Aerodynamics - New design cues!

The Grease Monkey is back after quite a while. And as u guessed, this has to be quite an interesting topic to be discussed otherwise why would the grease monkey be back instead of monkeying around!!
He found a great article on the recent design trends in cars based on the aerodynamic research which greatly interests and inspires the grease monkey. The article briefs on how the recent trend on edgy corners adds to the aerodynamic efficiency of the cars like the Volt's edgy rear corner that increases the turbulence at the rear creating lesser aerodynamic drag. The article also points out Toyota's "Aerocorner" design approach.
Happy reading!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/automobiles/21AERO.html?_r=2&8dpc

Singapore GP - 1st F1 Night Race!

The 1st ever Night Race in F1 history!.... and yes its this weekend!..... Watch the teaser here...

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid626910340/bctid1803209539

Though Toyota is miles ahead with the prius, GM has a concept that will change the rules of the hybrid game.

Check out Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid that will not  consume gas when you drive for work.

Just tells, Americans dont really need a lot of time 2 get back in the game.

Performing a wheelie!

Hey I know it’s been eons since I wrote something, that’s why I thought when I start off again, I it should be interesting and exciting 2 throttle up your sense. What better way than to tell you how to do a wheelie!!
Heres an amatuer's take on performing one... I have done a few basic wheeling stunts on my bike while in India (ofcourse, am just a street biker). And it’s very exciting and I should say it takes courage n time 2 understand the art. But once you understand, the sheer pleasure is exhilarating! Also an added bonus of impressing the other sex! Infact it could be your real motive too for all I know!
As I was about to write about the stunts, I found a similar post on xkmph.com by Santanu, the administrator for the site. Here is the link:
http://xkmph.com/discuss/index.php?topic=730.0
Until I tell you a few variations in my style, drive fast, take chances, be safe!

Images courtesy: GutzyRoadies.com and wikimedia.org

R15 Review on IBN Live

This is a very good review video from IBN Live:



Part 2:


What more can I say!!... Get your hands on it now!
If you are not able to watch the videos, head to the IBN Live site

Yamaha R15 website launched!

The link on the teaser has been unlocked. The R15 website is up! Download the loads of nicely shot wallpapers on it!

The way Yamaha has built the product shows everywhere!.... The marketing of the rpoduct is awesome, atleast on the web. Which is good as this is a niche segment and the targetting is perfect. Coudnt have done a better job!

Yamaha R15 Specification

As the Yamaha R15 goes on sale from today, I thought I might post some trivia on it before other bloggers do! ( Kinda selfish huh! ;))

Yamaha R15 Specs as found on Rocking Roadies

Engine : 149.8cc, 10.4:1 compression, Liquid cooled, 4 Valve, Forged Pistons, 4 valve SOHC
with hi performance Radiator

Fuel Injection - Delphi 6 hole type with Sensors n feedback to ECU and centred spark plug

6 speed gearbox
Steel deltabox frame
Power 17ps/8500 rpm
Torque 15nm/7500 rpm
Top speed 140 kph

Tyres:
Front MRF 80/90 17" Tubeless
Rear MRF 100/80 17" Tubeless
Fuel Tank - 12 Litres
Overall length - 1995 mm
Width - 670 mm
Height - 1070 mm
Wheelbase - 1290 mm
Min. Ground Clearance - 160 mm
Ignition - Self
Suspension:
Front - Standard microscopic

While most specs are known by now, the Power and Torque numbers are news. The bike develops 1PS less than the Pulsar 200(18PS@ 8000RPM) and 3PS less than the Pulsar 220. Nevertheless, thats an impressive spec for a 150cc bike as it betters the 16.5 PS cranked by Pulsar 180.

The rear tyres are thin, this doesnt come as a surprise as the Auto Expo featured a thin tyre version only.

Also the compression ratio specified is not quite what I expected. I expected a CR between 12:1 and 13:1 which would match the P220 CR of 12.8:1.

Wishing R15 a gr8 debut from all Indi bikers!!

Welcoming a new era of super-sport biking on Indi roads!!

P.S: I am though not very sure about the authenticity of the R15 Power and Torque numbers posted in Rocking Roadies.

UPDATE: Figures are correct

Yamaha R15 promo video

Watch this Bangalore Wheels promo on full screen!

