THE CBZ was the first bike to command Aspi's attention, probably due to the fact that it was the closest to his lazy behind. A sighting lap later Aspi was right on the pace flogging the big Honda on the straight and laying it down through the bends. Says a lot for the adjustability of the bike but more of the man's considerable riding skill and finesse. And the said man came back pretty impressed after five laps on the CBZ.

He rambled on thus: "The bike handles really well, mind. None of that high speed wander that we had on our long term bike and no chassis flex to bother me. The suspension is the stiffest here, the way it should be for track use. The mid-range punch delivers good drive through the corners and didn't leave me fishing for gears mid way through corner. And those tyres grip very well indeed. Nice tyres, very nice tyres." For the record the CBZ was shod with a Dunlop 100/90 rear which after the test session was over Aspi proclaimed to be the best tyre on all the bikes here. This also explains why he cast his vote for the best handling bike in favour of the Honda.

After my stint on the CBZ I had to agree with Aspi's ramblings. For one, being able to stretch a bike to its limits on a race track has a lot to do with feeling comfortable on the bike. Comfortable as in when you adopt your most radical race track riding position, arms bent, tummy almost on the tank, helmet inches above the clock. It's in this regard that the CBZ scores highly, the slightly radical for the road riding position working like treat on the track.

The motor's power delivery was commendable but found slightly too harsh at the top end. And lacking ultimate top end grunt too, the straight feeling longer than it really is. The fact that Aspi didn't mention anything about the gearbox was down to the unobtrusive manner in which cogs shifted seamlessly throughout the test. So efficiently that the box didn't even intrude on our sensibilities. Now that's how we like our 'boxes here, we do.

We didn't consider it prudent to print lap times but we did measure the top speed of all the bikes, out portable GPS unit hung around Aspi's neck logging data each time he went out to belt out fast lap after the other. The CBZ ultimately registered a top speed of 106kmph on the back straight.

Specification:
Engine 4-stroke, SOHC
Displacement 156.8cc
Max Power 12.62bhp@8000rpm
Max Torque 12.3Nm@6500rpm
Kerb Weight 115kg
Power To Weight 109.8bhp/ton
0-60kmph 7.9sec
Price (on-road Pune) Rs 56,760