ABS and After Market ABS in India – Explained in Detail

As we all know in layman terms that ABS which simply means Anti-Locking Braking System will prevent the rear or the front wheel or both in some case from locking up which if fails, ends in a catastrophic disaster. As the ABS scene in India seen recently is available in only two bikes within the 250cc category one being the Honda CBR 250R and the other in TVS Apache RTR 180, what are the options we are left with for the bikes that we use on regular basis that is equipped with disc brake set-up? Before we dive into the available options in the local market off the shelves, being a deep dive session, let’s see what is ABS first.

What is ABS?

ABS, Acronym for Anti-locking braking system, is a complex technology in a motorcycle or a car that can help reduce the speed or stop the vehicle in an emergency situation without locking either of the two wheels or even all the four in case of cars. This is achieved by using speed sensors that is attached to the wheels that continuously monitor the wheel rotation speed and sends the data to the braking ECU which is in turn connected to the hydraulic unit that adjusts the hydraulic pressure of the brake fluid inside accordingly. All these are carried out without a fuss which momentarily reduces the excess brake pressure applied by the rider enabling the wheels to sill rotate continuously in spite of the hard braking and all these happens in less than a wink of an eye.

In short motorcycle ABS works by constantly measuring wheel speed with the help of sensors attached and adjusts the brake fluid pressure. If the wheel speed sensor detects that a wheel is about to lock itself, the pressure on the hose is reduced by a complex algorithm running on various on-board electronics that takes care of the wheel locking part. During a normal ride, the rider wouldn’t notice all these complexity of the functioning of various components involved in the ABS system. However in an emergency braking situation which is otherwise panic braking, one can be confident that the wheels wouldn’t lock up giving the rider a taste of the tarmac.

Can ABS System Purchased separately?

The answer is yes. But there are certain hitches in that too! As India being a mass commuter two wheeler segment market, no manufacturer will come forward to produce the ABS system according to the tailored needs of each motorcycle. So, it’s better to buy a motorcycle that has factory fitted ABS system which would have been tested rigorously by the motorcycle manufacturer as an integrated part of the motorcycle itself. 

So what are we left with?

These are the options that we are left with;

1. Either buy a Bike that has factory fitted ABS system (Either Honda or a TVS) or
2. Look out for Mechanical ABS systems 

Mechanical ABS Systems? What are they?

In the Electronic Version of the ABS system that uses a lot of sensors to overcome wheel lock-up, the Mechanical ABS on the other hand is simpler in construction and as well to understand their working. In mechanical ABS, the entire unit designed houses a valve which modulates the braking power taken over by the brake fluid by simply relaxing the pressure that goes to the piston from the caliper. In simpler terms: the excess pressure applied on the lever which in turn travels through the brake hose is reduced by the mechanical unit that site between the hose and the caliper. The same is achieved by a series of pulsating effect that slows down the wheel lock-up time.

As the Mechanical system does not calculate speed by sensors and does not have the complex electronics involved, the perfection of a proper electronic ABS same can never be achieved in the mechanical ABS. However a significant improvement in braking can be achieved because of the mechanical unit.

Is Mechanical ABS Units available in India?

            The bad news; there are plenty of Chinese copies available in the market for as low as 400 rupees, be assured that it is as good as stock brakes minus ABS. The Good news is that an Indian company that manufacturers these unit under the name of SaferideABS has made quite a stir in the braking segment with their mechanical systems that are available for sale from them directly.

The more good news is that SaferideABS can be installed in almost all the motorbikes manufactured in India except a very few which has been listed in their site for reference purposes. 

Got it. Now What?

The installation also has been kept simple in mind that one can purchase the same, go to any workshop or an Authorized service centre who knows the basics of disc brakes and get it installed in a clean way. For bikes in warranty the installation of the same mostly will not void warranty as this doesn’t require any splicing of wires or modifying any OEM part. For Do-It-Yourself guys, there is also installation procedures listed in their website for easy reference. The only thing one needs to make sure and take observations is that there shouldn’t be any air bubbles in the hose that can lead to a very inconsistent braking performance that can never be relied upon not only with mechanical ABS, but even with those expensive C-ABS kits. A proper brake line bleeding will solve the inconsistent braking issues faced.

