The Hindu Business Line : CBZ X-Treme — in the classic Hero Honda mould

All Hero Honda hallmarks — engine refinement, slick-shifting smooth gearbox, top-of-the-class vibration isolation, low engine noise and quality components — have all been carried forward in the CBZ X-Treme. With enhanced visual appeal and aggressive pricing, can the bike give the competition a run for its money?

It is difficult to resist the urge to leverage the popularity of a good brand. The brand's recall among customers is the key reason why even most automobile companies, both in the two-wheeler and four-wheeler segments, tend to retain or extend to newer products the reach of an existing, popular brand.

That is why, in spite of key differentiators, many times the old brand is carried forward to christen a new product. The Honda City and the TVS Scooty and Victor are examples.

Despite being completely new and different, the latest bike in the market that leverages the strengths of a relatively ageing but popular brand is the Hero Honda CBZ X-Treme. The CBZ was an extremely (no pun intended here) popular and stylish bike of its times. Launched in 1999, the bike had no competition to talk about in the 150cc segment then. It quickly became popular amongst the so-called performance bike buyer category that constituted a tiny segment of the market.

But CBZ probably hit the market a bit too early and so, despite generating more than a fair share of brand awareness, the majority of customers continued to shy away from paying the higher price for buying the bike they aspired for.

The CBZ was also possibly the inspiration for many of the others that have since followed it into the market. Hero Honda tried reviving the CBZ's allure, when it launched the CBZ Star last year. But with the changes being way too peripheral and the most visible only being the better paint job, the CBZ Star could not cash in on the predecessor's popularity.

X-Treme makeover

Fresh out of a design studio and having recently rolled out of the assembly lines at Hero Honda's plant, the new CBZ X-Treme will be the company's second completely new product in the 150cc segment after the Achiever.

Except for a mild resemblance to the older CBZ's headlamp, the new CBZ X-Treme has little else in common. In fact, with the new variant, Hero Honda has attempted a fairly radical departure from the design themes of all its earlier bikes.

Step up to the CBZ-X-Treme and the headlamp and fairing combo looks relatively simple and straightforward except for two features. The turn indicators, which are usually stalked and stick out on either side, have been integrated into the headlamp housing. Looking somewhat like in the Karizma, the elongated turn indicators in the CBZ X-Treme, however, appear like jowls on either side of the fairing.

Just above the headlamp, a stripe of clear glass conceals the parking lamp or pilot lamp. A new tinted cowl adds to the improved aerodynamics and cuts the glare on the bike's instrumentation for the rider. The X-Treme's instrument cluster is also very different incorporating circular gauges of varied sizes. There are analogue gauges, including an engine-rpm meter, a speedometer and fuel gauge, in addition to high beam, turn and neutral indicators.

Body coloured rear mirrors add a dash of colour to the handlebar area. The large fuel tank of the CBZ X-Treme is shapely and seems to have borrowed a few lines from the Ambition. Tall riders will appreciate generous knee recesses built into the fuel tank. Emblazoned across the tank's sides the X-Treme's logo stands out and makes a colourful style statement.

Change inside out

To visually segregate the CBZ X-Treme's top half and the bottom and showcase its paint job, Hero Honda has given the engine the matt-black coat treatment. Matt-black alloy wheels and black plastic lower side panels add to the consistency of this theme. Cutting across the lower side panels on both sides and breaking the monotony is a chrome sash that catches the onlooker's eye.

Body side panels at the side of the new bike become chunkier and more muscular as they meet at the broad tail lamp at the rear. With the crisscrossing lines of these panels and the deep knee recesses in the fuel tank, the X-Treme's side profile is clearly its strongest, most admirable angle. The new bike's seat will also be appreciated by biker's in this category for its ergonomic design and the comparatively good support it provides during long rides.

At the rear again, two new novel features have been added to give a boost to the CBZ X-Treme's appeal. The tail lamp cluster features a segmented stop and brake light section with the turn indicators built into a single unit that wraps around the brake light's bottom side. LEDs have been used replacing the conventional bulbs and together with the new Bajaj Pulsar 180 DTS-i becomes one of the first bikes to feature this kind of lighting at the rear. The other novel feature is the new die cast grab rail that seems to have been cut in two and gives the impression of a floating handle.

The new CBZ X-Treme's chassis is a tubular, diamond-frame type with a single down tube and a box-section swing arm. The bike's wheelbase at 1,325mm is only a shade lesser than the Pulsar's. The ground clearance is an adequate 145mm. 18-inch mag wheels are offered at the front and the rear of the bike. While the front features a 2.75-inch regular tyre, the rear tyre is 100/90 in size, which has been combined with a Tuff-up tube for the added advantage of a relatively puncture-free performance.

Hero Honda's revamped package for the CBZ includes the new engine that has been bolted on. The 149.2cc, four-stroke engine is the same size class as the Achiever and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India's Unicorn. But with the capability of generating 14.4PS of peak power, it is the most powerful of the three. The vertical format engine, which is assisted by a constant velocity (CV) carburettor, also generates a peak toque of 12.8Nm at 8,500 rpm, quite similar to the Unicorn's mill.

Self-start feature is a standard fitment in the CBZ X-Treme, as is a 240mm disc brake at the front. Five-speed gearbox features a one down, rest up shift pattern.

Worthy successor?

The CBZ X-Treme is a classic Hero Honda bike in many respects. Engine refinement is right up there on the top. A slick-shifting, smooth gearbox, top-of-the-class vibration isolation, low engine noise and quality components are all Hero Honda hallmarks that have been carried forward to strengthen the CBZ X-Treme's case.

Refinement and reliability are characteristics that by now are taken for granted if the bike is a Hero Honda. But in the 150cc performance segment, design acceptance has appeared to be a trait that is more important for gaining market share. Buyers in this segment appreciate aggressive designs and that is where the Pulsar has managed to maintain a stranglehold.

At about Rs 57,000 (ex-showroom), the new CBZ X-Treme is also aggressively priced. But the possible weakness of design for the X-Treme will come from its relatively small front side. With a proportionately small front fairing and headlamp, the bike's front does not exude the kind of aggression that would be liked by buyers in this segment. Unlike the Karizma, the integrated turn indicators at the front in the CBZ X-Treme may also be a bit of drag on an otherwise attractive design.

Pictures by S. Muralidhar

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