Some designs stand the test of time, like the original Karizma (pictured below) which looks hot even today in spite of it being 10 years old. Sadly Hero has decided to update it with a facelift, due for launch next month. The 2014 Hero Karizma R gets inspiration from its elder sibling which isn’t a good thing. The updated bike gets R written on the half fairing in similar way it was written on the old ZMR. The tank now sports the Hero name while the seat is now split. The grab rails and other bits too come from the ZMR. The windshield visor is abnormally long.
Somehow the Karizma seems to have lost its clean proportions. The single picture sent by one of our readers doesn’t showcase all the changes but looking at the updated ZMR, we don’t have much hope. The competition in the Karizma segment has intensified heavily with rivals offering much better features for a similar price. For instance, the TVS Apache 180 comes with LED pilot lights and optional ABS while the Pulsar 200 NS gets perimeter frame, monoshock rear suspension and 23.5 PS of power. If Hero wants to win volumes, it needs to offer something more substantial.
Hero MotoCorp is likely to boost power output with its tech partner Erik Buell Racing working on the engine of the updated Karizma. The current Karizma R produces 17 BHP of power and 18.35 Nm of torque from its 223cc engine, which could be boosted to almost 20 BHP. The current Karizma R sprints from 0-60 km/hr in a claimed 3.8 seconds while the top speed is 125 km/hr. Expect Hero to retain the pricing of the new Karizma which hopefully is a stop-gap measure till an new model replaces it next year.
Up – New 2014 Hero Karizma R, Below – Old 2007 Karizma R
