Delightful in a different sort of way.

When I titled the road test feature super commuter I had in mind all round Performance along with other biker feelgood traits like handling and ride. On the Performance front, the Fiero F2 delights in the strong surge of power from low down. To get this 126kg (kerb weight) bike moving from standstill, the low end torque kicks in from 3000rpm onwards and one can feel the torque talking as one shifts up right into top to keep humming away in the green zone and beyond.

The Fiero F2 doesn’t have the fire and brimstone approach of the Pulsar 150 nor is it a screamer but then having the use of just four cogs spread across the rev range means that the shift points had to be so optimised that Performance didn’t drop off when upshifting. A pointer to the efficacy of its mods is evident when one considers the fact that even though the new bike is longer and heavier she outperforms the lighter original. Zero to 60kmph comes up in 6.94 seconds (7.8 seconds recorded by its predecessor) while zero to 80kmph is achieved in 13.56 seconds. The standing quarter mile dash is achieved in 21.91 seconds (at a 91.93kmph terminal speed)

I had remarked last month on the ease with which the new Bajaj Kawasaki Caliber 115 could pull away in the mid range. Thanks to its larger displacement, the Fiero F2 delights in this trait and one can really ride this bike on torque alone in the 50 to 90kmph band, cruising along very nicely. Thanks to the throttle switch activated ignition system, the power delivery is crisp and devoid of flat spots and this will surely bring quite a profusion of smiles to the faces of all those who use it on their daily commute. And while on the subject of Performance, mention must be made of one other trait: even though it tips the scales some 11 kilos higher than its predecessor, we had the Fiero F2 registering a top speed of 104.81kmph which compares mighty favourably with the 103.7kmph of its 115kg predecessor. The beauty of this bike’s Performance is that it does deliver power ever so sweetly and in a manner which is so silky as to be pretty addictive. I am sure that the majority of those who have used the Victor will revel in the silky power delivery of the Fiero F2 allowing them to make the step up in an easy manner.