Once the installation is carried out in a healthy way, the only things one need to worry about is that one should not pump the brakes as this causes excessive reverse pulsating effect that eventually causes jerks, additionally the rider may also experience a rapid pulsation of the brake lever caused due to the excess pressure traveling backwards which would feel almost like the brakes are pushing back the leg or the hand when applied which is pretty normal and the same feedback can be used to assure that the mechanical ABS unit is functioning properly.

SaferideABS in a Nutshell?

• Prevents wheel locking-up in whichever wheel it is installed
• Reduces braking distance up to 30%
• Minimizes loss of control and loss of direction in panic braking situations
• Can be installed in almost all motorcycles manufactured in India and
• Simple in construction which means easy on the pockets too

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Bajaj Pulsar 200NS Review by Anand

Some call it a bumblebee, some call it a street fighter, and for some, it’s a newly styled muscular beast. Yes, I’m talking about Bajaj’s latest product “Pulsar 200NS”. A bike which stands for the term “evolution” in Indian biking history. I’m Anand, a bike enthusiast from the ‘City of joy’, Kolkata. Here’s the review of one of the best things in my life.

How It joined my life

It was the month of June when I had my CPT (C.A. foundation exam) and the only words that was tingling my mind were ”Pass the foundation exam n then u can have a bike” (Said by my dad). So after the exam (which went so good which I knew for sure I was going to pass) I started shortlisting bikes. Those days I used to ride my dad’s 15 year old Hero Honda Splendor, even though I learnt biking on TVS Victor and Bajaj Discover, I used the Splendor for more than a year to get my hands on a bike perfectly so that I can jump on to a bigger one easily.

A year before when I used to learn, I really liked the TVS Apache for its acceleration, looks, the exhaust note, etc. But when it came for me to choose a bike, TVS discontinued it and introduced a ‘Beast’ RTR. I was really disappointed with it. So I thought of shortlisting bikes (Sport Oriented). My dad advised me to go for Honda CBR 250R. I also liked the CBR for many reasons. 25 Ps of power, the handling, smooth engine, it was very tempting. But if it was to buy a bike after paying 2Lakhs (cost of CBR250R ABS variant approx.) it would had been better to move on to Ninja 250R. But since I was jumping to a bigger bike from a 100cc bike, I never had that confidence that I could control so much of power.

So I started shortlisting bikes those were good at handling, rear disk brakes were a must, performance and a decent fuel economy. The bikes which came out of shortlisting were (In preferential order), Honda CBR 150R, Yamaha YZF R15 v2.0, KTM Duke 200 & Bajaj Pulsar 220F (since at that time 200NS was launched at some places in India and I was really not so sureabout how that bike would be).

Honda CBR 150R

It’s a great bike for starters. Nice handling, flickable, 18PS of Power. It was all good. The major downer I faced was its price. It was highly over priced at 1.4L (on-road). Plus the rumors surrounding the non-availability of CBR spare parts restricted me from buying it.

KTM Duke 200

The Duke of street bikes; a fun to ride machine, the refined KTM engine, full digital console, and the sexy trellis frame, the orange machine grabs attention of everyone on the road. The bike can be considered the best when it comes to performance, but comfort? Duke wasn’t up to the mark. Plus the light machine, the power to weight ration king had too much of power in it to make me confident about it. It was also priced almost same as the CBR 150R.

Yamaha YZF R15 v2.0

This is the bike which has got the super sport looks to die for. Its styling inspired from its elder siblings was very aggressive and one of the best present in India (for those who want to taste a track machine). I myself prefer the faired bikes like this than any other kind. But I guess it didn’t please my parents that much. The super leaning seating posture, high raised pillion seat, even lack of grab rails, made them go against it. After a long argument in which i failed to convince them, I had to drop the option.

