Saturday, April 10, 2010
Aprilia RS 125, smoker from Italy
As time evolved, the design also evolved giving the latest offering that Aprilia has. Some of the key features that one can thrive for are:
Friday, April 2, 2010
HOW RIDERS ARE SHAPED FOR MOTOGP
We all know that MOTOGP is one of the toughest races in the world that demands more from the man as well as the machine. In the case of the machine we will be aware of the technologies involved in shaping the machine for the circuit and the amount of hard work put in to make the machine a winning history.
But are we aware of the process that the riders are being put through before the racing season??? Now, please don’t think that the riders are celebrities and they come only a day before the season to tune their bikes according to their needs and then start practicing and then qualifying and finally race. There are much more than that, all riders have to undergo some of the toughest physical training and tests to take part in a race and this training depends on the climatic conditions, track conditions, the stress level exhibited in the race and much more. Let’s take a sneak peek into the training process.
- THE PRE-SEASON
- PERIOD OF COMPETETION
- SUMMER BREAK and
- END OF SEASON
PERIOD OF COMPETETION: This session depends on the proximity of a GP race. The training during this part of the year is any one of the two types: If there is a free week without a race then the physical work is completely aimed at increasing the muscle volume but if there is a week with a race then the muscle volume work-out’s will be lower but with raised intensity. This continues for two to three months and gradually the amount of work to increase the physical volume is reduced and again the intensity will be increased. This is again accompanied by introducing more specific work depending on the needs of the rider himself.
REST: This is one of the main thing that a rider must get after all the above mentioned work out’s. The team will ensure that the rider gets 8 hrs sleep a day which is vital, missing that the rider will be subjected to tiredness and fatigue which when happens during the race can be disastrous to himself as well as the others on the circuit. If the rider needs some more rest, then the team will also ensure that the rider takes a small afternoon naps to refresh his mind and body. These are the vigorous tests that each and every MOTOGP rider is subjected before hopping on to their monsters with some X amount of Bhp’s and Torque that can top an excess of whopping 320 kmph or more in just a few seconds. Pretty easy on papers isn’t it??
HID's - A Brief!
What is a HID: A simple abbreviation of HID is High Intensity Discharge. A halogen bulb consists of a normal filament resembling a normal bulb but with some inert gas surrounding it, when current applied at the hot and the cold terminals the filament glows brightly producing light. In contrast the HID bulbs has not filaments at all, but instead consists of Xenon gas, mercury and metal halide salts that are ignited by an arc of high voltage current that glows brightly.
The high voltage that is required by the bulb for arching is generally produced by Ballast that works on DC power. Although these HIDs sometime before were to be found only in expensive and exotic cars, now they have come with different pricing and technical options that can be easily installed in today’s Motorcycles as well.
Why Install HID’s When I have Halogen: Although this is purely a personal choice HIDs produce 300% more light than normal halogen that gives great illumination in the nights that are really helpful for tourers. HIDs can also produce two different beams namely the Hi and Lo from a single bulb by a small magnetic solenoid that moves forth and back and are known as Bi-Xenons that can be used for vehicles carrying the bulb type H4. There are also single beam xenon’s that can be installed in H4’s.
Color Options Available in HIDs: There are plenty of color options available from some of the unknown manufacturers ranging from golden yellow to bright pink. But generally 4100K where K is the unit of color temperature which gives out Bright Daylight white and 6000K which is bright white is permitted in most of the countries. There are also other manufacturers who produce HIDs with a color temperature ranging from 4100K to 30000K but anything above 6000k is illegal in any country. The more the Kelvin the more bluish the light will be and the end results will be more fatigue resulting to some nasty disasters at night. That’s the reason why company manufacturers stick to 4100K and 6000K.
Can I Install HIDs in My Current Bike? The answer is yes; of course you can install it in your current bike, with lots of aftermarket HID conversion kits available in the market today but conditions apply satisfying some of the main factors. The Battery, the more the amps the better it is, minimum 12V 9A battery will do the job perfectly. Although it is illegal in India to use HIDs without projectors one can install the HIDs with the given LOBES that minimizes the direct contact of the light source to on-coming vehicles thus minimizing distractions. The advisable color range is always 4100K where there is abundant light that can be used. The more the Kelvin the less the light on road because of the reflections and always remember the higher Kelvin range HIDs are cop magnets. The last one is the bulb type as most of us carry is H4 generic and only Pulsar 220 has H7 that is of a car’s model anyone can install it specifying the type of the bulb.
How Are HIDs Priced: This is where a lot of people back-off considering its price. Yes, HIDs are a bit expensive, they cost from a mere 2500 rupees to a whopping 12000 rupees for bikes and same for the cars depending on the quality of the product. The Chinese ones will be the most inexpensive but branded ones like Philips and Osram will cost you more than 6000 rupees and they go all the way up to 12000 but as they are OEM manufacturers they do not exceed 6000K for safety purpose. But, investing in HIDs is a wise investment that one will never regret later for the amount of illumination and the life hours it is always worth every penny.
