Hi friends! My name is Faizan and I am 22 years old. I am pursuing my engineering degree in computer science. I was very fond of gizmos and autos by a very early age. I was just 5years old when I owned my first A-von bicycle and I used to ride it like my elders did on roads with their motor cycles. But I always desired to make my feet relax and let hand do all the work on acceleration. And by time passing on, it was a summer day, when I was 9years old and my uncle asked me if I would like to ride his motor cycle. It was my first experience with motorcycle named Hero Honda Sleek despite the fact that my feet were not able to reach the gear pad and the brake pedal.
And it was then I developed passion for bikes. From my 8th standard, I used to ride different bikes often but none of them belonged to me. Hero Honda CBZ was the first bike that I ever desired to own in my teen age. But my parents never allowed me to own one as they were afraid to loose me. Seems funny, but accidents were more frequent those days. Many a times, we friends used to skip school and go for bike ride. One of my friends owned CBZ, black in colour and we guys rocked the boulevard roads. When I was done with my matriculation, I insisted my father to let me posses one. My passion for bikes was approaching extremes. But my father never agreed and one day delivered a LML NV scooter at home. It was annoying but later on, pretty enjoyable on the same. I always tried extreme and I made it to speed up to 100kmph. It was when I was in higher secondary.
But as soon as I stepped into engineering college, it seemed embarrassing for me to ride a scooter. May be a trend in some areas, but it was humiliating for a youth rider in my place. So I finally decided to go for a bike now. I was grown up enough and it was easy for me to convince parents for a bike. And finally they agreed. Time was to choose a bike for my future times. Discussed a lot with friends, searched forums and blogs and finally opted to go for Hero Honda Karizma, Karizma R. I owned it in early 2008. It was my first semester of degree.
So let me share my experience with Karizma R here at BikeAdvice…
I have been riding my Karizma for about 2 years and experienced a lot about this machine. It is best, but some may feel only its worse part. As how you ride bikes, you can decide what type of bike you should own. Ultimately Karizma was the best machine I could get from Indian domestic bike market at some affordable price. I have not many miles on my bike, less than 10k actually but I have studied it as it was my engineering subject.
Engine: Engine has many parts which are all equally responsible for its efficiency, power, durability and strength. Many people just assume engine capacity in cc’s as the important factor of power. But it is never true. Power and torque are two more aspects to be concerned. Karizma R has an engine of 223cc (often written as 225cc) in capacity and >17bhp in power.
Speed: The meter displays a top speed of 200kmph. It can never touch so, but a real biker on the back of Karizma can swing the needle 160 degrees. I have crossed 140kmph many times and I never experienced shiver from the bike. But avoid such speed on when you are not accompanied at rear. This is because bike’s weight is just 150kgs and not enough to manage stability at extremes. Bike is set to gain 60kmph in just 3 and a half seconds. And you can top 100kmph in 3rd shift at ease. It is not on booklet but my own experience with bike.
Brakes: First of all, foot brakes are blended perfect so as to avoid skids and front disc brake is not like of Bajaj bikes, which can cause accidents at instant action. Combo of rear and front brake together will always let you have complete control over machine.
Body And Design: Karizma is one of the tall and long bikes of nation, so perfect for those who are round about 6’ tall like me. Body seems carved in the shape of tiger and graphics are featured for sports and racing look.
Handling: Handling is always easy when handle is not attached to wisor body.So light and swift. But the rotate angle of handle is not wide. So hard to turn in narrow ways.
Mileage: Karizma serves you as you will ride it. Mileage can vary on your riding. Rash riding and topping speed burns oil litre just after 15 to 20 kms but riding highways round at 60kmph can make your mileage touch 35 to 40/ltre. This can be further enhanced with good engine oil and proper servicing after regular intervals.
Reading my words till now must have put you in consideration that is this bike then a perfect bike according to Faizan. But no! Demerits are there as in every case of two wheeler machine and not yet worked on by Hero Honda. Even New Karizma ZMR is accompanied by some of them.
