R15 Vs Karizma R Vs Pulsar 220cc
Posted at September 28th, 2008 under Auto News | 
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Comparitive test drive report
In 2007, we made India’s largest 150cc challenge by pitting the apache RTR against the pulsar, cbz xtreme, Hunk, Unicorn. You readers welcomed it with much enthusiasm. That made our job much harder to come out much exciting one than the last year challenge. But the advent of bikes like R15 and apache RTR FI gave us a little hope that we can make yet another stunning challenge.
The criteria for this 2008 challenge is simple, the bikes must make your adrenaline rush. You might have got the the idea, yes, for the 2008′s challenge R15,Apache RTR FI, Hero Honda karizma and Bajaj Pulsar 220cc FI fight for the crown. All these bikes are special and made the indian biker to realise the true biking. Except for the Karizma all the bikes made us to wait for months and tested our patience like anything. From the manufacturers point of view, these are the benchmark bikes and demanded a lot of money and time from them. For Bajaj and TVS the pulsar 220cc FI and apache RTR FI are meant to show their technological prowess to the customers and to tell them they are second to none especially to the Japanese makers. For Yamaha, R15 is its last bid to turnaround its Indian fortune. Hence our 2008 year’s challenge is not just a competition between machines, its a challenge for the manufacturers pride. These machines are built not just to commute but to make your adrenaline pump up. Let’s go for the adventure……
Design and Styling:
Unlike other segments, this segment is not known for regular launches. Karizma was introduced in 2003 then the pulsar 220cc came in 2007 and we got the R15 only few months back. Atleast in the short or medium term we do not expect any major launches in this segment other than Bajaj – Kawasaki Ninja 250cc. But a karizma customer still loves exclusivity he dont want to hear words of praise for CBF Stunner from his girlfriend. That’s where the Yamaha’s R15 comes in. Inspired by the iconic R1 this bike is truly a gem and cannot go unnoticed even if Yamaha sells 10000 units every month. GK Dynamics the firm behind the V-Max and R1 created this wonder R15. The full fairing, conical windvisor, aerodynamic cowls, low stance and skinny tyres are more inviting to steal the bike and ride away.Most of these features are first among the Indian bikes and are tough to imitate.
While the R15 is inspired from Iconic R1, Hero Honda engineers borrowed styling cues from VFR800. But remember VFR800 came into the world way back in 1998. Karizma is clearly showing its age and it shy away to take even the baby Karizma (CBF Stunner). The cosmetic facelift which it received last year does not help matters. The styling is not that electric but still it looks cool. The half fairing, crystal glass trapezoidal headlamp,curved panels, and mounted triangular indicators still holds appeal. But the gaping panels that accommodates the telescopic forks are outdated and leads to distraction. However i still believe Karizma has best tail-lamp cluster even though its has no LEDs. The second filament of two large bulbs blink alternately upon application of brakes.
While the other competitors are a stripped down version of superior bikes, Pulsar 220cc is a evolutionary. Bajaj engineers carefully collected the customer’s response and came up with the Pulsar 220cc.It’s bigger and bolder than its siblings. The projector beam headlamps and half fairing gives the p220cc a muscular look. But the rest of the profile is more common and it fails to stand out in the crowd.
Engine and Transmission:
engineering vs volume
It must be unfair to compare these bikes, have a look at the specs. While the engines of the R15 and P220cc are Fuel Injected karizma still sucks charge through carburettor. Two of the mills have a displacement of 220cc and R15 features a 150cc mill. Strange isn’t it? but happened to be competing with each other in India biking arena.
Yamaha’s 149.8cc (we are going to specify exact figures) liquid cooled, four valved mill is really a gem. Switch on the ignition key, a hum sound and the starting engine signal tells you i’m ready to race. Yamaha has indianised lot of its globally proven technologies. The forged piston and aluminum DiASil Cylinder not just reduces weight but also enhances the combustion characteristics. It zooms past 60kmph in just 6 seconds and 100 around 16seconds.The race bred R15 is really addictive and it makes you drive faster and faster. Drive till the redline the power never wades. The carefully spaced six speed transmission is also boon for the bike. Take the bike to the highway and slot into the sixth gear it effortlessly pulls all the way upto 132kmph. But a little more ccs and more horses would have done justice to its design. R15 develops 17bhp at 8500rpm and the redline is at 10500rpm.
If R15 is racy, Pulsar 220cc FI mill is the most drivable. 20bhp mill offers enough power at all speeds and it proves Bajaj understands Indian market perfectly. The five speed one down four Up transmission makes the P220 most drivable. This reflects in the mileage department too. While the R15 manages to give just 33kmpl pulsar 220cc returns around 38kmpl. Also signal to signal races can be easily won with the p220cc speedo hitting 60kmph mark in just 5 seconds. The engine lacks punch at lower speeds but the mid thrust and top end performance are impressive. Out on the highway, p220cc hits a top whack of 125kmph. Absence of full fairing deters us from pulling beyond that.
