Goodbye my love.... Goodbye....

Well as they say, we all do have to except that times are changing..... like ageing, dying from an inevitable disease, or maybe a simple economical disaster.... well i just thought id post about something that is a major change in course of my life. First of all i had to say goodbye to my bikes which was Virago 250, Honda CM125T Custom and Virago 400 i seriously was in need of money to clear up few debts which i owe and i sold both of them. Even though they are gone they helped me to relieve all of my problems and now that i feel like i am a freeman. Well the free word does not come that easy in my mind because like in some forum says "Four wheels move the body..... Two wheels move the soul......" i was desperate for a bike just after six hours of selling my bikes. Since i was left with very little money i had no choice, i went around in all possible places looking for a bike. Well this time i ain't going for another 400cc because fuel economy problem was way high over my head last time. I looked for a Honda rebel 125 - 250cc. There were many but the condition was not good enough for my taste, some of them were badly hacked, so i decided to go for a Indian made motorcycle straight from the showrooms. Money i had in my hand was not enough even to reach the lowest class 100cc in the showroom. I was left hopeless until next morning i woke up with a strange but yet bright idea. I start hunting around in the scrap yards where they dump unwanted stuff. Then i came across this warehouse which has so many unloved dumped stuff and guess what i found!, i found a "Honda XL125R" and it seems like from somewhere 1985. I quickly ran over to it and pulled it out from all the ruble and taken it to light. It didn't look very healthy, the tires were worn out to the canvas, engine was leaking oil all over, speedometers were dead, battery is full of fungus but luckily it was inside a warehouse so never got caught to rain and stuff so the rust wasn't there and nothing is corroded. I asked the warehouse owner about it and he said one fellow came and pawned it to him for some money along with it's registration documents and owner ship documents about five years back. It was lying there ever since and nobody took an interest. I gave him a price and he agreed to sell it to me, so i bought it on the same day... next problem was starting it up and taking it home. I bought a can of oil since engine was completely out of oil and pour it and after few kicks bike fired up like nothing and i was really happy about it. I manage to take it home and within in two days i restored the engines missing stuff, fixed all the leaks, new tires, services all the other parts including speedometers etc.

There she goes, runs like a newborn (bike), i am really happy i find it extremely easy and maneuverable in the good roads as well as bad condition roads. I thought to my self that Enduro/Off-road motorcycle is the ideal thing for the Sri Lankan road conditions. Even though i have ridden enduro's so often i never owned one. It's been four days now since i ride this bike from home to work, and almost everywhere. It's a great little bike which does extremely well on fuel. It's fast enough for a 125cc i am very happy with it. I am thinking of getting it completely restored to factory conditions, even a new paint.

And after all i found out one thing..... Even though  i thought i was built and born to ride cruisers, i was kind of wrong about me..... I figured out that offroad / Enduro's are also another ideal bike for me. It's like they always say.... you are never too late to discover your self......

here's a picture of my Honda XL125R after doing all the services and fourth day on the road.

Most Common Motorcycles in Sri Lanka

Sri lanka's motorcycle market was once dominated by Japanese giants such as Honda , Yamaha, Kawasaki etc has started to decline in the late 90's and now being completely conquered by Indian and Chinese motorcycle makers. Reason for this decline is mainly the prices of the Japanese motorcycles was increasing as well as rarity of certain spare parts, and also fuel consumption is somewhere in the middle. Indian motorcycle makers such as "Bajaj, TVS, Hero, Kinetic" has introduced their products at the late 90's and they picked up like a storm. The popularity of motorcycle brands as follows.

1. Bajaj - It was easy for bajaj because their three wheelers has been long here before the motorcycles and they won the hearts of many. So they easily became the number one in sri lanka.
2. Hero Honda - Carrying the brand name "Honda" as a part of their brad name drew the previous Japanese Honda riders easily towards their products.
3. TVS - Was rather a new name for Sri Lanka but easily picked up the third place by giving a super low end prices, and extremely economical fuel consumption on fairly faster motorcycles.
4. Kinetic - Also as far as i heard a mixture of indian motorcycles and chinese made parts picked up the fourth place here in sri lanka because it was bought and introduced to sri lanka by a company named "Singer Sri Lanka" which was quiet a famous for their many products such as "Sewing Machines, Tv's etc"
5. Suzuki - They became the fifth place because they were carrying their Japanese ancestors name with chinese production plants. They were very famous for their trust GN125.

