Ben came in and told me that our long term Hero Karizma XMR has arrived and to take the delivery from the Hero personnel. When I reached our parking lot, the gent had a bemused smile on his face. Upon further enquiry, I found out that while he has been transporting Hero motorcycles for quite some time now, never before has he been badgered with these many questions about the bike he was riding. He also happened to mention that our test bike may be the first Hero Karizma XMR in the state of Maharashtra.
When I started riding it, I noticed the same thing about the curiosity of the onlookers. I have ridden around town on far more rare and intriguing bikes, but the XMR has the kind of recognition that borders on the uncanny. I do not know if our longtermer is in fact the first Hero Karizma XMR in the state, but despite that, people just seemed to know what it was and they had many questions. From the de rigueur ‘Bhav kitna hai?’ and ‘Kitna deti hai?’ to more interesting ones such as how to adjust the fairing, what’s the cruising speed on the highway in 6th gear and even engine heat management, from which I gathered that it is not just us enthusiasts but the general populace as well who are curious about the return of the legendary nameplate.
However, behind the sharply-styled supersport persona lies the soul of a sport tourer, and it kept reminding me of the OG Karizma, with its relatively upright riding position and the amazingly compliant suspension – not just for a sportbike but by any yardstick. The refinement of the DOHC motor in the upper reaches of the rev range is exemplary as well.
However, there are a few things that let down the overall experience, the first one is the angle of the console. When you are riding around midday, regardless of what your height is and how you position yourself, all you can see on the console is the reflection of the life-giving fusion reactor suspended in space, i.e that sun. Another thing that bugged me a bit was the nonlinear throttle response – in the first quarter-turn of the throttle, the XMR gains speed too sedately and it doesn’t improve the rideability. Past that point, it felt like the fuel mapping changed and the bike became much more sprightly. The feeling is akin to the 2-stroke machines of yore, with their narrow powerbands kicking in only past a certain rpm.
I can totally envision myself on the Karizma XMR, cruising down the highway at a decent clip, with the horizon ahead. It makes a believer out of me, thanks to its all-around competence. Let’s see if I can convince Ben to lend it to me for some highway escapades!
