 The
Cruiser Concept:
America, the land of wide-open spaces, spawned the Cruiser Cult
with its big Harleys. In America, anything less than a1000 cc V-twin
is an absolute no no ! Fact is, in America, only those Americans
buy Harleys, who already have at least two cars in their garage.
A Harley in America is a fashion statement, a personality statement
- indeed a life-style statement, as personified in the Movie “HELLS
ANGELS”, starring Marlon Brando.
So what is a cruiser doing in the land of narrow crowded lanes where
90% of the people cannot even buy half a moped before a car, what
to talk of buying a V-twin Harley after two cars!
Yet we have, not one, but three cruisers on our roads today. The
first was the Kwak Eliminator, Bajaj’s flagship. Then came
the Enfield Thunderbird, and most recently, the Yamaha Enticer.
At about Rs.90,000/- on road, the Eliminator is beyond the reach
of most bikers. In true American style, most Eliminator owners,
if not already able to afford at least one car, can at least afford
another additional bike since price of Eliminator=price of Enticer+Boxer
. Enfield Thunderbird, though bigger and cheaper, is not everybody’s
cup of tea. That leaves the Enticer, as the only affordable cruiser,
which at Rs.55,185/- on road in Pune in, is priced the same as most
high end bikes in the country today.
 The Enticer:
The
bike on test with me is the base version without disc brakes or
self start, costing Rs.55,185/-. If you add Rs.9,000/- to it for
disc brake and self start, it still is only Rs.64,000/-, which is
still Rs.25,000/- less than the Eliminator which comes with self
start and disc as standard. While the Enticer entices aspirants
with its price, the Eliminator eliminates most aspirants with its
price.
So, what is it like? Looks it has in plenty. Raised handlebar. Long
wheel-base. Easy rider seating geometry. Foot boards instead of
foot pegs. Fat rear tyre. Single pod instru. Chromed RV mirrors.
And currently available in three colors: Gold (light yellow), Burgundy
(reddish) and Black.
Motive
power comes from the same square, 54 mm x 54 mm bore x stroke, 123.7cc
pot that powers the Yamaha YBX. While max. torque of 1.06 KgM at
6500 rpm is identical to the YBX, the 11 bhp (PS) of power in the
Enticer engine comes at a slower 8000 rpm while in the YBX it comes
at a higher 8500 rpm. Compression ratio of the Enticer is 10:1.
 Wheelbase is 1375 mm with a claimed ground clearance of 140 mm.
Kerb weight (with oil and full petrol tank) is 125 kg while dry
weight is 116 kg. Fuel tank capacity is 13 litres with a reserve
of 2.4 litres. The VM20SS, Ucal / Mikuni carburettor breathes thru
a wet type air cleaner. Fuel is ignited by an NGK spark plug, model
CR7HSA with ideal plug gap being 0.65 mm. Ignition is CDI.
Electricity is produced by a 12 volt flywheel magneto with a 12v-2.5
Ah lead acid battery. Headlight power is 12v-35w. Front tyre is
a 4-ply rating 2.75 x 18 (Zapper FS pattern), while at the rear
is a 6-ply rating 120/80 x 16, Y-pattern Zapper.
Engine oil specified is Yamalube 4-stroke motor oil (20W40 type
SF) or equivalent. Yamaha also warns NOT to use oils that contain
anti-friction modifiers or car oils (often referred to as Energy
conserving oils) that contain anti-friction additives, since this
will cause clutch slippage and will in turn reduce life of components
and cause drop in engine performance. While total quantity of engine
oil is 1.2 litres, top up quantity is a convenient one litre.
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