The 223cc mill is least hi-fi and it churns 17bhp and 18.7nm of torque. Five cogs shift through a toe-shifter and the ratios favour the highway driving than the city. It takes almost 7 seconds to reach 60kmph and the top speed is at 120kmph. Karizma also loves to drink more fuel, it manages to return only 31kmpl. Put that on the highway karizma mileage increases significantly.
None of these bike have any distinct exhaust note. Bike makers in India except the TVS is yet to make headway in sound engineering.
Ride and Handling:
sports Vs sport -touring Vs Touring
The rear set foot pegs, sporty clip-on handle bars and crouched riding position of R15 is hard to adapt for a newbie. But once you used to it, you would start loving it. However the day to day commuting is not desirable with R15. Our city roads and traffic are sure pound your wrist hard. Take the beast out to a race track or a highway on weekends and showcase the bike skills to your friends. The superior steel deltabox frame is 200% more rigid than the other Indian bikes. The linked motocross suspension and twin pod calipers aids stability even under hard cornering. Result, you tend to lean still your knee touches the tarmac. Easily the best handling machine of the lot and sets new standard for other Indian bikes.
The generous wheelbase and Handlebar span gives you a near upright riding position. P220′s substantial forks, twin-member tubular frame, an elliptical swingarm mounted on needle roller bearings and gas charged shock absorbers offers plush ride even at high speeds. But the pulsar 220 handling is not impressive. Blame those 260mm/230mm front and rear disc which fails to bring confidence especially at emergency conditions. Steering response is also relatively poor to pull down the
Similar to other two bikes, the ride position in the Karizma is also slightly stretched forward but the wide handle bar and seats ensure you sit firm on the seats. The upright riding position and superb braking never makes you feel tired even after riding for 100′s of kilometers. Also the stability at any and every speed is top notch. But never try to put the bike into the corner a gear high and pull away in haste.
Verdict:
While the R15 is racer, Hero Honda’s Karizma is a perfect tourer. If you don’t like the thump of the Bullets yet loves touring Karizma is the one to settle. But beyond that Karizma has nothing to boast about. The real fight is between the pulsar 220cc and Yamaha’s R15. Pulsar’s oil cooled 220cc mill is pleasure to ride on and the bike proximity to its sibling easily makes it a logical destination for the pulsar (150cc,180cc & 200cc) customers. P220cc is the bike for everyone and it offers a excellent value for money. But that doesn’t mean p220 is the champion, race bred styling and uncomparable handling chractertics will make the R15′s customer satisfied like any other and forgot about the price difference of Rs16000 he shelled out for R15. For compelling performance and turning heads R15 is the one to go.
JOHN HA HA HA DNT MAKE ME LAUGH..U DID P200 137…N DREAMIN TO CATCHIN UP R15 HA HA…WELL IVE DONE RTR160 TO DE LIMIT OF 134KMPH ON ST..N FOR U RTR FI CAN SMOKE UR DONEY LIKE FACES….N ASHES LIKE BABY…….R15 GOES 145+ DUDE GROW UP NEVA SEEN FULL RIDER IN THIS SITES
king of THE ROAD IZ KARIZMA R…………………………………………………………I HAVE DONE RACE WITH PULSAR 220,R15 ……………THEY CAN’t TOUCH EVEN THE SMOKE OF KARIZMA R…………SO……………………….AL THE KOOL DUDES DON’t BE DONKEY GO FOR KARIZMA R ……IT IS REALLT THE KING OF ROAD.
haha abe animesh fastest indian 220 ko aise hi nhi kaha jata…
wo sale 220 wala koi aisa hi goa jo chala rha hoga…hehehe lolz 220 ni har sakti n bst bike evr…btter den karizma r…
dudes!!
the karizma is king f road thenn comes r15 then 220 and only then apache!!
I have R-15 n had raced with karizma R and Pulsar 220 but I don’t think that Karizma is the King of Road because my R-15 won the race in just 5 seconds
R15 jst rules d world!!!! every other byk suxx!!