The main disadvantage of the bike is its rear tyre. It is not a big concern for those who live in posh areas and don’t need to ride tough and muddy roads. The grip is the actual concern. The tyre is not having good grip in the centre of circumference. It makes it to skid on slippery roads and very difficult to lean on curves with such low width tyres.
Another thing is that, it lacks leg guard. It may be a disadvantage for many but not for me at least. I met 3 accidents in these two years riding Karizma and my legs were never severely injured. Infact bike is designed for perfect safety.
Horn that bike is accompanied from showroom is not suitable for bike. So, most of the Karizma riders, prefer to replace it before going for first ride. One more fault which I have seen in many other Karizmas beside my own that its wisor is never stable and keeps on vibrating at high speeds. The demerits and merits may vary from rider to rider as per likings and disliking but faults would never. And few of them are above which I have analyzed myself.
Conclusion: A verdict about Karizma on my behalf is:
A bike that can rule roads; has a pick up that is unmatched with any other in Indian domestic market (except Kawasaki ninja), great with style; not to worry on overtakes, very good shock absorbers, bad on curves and acceptable on for mileage. This may be short but if any other query regarding Karizma R. You are most welcomed to ask and I would love to answer you.
Thanks for reading my bike history and experience till last word! 
Regards
Faizan
Get Free BikeAdvice Buyer's Guide
|
{ 69 comments… read them below or add one }
Whats up Faizan! Thats a good review
Im happy you chose the Zma over the Pulsar. Shows you’re a man of taste 
Happy and safe riding 
sure! karizma is best with honda engine. 150 kg is a lot.
hi sid! this machine really rocks. thanks for ur appreciation.
That bike still manages to turn heads, amazing.
Where is the number plate.
Be a good biker.
Wear the plates.
@balachander
bro number plate is already attached on rear. you can see that in pic 4.
i obey laws sir! hahaha
Faiz, not 2 forget that a bike needs 2 number plates 1 in front and 2nd on rear.. but thats also dsepends which state u r in.. b safe and avoid troubles…
@sohel bro u r rite in both the cases. bike needs 2numbr plats n depnds as in whch state we resde. its fine here at srinagar. thats the reason for 1plate
plz let me know the exact mielage of karizma in city driving at normal conditions, thanks in advance…
plz let me know the exact mielage of karizma in city driving at normal conditions, thanks in advance…
byeeee & ride safely
@mobin. tnx fr ur wishs.
if u ride karizma in city , xpctd mileage is 33 to 35. it can fall on xceedng spd over 70 and rise on proper servcn n engine oil.
Faizan quickest 0-60 aftr ninja rtr180
@ravi sry bro, dnt get u. wa u mean
Hi
Faizan your reviews are best and i also have a black Karizma..
But the best thing is that it has a good milage of 40 kms at city..
And i have a 130/80/18 TVS CRUSADER at rear and a 2.75/80/18 at front.
but i never cross 125kmh..
thats the problem.
So can u tell me whats the problem going on to take high speed?
Thanks,
Jayraj
Hi jayraj! thanks for your appreciation!
you have made some changes to rear 1, i gues. jus wana kw if you have also adjusted sprockets and wheel?
besides that,
larger the rear stocks, more the pickup u have.
so you can achieve more speed on compromising mileage.
1> adjust speedometre mechanically as per tyre size
2> try extreme speed on area with low air resistance.
3> the most important is gearing on the bike.
regards
faizan
The zma model’s dying out.and no way it can beat a p220. hope the zmr carries on the legacy. but… u got to go for a Hero honda/ honda… they have the best engines in the business
Faizan bhai
can u tell me 130/80/18 is a suitable or not?
i have a 2.75/80/18 in front !!!!
or tell me some other choices..
