Honda Launch BIG BIKES

Hondas are finally here and leading the pack are Honda's super sports flagship - the CBR1000RR Fireblade and the company's latest naked muscle bike the CB1000R Hornet. Brimming with technology and packed solid with Honda's legendary racing heritage, these two-wheeled delights are poised to take the performance pack by storm this year. A ZigWheels exclusive!

The big bikes are rolling into India, and how. After Yamaha, Ducati and Suzuki, Honda will be the next international bike maker to bring in its set of superbikes into India. The Japanese bike maker is bringing in its large displacement and techno-laden bikes through its Indian arm, Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI).

The most exciting bike in HMSI's lineup for India is the 2009 CBR1000RR Fireblade superbike. Built for the track with its light and agile handling and supported with a very powerful yet highly usable 180PS of power. Race versions of the same bike have been scorching racetracks around the world in the World Superbike racing series, and this truly is one of the best superbikes in the world currently. We'll be following the Fireblade, its evolution and cult following in a series of special articles here on ZigWheels.






Also set for release is the naked form of the Fireblade, the CB1000R. The unfaired bike is meant for a more comfortable posture and is apt for use in the city, but packs almost as large a punch with a slightly detuned version of the Fireblade engine. With its edgy looks and presence, this bike is set to be a hit with riders who wish to make a statement.

The big H has kept the pricing for the two premium international models fiercely competitive in India with a pricetag of Rs. 12.50 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the CBR1000RR superbike and Rs. 9.50 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the mean-looking streetfighter CB1000R. What's more? These two premium models will be sold at exclusive Honda Wing World Showrooms, which will be operational in Mumbai and Delhi in the first phase of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Ltd. expansion plan. Bookings for the two models will commence from March 2009.

New Zealand beats India by 5 wickets

New Zealand beat India by five wickets in the second Twenty20 cricket international Friday to win the two-match series 2-0.
Scores: New Zealand 150-5 (Brendon McCullum 69, Ross Taylor 27, Jesse Ryder 24) def. India 149-6 (Yuvraj Singh 50, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 28 not out; Iain O'Brien 2-30, Ian Butler 2-42).

TATA NANO RELEASING ON 23rd MARCH

KOLKATA: The Tata Nano will roll out on March 23 and bookings for the cheapest family car will start from the second week of April. But the news

scarcely had any impact in Singur -- site of the original Tata Motors plant from where the iconic small car was originally meant to roll out in October 2008.

After quitting Singur last October, Tata group chairman Ratan Tata took just over five months to make an official announcement about rolling out the world’s cheapest car.

But far removed from all this, the sense of slumber in Singur is complete. No more agitations, no blocking of the vital Durgapur Expressway and no rallies or meetings either over land acquisition for the small car project. Everything is running smoothly without the usual business at the Nano factory site which is now being seen as an abandoned factory site.

Sometimes, curious passers-by using the Durgapur Expressway stop by for a while to look at the abandoned factory site. Singur, which could have once placed itself in the world’s transport map, is now a relic of the past.
The only important development that took place after the Tatas quit, was the release of former CPIM Singur zonal committee secretary Suhrid Dutta, who was arrested by the CBI on the charge of murdering a local Singur girl Tapasi Malik.

The other development which sitrred a hornet’s nest in Singur was the arrest of CBI officer Parthasarathi Bose, who was heading the Tapasi Malik murder probe and arrested Dutta and Debu Malik, a local CPIM supporter. Bose was arrested none by his colleagues in the CBI reportedly for accepting bribe.

Another famous Singur denizen and close confidante of Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee, Becharam Manna, is no longer in the media glare. "These days we are a lot busier clearing cases against 700 of our supporters who were falsely implicated by the police for organising agitation against acquisition of land for the Tata project," Manna told ET on Thursday.

Unfazed by the news that the Nano would roll out in March, Manna said "We have nothing to do with Nano roll out. We are much busy helping our own men who are facing police cases. However, we will again launch our agitation demanding return of 400 acres from the previous Nano site in Singur."