What Should I Look Into While Buying HIDs? The first and foremost thing is the brand, although Chinese ones are cheaper they are not worth even that money as they can trouble you from day one as they don’t carry a warranty with them. Branded HID conversion kits come with a standard one year warranty that can be replaced with the new ones if they are found to be defective in nature. The second thing is the Kelvin color temperature; do not exceed 6000K as anything above 6000K is illegal and the best known cop magnets.
Inside The Box You Will Find: One HID bulb, one wiring Harness, one Ballast with built-in igniter and one relay.Although HIDs are a boon over the conventional halogens, these should be treated and used in the way it is meant to be as using technology in illegal ways can lead to some nasty disasters.
- Ram
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, June 5, 2009
BAJAJ BLADE...COMING SOON.....
BAJAJ AUTO is gearing up the scooter again with their all new BAJAJ BLADE.. Though there are no reviews as of now. here goes the specs:
VEHICLE SUMMARY
Name: Blade 125
Model: DTSi
Type: Scooterette
Top Speed: 95kph
ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS
Displacement: 125cc
Engine: 4 valve DTS-i
Maximum Power: 11.5 Bhp
Gears: 4 Speed
Cooling Type: Air Cooling
OTHER SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 163.00 kg
Ground Clearance: 140.00 mm
Fuel Tank: 14.50 ltrs
Wheelbase: 1370.00 mm
Wheel Type: 12" Alloys
Wheel Size: 3.25x19", Rear 3.50x19" mm
Tubeless: Y
Colors: Red
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
Suspension(Front): Telescopic hydraulic absorbers
Suspension(Rear): Pivoted fork with Absorbers
Brakes: Disc
Brakes(Rear): Drum
Stand Alarm: NA
COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE
Fuel Guage: Analogue
Self Start:
Tacho Meter: Analogue
Trip Meter: None
Alloys: Y
Speedometer: Analogue
Passenger Footrest: Y
Passenger Backrest: Y
Step-up Seat: NA
Pass-light: Y
Low Fuel Indicator: Y
Low Oil Indicator: Y
Low Battery Indicator: Y
High Oil Temp. Indicator: Y
Choked Air Filter Indicator:Y
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
JAWA
The Czech manufacturer announced an all-new bike on its 80th birthday
All of you, who think that the Jawa brand went extinct after its short run in the country, get this. The Czech brand, though well past its glory days, has managed to survive thanks to its ardent fans. In fact, Jawa is actually celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.
Set up by František Janeček in Czechoslovakia in the year 1929, the brand has been in existence for eight entire decades. According to the information available on the company’s website, Jawa still makes motorcycles, dune buggies and even a small car. Though their current range may not be exactly modern, the company plans to launch better, more contemporary products. The latest bike to be announced by the Czech manufacturer is the 650 Dakar which will be fitted with a single cylinder liquid-cooled 652cc four-stroke engine from the Yamaha XT660. This rather basic engine produces 47bhp at 6500rpm with a healthy 57Nm of torque at 5000rpm.
The bike will be available in regular as well as touring versions. The latter gets a bigger windshield and a set of three luggage cases. The 650 Dakar will be available from 2010 onwards.
Latest Launch- TVS Scooty Streak
TVS, the company that has to its credit one of the most successful mini scooters in India, Scooty Pep and it has recently launched Scooty Streak, another promising bike for youngsters. The TVS Scooty Streak is designed to capture the 100 cc plus four stroke scooter market.
While the 90 cc Scooty Pep was targeted towards young women, with the 100 cc plus Scooty Streak TVS plans to get hold on a larger customer base by targeting young male customers as well. TVS Scooty Streak, although a class in itself, has been positioned against bikes like Aviator from Honda, Access from Suzuki and Flyte from Kinetic.
The old looks of the Scooty Pep are retained but the bike still has a new charm to it with super styling and smart looks just right to woo the metrosex scooter riders. New additions include the mobile charger, a lockable glove box, anti skid wide tyres and more. The exterior of the Scooty Streak have been slightly modified to give it a cooler look. The seat is designed to give you a feel of sitting on the bike, the head lamp is slightly tweaked to maker it look sharp and the blinkers have been given the triangle shape to give it a young and stylish look. The mirrors on the handle have the body color back to add to the zing. Like in the Scooty Pep, the foot board is plain and easy in the Scooty Streak also. If only the petrol tank had not been fit into the back, it would have so much more cooler to get the fuel filled without getting down like in a bike.
The bike offers superior ride quality with its high-comfort contoured seat and the all aluminium shock absorbers that provide stress free riding even on bad roads. It comes with broad anti-skid tyres that provide enhanced wet braking stability and is equipped with an external fuel fill at the rear for refueling.
The new Scooty from TVS is equipped with all aluminum shock absorbers to ensure an easy and bump free ride even on pot-holed city roads and enhanced wet braking to ensure safety even on wet roads. The engine is especially designed light weight engine to provide enhanced fuel economy, perhaps the best in the class. With a product so superior, TVS surprises you with its value pricing. Priced at INR 38,000 ex-showroom, the TVS Scooty Streak gives you all the worth for you money, more probably.
The scooter is available in 5 colors – black, red, blue, pink and mauve, all designed to impress its target segment – teen youth. Moreover, the brand ambassador for the TVS Scooty Streak is Sania Mirza, the youth icon, a strategy sure woo the target segment.