RIDE AND HANDLING :
All these bikes are good handlers, surefooted and exhibiting good poise through the bends. It's just that as you go through this pack, the bikes just keep getting better and better, culminating in the country's sharpest handler and leanest leaner. The YBX125 uses a single downtube frame with the engine as a stressed member. She handles delightfully thanks to her light weight and has excellent manoeuvrability, ideal for city commuting. However the skinny 2.5x18 tyres limit grip in the corners resulting in quite a few uneasy moments. Her lack of high-speed stability is also disconcerting. Ride quality is good though with a pillion on-board the front becomes too light for comfort. Riding position is conventional and very comfortable without causing any strain on the back.

The GF125 boasts a rectangular section perimeter frame with double downtubes that looks fabulous and work very well too. The GF flows into corners willingly and without fuss. However the riding position is far from ideal. The mismatched riding position plays havoc and just doesn't let you do anything right which is a crying shame for the bike holds its line into corners exceedingly well, affords a decent ride and with a suspension set-up which never bottoms out, not even with a Adnan Sami-type pillion on board.

The twin downtube chassis of the Fiero is rigid without any hint of flex, but that's as far as praises go. The riding position isn't sporty in any respect and doesn't encourage you to put it down through the corners. Ride quality when solo is good though with a pillion the front end gets queerly light and many a time aims for the sky more than the tarmac.

The CBZ uses a single downtube frame with the engine as a stressed member.Thanks to the huge 100/90 profile rear, grip through corners is excellent though a set of fast left-rights does throw up limitations of the chassis as far as rigidity and turn-in are concerned. Riding position is sporty though it can begin to get tiring on the arms and shoulders after a while. Ride quality is of a high order, in fact the best of the lot.

The Pulsar is the bike to go corner hunting on. The riding position is perfect, the weight balance has been perfectly optimised and the suspension componentry has been well sorted out to result in an excellent handling bike in every respect. The twin downtube frame is flex-free and in terms of flickability, there just is no competition. Rake angles have been optimised for quick turn-in while the MRF Nylogrips give you the confidence to genuinely go peg scrapping. Ride quality is also good though the rear tends to bottom out a bit with a pillion.

BRAKING :
Drum brakes: so called because of the loud noise emitted as a bike crashes into a wall you were hoping to avoid. Precisely the reason why we advocate disc brakes, at least at the front. Less noise pollution as a consequence of being able to stop before the wall retards you.

Of the bikes on test, only the YBX125 and the Fiero sport 130mm drums at the front and rear while all the other bikes sport disc-drum setups for optimum retardation capabilities. The YBX125 performs very poorly in the retardation tests, taking all of 3.7 seconds to come to halt from 60kmph, covering 28 metres in the process. The skinny 2.75x18 tyres do not help matters either.

The Fiero performed slightly better than the YBX, taking 3.4 seconds and took26.7 metres to come to a halt from 60kmph. Straight-line stability under braking is much better that the YBX though. The CBZ employs a 240mm disc at the front that results in vastly superior braking abilities, 21.5 metres and 2.7 seconds to come to a standstill. The GF125 uses a smaller 220mm disc up front but still returned better retardation figures, 18.6 metres and 2.3 seconds to rest. The best of the lot though is the Pulsar, the 240mm frontdisc hauling the bike down from 60kmph in 2.3 seconds covering a distance of just 17.4 metres in the process.

All the disc brake-equipped bikes show tremendous poise under braking without any tendency to step out of line. Feel through the levers and control exercisable is of a high order with the Pulsar's disc being the best of the lot, closely followed by the GF.

Fuel Efficiency :
All the bikes on test here have been tuned to strike a balance between efficiency and Performance. As such none of these bikes will ever return 80kmpl not even under ideal conditions but then none of them will murder you at the pumps either. In terms of Fuel Efficiency, the Fiero is the clear winner, thanks to the digital ignition, CV carb and ideally matched gear ratios that ensure that rpm is kept in the peak torque band eliminating unnecessary gearshifts and over-revving. The Fiero returned a best figure of 63kmpl while the worst figure was 50kmpl. The GF125 was a pleasant surprise. In theory a four-valve head should improve breathing while digital ignition should result in an optimum spark, all leading to a more efficient engine with cleaner emissions. Theory works beautifully in the GF, at least in this test category. She returned a best figure of 60kmpl while the worst figure returned was 50kmpl. These figures put her right up in the mileage stakes, made even more commendable by the impressive Performance figures.

The YBX125 came in third overall, a commendable Performance considering that the little 125cc Yam doesn't get whipped by the bigger bikes at the test track either. She returned a best figure of 58kmpl while the worst it dropped to was 49kmpl. You win some and lose some. In the case of the Pulsar 150 you win the race to the chequered flag but then her thirst increases slightly. Even then a best figure of 55kmpl and a worst figure of 42kmpl is mighty impressive what with her ability to run rings around the other bikes here. The CBZ didn't impress with her mileage figures, returning a best figure of 53kmpl and a worst figure of 42kmpl, placing her dead last in the mileage race. Tough on the wallet, running the CBZ it is.