Other than above mentioned brand names, there are many others such as Loncin, Ranomoto, Umazaki, Senaro which is assembled here in sri laka and mainly from chinese manufacturers. Here are some of the common and famous motorcycles of Sri Lanka which you can see hundreds of them when you go to the main road.

Bajaj Pulsar

Took on sri lankan market like a storm due it's looks and power. First pulsars which was introduced to sri lanka was running at power of 150cc engine, later upgraded to 180cc and 220cc. The looks have drastically changed from model to model as well as power. They always comes in several major colors such as, Red, Black, Blue etc. Bajaj Pulsar became very famous among sport/road motorcycle enthusiasts due to it's power, looks, and the amazing low fuel consumptions. For an example Bajaj Pulsar 180Dts-i 2007 model did 50KMPL.

Bajaj Boxer

Bajaj boxer has been here since the introduction of bajaj motorcycles in sri lanka and took on like a storm on daily riders. People switched to this neat little 100cc motorcycle because of it's extremely low fuel consumption which is like 75 - 80 KMPL and it's toughness along with bullet proof kawasaki inspired engine. This has won the hearts of common man in sri lanka. Even though it is not in the main show case of bajaj right now, it is still one of the highest selling day to day commuters in Sri Lanka.

Bajaj CT100

Bajaj CT100 is also another 100cc motorcycle introduced to the market slightly later after the launch of bajaj motorcycles in sri lanka. It gain popularity again due to it's low fuel consumption, Low price and also for its's dashing looking new headlight design. It won over the Boxer mainly due to that newly installed headlight. There were some more models in the line along with CT100, suchas Bajaj Caliber 115cc etc. They were also equally famous among day to day riders.

Bajaj Discover

This was the baja's ultimate 125cc motorcycle. The picture you see is the latest upcoming model and there have been different models previously. This was very famous among people who wants a 125cc Motorcycle and the looks of the a pulser. Sometimes if the Pulsar was quiet too expensive, riders always went for this. There are some models in this line, and they were called XCD125 etc. Somehow later all of thes models were introduced with 135cc Engines and in different colors etc.

Hero Honda Hunk

Not the most famous from the huge line of Hero Honda has to offer but recently became the most famous from all of hero hondas in sri lanka. powered by a 150cc engine same as the Hero Honda CBZ, the looks are much different, and also has the Gas Shock Absorbers. Hunk is currently competing with the bajaj's pulsars market. They are somewhat head to head if you look at the colombo roads But i personally thinks pulsars head count is higher. Known to be a very reliable due to Honda developed engine. But price was slightly higher than others.

Hero Honda CBZ Extreme

This is the all time favorite from Hero Honda, and first it came as "CBZ" and later it turned in to "CBZ Extreme". It is known as one of the Cult motorcycles in India. It was not equally popular in sri lanka as in India but somewhat popular due to it's light weight, easier handling on the traffic and again bares the badge of "Honda". I had my self ridden for sometime few years back, and it was an amazing motorcycle for 150cc. had a mid range fuel consumption and extreme handling. Comfort wise it was slightly low compared to the Hero Honda Hunk.

TVS Apache

Apache became very famous for it's looks and price tag. It was in the market since the introduction of TVS to sri lanka. It has undergone through various types of upgrades since the introduction. Apache is packed with a 150cc engine and rival against Pulsar and CBZ in the market. After the initial launch, TVS has also released the 160cc Version of the Apache which is called "Apache RTR". Certain rumours say that TVS has a Apache 200 is on the horizon so all the TVS riders, grip tight for the future releases.

TVS Flame

TVS Flame is the 125cc flavour of their motorcycles. Powered with a 125cc Three Valve engine, Tvs flame quiet popular among the 125cc riders due to it's dashing looks and the mid range price tag. According to what i have found out, TVS Flame is being developed by a separate division in TVS under the authority of an professional German engineer. If someone wants a TVS and wants a good looking day to day commuter of 125cc. TVS Flame is the way to go.