(FZ 16)=RX (racing xtrem) (YZF)=RD FZ+YZF= YAMAHA V MAX,,,,,,,,,,,
loooool,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,go home and study well then talk about yamaha,,,,,,after that u just clean the silencer of an YZF R125,,,hehe
YAMAHA RULEZZZZZZZZZZZ,,,,,,,,,,,,,YAMAHA ROCKSSSSSSSSSSS
MOTOGP,,,,,,
karizma is more powerfull than r15 nd 220 karizma has a gud body nd style
hey all of you…
the comparison could be made only with karizma zmr and pulsar 220..
and its real truth that pulsar is the fastest.
its a real value for money.
karizma zmr sucks delivering only 17bhp comparing to 220′s 21 bhp.
the fastest indian..
love you pulsar…
Be salo KARISMA R ko tum samajte kya ho? voh goda he goda
karisma R kya bhagti he yaarrrrr! R15 or 220 ka uske samne kuch nahi ata
hellish comparisn buddies….. fuckin r15 and suckin 220…
our zma rulzzzzzz foreva
i have just bought a blue karizma…………i feel the king of road when i ride this road beast………karizma rocksssssssss……….r15 is a baby toe,p220 is good 4 three years only,,,,,,,,,,,bajaj engine is a total waste
bap bap hota hai karizzzzzzzzma is father of r15 & 220 dhak dhak goooooooooooooo
Well let’s throw zma out frm these competion,
talkin abt r15 , it has wonderful pick up.. U dnt even notice whn it passes 60..shiftin in 10500rpm ll make better sense for this bike….bt while comparin it wid p220dtsi. R15 iz little bit slower… Bt a GuD shifter can turn da game too.. Bt in highway practically r15 iz better than p220…
Verdict: in drag p220 has more adv to win
in highway crushing r15 stands OVeR head of p220
superb brakin,confidence,initial pickup,engine smoothness,better grip of r15 ll never gonna bore U in highway….practically r15 iz da winner…..nvr judge wid da cc n power… P220 iz 150kg wid21bhp
r15 iz 17bhp wid 120kg… So r15 gain advantage wid it’s lighter weight…..
Zma,r15,p220 takes 7,6,5 sec..it’s tru coz this iz measured wid gps gun not wid da speedo..speedo meter r not accurate,,,
i want to bye a bike please suggest me which is good ( pulser 220 , yamaha r15 , karizma r
Karizma Is Karizma
plzzzzzzzz No Comparison
hey zmr is such a bitch
the brakes failed !!!!!!!
we were on traffic chain broked !!!!
i hate pulsar 220 coz it doesnt have damn thing called gud engine
r15 is the best
JO MUU CHALAAYE
i want to bye a bike please suggest me which is good ( pulser 220 , yamaha r15 , karizma r )
hi!! m loking forward to buy my 1st bike. i’ve been using an activa by now. my budget is around 80-85k. m 6ft tall. so which bike would u recommend for me??
my avg running would be around 10-12kms a day. i’ve shortlisted karizma r.bt they hv closed the bookings for zma r.the waiting period is around 3 months. n a dealer even said that hh is planning to phase out the zma r:( is it true??can nebdy help…
Yaar…What R ur choices?
In my opinion karizmaR is much better than Karizma ZMR.,coz engine of zmr heats too much and too much chain sound…
Me and my friend,both used to ride karizma r …it’s really good sporty bike
all of u guys are fucked by me who says r15,plsr220 is d best.I WANT TO SAY THAT KZMA IS THE BEST.
Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy you all
attention please
Stop this nuisance fight
Its all abt biking condition , weight of driver, condition of bike used.
Here is straight answer of your fight
R15 = Performance Razor sharp handling Clear racing technology An clear BORN ruler over rave track Specially Breaking cornering and handling is AWESOME
Karizma = Comfort Reliability Belief Craze Strong touring Ability.
P220 = Maiden Indian claiming to be the fastest indian Money valued bike Attitude of riding Sport bike
Now you decide it better which one is right for you
If you are having any RACING element in you go for R15
Looking for comfort and reliability and A long drive with your Girlfriend go for Karizma
Wanna be the fastest indian ( Pseudo) and a value added bike go for P220
All your reolies to me are welcome……………..!
i want to bye a bike please suggest me which is good pulser 220 , yamaha r15 , karizma r
hai guys
I love all bikes.but p220 iz more.i dont no y. R15 and zma are awesome’s.but p220 is more value getting bike.i have not become a perfect racer in my roads beacuse of road conditions in kerala.
Well, i say R15 is the best bike .. handling, comfort , and speed… I agree in the initial pick up it lacks power but above 60 it will outperform both bike … i don know much about zma ..but its got reliability and gr8 customer satisfaction .. Abt pulsar it may be a fastest indian, Top BHP , power , gr8 initial pickup , but it dont have reliability, handling , and not comfortable….
