The Hindu Business Line : Suzuki bikes to hit road by March

I AM planning to buy a new 125cc bike and have short-listed the Bajaj Discover 125cc and the proposed new Suzuki 125cc. I am waiting for Suzuki to launch the bike. Why is Suzuki delaying the launch? Thenew bike was supposed to have been launched in October 2005. Are you aware of the probable date/month of the launch ?

If and when launched, will it be a completely new bike (model), or a modified Suzuki Shogan with a 125cc engine, as the rumour mills claim. What will be the gearshift pattern — all up/all down/one up rest down — in case you have any details? Will company-owned service stations be set up in the major cities for servicing the new bikes? I believe none has been set up as of now. After-sales service will be a major concern unless the company puts in place authorised service stations/spare-parts distributorship networks.

S. Mohan

Suzuki bikes are expected to hit the road by March this year. The company — Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd — has already unveiled two variants of its new bike. The company's first offering will be the economy, entry-level variant of the 125cc bike that it plans to commence producing by March this year. The two variants have been named Heat and Zeus, with the latter being a premium styled, 125cc bike that will be targeted at the executive segment.

Suzuki claims that the bikes will offer more value compared to the existing crop of bikes in the 100-125cc categories and also better fuel efficiency and reliability. The company has announced that the entry-level Heat will be priced at about Rs 38,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). The price of the Zeus is yet to be announced.

The bikes have been developed exclusively for the Indian market and are expected to be completely new, though one cannot obviously rule out the possibility of Suzuki adopting some of what it learnt from its erstwhile joint venture with the TVS Group in these new products.

Suzuki also claims that the two new bikes sport some special features, such as a round crankshaft, hi-tech spark plug, an automatic decompression valve, gearshift indicator as part of the instrument panel, bigger 130mm brake drums at the front and the rear, wider fins for the engine block to aid quicker cooling and a five-speed gearbox. The new bikes will meet the current emission norms.

Though visibility is yet low, especially in the South, Suzuki has already appointed a few dealers in the country. Even as bookings for the new bikes commence, the company is said to be in the process of appointing additional dealers in cities and towns where it does not have a presence. By March, Suzuki is targeting a dealer network totalling up to 70 outlets.

The company has already invested about Rs 200 crore in its wholly-owned Indian operations, and most of the funds have been used in setting up the manufacturing facility at Gurgaon, near Delhi. The plant will have an initial production capacity of one-lakh units and a ramp up is expected after volumes pick up and other new products are launched. Suzuki has also announced its intentions of being present in the other segments of the bike market. So, we can expect more launches to happen after the first two are rolled out in March.

I bought a Hyundai Santro Xing Automatic in August 2005. I find the car slightly jerky when driven at low speeds. But the ride smoothens at speeds above 30 kmph. The local dealer is unable to find the reason. The car is due for third service only after April. What could be the problem here?

R. Nandakumar

The most likely cause for the rough ride and engine performance could well be the quality of fuel you are using currently. Poor quality fuel can lead to performance changes — high incidence of engine knocking at low speeds is one. Another cause for the jerkiness could be a reduction in spark advance or an actual drop in sparking performance that may have been caused by increased carbon deposition which, in turn, may have been due to the use of poor quality fuel over an extended period.

So, check to see if you are using good quality fuel being vended at an authorised fuel pump. Use of poor quality fuel even for a short period can lead to knocking or poor spark plug performance. Usually, this problem only shows up at low speeds and fades away at higher speeds and at higher engine compression levels.

Another potential problem that your car may be facing is a loose contact in the wiring for the engine's sensors. The jerky motion could also be because of a problem in the wiring for the knock sensor or a contact problem with the ignition wiring itself. So, have these checked at the nearest company authorised dealer workshop or service station.

I would like to fit fog lamps in my Wagon-R. Since I don't trust aftermarket electrical fittings, I would like to buy a MGA (Maruti Genuine Accessory) fog lamp. The problem is that Maruti dealers don't seem to have MGA fog lamps for the Wagon-R. From the dimensions of the fog lamp space provided on the bumper in the Wagon-R, it looks like the MGA fog lamps for the Zen and the Swift may also fit. I would like to know if these will fit in the Wagon-R's slot?

Prateek Kaul

The MGA fog lamps of the Zen or the Swift will not fit in the Wagon-R. They are all round fog lamps, but have different diameters, and so the mismatch. MGA fog lamps for the Wagon-R are available in most dealerships. You will need to check with the other dealers in your city.

MGA accessories will be a safe bet as they are manufacturer authorised and certified. MGA fog lamps for the Wagon-R come fully equipped with necessary wiring, protection relay and switch. They are also the clip-on type and so cutting or splicing of the original wiring will not be required.

Queries may be sent to: q&a@thehindu.co.in or by post to Q&A, Business Line, 859/860, Kasturi Buildings, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002.