Though the video quality in the next video is not very good, nevertheless this is a worth-watch promo

YAMAHA R15 debut on June 12!

YAMAHA YZF R15 countdown begins!


Buckle up for the most exciting new age bike to scorch Indian roads! ( ya, the infamous Indian roads). Scroll down for the teaser from Yamaha...

Mustang Shelby

!@#$%. Yes, I swear by the Mustang. Period.

Thats one product from Ford, no matter how hard others like corvette try, will never succeed to replicate or replace. If you are looking for some interesting videos, take a look at this Winding Road Videos page. My pick would be the Mustang Shelby GT500KR, Mustang Bullit and the toy car Mini Cooper. Enjoy the videos!

Watch F1 Live!

Any gain re-inventing the wheel? Nope... There you go!... Thats why I try to post things that are most relevant and important, at the same time making sure that I am not telling the story again.

Are words the only way in a blog to express ones thoughts and convey a message?.. There you go again!... Thats why I have a signifact amout of pics and videos to better pull it off.

To reinforce my belief on the above gyaans, here are some amazing F1 video link on how to overtake, how the brakes and differentials work in a F1 car etc: http://www.itv-f1.com/VideoWorldwide.aspx
There's further to it...
If thou shalt miss the action on Tv, though shalt be given another opportunity to live on the web. Thou shalt be provided with www.itv.com/f1 to enrich the holy knowledge on F1. Amen.

Taking a fast turn

The other day I was drawn into an interesting argument with a friend of mine, on whether or not to depress the clutch while taking a turn. I finally convinced him on how the bike would go on "freewheeling" and have no control while turning with the clutch depressed. The same goes for cars too. Never use the clutch while taking a turn as you will have no control over the wheel and neither will the engine. More so in case of a bike as it loses traction as the grip on the road and eventually heads for a skid. And you, for a night-mare... as hardly any of my desi buddies wear any protective gear whatsoever, not even the most basic - the helmet.
An advice to fellow Bangaloreans, if not racing jackets, you would get good riding jackets for a fair price in the city. Trust me, brands like Weekender (Thanks Bips! ) and others in town have really good ones. Also, they are a lot better than the jackets in the US. Get ones with tough solid fiber on the outside and a cloth lining on the inside. Never go for the gawky, low quality thin section rain-coat types! Really, I find it bizarre, people wear it when they ride bikes! It makes little sense as it is neither protective nor keeps heat. You either sweat in the day or shiver in the night with these on.
Anyways, there’s my 2 cent worth.

09 PASSAT CC n Land Rover LRX

Check out the new 09 PASSAT CC showcased @ 08 Detroit Auto Show!



and the now Indian Land Rover LRX Concept!

Jeffrey Archer Speech

For all Desi fans of Jeffrey Archer watch this video of his visit 2 Landmark in Mumbai, and the speech he gave.
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/may/22video1.htm

Rise n Shine!

Now that the blog is back (with a bang!), I would like to apologise for the break. I was busy moving to US, but trust me thats good for the blog as the new dimension on how the Indian auto industry compares with the rest of the world, will gain further credence and solid ground. A lot could have happened during the break, but nope, fortunately none! Sun still rises in the east, Chennai still remains hot, India still remains the same, of course Nano and Yamaha R15 are yet to be launched! Guess we dint miss the action.

Talking about India, I have some news. In spite of the fact that the India auto market is still a developing and emerging one, the good news is that it is making news all over the world not because it is a fast growing market but because it is making long strides on the technology hall of fame. Don’t believe me? The news (phew! how many ‘news’ do I put in the para!) is from Businessweek about the technology related to cost cutting and manufacturing techniques used in Tata Nano. And Businessweek is a leading business magazine in the US! If you thought that Nano was a just a onetime media hit and the world just forgot about it after Auto Expo, think again, the article was posted on May 9, 2008, a week back!

