TVS launches 7 products, Fuel injected Apache

Yesterday i.e on 30 Aug TVS launched 7 vehicles in one go, the first of its kind in the country.

The seven products include a completely new 125 cc motorcycle FLAME, an all new 110 cc StaR City, an Apache variant with fuel injection technology and the electric variant of a Scooty.

The other three products were the petrol, CNG and LPG version of a three-wheeler passenger vehicle that will compete with the Bajaj group, the only player in that segment.

TVS intends to take Bajaj heads on and the indian consumer would be really spoilt for choices now.

Read more here

They will also launch cng powered 125cc bikes in January to take on Bajaj LPG variant 2 wheelers.

Read here

You may also find the following intresting:-
1) Apache RTR 160 EFi
2) Hero Honda Hunk 150 cc
3) TVS Flame 125
4) Bajaj XCD 125

Nokia N95 8GB

Nokia will be releasing 5 new handset at Nokia GoPlay in London which also includes the Nokia N95 8GB and the new gaming N81(8 GB) with dedicated gaming keys and would be one of the new genration NGAGE gaming devices.

The N95 8GB will have a bigger display as compared to the earlier N95 and 1200 mAh battery as compared to 950mAh which had poor batterylife.
Thanx to gsm arena.

The Nokia N95 8GB Edition comes dressed in black and has undergone several changes. The main one of course is the thrilling memory capacity of 8GB. It is technically 8.1GB as there are also 100MB of system memory for messages, ringing tones etc. The screen has also grown up from the 2.6" of the original to 2.8" in the new edition. The display still supports QVGA resolution and visualizes up to 16M colors. Nokia N95 8GB is powered by 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery as opposed to the rather modest 950 mAh in the original Nokia N95 - hopefully the new battery will be able to deal better with the phone's energy needs. The weak battery was probably the most criticized feature of the original N95 model. The higher capacity battery on the other side has resulted in removing the lens cover. Finally, another significant change in the smartphone's hardware has been made - the RAM is now double the size of the original to improve user experience with the browser or with multiple applications running in the background. Nokia N95 8GB's expected retail price is EUR 560 before taxes.

N95:-


N81:-


The devices are expected to launched in India soon and would be priced competitively.
for more updates check : http://futuregizmo.blogspot.com/
It is expected to be launched in india soon. and would be priced around 30k in india.

Check out the N81 8gb here

Bajaj will roll out LPG variant of Platina

Bajaj Auto is going to launch cheapest running bike platina LPG version. The most popular 100cc bike platina now powered by both petrol and LPG. This platina LPG version will be available in market soon,most probably end of 2007. The normal 100cc bike platina petrol will also remain in market.The new platina LPG version contain a 5 kg LPG cylinder along standard 10 litre petrol tank. Bajaj platina LPG version will look same as the normal petrol platina, But there is problem to accommodate LPG kit which may change the design of fuel tank. Bajaj Auto will import LPG kits from Italian suppliers and these LPG kit are reliable and well at performance.

Platina LPG version drops power approximately 20% which is huge hurdle and effect performance hardly. The performance loss will be reduced by adding additives which increase octane number and enhance performance of bike.

The platina LPG cost Rs5000 more,but running cost will be lower by 35-40 per cent than normal petrol Bajaj Platina and this saving will cover extra cost of bike.

Read article on Indian Express

Bajaj DTS-SI advertisement

Bajaj's new 125 cc 'Exceed' to hit roads in Sept

Update:-
Bajaj sold 65000 XCDs in 50 days.



Bajaj has come up with yet another innovation for ppl who actually care for millage:-

PUNE: Bajaj Auto on Thursday announced a breakthrough with the launch of a new engine for its new two-wheeler range which the company claims gives a mileage of 109 km per litre under ideal test conditions.

The company will launch a new model `Exceed', powered by the new engine, in September, Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajeev Bajaj told reporters on Thursday.

`Exceed' is expected to be priced at Rs 40,000 ex-showroom (Pune) but the actual pricing will be decided later, Bajaj said.
The new engine called Digital Twin Spark--Swirl induction (DTS-Si) surpasses the mileage offered by all current 100 cc motorcycles. The company has applied for a patent for this engine, Bajaj said.

The breakthrough offers a huge opportunity to upgrade the 100 cc customers with an engine which offers the best of both worlds--100 cc mileage and 125 cc performance, top officials of the company said.

The DTS-Si engine is far superior to the conventional 4-stroke engines which dominate the 100 cc segment at present, the said.

General Manager, Marketing, Amit Nandi said brand Bajaj enjoys a market share of 47 per cent in the growing and profitable 125 cc and 150 cc segments against a smaller share of 24 per cent in the declining but larger 100 cc segment.

Bajaj will offer customers a value proposition much superior to the currently over-priced and under performing 100 cc products with the launch of `Exceed' next month, he said. 100 cc customers will upgrade to this 125 cc bike that gives superior mileage and power, he said.

Read the article on Economic times

Engine Details from Bajaj:-
DTS-Si (DIGITAL TWIN SPARK - SWIRL induction)


Introduction
In a conventional single spark plug equipped combustion chamber, the rate of combustion is slow. The spark plug situated at one end of the combustion chamber, ignites the air-fuel mixture and the ensuing flame front spreads like a slowly inflating balloon. There is an inevitable delay for this inflating balloon to reach the furthest part of the combustion chamber. Thus, the combustion is slow and inefficient.

