to ride it fast (which of course you would). I rode the P220 for around 10-15 kms & my right shoulder started to pain, does it make it really bad for long riding ?? To answer this, it reminds of the first two days when I had bought my 180 DTSi (which was my first Bike ever) & when my arms pained like hell for two complete days. So it’s just a matter of getting used to. So does this make the P220 a good tourer..?? Or to say will it be more comfortable than a ZMA for long rides ?? In my humble opinion with a guy of my height (am 5’10”) NO. Although the engine is really refined with enough power to take long stretches effortlessly the riding posture is not what you would want for such long rides. Having said that it’s still a matter of personal choice.
All those who got disappointed here’s another way to look at it. Those who are shorter in height may find the Bike to be better than the ZMA for riding comfort since they wont face the issue which taller guys like me faced i.e. crouched position & knees touching the fairing. So I think it can be safely put that it would be more comfy for shorter people that taller people for long rides.
Handling
I took the P220 on ghats & on straights; the Bike has really good handling when compared to the smaller pulsars especially because of the better swing arm & the riding posture & not to forget wider tubeless tires. The Bike is very eager to lean when compared to previous Pulsars. So is this the new Handling champion ?? Sadly No, here where I hated BAL the most, they have actually ruined a great handling Bike into a non handling one, the reason ?? The stupid main stand. I am very sure (infact the mains stand scrapes at slightest of the lean) confidant that if the main stand is removed the Bike will be an awesome handler.
Ok just before somone shouts that he has taken curves without scraping the stand, I will like to make it clear that the stand scraping happens when you are taking tight twisties uphill or downhill i.e. it won’t affect much on straights but then you only need the leaning aspect on such twisties
Braking
Full marks here no comments it simply rules here Excellent braking supported by a wide profile rear as well as front tire(Yes the front tire is broader too )
Headlights
10 out of 10 or may be 11 out of 10. The lights everywhere including the headlights are superb. Let it be tail lamps or the LCD or the backlit switches
Drag Results
Frankly speaking the drags which we had were very amateurish & should be taken only as indicative & not as a proof because:
- The bikes had different mileage on the odometers
- The drag was done on a strip which was barely 100-200 mtrs
- We had no timing device. And a few launches were not synchronized properly
- My Karizma is stock but has heavier & broader rear tire.
Result 1: P220 VS My ZMA
- P220 won on 2 runs
Result 2: P220 vs. Modded ZMA
- ZMA won 3 times
Disclaimer: Posted from different Web pages for information to friends only.
Hero Honda Karizma
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Model: | Hero Honda Karizma |
| Year: | 2004 |
| Category: | Sport |
| Rating: | 76.6 out of 100. Show full rating and compare with other bikes |
| Engine and transmission | |
| Displacement: | 223.00 ccm (13.61 cubic inches) |
| Engine type: | Single cylinder |
| Stroke: | 4 |
| Power: | 17.00 HP (12.4 kW)) @ 7000 RPM |
| Torque: | 18.40 Nm (1.9 kgf-m or 13.6 ft.lbs) @ 6000 RPM |
| Max RPM: | 7500 |
| Fuel system: | Carburettor |
| Fuel control: | OHC |
| Starter: | Electric & kick |
| Cooling system: | Air |
| Gearbox: | 5-speed |
| Transmission type final drive: | Chain |
| Physical measures | |
| Dry weight: | 150.0 kg (330.7 pounds) |
| Overall height: | 1,160 mm (45.7 inches) |
| Overall length: | 2,125 mm (83.7 inches) |
| Overall width: | 755 mm (29.7 inches) |
| Ground clearance: | 150 mm (5.9 inches) |
| Wheelbase: | 1,355 mm (53.3 inches) |
| Chassis and dimensions | |
| Front tyre dimensions: | 2.75-18 - 42 P |
| Rear tyre dimensions: | 100/90-18 - 56 P |
| Front brakes: | Single disc |
| Front brakes diameter: | 276 mm (10.9 inches) |
| Rear brakes: | Expanding brake (drum brake) |
| Rear brakes diameter: | 130 mm (5.1 inches) |
| Exhaust system: | Single Stainless Steel Pipe |
| Speed and acceleration | |
| Top speed: | 125.0 km/h (77.7 mph) |
| 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): | 14.200 seconds |
| Power/weight ratio: | 0.1133 HP/kg |
| Other specifications | |
| Fuel capacity: | 15.00 litres (3.96 gallons) |
| Reserve fuel capacity: | 2.00 litres (0.53 gallons) |
| Fuel consumption pr. 10 km (6.2 miles): | 2.40 litres (0.63 gallons) |
| Color options: | pearl compose red,myth gold metalic,silver,turquoise blue,candy blazing red,black, moon yellow |