TVS Star (sport & city)

TVS Star Sport & TVS Star City both were a great challenge for other 100cc motorcycles. This is the 100cc motorcycle from TVS and works great as a day to day commuter. TVS STAR series was very famous in sri lanka for it's extreme low fuel consumption and all the value added features such as Self starter, Alloy wheels, Beautiful design which other 100cc motorcycles did not had when it was launched. This motorcycle boast mind blowing 105KMPL ( on bench test at normal speed ). I have ridden one and it has a very good acceleration, and it did about 85KMPL in real life test. It's pretty amazing how they do these things.

Bajaj Kristal, TVS Scooty Pept, Hero Honda Pleasure

Hey, i didn't leave the ladies out? did i? Oh crap, stupid me. All the above manufacturers had scooters of their own brands released especially for the lady riders. yes i know, in European and many other countries ladies ride 1000cc and above, the smallest they ride is 250cc. Well it's different here and most parts of Asia i guess. The most famous from all the scooters was the TVS Scooty Pept due to it's advertising campaigns and looks. They all boasts a engine capacity of 100cc and comes with various easy to use features such as automatic head lights in the dark, self starter, economical fuel consumption etc. Even though it was intend for female riders, we see many male riders also take these scooters on the road. They are excellent motorcycles for day to day rides. Especially for the ladies and people who wants a automatic gear system on their motorcycles. One of above scooters are the way to go in Sri Lanka.

Suzuki GN125 & Clones

Suzuki GN125 is quiet famous among Sri Lankan Cruiser style motorcycle enthusiasts. When a person usually wants a bike that is comfortable for long distance riding, they usually go for the GN125. GN125 has been copied and cloned by many other makers such as Loncin, Senaro etc. They all are chinese motorcycle makers, and some of them are equally good as the original Suzuki GN125. It packs a single cylinder 125cc engine, comfy seat for two and the cruiser styling. Old skool riders also favorst he new GN-125 for it's looks.

Bajaj Avenger , Yamaha Enticer & Chinese Built Cruisers

Here comes my favorite motorcycles to talk about. That's the cruisers, Cruiser class motorcycles in sri lanka was first introduced by chinese motorcycle makers such as loncin, Daido etc. But never gain the popularity among the cruiser motorcycle fans and Harley wannabes due to it's inferior reliability and quick deterioration. Then the Bajaj and Yamaha of india introduced these two models which quickly gained the popularity among cruiser class motorcycle enthusiasts. To tan color is Yamaha Enticer 125cc & and black is the Bajaj Avenger 200cc & 180cc. According to indian market bajaj won over the Yamaha but in sri lanka it was winning over the Yamaha until sri lankan distributor discontinued bringing bajaj avenger due to low sales. Bajaj avenger is now only available in pre-orders. Yamaha Enticer is still doing well but honest truth is in sri lanka Cruiser motorcycles only gained popularity among small number of people who are harley & Cruiser enthusiasts just like my self. For past year of course cruisers has started to gain more and more popularity. Main reason for their decline is higher fuel consumption compared to other motorcycles and lack of motorcycle enthusiasts in sri lanka. We have lots of riders but very little enthusiasts. People just ride because they can't afford a car, Not that they want to ride instead of driving.

Mopeds & other 50cc Motorcycles

Hey i don't wanna leave these cute little bikes away, so here they are. Almost all the makers have a moped which is 50cc or below which requires no license and registrations, and riders are not required to wear a safety helmet according to sri lanka motor vehicle rules and regulation authority. In the picture what you see is a model named "Safari" by the indian motorcycle maker "Kinetic" which is a four stroke motorcycle runs at 50cc. These small moped motorcycles comes with neat features such as self starters, extremely low fuel consumption, some of them with paddling facilities etc. Earlier models were mostly 2 Stroke motorcycles and later on after banning the 2 Stroke motorcycles in sri lanka. Motorcycle makers came up with these neat little four stroke moped. If you are looking for something to take a ride around the city, and wants automatic gears, and lowest fuel consumption, and don't want to wear helmets and bother of license and number plates. This is the way to go, go grab a moped. Mopeds are popular among ladies, school students, and people who hates wearing helmets.

This is just a little post that will give you a rough idea of what are the most common motorcycles and brands in sri lanka. There are plenty others and not to forget the japanese motorcycles, they are in plenty, sometimes equalent to certain indian and chinese makes. What i mentioned was the common motorcycles only. This post may not include all the common motorcycles, because each of this manifacturers have a huge line of motorcycle models with various different flavors and colors and they keep changing everyday. I hope you enjoyed the post.