I rank up
1st: r15 reliability , performance , handling and stability
2nd: ZMA reliability , handling , comfort , lacks some power
3rd : P200 performance , not reliable, lacks handling and stability
cum on dude . .i l nt at all agree vith ur opinion on karizma . . 1st thing is dat it took 3.9 sec to me 2 strike 60 so u hav 2 rectify it . .n it has sexy look,speed,excellent engine n performance n u can ride 100′s of kms vith ease,believe me i got 41 km/l in city if u maintain it properly . . .though r15 is a good bike . .its nt suitable 4 city conditions n i dont like its cycle tyres,small n short body . . . .n its waste of saying about 220 bcoz of its dirty engine n chain kit vich no longer lasts 4 1yr . . . .finally i say that karizma iz a gem n king of all bikes . . .i am nt sayin it by listenings , i used 3 of them . .n finally using my stunnin black karizma
Karizma-Simply the male bike
Small kids can have fun with P220 & ifants can play with R15
karizma r for sale..2009,july.done 15,000 km.indicators and brake light lightly smoked.perfectly maintained.price 65,000
contact : nithin 9539234122
hh karizma r is the best bike.in indian city.
R15 Vs Karizma Vs Donkey comparision is nice !!!
karizmmaaa is awsomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…..!!!!!!
cooooolllllll
the top rate vehicle i hve ever used….!!!!
(buy and feel the power)
do u want to sell karizma r….uday-9899987055
I like yamaha fazer. It will challenge pulsar of sekan. Rtr of anoop and lonan. Fz of achu
U mofos dnt noe nethin… u guys r totally biased… chickens, ur so called knowledge is quite less on dis subject, coz hv raced p220 and r15 n hv screwed dem well.. n vicky u said smthin abt karizma goin 120 to the top… well son , ur wrong… coz dis beast digs more than 140 n till 160 after installing K&N…
zma iz truely a attension grabin PARTY ANIMAL.
n wen it cumz to engine r15 iz outa compt n p220 locks coza bajaj symbol on it.
n i’ve ride karizma r wid 145 kmph p220 touches 130kmph where as r15 goes til 135 kmph
n daz ol ma personal experience.
R15 can easily defeat both of ‘em in the terms of performance.
But if u want value for money then it’s P220.
Karizma is also a good bike but somehow can’t match these two.
I have myself clocked R15 to 141kmph.
Dudes p220 gives u everythng that indian roads required………..r15 is g8 in spid hvng 6spid transmisn……….karizma is best for its handling bt P220 is a value for money bike gives a power of 21ps like no other bikes gives in 80,000
yamaha is made for racing.
hiiiiii my sarber myne apne karizma se p220,r15 aur yamaha rx100 ko haraya hi agre aap logo ko biswas nahi hota tho ek race krke dekho ptha chal gye ga karizma is winer
karizma rocks man.it has silent and powerful engine.handling is very nice. it has awesome grip on road.i personally stopped at the speed of 80km,hr.is stop easily with instance.mileage is also awesome.i got around 40 km,ltr.
only problem is the headlight it doesn,t work well in night.
pulsar 220 suckss man.it has rough engine which sounds too much.mileage is very bad.
pulsar is only good for stunting.nothing else.
r15 is a good bike.it has good handling.and great power with only 150cc engine.
but riding in city is no no.it is very uncomfortable.
dude karizma is winner.
if u want a good bike with a smile on ur face for a long time.then go for it
karizmaaa rockssssss
jet set goooo..
n plz correct the above test drive comparison.karizma take only 4 sec to reach 60.
in 7 seconds it will cross 80 km/hr.
pulsar drink a lot not karizma
i dont think r15 is a good bike as compared to karizma r and p220 it is the most worst feeling is riding a r15 karizma and p220 far better bikes….
Karizma r the best performer in india.
R15,.pulser 220,apache rtr this oll bike grantfather on karizma r
R15 IS THE BEST…………………….
I AM A BIKE CRAZER.I HAVE R15,PULSER 220,AND ZMR.FOR ME THE MOST COMFORTABLE BIKE IS THE R15.WHILE RIDING R15 WE GET MAX PLEASURE AND COMFORTABLE.MY TOP SPEED IS 158.THAT I GOT FROM R15.IN PULSER 220MY TOP SPEED IS 152.AND IN ZMR ITS ONLY 136.SO IF U A SPEED LOVER GO ON WITH R15………………….
r15 five is the king of road
i dnt think dat r15 n karizma r can beat d beast(best sports bike ever made in india) . P220 runs smoothly even at a spee of 135kmph and it can go to a speed till 153 recorded ….. I think no other bike ( r15 and karizma ) can go in a speed like dat…..i feel like a riding a beast wen i sit on my p220..its just awesome…..i wud just say dat p220 just made me feel d ultimate taste of speed………and moreover i wud say dat dis byk is ready to do any stunt wis u know or want to do……..it will make u feel d power dats inside it……….:)