Jay
br0,am gng 2 0wn a red karizma nxt m0nth. . . . bt am t0taly c0nfuse whch col0ur shd i ch0ose. . . . . i thnk,if i ch0se red ! d c0l0ur may get fade s0on c0z our h0t climate . . . may i knw wats ur 0pini0n abt red karizma ? . . . . . aftr 2years,stil red is atractive 2 Y0UR eyes ! . . . .0r u prefer black n0w? . . . plz reply me s0on n thanx 4 u r detaild analysis ! Xpecialy in milage !
can gv me s0me tipz 4 increasin d milaege ? . . . .like rec0mmended 0il n anythng like dat. . . .i want jst milege of 38-40kml
@jayraj
i thnk u hav alrdy made a good option besds stayn wid companyz recomndatn!
R or ZMR? n red is good, most attrctiv til we park it in shade alwys. i park my bike at home where sun falls on its right side. n it has faded a bit.so black is prefrble on the aspect. but red is a prior to choose when you want to feel ur bike alwys shiny. red makes it possble to hide dust while black one disposes!
mileage is variant n depends how u ride it. you can get 35 out of it easily after first service…
@ajith
i have already commented on better oils. so u can check above. and to obtain 38 – 40 which is possble, u have to ride round 60kmph in speed and and keep on changing engine oil. check out my another article here on bikeadvice.in about increasing mileage http://bikeadvice.in/fuel-efficiency-tips-long-run-faizan/
regards
faizan
@knock knock
bro its not a machine actually which is fast but its the rider which makes it faster!
no doubt p220 is a good machine but karizma is far better. if u own it, never challenge any good rider on zma. you will feel bad in the end!
and you can judge it yourself as karizmaz price is hikin while as p220z is fallin!
regards
faizan
dude…im goin to get a red karizma by the next week….whts ur opinion on red colour.will the colour get fade soon.if so which colour is more preferable??plz help me…waiting to a reply…
junaish , faizan bhai already xplaind abt d c0l0ur. . . . i hav same d0ubt as urz ! . . . . red n yel0w wil attract people eyes vry wel ! . . . .n black col0ur bike is c0mm0n ar0und us ! s0 jst g0 4 red or yel0w karizma.
. . .
faizan bhai,thanx 4 ur reply ! . . .
thank you very much for ur advise…..
@junaish i wud prefer red over all colours in R segment n White in ZMR.
N WELCOME ALL!
hey faizan, ur reviews r far more betta than official website….juz waitin 4 ma black baby 2 cum…i ws actually cnfusd btwn p220 o karizma r BUT aftr visitin ur webpage..p220 has a vry bad impression in ma mind…karizma kruzezz far ahead…thnx A LOT man…n juz wntd to ask whether d handle needs 2 b shortend to look more sporty o keep it as it is…cuz i ws thinkin nt 2 make any changes in it…wats ur opinion???
@rahul
tnx buddy for all the appreciations.
i have not made any changes in my ZMA till then, but as an opinion, i wud suggest u to go for two changes for better, stylish and safe riding ahead
1> change the rear wheel to some diff. e.g. like we hav in p200
2> as u said, short handle adds really good looks on a ride. but that should be a good quality one.
go ahead man if u hav some extra bucks in hand!
best of luck n safe riding in futre!
regards
faizan
I got excited and added M45 4 x 18 rear tyre for my Karizma R instead of zapper 100/90 , Initially the effects were evident as having excellent grip and cornering capabilities. But with in two days i tested these tyres thoroughly found that my ZMA requires a new front tyre and also there is small amount of lag say 1 – 2 Km.
Cant afford to have these tyres or in other words it would become a chain reaction.
I do have the bill, Bought these on 08 May 2010. Bought these tyres from lalbagh road Michelin dealer paying INR 1800/- . Mfg Date is Dec last week 2009.
Now i have gone back to zappers 100/90 18, which are lean and weak, could feel it.
contact me on 9916131294, would like to sell it at negotiable price.