Pulsar 220F vs. Pulsar 200NS

So the only choice I was left with was Pulsar 220F. It was priced nicely, was a good performer. It was a nice option, but my father was still against it because it was quite outdated, and advised me for 200NS. Then the long tussle over the two products, which one is the better one, hovered over my mind (which I saw many people were facing). My friends also started forcing to take it. Then one day when I was surfing over pages saw a Delhi boy’s mileage figure (shared of his 200NS) to be 45kmpl.

I was really astonished to see it as for a 200cc bike, it was really surprising. It gave more mileage than all of the bikes I shortlisted which meant I can ride it even more without worrying about the fuel prices. I quickly read about the KTM inspired triple spark engine Bajaj invented and thought it was worth giving a try. I saw many bike reviews and videos by them (one of which really influenced me was of the “Power to the Rider” ) and made me realize that the bike was really a blast and maybe I’m wrong about the way I think about it (Like it stand no where against to 220F n all).

Then the day came when I came to know that 200NS is launched in rest of India. I quickly went to the showroom to have a look at it, and there it stood, a big muscular yellow NS. I looked at the specs the bike and everything seemed good to me. I asked for a test drive and they were kind enough to let my try the yellow beast. The bike drove me crazy the moment i released its clutch. Everything in the bike was according to my needs. One cannot feel the power as a raw brute force, its rather more like a polished creature, which i didn’t find it difficult to control.

The mileage figure quoted by them was 35-40 kmpl in city, which was like other shortlisted bikes of mine so it really didn’t bother anyone in my family too. So I went directly to the main dealer (Since he quoted the cheapest price for it) and booked my NS in blue color. I was given a waiting period of 25 days min but they said they’ll call it in evening and tell the date when I can get it. I happily returned home and as I reached, they called and asked me the blue color has arrived and whether I can take delivery today?

I was very excited. The following day I went to the showroom and took the delivery (Costed me @95500 plus 900 for registration which was way low in costing when compared with other bikes i shortlisted) & as I rolled down the streets, I got the amazing feeling of a headturner (Mine was one of bikes that came in the first lot, so people were kind of watching the bike for the first time).

Looks and Styling

The CB1000R inspired headlamp, pressed steel perimeter frame, sleeker tail, fatter rear tyre gives it a stunning naked street-fighter’s look. The bike has also got a huge muscular tank which adds to the look of the bike. I mean if the 220F looked a beauty due to the Ducati 749 styled headlamp, I’ll say it’s the muscles on this bike that makes it best looking Pulsar ever.

The bike has got a new digital console as well which provides more info than the previous one and looks cleaner and better than it too. The few downers in its styling are rear tyre hugger which splashes a lot of mud especially on the pillion rider (If there’s any). Then it’s the height of the bike, its high for a short heighted person to drive. It also makes it difficult for the pillion rider to mount on the bike. But other than it Edgar Heinrich (The one who designed it) has done a great job. Almost nothing is similar to the older generation except the pulsar speedlines which made it look similar to the pulsar brand.

Performance and Breaking

The 4-valve triple spark liquid cooled engine delivers 23.52 Ps of Power @ 9500 rpm & 18.3 Nm of Torque @ 8000 rpm and weighs about 145 kgs which gives it an impressive power to weight ratio of 162 Ps/ton. The bike achieves 60kmph at just 3.61s and 100kmph at 9.83s (Company claimed). It’s got 280 mm & 230 mm Bybre front and rear petal disks with floating calipers. They work like a charm and stops the bike smoothly irrespective of what speed you are driving at. But as far as the tyres are concerned, they are really not up to the mark.

Handling and Comfort

Coming to the handling, the perimeter frame and stiff suspension along with the underbelly exhaust (which helps a lot in mass centralization) allows u to take corners beautifully. Many people often complain about older generation Pulsars or even Pulsar 220’s weak fairing, which made one feel like a ping pong ball, the perimeter frame gives you the confidence of cornering like an experienced track rider. But when it comes to off-roading, the stiff suspension will be a pain in your butt. But the bike stays stable on those conditions as well pleasantly makes its way through it. The 200NS with its upright seating posture is quite comfortable. Seats are also well padded and are comfortable on long rides as well.

