On 19 Feb. WAVE invited a few motorbikes enthusiasts and a whole lot of motorbike dealers to the Godavari Village Resort for an afternoon of test riding. The participants at the event test rode several bikes each and briefly commented on all of their rides. Here are their perspectives from the edge of the fuel tank.
Takeshi Okawara, a 32 years old architect and restaurateur owns three bikes, a Hero Honda CBZ 150, Triumph TigerCub 200 and Triumph Trophy 500. He likes Nepali terrain, which he feels makes for an exciting ride.
His verdict:
Cosmic 125 and 100: Comfortable and easy to control, but there is no clutch control on both the bikes
LML Beamer and Prima: Powerful and lightweight
Hero Honda Karizma: Powerful and tremendous control
Royal Enfield Electra: Smoother than before with more control and comfort.
28 year- old Sudip Man Dangol from Bhote Bahal owns a motorcycle workshop. He has owned a Honda XL for the last 10 years. His dream bike is a Ducati. With his dislike for the city's traffic jams, he often heads out to enjoy off-road tracks around the valley.
His verdict:
Fazer: Fast pickup. Steering movement is not too smooth. Looks alright
LML Prima: Has Five gear and isn't bad to look at
Pasang Sherpa is a designer by profession. This 22 year old bike fanatic loves to perform stunts. He owns a 1985 Honda XL 250R. The most important factor for him when buying a bike is excellent pickup and comfort.
His verdict:
Fazer: Good pickup. good shock observer and easy handling
Jailing: Good performance and terrific pickup
CBZ: Looks good. Pickup is not as powerful as expected.
Jiten Ranjit works as a marketing officer at Himalmedia. His dream bike is the Honda CBR 600.
His Verdict:
Beamer: Stylish
GF: Great looks
Fazer: Powerful and new technology
Bhushan Shilpakar is a 24 year- old web designer. Amongst other things, he also wants financial options to finance the bike to be as easy as possible.
His verdict:
Beamer: Stylish but the fuel tank is a bit too big and there's no fuel meter
Karizma: Sleek design. The digital meters are a plus, but low mileage
Cosmic Yingang: Made in Nepal
Amit Rajkarnicar is a 27 year- old graphic designer who loves to spin, jump and do wheelies on his bike. He owns a Honda XL200R. His primary consideration before buying a bike is good pick-up and maximum torque with stylish design. His dream bike is Yamaha Bulldog 1100R.
His verdict:
Hero Honda CBZ: Has technical hitches. Comfortable
Kinetic GF: Torque and pickup isn't satisfactory. Comfortable
Yubakar Raj Rajkarnikar is currently the Chief Operation Officer at Advertising Avenues. He says he wouldn't mind owning a Hero Honda Karizma only if it was named something else.
His verdict:
Karizma: Great pickup and sleek design. Easy to handle
LML Beamer: Bad fuel tank design
Cosmic Yingang: Comfortable. Not a good finishing on designs
22 year- old Arpan Shrestha is a freelance journalist. First and the most important factor for him before buying a bike is the price. Then comes the power, pick-up, clearance, mileage and comfort amongst other things.
Discover: Great turning and pickup. Bad clearance
Pulsar: Great power
Sting: Easy city ride and light. Bad looks
Jialing: Off-road compatible
Fazer: Awkward turning angle. Good shock observers
