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I am planning to buy a bike. The options that I am considering are the Bajaj Boxer or the TVS Centra. However, since I have some problems on my right leg, I would like to have a self-start option retrofitted to the bike, which to the best of my knowledge is not available as standard fitment in either of these bikes. Can you clarify as to how and from where I can fit these bikes with a self-start kit and for what price?

-- Samuel George

Retrofitting a self-start kit to the two bikes that you have mentioned — TVS Centra and the Bajaj Boxer series bikes will not be possible at the company's workshops. Trying to fit a reliable, nearly factory-made type self-start kit at the workshop will involve altering the crankcase of the bikes, which cannot be done at the dealer-level service station. In fact, the crankcases in these bikes are not made to accommodate such alterations.

However, it may be possible to find a local mechanic who can retrofit a self-start option without altering the crankcase and by adding an external mechanism attached to the crankcase. But, such an option may not be reliable and could be prone to failures.

Your best alternative could be to choose a bike that comes factory fitted with a self-start option.

Recently there have been reports of a number of car owners who have switched over to gas as an alternative fuel for their vehicles. I own a Maruti 800 MPFI, 5-speed gearbox model, which is able to come up with a mileage of 23 to 24 kms per litre on the highways. I need your advice regarding fixing a gas kit to this vehicle. Will gas damage the engine or will it reduce the mileage? How safe is the use of gas in the car?

-- Anupama Shivaram

The Maruti 800 is not really an ideal vehicle for fitting a gas kit to run on either LPG or CNG. For one, the M800's engine, especially the older non-MPFI one, is already prone to fatigue in the long run and the air-conditioner adds to the load on the engine. However, the older non-MPFI engine was more suitable for being used with CNG or LPG as an alternative fuel. The gas kit can even now be fitted to the multi-point fuel injected (MPFI) engine, but the efficiency of the engine and the vehicle itself will take a beating in the long run.

In fact, Maruti does not recommend retrofitting a gas kit to the M800 and so, you may not be able to do the same in any of the dealerships or Maruti authorised service stations. There are service outlets and local mechanics who may be able to retrofit the gas kit for you, but performance will not match what you get when you drive with petrol as fuel. The air-conditioner may also not function properly.

The problem with gas, whether it is LPG or CNG, is that the fuel is less viscous and not as dense as petrol. This makes injecting the fuel and combustion shaky and inconsistent. Since the combustion is not continuous and complete the peak power and torque of the car will be difficult to achieve without straining the engine too much.

You are already able to eke out about 23 kms per litre from your M800. Going by that mileage, the gain or the advantage from switching to gas on a cost per kilometer basis may be negligible. With the prospect of long-term damage to the engine and the possibility of an increase in maintenance costs, the option of fitting a gas kit to your M800 does not look like a very sensible choice. If the model year of the M800 had been older, the gas option might have made better sense. Another issue to think about is the availability of auto CNG and LPG in your city. Using domestic LPG in your car is not legally allowed. Further, the gas storage tank that has to be fitting to the luggage area behind the rear seat will force you to compromise on stowaway space, though it is already not too big in the M800.

Between the Bajaj Pulsar and the Hero Honda Ambition, which one is better on parameters such as power, running costs, mileage and style?

-- Ravi Kumar

The Bajaj Pulsar will definitely score higher points on most of these parameters.

The Pulsar is more powerful at 13.02 PS, than the Hero Honda Ambition's 11.15 PS and is for sure more stylish. The new Ambition 135, now looks more like the Hero Honda CBZ. In the styling department, the new Pulsar DTSi is ahead and continues to be fresh and the most rugged looking vehicle in its class.

In terms of mileage, the Hero Honda Ambition will be able to return about 50 kmpl, compared to the Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTSi's 55 kmpl in city driving conditions.

The slight edge for the Pulsar coming from the new digital twin spark ignition that enables the bike to offer better combustion and more power. Disc brake in the front wheel and a self-start option are also part of standard fitment for the Pulsar.

We will recommend the Pulsar 150 DTSi for you. However, the Pulsar 150 will be about Rs 6,000 more expensive than the Hero Honda Ambition's drum brakes and kick start variant.

(Queries may be sent to: q&a@thehindu.co.in or by post to Q&A, Business Line, 859/860, Kasturi Buildings, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002.)

S. Muralidhar

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