Mileage

It gives me a mileage of 40-43kmpl on an average.

Small Downers of the Bike

1. The horns are very weak, especially for highway riding.
2. Eurogrip tyres aren’t good enough, Replacing it with a set of Pirellis will be great.
3. Height of the bike is high n can be a problem for medium built guys, also it requires a lot of effort for the pillion to mount on the bike like the R15 v2.0.

As far as I hope one cannot find any more downers other than these because otherwise the bike is great.

The Verdict

After using this bike since 24th August, I never felt that i have made a wrong decision by choosing it than the other bikes (even tough its a non faired bike, but its got the styling which would make you forget about it). The Pulsar 200NS has truly come out as a Next-gen Pulsar. The value for money machine can easily attract anyone from taking other biggies of the market from the package its offering at such a low price. We can now say that it’s going to be hard for other manufacturers to compete against it in the market too. Overall the Engine Smoothness, Linear Power Delivery, Exhaust Note, Styling, Handling, it excels in all of them when compared to the older generation pulsars. Hence, one can say without hesitating that it is “The Best Pulsar Yet”..

Thanks to Anand

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என்னுடைய முதல் இருசக்கர வாகனம் (Honda Dream Yuga)

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Hero Splendor+ vs Honda Dream Yuga mileage test

 

Laziness is the bane of all mankind, especially for someone like me. But since you can’t avoid it (I have tried!) I come up with ways to work around it. Since repetition is not the forte of my kind, it’s always one shot at glory. Right, enough of the prose. In the real world what this translates into, for example, is always filling fuel nothing less than up to the brim. But people like me are a minority (Thankfully –Ed.) So at a petrol pump you find the majority of the two wheeler population filling fuel worth a 100 rupee note and then scurrying about in their daily existence. 
The Dream Yuga is Honda throwing down the gauntlet at Hero MotoCorp’s Splendor. Honda hopes the Yuga will catch the attention of the ‘busy people’ and thus eat into the numbers of one of the world’s largest selling motorcycles. So we decided to pit the two in a non-lethargic fuel efficiency test. But the catch was this. We wouldn’t do the full-on accurate speed-matched, tankful to tankful test but the real one. Two bikes, Rs 100 of fuel each, ridden on the same route in Mumbai traffic at speeds that felt right. The winner would travel further on the fuel. Simple. So we filled both bikes with 1.36 litres of petrol and set off.
We started with the Splendor. It was my first ever motorcycle and so the familiarity was instant. Kick-start the bike, use the heel to shift down (When in Rome...) and off we go. The Splendor isn’t a quick or hurried motorcycle and it has a clear sense of what speed is best for economy. Ride in the green zone marked on the speedo in top gear and it’s quiet, refined and yes, fuel efficient. Ride harder and it will do your bidding but not without protest. But this was an average commuter’s run in traffic so I kept the needle in the green and whirred along lazily.
At these speeds motorcycles don’t really have to do much in terms of dynamics or engine. So you start noticing the details. Like the soft seat which is nice initially but shortly thereafter makes you want to twitch and shift around to find comfort. And it takes these bikes about two hours in the saddle or more to empty the little fuel we put in so this wasn’t a short ride by any stretch of the imagination. It’s tiny and so it weaves through traffic with ease and you can just leave it in fourth through most of it. What I did notice was the Splendor felt older than the Dream Yuga in the ride quality and response departments. The Hero does everything but reacts slower. So ride quality is little bit less good than you initially think it is and cornering, even if it is a left turn at an intersection isn’t effortless.
Certainly not as effortless as the Dream Yuga. City handling is hardly a game of chicken strip comparisons but you can immediately tell that the Yuga has a more modern chassis and that it’s better tyres mean more confidence, yes, even in the short left turns. Ride quality similarly is better. It might just be the case that the suspension reacts quicker to bumps and makes the bike feel better – and maybe stiffer than the Splendor as well – but two hours later, the Dream Yuga looks shinier and more appealing. To your eyes and to your bum as well. The quick reactions and the more powerful engine with good gearing also makes it possible to slip through traffic noticeably quicker even if you are actually holding steady economy-oriented speeds. And the fact that the smoother, more refined engine naturally pushes you into going 10kmph faster than you think, appears to have no impact on the economy.
The Splendor sputtered to a halt after 71km – 52kmpl. The Dream Yuga’s go-quicker feel finally showed up when the bike stopped at 64km – 47kmpl. To be fully forthright, the Dream Yuga did face more traffic and as you would have seen in Shumi’s comparison test, the Dream Yuga is the most fuel efficient motorcycle here. Real world tests aren’t really authoritative tests for this reason alone – history repeats itself but reality mostly doesn’t like to.
So what is the moral of the story? Commuters are dull motorcycles so any ray of sunshine is awesome. And the Dream
Yuga has that happy disposition and the Splendor doesn’t. The lack of zest on the Hero though, makes you go slower, stick closer to its economy zones so you might end up with better economy in the real world. But here’s the thing. We’re enthusiasts. 64kmpl plus two hours of smiles will always outweigh 71km of pure, stolid efficiency. The Splendor wins in the real world. But not our hearts.

