Next year is the year of performance bikes in India, as we have been shouting out loud since a long time now. A few motorcycles which are expected to launch in India in the performance segment include KTM’s RC 250/390, Bajaj Auto’s Pulsar 375 (could come even this year), TVS-BMW’s first product (end of next year), Aprilia 200cc (not confirmed yet), Yamaha 250cc (low possibility) and Hero MotoCorp’s 250cc bike which will be the successor of the Karizma ZMR. Now the upcoming 250cc from Hero was spied in Gurgaon, which points to a 2014 Auto Expo launch for the Karimza 250 performance bike.
The highly camouflaged motorcycle is under extensive testing and is expected to be developed with inputs from Hero MotoCorp’s partner, Erik Buell Racing. The 250cc Karizma ZMR will naturally boast of more power output, which will give it the much needed thrust to challenge competitors like the Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS and TVS Apache RTR 180. However a good glance at the bike makes us believe that this is not a 250cc motorcycle but the same 223cc machine with tweaks to the styling.
Thus this updated Karizma ZMR will not rub shoulders with the KTM Duke 200 and Honda CBR250R as clearly the bike under the shell is the existing ZMR with minor tweaks. The tail lights are all new as the indicators are separate units, not housed inside a single piece. The bike gets a split seat instead of a single-piece unit and the tail is a bit raised for unknown reasons. The riding position is now slightly committed from the early position which was very commuterish.
Other giveaways which clearly point to the on test motorcycle being the ZMR include the wheels (the rear tyre is slightly bigger though), twin shock absorbers (no monoshocks yet), clip-on handle bars (similar to the ZMR) and rear view mirrors. Even the fairing looks very similar to the ZMR and the ungainly design at the rear easily points to the bike being a ZMR underneath. If this is the case, then we feel the updated ZMR will arrive sooner and might not necessarily use a EBR powertrain. Hero could plonk in Honda’s 250cc engine which does duty in the CBR250R by paying them royalties for using their 25 BHP, 22 Nm powerplant. Are you excited?
Spy Pictures Source – Gaadi.com