Hey Faizan awesome review dude !! ..pls gimme advice on which bike should i buy if want it for long travel along the highway..safe , good mileage and comfortable….max 70k price!! reply soon !! thanx !!
hi ram!
actually its better to go with latest technology which is always accompanied with upcoming and new machines. Honda’s CB Dazzler! its one of the recent launches and appreciated well! so you can consider it! it has a good mileage and appreciable power,displacement and torque!
moreover price also fall within your range!
you can further contact me at “CEO@bikespace.in”
hii faizan
i wntd to ask that can i ride karizma if i am a new rider…or do i hve to first learn proper riding on 150cc nd then move to 225cc..??
hie faizy ,
i’m anvesh ,i 2 hav a karizma R (blk colour) i wud like to sticker it in a different way can u advice me..
hi bro!! i am also a owner of black karizma r from last 2 years.. an also have a same experience like u…but from few days, i have noticed that my speedometer become unable to show the acurate top speed, whether i have a new clurtch plate, air filter and spark plug also. i feel the highst speed but cannot watch.. please help….and a another question- can this byk reach a top wachk of 160 kmph?? if yes thn how it wil b possible?? please rply yaar….
. . . .til n0w i hav c0mpletd 1800km ! waitin 4 d 2nd service. . .bt d thng that haunt me is d varyin mileage. . . . . sme time
i wil get 40+ n sme time it wil g0 bel0w 26 ! .
. . . .plz help me faizan bhai ! i maintain a speed of 55-60km/hr . . . .n i hav kept my torque at 1500rm ! .
. . als0 plz tel me,does it afect d mileage?
Hiiiiiiii Faizan. i like your reviews about the bike. i also want to purchase a bike.i bujet is around 85000. and i selected 2 biks 1-karizma R and 2-yamaha fazer. i have to travell in rough road so please say which bike should i buy?
Hi Faizan
i m confused between Apache rtr 180 n karizma r….can u suggest me which one shud i buy?
hi faizan i booked karizma r yellow. and now ithink that yamaha r15 is better than does it make any sense?
Hi Faizan and all, i am frm ktm, nepal
Please help me choose frm: Karizma R or Yamaha R15 or Fazer. i don like new zmr that much. i mainly want comfort and mostly travel in crowded and busy city roads.
Here is my scenario:
1. My height is about 5’5.
2. I want easy handling and COMFORT for the long and busy traffick jams here, rather than unnecessary styling, esp. i don want back pains in the long run.
3. Want performance and power and class.
please help me guys, thanks!
@ Faizanbhai
Which engine oil is the best for our legend ” R ” …????
Karizma is a great bike,but only for 7-8 years ago.
It now seriously needs a more powerful 4 valve engine with at LEAST 20-21 BHP & 35+ mielage.
ZMR will be a really poor option if bajaj prices its P-250 for 1.10-1.20 L.
hi faizan ,
i hav just purchased karizma r n my problem is the handle wowling in speed of 40-60kmh. kindly let me know about this .
i own a new karizma r . it goes off when ever it wants .i open the lid of petrol tank and after some time it starts .wats the problem and wats the solution
i want to know this bike .because i am going to buy this bike and any differ in new version
Hi,
I own a Karizma R and recently I have removed 1 excellator wire i.e I have kept only 1 excellator wire, so will it affect the bike’s performance in anyway?
Hi friends,
I am planning to buy pre-owned Karizma R. have got offer @ 55,000/-. The bike is in mint condition, but have run 60,000km, & have brand new Michelin tyres worth 2,500/-
What wud you suggest?? Howz this offer?? Should I go ahead?
Please reply soon..
Thanks,
Chintan
U dint mention the model of the bike!
Thanks for reply,
Its a Karizma ZMA R 2007 model. Regularly serviced (every alternate month) at HH authorised service centre, all genuine parts. I ridden the bike, there is no unusual engine sound. What else should I check if I get to see complete service history at the S.center??