Digital Twin Spark ignition (DTS-i system)

The Digital Twin Spark – ignition, equipped combustion chamber takes care of the slow rate of combustion in a simple but novel way. The cylinder head is equipped with two spark plugs, instead of the conventional single spark plug. By generating two sparks at either ends of the combustion chamber, (approximately 90 to the valve axis) the Air-Fuel mixture gets ignited such that, there are 2 flame fronts created and therefore a reduction in flame travel of the order of 40% is achieved. A fast rate of combustion is achieved leading to a fast rate of pressure rise. The obvious outcome of this is more torque, better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

Digital Twin Spark – Swirl induction (DTS-Si system)

The Digital Twin Spark - ignition or DTS- i is the mother technology for the latest Digital Twin Spark – Swirl induction or DTS-Si technology.

Thanks to DTS- i, a fast rate of combustion and therefore the resulting fast rate of pressure rise is harnessed, by optimally positioning this pressure, to deliver maximum possible work and hence obtain more torque, better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

When burning lean Air-Fuel mixtures, the two plugs provide rapid combustion, but at light loads, opportunity exists to improve the combustion further.

Combustion efficiency in lean Air-Fuel mixture conditions can be further improved by generating high turbulence in the combustion chamber.

Combustion chambers having low turbulence give rise to propagation of a flame front, which is akin to that of a gradually expanding balloon. This results in a slower rate of combustion and thus slower rate of pressure rise. End result is lower efficiency.

When high turbulence is generated and combustion takes place, the surface of the ballooning flame front fragments itself, with projection like fingers, which increases its surface area, thereby improving combustion further.

The straight ports used in conventional engines have limitations in generating high swirl values due to their geometry. One of the ways to generate more swirl is to have a port configuration that promotes this phenomena. An offset port configuration was arrived upon and optimised to generate the required swirl numbers.

Incorporated in the new engine, this results in a swirling motion of the incoming charge, which decays itself into turbulence as the piston moves in the Induction and Compression strokes. This results in the Air-Fuel mixture being more thoroughly mixed and spread around the combustion chamber. Sparks provided by the twin spark plugs ignite this highly turbulent and compressed Air-Fuel mixture, leading to a flame front with high surface area, resulting in a rapid rise of pressure due to rapid combustion. The values of turbulence achieved now, are substantially higher than that of a straight port cylinder head, such as in Pulsar. A combination of DTS-i and Swirl induction thus provides extremely rapid combustion, resulting in high efficiency.

Update:- The real fuel efficiency (average / millage) as offered by xcd is as follows:-

(highway / city / overall) kmpl
65.3 / 73.6 / 71.52

Note:-
Before you call this bullshit and ask how can xcd return better average in city than on highway, let me clarify. The xcd is most fuel efficient in the range of 40 to 45 (as per the mag) and the fuel efficiency of xcd drops above 60. 90 being the top speed. Now the question is can you ride a bike in any city forget the metros, at a constant speed of 40 ??


Engine specification
Type: Four stroke Natural Air-cooled
No. of cylinders : One
Bore: 54 mm
Stroke: 54.4 mm
Engine displacement : 124.58 cc
Compression ratio: 9.5+/- 0.5 : 1
Maximum Net Power: 9.53 PS( 7.01 kW) at 7000 rpm
Maximum Net Torque: 10.85 Nm at 5000rpm
Ignition system: Microprocessor controlled Digital CDI, with TRICS incorporated in Carburettor
Ignition Timing: Variable Timing with Multiple maps
Fuel: Unleaded Petrol, 87 RON minimum
Carburetor: Side draught type,
Ucal – Mikuni VM16 with Auto choke/ Keihin FIE PTE16, with Auto choke
Lubrication: Wet sump, forced
Clutch: Wet, mulit disc type.
Bajaj xcd

Microsoft feeling the heat, going on a free way

SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp said that it will offer a free, advertising-supported version of its basic productivity software, Microsoft Works, as part of a test programme with computers manufacturers.

The world's largest software maker has been pondering the future of Microsoft Works, its basic spreadsheet and word processing software, in the face of rising competition from Google Inc's suite of business software services.

Unlike Google Docs and Spreadsheets, which are delivered through an Internet browser, Microsoft plans to pre-install Works on computers and display advertisements stored in cache. The software normally retails for $39.99.

When a user connects to the Internet while using Works, that cache of ads will refresh, said Melissa Stern, a Microsoft senior product manager in the Office group.

Read more here

Bajaj p220 dts-fi advertisement

Last year nov i was wondering how the ad for p220 would be, especially when the ads for Baja bikes are really good ones. (With exception of p200, which is ridiculous).
Check my earlier post.

The P220 is really cool with new gen version of "Hamara bajaj track".

Bajaj targets Triumph to rev up its line-up

This is in continuation to my earlier post

"NEW DELHI: Jaguar and Land Rover aren’t the only British crown jewels that Indian auto companies are looking at. Two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto is focusing on British cult bike company Triumph as a possible takeover target.

According to sources in the auto industry, Bajaj was earlier looking at Triumph and Italian cult bike company Ducati but has now decided to focus only on Triumph. When contacted, Bajaj Auto MD Rajiv Bajaj refused to comment.

Sources say Bajaj is looking to snap up a cult, top-end European bike brand to compliment its product line-up in India and position itself as a global, rather than regional player in the motorcycle market. Triumph, given its niche positioning, cult brand image and strong product line-up, is an attractive target for the Pune-based company. " read more on Eco times


I hope i get the Triumph Daytona 600 in an year.

You may also find the following interesting:-
1) 2008 Honda CBR1000
2) Super Bikes Comming soon
3) Yamaha R1 and MT01 in India
4) 2008 Kawasaki Ninja250R
5) Yamaha YZF-R125 VS Honda CBR125 VS Kymco KR Sport
6) Harley Davidson
7) Bajaj acquires stake in KTM