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Honda Dream Yuga Review

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  Business Line Honda Dream Yuga Detail
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  Business Line Honda Dream Yuga Detail
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  Business Line Honda Dream Yuga Detail
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  Business Line Honda Dream Yuga Detail
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  Business Line Honda Dream Yuga Detail

The war that is being waged in the executive commuter bike segment is just as intense, if not more, as the war in the 150cc plus performance (so-called) segment. The latest to join the others in the mileage melee with the likes of Hero Motor Corp’s Splendor and Passion, Yamaha YBR 110, the Suzuki Hayate and Bajaj Platina is Honda’s latest offering, the Dream Yuga.

The question that loomed large over all else was why Honda has bothered to introduce another 110cc in the market, while the CB Twister was still in the market, and doing pretty well too. The 125cc Honda Shine also has a good hold over the market, then why a new frugal sibling?

I got the answer when I actually got to test the bike. The Dream Yuga is as simplistic as it gets – fulfilling the prerequisites that this segment demands, and nothing more than that. But more importantly, it also delivers on the Honda promises of reliability and long term value.

But there were other questions in my head about the Dream Yuga, so to find the answers I got down to riding this bike where it actually belongs – crowded city streets.

Styling and Build

Although the Dream Yuga sports an engine identical to the CB Twister, it looks nothing like it. Barring Honda’s trademark beak-style headlamp, and the aerodynamic the front cowl, it a totally different bike. Body graphics start from the eight-litre tank and run all along the body. Honda has done a good paint job on the Dream Yuga, and the review unit I received had an impressive metallic shade of red. The front fender is of the same colour as the body, and so is the rear grab-rail.

The top end variant that I tested featured matte-black 18-inch, six-spoke alloy wheels. Even the exhaust and the air-cooled engine come daubed in matte-black paint. In fact, the minimal use of chrome gives the bike a very city-friendly look. The instrument cluster is laid out in a twin pod format, and consists of the odometer and speedometer on one side and the fuel-gauge and tell-tale lights on the other side. Like other bikes in this segment, it does not feature a tachometer, but it wouldn’t have hurt Honda to add a tripmeter, for the sake of commuters who love keeping a track of their fuel consumption.

The left-hand side of the handle-bar has all the electricals, save the ignition switch, which is not on the right hand side. As with the Hayate and Passion Pro, the Dream Yuga also does not come with an engine kill switch. The switches feel a little plasticky and just above average. The inclusion of a pass switch is a good decision.

Performance

The Dream Yuga is powered by the same 109cc, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine that the CB Twister runs on, with a slight variation. The engine manages to produce a maximum power of 8.5bhp at 7500rpm, and generates a peak torque of 0.9kgm at 5500rpm.

The engine incorporates Honda’s Intelligent Ignition Control System, which manages to keep the throttle responsive at all times. The bike performed well where it mattered – choked streets. Weighing 108 kgs, coupled with the peppy engine, the Dream Yuga manages to weave in and out of traffic very easily.