Currenly I own 2004 Passion Plus(64500km run), for which I had to do some engine & gearbox work @ nearly 60,000Km. What could be chances of such work required on Karizma?
Also m getting 1 Yr Service Contract worth 1750 (5 services incl Engine oil change) & 3 color coatings worth 600) with the bike.
I’ve negotiated the price till 50K, what could be a GOOD DEAL price for this one??
Awaiting your reply,
Chintan Sampat
hey man i want to buy a new bike…of about 150cc-220cc…that mean in between 150 to 220 pls tell me which bike i should buy……….
hello faizan! i like ur review too much..bt am confusd between fazer,p220,karizma r..i need bike 4 comfrtable ride nd 4 long routes.so can u suggest me that which 1 should i buy……….
thnxx,
robin.
dude dont lie man…. karizma do not cross 140kmph as u have mentioned… 130 is the max… and all the rest u said is fine…
PPL who say that we cant achieve more than 130km/hr, here is wat u guys need to know. The following are what i’ve done on my bike:
0-60 in 2.8secs (i.e in the middle of 2nd gear)
0-100 in 7secs (As soon as u shift to 5th gear, ur bike is already more than 100km/hr)
A top speed on 148km/hr on a highway.
In an instance i got caught with a highway police who locked my speed with a IR gun. He showed me the gun and it showed a speed of 136 km/hr. The gun was accurate in reading as i tested in myself with someone else bike.
So the bike does lock more than 145km/hr. It depends on how you shift the gears.
My team containing 4 riders in our cruel ZMA, have stashed pulsars whenever and everywhere we see it.
Regarding the corners:
I have cornered my bike at 90km/hr wherein my side footrests were burning on the roads. The corners depend on the bikes speed and the way you throttle your zma. The corners which i have said above were dont with the stock MRF zapper which came wit the bike.
Finally i would say that ZMA is for a person who seeks max power, max adrenaline and delighting ride whenever you take this baby for a ride.
ALSO, RIDE SAFE BCOZ THERE ARE PPL WHO ARE WAITING FOR YOU IN YOUR PLACE.
my karizma ows me a mileage of 50 km\ltr by riding at 120-130 km/hr……
i am lucky…….
Really u r so lucky…..
be aware of other vehicles while riding at such a high speed for getting fifties.
Karizma r 223cc or 225cc??
How about use tyres are they tubeless??
I read all the users manual and didnt find any answer for my question:-).is the tyre tubeless??
Sachin dev
Do u know a Zma ?
If not own it & then speak… Tried & tested for 137kmph(true speed)…
I pulled my beauty with pillion around 128 kmph true speed measured… How many of ur other bikes would do the same with pillion.. I dragged it on bangalore highways with my friend driving it who is a racer …
If u really own it, pls check it instantly cos there might be some problem in ur gear shifting…
Thanks
ShaanSundar
What is the Maximum gear speed in Karizma?? Means for each gear how fast should I go???
hey faizan…i’m planning to buy this bike. i know almost everything related to mileage and all sorts of other details. But can you please shed some light on karizma’s maintenance costs, i may keep this bike for many years to come so what are the problems that may arise over long run. And does this bike need frequent visits to garages??? ….and are it’s spare parts costly compared to p220 and fazer??? PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!
hiiiiiiiiiii faizan bhai i have already booked a karizma r……..i do ride bike very rashly can v xpect a milage of 25kmpl
hiii did u ride karizma r how much milage it will come can u say
Faizal, i am confused between honda dazzler and karizma R. Milaege is not a concern. Reviews of dazzler are also good. For which one should i go ahead.
please tell me how can we get the milage of karizma from 40 to 45 can we tune the engine or can i use the bike for long ride
my hight is 5.2 can i go for Karizma
may be 2maro i will buy karizma R can i except best milage by that
how can i increase the milage can u tell
i wanted to know which engine oil wil be best and good for karizma R…??
i also own HH Karizma R 2011 white which has clocked 7500km.
LOve this bike very much.