But the good news (again!) ends there. If you compare the auto industry in both the countries, they are at opposite ends. You pull my collar and say India is still a developing country and I am a fool to compare the two. Well, while it is true that it is still a developing country, the country is denied of good quality cars and technology because it is least equipped to handle the good stuff. It is the sheer lack of infrastructure courtesy Government of India that is responsible for the misery we citizens have to face. Infrastructure needs big strong hands to pull up it up. A good infrastructure is the back bone of a economy, and plays a vital role especially in a developing country like ours. Indians and Indian firms are making huge waves all over the world about the quality of workforce. But the waves might die down sans impact without the proper foundations of economy.
For the supporters of the Indian Government who brush my accusations and show me the Mumbai-Pune highway, sit up, observe during one of your numerous official jaunts (more a pleasure trip!), you will find that all of the economies which are doing well, have excellent and innumerable such freeways (yep, that’s what they call them in US!) to back them up.

If it all India wants to continue on its dream run, this is what the world has to say: catch up or catch you later!

Bak wid a loud bang!

The blog is back with a bang!!.... In true, literal sense!
This video is the brand ambassador and precursor of things to come... Watch IT!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR_naKxLEPc

Loads of Hot Pics of YAMAHA R15!!

I know people are not going to be amused if I am going to talk about or post pics on Yamaha R15 as it is no news now. But then, I just found this large collection of R15 pics on Flickr taken @ Auto Expo 08, that it left me no choice but to rave about it...

Some quick facts about the bike to be launched soon in India , that has made desi bikers mouth-water and spend sleepless nights thinking about the beauty....

• The 1st 6-speed road ready bike in India ( of course excluding sports bikes like R1, MT01 and its likes).
• A high revving 4-valve FI( Fuel Injection) engine ( chech out the pic where the revmeter shows calibration upto 12,000 RPM!) with an expected 20BHP output !
• Front and Rear Disk Brakes alongwith Rear mono-shock suspension.
• And ofcourse the most important, the R1 like front-faring and lots more...

Before you grow tired of my ravings and rantings, here is the link to the photo collection

http://www.flickr.com/photos/praveen_p_sathaye/sets/72157603768379821/

Sincere thanks to this person, Praveen P Sathaye, for hosting the photos.

08 Civic in US

The phenominal success of Honda Civic in India is not surprising given its breath-taking looks and amazing performance. It has left people on road staring at it till it faded away in style. The car has had an amazing run, with many people worshipping it. Will the 08 Civic that has been launched in US make it to India? Well lets first look at the pics and see if it is a worthy successor to the god on Indian roads...

The new Civic logo

Hmm.... Looks great, but still not a worthy predecessor to the current version, atleast I dont think so.... Coming back to the critical question, will it hit Indian Market? Most probably no, as this is not the equivalent car in India. The cars in US and India are different versions. Civic in India, Japan and other Asian countries are the JDM( Japanese Domestic Market) version and the Civic in US and other American countries are the USDM version. Nevertheless, the JDM Civic is marketed in Canada under its luxury brand Acura as Acura CSX.

Acura is similar to Lexus from Toyota in that both are luxury brands from their respective parent companies. Perhaps, this is what is called 'Glocalisation'. A global product with attention and details specific to local market requirements. Looks like Honda is a pro at it!

Honda Fit and Suzuki Splash

Of the numerous launches slated for '08, the two most interesting of the lot are the Honda Fit and the Suzuki Splash.
The 2009 Honda Fit is a car with loads of space and comfort packed in. The car will certainly be

pricey, but build quality looks promising enough. The next-gen looks on the car in line with the other cars from Honda stable like the City, Civic is very upmarket and eyecandy. As you can see, the contours on the bonnet reflect the City and Civic trend. The delight to the owners will be the steering wheel borrowed from Civic! ..... The steering wheel featuring in Civic has had many jaws drop and yearn they had it in their smaller car. Bingo! Here they are... just for you!

Another very interesting feature is the paddle shift in the US version, very much doubt whether it would make to Indian shores.
Suzuki Splash, an equally interesting compact car. Expected to be priced below Swift, as it will

sport a smaller engine- 1.0L & 1.2L petrol, the car has fresh looks like its big brothers Swift and SX4. The rear has a very different look, a flat back, similar to the Santro and i10. With the pricing below Swift, it will give tough competition to i10, though i10 has a early bird advantage. The car is also marketed in Europe as the Opel Agila.
Watch the space for more updates.

F1 Aerodynamics

I came across this excellent article on basics of aerodynamics involved in F1 cars. The article is written in a such a simple language that everyone can understand. Worth looking into.




http://www.f1technical.net/articles/7926