The 4-speed gearbox is laid out in an all-up manner, and by 40kmph, it can already be on top gear. While such short gearing system would improve fuel efficiency in heavy traffic and regular city riding conditions, I sorely missed a fifth gear on open stretches of road. The gears register with a resounding “thunk”, though shift quality was fine.

The Dream Yuga comes with 130mm drum brakes, which were a huge disappointment. They perform decently in heavy traffic, although I needed to use both front and rear brakes together to stop in time, as the rear brake alone was not responsive enough at higher speeds. On stretches where I accelerated hard and needed to decelerate quickly, I missed the reassuring feel of disc brakes. Asking for a rear disc for this segment is too much, but a front disc would’ve made braking a lot more efficient.

I could accelerate to speeds of up to 90-100 kmph. But after 80 kmph, the bike starts to send up a lot of vibration. Honda claims the mileage to be approximately 72 kilometers to the litre, under standard test conditions.

Riding Comfort

The Dream Yuga features a long seat, which was very comfortable while riding inside the city. I’m guessing that the pillion rider will also have a lot of room on it. The thing that bothered me a bit was that it wasn’t as wide enough as I would’ve wished for. The seat also felt a little too soft for longer rides. But as this motorcycle is pitched for riding inside the city, it shouldn’t be a disheartening factor.

The front telescopic fork suspension absorbs shocks from potholes quite easily, and the rear tube-type hydraulic shock absorbers fared well on the roughest by-lanes. A clean ground clearance of 161mm coupled with these shock-absorbers gave me a very comfortable ride in the busiest and bumpiest of Chennai’s roads.

Cornering comes as a delight on this commuter. The short turning radius ensured that I could easily negotiate those tricky short-cuts which I usually avoid on the way to work. The 80/100 tyres seemed frail at first, but they were quite grippy on the road. I was further impressed because I tested the bike on roads that were freshly rained-on, and the Dream Yuga was rock steady around the corners.

Bottomline

If you’re looking for a bike that wins you the traffic signal drag race, then this is not your thing. But if you’re looking at something that appeases your fill-and-forget philosophy, then you might consider this as an option.

The Dream Yuga might just be Honda’s best launch in this segment, as this bike stays as simple as possible, while churning out good numbers on mileage and am guessing on economical maintenance too. Shine has already grabbed its fair share of the market – it remains to be seen if this dream actually works out for Honda.

The Dream Yuga is available in three variants and in five colours starting from an ex-showroom price (Delhi) of Rs 44,642.

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Best Engine Oil for your Bike

According to Indian Biking and the Environmental condition, I would like to suggest 3 Engine Oil Brands according to my knowledge.

1. Castrol Power: I will suggest Castrol as the best for the people who loves speed and speed only and doesn't cares about changing the oil periodically (i.e., for every 1500Kms). The Engine oil is very light and hence expect more vibration from the engine also the oil gets dirt easily.It gets Rank 3.
2. Elf Gold: occupies Rank 2 Then comes the elf, this engine oil stands better than Castrol Power, but the synthetic Engine oil is not suited for extreme cold conditions and you'll face some problems with increased viscosity. But it ensures smoother drive. Lifetime of engine oil should be slightly more than 1500kms not more than 2000kms.
3. Shell: Best Engine oil, which would include both lesser viscosity and Smoother drive. The Engine oil allows you to make race as well as helps maintain your engine good without unwanted dirt. Real bike experience can be enjoyed with the engine oil and you an feel the difference.

Recommended:

1. Suppose if you are a biker who concentrates on efficiency of the Engine oil, go for Mobil - fully synthetic, and you need not change the engine oil for 9000Kms and you'll enjoy your bikes efficiency too. I suggest this engine oil for very new bikes. One you complete your first service change to this engine oil, enjoy 9000kms smooth drive, then change to any one of the above.
2. suppose if your bike has crossed 3 years and if it was the time to protect your bike's performance also want to increase the life, I suggest the Shell Engine oil for Old cars, am not sure about the name, but i heard that it decreases wearing capability of the engine to the max. believe me i suggested it to most of my friends and they are happy with it.

Hope it was useful for you...

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