Extreme Test Riding !!!

"Live-Extreme" -

That was the punchline of the Hero Honda CBZ Extreme, the reincarted CBZ with the Unicorn engine.

Check out more details about this bike here: www.cbzextreme.com

I got a chance to ride this bike last week and whatta ride it was.

Post lunch i walked into the parking lot of my other office building where my friend Vinod had parked his blood red Hero Honda CBZ Extreme. The first sight was definitely refreshing as the colour and graphics do stand out like anything plus the black wheels and engine covers give it a mean machine look. I took the kepys from Vinod and moved the bike out from the line up of motorcycles and in the small aisle of the parking lot. A short flick of the thumb to the electric start switch made the engine roar into life. The vibration level is Extremely low and the engine purrs smoothly. This could also have been happenneing perhaps because the Engine was still in it "running in" period. As i adjust the riding posture, i noticed i could barely reach the ground. Standindg on my toes i was able to balance the bike. Once the pillion sat, the suspension collapsed and i could plan feet firmly on the ground. Hmm but despite being slightly tall this bike felt amazingly well balanced. Would love to test the center of gravity on the twisties.


Picture used for purely representational purpose only

With a solid CLUNCK and i engaged the first gear. It just has a toe shifter which means formal shoes can go for a toss while riding. This aint the bike you would wanna ride to office if you have a presentation to the CEO. But then if you normally get to make presentations to the CEO and the likes why would ride a bike?. Thats another arguement altogether!!

The clutch has amazing bite as i revved out of the parking lot and slowly climbed up the slope. A few clunks later i was already cruising in 5th gear. I looked at the rpm meter, it read a healthy under 4000rpm and speed was a comfortable 40kmph. As traffic hit us i slowed down all the way to 30 kmph and still was in 5th gear without experiancing ANY knocking. Man this bike has an amazing gearbox.


Picture used for purely representational purpose only

Probably the most striking feature of the Motorcycle was the asymetric dashboard. The large Speedometer and the small Rev counter somehow create a certain aura of mysticism to the bike making it less predictable and less boring. So much, unlike a Hero Honda. A quick blip on the throttle made the bike lunged forward even in 5th gear and move forward with absolutely no jerks or knocking

As if destiny had something planned for me, it suddenly started raining. By the time i had ridden hardly a few hundred metres it turned into a solid downpour. Riding in the rains is a heavenly experiance. Since i wasn't wearing a helmet i could feel the raindrops all over my face. By the time i reached the other office i had covered about 1.5 - 2 kms and was drenched to the bone. I stopped the bike and the first thing which caught my attention was the absence of the ignition kill switch. I had to leave the throttle and turn the ignition key to switch off the bike. I got off the bike and put the bike on the side stand. The angle of the side stand was really a good one as the bike hardly leant to the side. Probably this is the first side stand i have seen in which the bike doesn't lean dangerously.

I walked back into office and had a cup of hot steaming tea to end an amazing test ride in the rains. What a ride!!!!

Looking forward to getting this feeling again and again when i go riding my bikes in the rains all through this monsoons.