Kinetic scores in mileage

The GF 170 will beat the CBZ in terms of power while the Hero Honda may get some back on the styling front.

When Hero Honda launched the CBZ in 1999, it was arguably the first genuinely styled bike in India, that had oodles of charm and go to match the look. Sales rocketed and soon it became a style icon but as someone said, picnics don’t last forever. Soon rivals started pouring in models of their own. TVS followed with the Fiero, while Bajaj with a two-pronged attack through its Pulsars, started dominating the market. Suddenly the CBZ started looking pale, sales plummeted as the Pulsars found the pulse of the Indian male. Even the reduction of price by a few grands and some goodies thrown in did little to salvage the CBZ’s reputation.

HT Image

Enter the new CBZ, part of Hero Honda’s efforts to re-stickerise its entire range, though unlike the Splendor + and the Passion +, the new bike is not called CBZ +. The new stickering job is a good effort as it gives an impression of raciness to the CBZ’s classic, graceful lines. Sadly the headlamp is still the old shape and look – no clear lens treatment here. The mechanical bits remain the same so one can still rely on the noisy and unrefined engine that has a lot of punch in the mid-range, the superb semi-sporty seat-handlebar-footpeg relationship and the completely idiotic kick-starter. Frankly, the new CBZ packs in very few new surprises.

On the other hand The Kinetic GF 170 is surprising, more in a misleading way – it doesn’t deliver what you expect from it – for one, the engine is only 165cc and not 170 but then you pay only the price of a 150cc bike, that’s anyway 15cc in bonus. I guess the low price is keeping in mind the tough competition in the super-commuter segment. On styling, while the GF does not have the CBZ’s class, its naked bike looks with a sculpted tank and a rectangular tubular chassis as a styling element makes it one of the most distinctive bikes around. However, whack the throttle hard and the GF 170 finds its elements once the tacho needle is past the 4k mark.

Head-to-head the GF 170 will beat the CBZ in terms of power while the Hero Honda may get some back on the styling front. But then the GF outscores on the mileage front too and grabs the honours here.