Think before buying Karizmas for touring in India

[a1arn]

There are many like me who have bought their Karizmas for touring in the mistaken notion that an Indian bike would be easily serviceable, or at least serviceable in all parts of India. The truth is that there will almost never be Karizma specific parts at anything other than the major metro cities, and regular consumables such as the drive chain set may not be available for months on end even in metro cities. Be prepared to ship your bike back by train/truck to where you live in case you have any minor problem out of town!


The extremely poor quality of the overpriced parts is another issue which causes mechanical failures.



I've had to replace the cam chain tensioner FOUR times in the last six months under warranty before (the dealer) running out of stock. The next one failed completely out of town, on my way to Allahabad. In 1000 km, the timing chain got damaged, as also the chain guides (the rubber disintegrated, forming a very efficient grinding paste with the engine oil), destroying the cylinder bore. By then I had reached Jhansi (city, north India), and because the HH dealer there had NO parts (nearest dealer who MIGHT have had parts being 100 km away at Gwalior), I had to ship the vehicle back to Mumbai by train. All this is inspite of carrying out regular routine maintainance at the authorized service centre.


I've also had clutch plates wear out in 8 and 10 thousand km (one defective set wore out at 2500 km!) whereas my previous bike, a CBZ (150cc), did not require any such attention for at least 40000 km. And the less said about the Karizma plastic parts,(or their cost) the better.


Even more annoying than the third rate parts and having to pay for engine damage etc caused by the same, not to mention the inconvenience and time wasted, is the attitude of the those at the very top of the company. Mr Brij Mohan Munjal, chairman of the Hero board has not thought it fit to acknowledge my complaint even one and a half months after receiving the complaint letter.



It is sad that the “no 1 motorcycle company in the world” gets away pushing their “no 2” products and spare parts at the public due to the protectionist polisies of the government. Unfortunately, Hero Honda seems to be more than satisfied that “no 1” stands for volume, rather than quality.


So give it a thought when deciding which bike to purchase if you intend to tour in India. Waiting for elusive parts to arrive is a surefire way to ruin your travel plans.