Hero Honda CBZ

The Hero Honda CBZ, launched in early 1999 by Hero Honda Motors India Ltd, was the first sports oriented 4-stroke bike. Sporting an original Honda 156.8 cc engine, it made good 12.8PS of power which was sufficient enough to propel it to a Speedo indicated 130 km/h. The styling was out of the exemplary. The bike looked very sporty and was aesthetically perfect. Sufficient mid-range torque ensured a 0-60 km/h (0-40 mph) in just 5 seconds.

The over-square engine, that met Euro1, was fed by a Keihin slide type carburetor with accelerator pump for better pick-up. It featured a single front disc brake, which was a first in India. It also featured the first 5-speed gearbox on a 4-stroke bike. It had excellent acceleration figures, for a relatively heavy 130 kg Kerb weight. The handling of this bike was the highlight. It was capable of doing corners at relatively high speeds without hiccups.

The Latest edition to the CBZ family is the New sporty CBZ X-treme It has LED based Tail cum brake light which too is becoming a standard feature in Indian made bikes after its introduction in Bajaj Pulsar in 2006. In addition to this the alloy wheels also give a great stylish looks. The mileage is not that bad either which is one of the biggest shortcomings in the case of Bajaj Pulsar according to [http://www.mouthshut.com/product-reviews/Hero_Honda_CBZ_Xtreme-925069791.html review base site]

Features

AccelerationIt makes use of a larger spring operated nozzle to provide a richer fuel air mixture into the engine. Thus its mileage ranges from 45 to 53 km/lt in city, which is at part with other 150cc bikes in India.

Air Injection System: Injects fresh air into the exhaust port, to meet the emission norms. CBZ comes with a company fitted sponge based filter which is more than sufficient for Indian environments. People have also admitted performance gains by fitting a 3rd party custom filters like K&N.

Gear Box: Equipped with five gears and a 156 cc engine that generates 12.8 bhp power. It takes 0 - 60 km/h in 5 seconds and touch the top speed of about 125 km/h.

CBZ was one of the first Indian bikes to feature a 5-speed gearbox (the earlier being RD350 with a six speed box and Yamaha RX-135).

CBZ

*Engine: 4-stroke, single cylinder, air - cooled, SOHC
*Displacement: 156.7 cc
*Clutch Type: Manual
*Clutch Primary: -
*Clutch Secondary: Multi-plate wet
*Transmission: 5-speed 1 down 4 up
*Final Drive: Roller chain
*Ignition: Electronic
*Starting: Kick starter/ Electric
*Frame: Tubular single cradle
*Suspension: (Front )Telescopic hydraulic fork
*Suspension: (Rear ) Swing arm with hydraulic damper- 5-step adjustment
*Dimensions: (L*W*H) 2100*755*1130 mm
*Wheel Base: 1335 mm
*Ground Clearance: 160 mm
*Kerb Weight: 138 kg/ 142 kg
*Tyres:Front/Rear: 2.75*18-42P/100/90*18-56P
*Max. Power: 12.8 PS@8000rpm
*Max. Torque: 12.6Nm @6500rpm
*Max.Speed: 113 km/h (speedo reading:135km/h)
*Fuel Tank: 12.5 1tr (2.5 ltr reserve)

The model went unchanged more or less for 5 years and in 2004, got an electric self-start, a new sticker-job and name – CBZ *. Many enthusiasts feel that the older version of the CBZ looked much better than the newer one. (The newer version eventually led the bike to its doom). The engine helped make the bike a legend. The CBZ (pronounced as CBZee) is a status symbol.

The bike was discontinued after 2005 September, due to low demand. Competition was eating away its share. The CBZ was significantly costlier than its competitors due to the high import content which were making low-quality ingeniously designed bikes. The CBZ had disc brake and electric start whereas the competition was offering indigenous bikes with electric start, disk brake, alloys, gas charged shocks etc. This huge price difference led to the loss in demand for the CBZ and ultimately the model was discontinued. Also, the fuel efficiency about 46 kmpl was slightly less than the competitors (49 kmpl) with fuel efficiency being a major concern in a developing country like India.

It gave way to promote Honda's Unicorn and Hero Honda's Achiever which share a common engine platform.

CBZ X-treme

Its the 2007 model of CBZ. It has a 150 cc engine and new looks. But old CBZ owners and fans are happy with the new CBZ Xtreme (mainly with its looks-its front fairing). The bike is however worthy of the CBZ name due to its pickup and performance.In fact, CBZ xtreme is a powerful 150cc bike in the country with 14.4Ps.

According to the mechanics its a beefed up version of Hero Honda Achiever which was again a modded version of Hero Honda Ambition.There has been a big revolt from CBZ fans in online forums as it was the most awaited bike during the 2006-2007 period. (www.xbhp.com)

ENGINE
Type: Air cooled, 4 - stroke single cylinder OHC
Displacement: 149.2 c.c
Maximum Power : 9.8 KW ( 13.31 ps) @ 8500 rpm
Maximum Torque : 12.80 N-m @ 6500 rpm
Bore x Stroke: 57.3 x 57.8 mm

Compression Ratio : 9.1 :1
Idle speed: 1400 rpm
Ignition: AMI - Advanced Microprocessor Ignition System

TRANSMISSION

Clutch : Multiplate wet
Gear box: 5 Speed constant mesh

Dimension & weight
Overall height: 1145 mm
Overall length :2080 mm
Overall Width: 765 mm
Wheelbase: 1325 mm
Ground Clearance: 145 mm
Kerb weight: 143 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 12.3 ltrs

External links

* [http://www.cbzxtreme.com Hero Honda CBZ X-treme]
* [http://bikersunite.com/wiki/index.php?title=Cbz#CBZ_X-treme More information on the CBZ Xtreme and the CBZ series]