Hero Karizma ZMR long term review: Introduction
I have a ridiculously long commute to work and I've always thought that the Karizma would be the ultimate distance destroyer. After a year with the R15, I developed a fondness for anything faired. So when the Karizma ZMR came in as a long term bike it was finally time to see if it was all I'd built it up to be. Sadly I now know why they say, 'don't meet your heroes'.
The ZMR we got had niggling issues from day one. Excessive vibrations made sustained speeds above 80kmph tiring. A couple of days later, the heat shield fell off the exhaust and then the mirrors worked themselves loose. A visit to the service centre had both items bolted back on but the motorcycle came back sputtering. In an amusing turn of events, a careless service technician had stowed the papers under the seat in a position that blocked the intake to the airbox! So if you ever find your bike sputtering after a service, here's where you should look first. With all the issues fixed, I finally had myself a happy motorcycle that was surprising me with over 40kmpl on my commute. But the joy was short lived.
As I write this report, the ZMR is back with Hero. The heat shield has fallen off again and now the headlamp has started to fog up. The vibrations have also resumed and there's a new and unusual sound coming from the engine. While some of these issues are down to poor pre-delivery inspection and service at the dealer level, a lot of them appear to be product quality. It's been a disappointing first month with the Karizma and when it finally comes back from the dealership, I hope it's in much better condition. If not, I'll have to just keep hunting for the perfect long distance commuter.
Total mileage - 3,560km Date acquired - Jan '15
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