BREAKING: The Hero Karizma Has Made A Comeback

Multiple spy shots and teasers later, Hero has finally relaunched the Karizma and this is its most modern avatar ever.  And who better to take the wraps off the icon than the iconic man himself: Hrithik Roshan, who started a lot of this madness with his legendary commercial. 

What’s The Price? Who Are Its Rivals?

Hero has priced the Karizma at an introductory price of Rs 1,72,900 (ex-showroom India), pricing it a fair bit below what we thought it'd be and we're only too happy to be slightly wrong. And that means it's more affordable than even the Yamaha R15 V4, which costs Rs 1,81,700 (ex-showroom Delhi). 

The Karizma's rivals, hence, include the Bajaj Pulsar RS200 and the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250. Those looking for a sportier alternative in this segment, meanwhile, could have a look at the KTM RC 200. Bookings for the Karizma are open. Booking amount for the bike is Rs 3,000 and it's refundable. 

What’s New?

Here's a quick lowdown on all that's new on this Karizma:

• Full fairing and dual projector LED headlamp nail the faired bike look | Raised handlerbars, though, retain the OG Karizma's sport-tourer personality
• That way, it's more like the Bajaj Pulsar RS200 than an out and out supersport like the KTM RC 200
• 210cc DOHC 4-valve, liquid-cooled engine (a first for a Hero bike) | 25.5PS at 9250rpm and 20.4Nm at 7250rpm | 6-speed gearbox
• The output figures though, are more than the RC 200! For perspective, here's how much the RC 200 and the RS200 make: 

• 37mm Telescopic fork and a gas-charged, 6-step preload adjustable monoshock
• Petal discs at both ends | 300mm (F) and 230mm (R) | Dual-channel ABS | Currently the only Hero bike to get dual-channel ABS
• 100/80-17 (F) and 140/70-17 (R) | MRF Zapper tyres
• Slip-and-assist clutch 
• Segment-first adjustable windshield
• Trellis frame, another first for a Hero bike
• LCD console with turn-by-turn navigation
• Illuminated switchgear which looks quite premium
• 810mm seat height | 160mm ground clearance | 11-litre fuel tank and 163.5kg kerb weight
• 3 colours - Iconic Yellow, Turbo Red and Matte Phantom Black

ZigSays

While Hero has thrown almost everything at the Karizma, the box section swingarm has been a cost-cutting measure. What's a bit more puzzling though is that the Karizma gets a telecopic fork, given that even the Xtreme 160R 4V gets a USD one.  

Now yes, while the 400-500cc segment is a growing one, Hero chose to enter the 150-200cc one because it brings affordability as well as exciting performance. Plus with this, Hero might even look to (temporarily) dethrone the king of this segment, the Yamaha R15. 

All in all, the legendary Karizma has made a comeback and we're more than excited to get our hands on the icon and test it. More importantly, this direction of reviving an icon is far better than soldering on the same old bike and updating it with fancy colours every other year. Plus, with the prospect of Hero moving to a faster 210cc liquid-cooled platform, there’s a good chance that other 200cc air-cooled bikes within its current line up like the XPulse 200 4V too can benefit from this platform in the future.