RACY with a touch of MADNESS

We make a quick rundown of the almost sports class new bikes in the BD market right now.

Motorbikes make for an incurable disease. Giving in to them is the only cure because the madness is here to stay.

It will bite and gnaw at the back of your ear like a desperately stuck mosquito. I know, because as I write this article, I occasionally glance at the row of nine scale model motorbikes on my desk. And then I walk outside to check on the bike I borrowed from a friend parked outside.

The borrowing was for research of course. But it's secretly fuelling my desire to add something like it to my garage to give my car company. And that's how it is for a growing number of people young and old in this ever congested country called Bangladesh. They dream of motorised freedom and the answer is on two wheels.

And the market for two wheelers is the best it has ever been in the past twenty years. The

RACY with a touch of MADNESS

options are as wide as the ice-cream flavour list in a neighbourhood corner shop. Which isn't saying much because you get vanilla, chocolate and another vanilla mostly. But amidst the vanilla you often get some Belgian chocolate. And this is what we figure out today, which Belgian chocolate is the right one for you?

RACY with a touch of MADNESS

All the bikes we legally get in our country are beginner's bikes. We can't legally have something more than 150cc because someone deemed anything more to be delinquency inciting. Otherwise our country would be overrun by biker gangs twirling rusty tetanus inflicting chains over their heads. But what do we start with? Students, new professionals and older people who finally want to risk their lives have quite a big option list.

Anything under 150cc is considered a bit of a let-down. They are the strict and utilitarian commuter bikes, like a white appliance that has only two settings: on and off. These appliance bikes are great if you want to travel to and from work. They will serve you brilliantly such as the Hero Honda Passion and the Bajaj Discover 125.

They will cost you under 1.5 lakhs and will continue to run till man dies out. But cool? Heck no. We offer two contenders for a cool one which is surprisingly a 125cc. The Megelli 125R where R stands for racy, radical and red, mostly.

It is a seriously cool Italian looking piece of machinery, a little like Angelina Jolie pre-2005. But it's British, mostly. A full body kit, exhaust that comes out from under the seat without burning the passenger's bottom gives it a lot of sass.

It looks the part, and at higher revs, it even goes like it looks, but the sound that comes out of the exhaust is like rocks in a tin can. That's not how a cool bike should sound. At a little over 2.5 lakhs it isn't exactly cheap. But riders say it handles beautifully, turns corners like it's glued to the road. Putting out 11bhp, it rivals the power output of bigger bikes. But in comparison, there is quicker transport out there for less. Second, there's the Bajaj Pulsar 135. It's sharply styled but different enough from its older brother. Smooth, quick, agile.

Moving onto the 150cc territory, the choices become bigger. TVS has the Apache RTR150 Hyper Edge --mouthful of a name. But it's a great bike. Giving out 15bhp, it comes with front and rear disc brakes giving it better stopping power than the usual commuter setup of drums at the back. In fact, the bikes to be mentioned here all have rear discs.

The sitting position of the Apache is a little like sport bikes, the foot pegs being placed farther back than on standard bikes and the handlebar is lower. So you sit hunkered down.

The narrow dimensions also allow you to be at one with the bike. This bike is made to handle with stiffer settings for shocks. It also feels lighter than its counterparts. Unfortunately buyers prefer bikes that look and feel big.

Enter the Bajaj Pulsar 150cc. These look sharp, muscular but you see them everywhere. And they have softer, cushier suspension to handle potholes the size of Dinajpur. But at idle to low rpm, the exhaust note is a little weedy sounding. It rattles.

The Apache on the other hand has a deeper, smoother note. Where the Apache is more performance oriented, the Pulsar is compromise. But then you have the reigning champs from Honda  the Hunk and the CBZ Extreme. Same power, similar price, same options, different looks but quieter engine notes. There's the Honda Unicorn, same power but hugely refined engine, smooth vibration-free ride but marred by slightly dated but still good looks. The five bikes mentioned are all similar so it's a matter of which catches your eye in terms of design.

Of course, if looks are the main deal, Yamaha seems to have everything covered. These days almost every other bike is a Yamaha. The scene changed the day the FZS launched in Dhaka. Everyone wanted one. This was finally the style grenade hitting everyone, hard. And it had a big fat tire. That's all bikers these days really want.

The FZS and Fazer are both 153cc technically and are priced a little north of Tk.2.3 lakhs. They have about 13.8bhp but the lack of one horsepower compared to rivals is made up for by the design. These bikes look the part. And let's not forget Yamaha's flagship for Bangladesh, the R15 V2.0.

With a liquid cooled, fuel injected 150cc engine tuned for more power it delivers almost 17bhp. That's the most tech you can have in this country for this range. Hence the cost. Expect to pay almost Tk.5 lakh for it. Yes, it's a bike, no air conditioning, no air bags but people are buying. Wait for the version 3.0 for more power and a higher geek status.

These are just a sampling of the sporty-ish bikes from authorised dealers. Means you get full spare and service support. But head on to places like Kakrail, Bangla Motor and check the grey market imports. You will get Hyosung that are great lookers, almost like much bigger 600cc bikes, with good performance, good handling. There are the bigger Pulsars, like the 180, 200 and 220 cc. The latter comes with projector headlamp, EFI, bigger brakes, the works. But that's grey market, anything goes.

There are obviously tons of other bikes out there, but this small sampling offers the best in terms of performance, comfort and obviously the cool factor. There's something for everyone in every price range. So head on, get something and let us know your experience.

Photo: LS Archive