Its quite interesting to note that how quickly we need to change our opinions. That’s why I needed to rewrite my review completely. Actually my earlier review was a preview, with just a 10 mt visual experience with the bike at showroom.
I need not to elaborate on all those specifications. I have done some 2000 km (first 1500 km run in.) on the bike, and here is some real review.
I think the photographs didn’t do justice to the bike. It is much much better looking than seen in the ad visuals. And definitely bigger than any other 150 cc bike. Pillions may find it a bit awkward at first, for the seat is set very high but will agree on the comfort eventually. Everybody is likely to make the first comment on the tank, but it really make you reassured while you are on the riders seat. You feel like you are riding a really massive machine. The ride is very comfortable.
It is an incredibly stable bike and the handling is quite a pleasure. You twist it and turn it, it stays cool balanced! The sitting posture is very ergonomic. (But nothing beats my old RTZ in this aspect.) Every other levers and switches are all placed quite ergonomically. And see, you can’t self start the engine without completely releasing the clutch, a cool method to prevent accidental double cranking. Nice! Also you can start the engine at any gear position.
The breaking is quite impressive, especially the front disks. The lights are all powerful, but needed some adjustment on positioning. They have fitted a really annoying indicator beeper. Every time I switch on the indicator at some populated area, I feel embarrassed. Have to find where it is placed and should disconnect it.
Now coming to the engine part. It is where I got disappointed. Actually I was looking for those extra horses, yes they are there, but not at our service when we need them the most. The power delivery is quite inconsistent. They say about the excellent midrange torque. They are right, but understand something, it means poor low range torque. From around 4000 to 6500 rpm range, the engine performance is awesome. All the horses are lined up, and they take you there in seconds! But suppose, you need to slow down, turn at right angle and to ascent a steep gradient, ( as in case to my house) then the engine puffs and coughs and fail you. You will be busy shifting down and down and down. ( what my earlier Discover 125 managed with a single downshift, GS takes it up to second gear.) The engine have disappointingly poor performance in low rpm.
The GS will be an excellent highway performer, but I am afraid you will loose out in quick shift situations. The only way to enjoy the ride is to keep the rev high, but we all know it is not always possible. It is an excellent option if you are a long distance commuter, but if your route is tortuous , I am not sure.The mileage is between 50 and 55 kmpl.
Read the original post at Mouthshut.
Suzuki GS 150R. User Review
Urinary Stress Incontinence and Current management.
Stress incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine, occurs with an elevation of intra abdominal pressure. Quite often subjects, especially women present with the complaint of urine leakage while on coughing, sneezing etc. This problem is quite prevalent among female population, and the Indian incidence is estimated to be around 12% in women of reproductive age group. Often wrongfully considered a trivial situation, the inconveniences, embarrassment and the health hazards it brings in are disastrous.
The exact pathophysiology of stress incontinence is incompletely understood and deceptively complex. Many theories exist as to how the continence is maintained with an increase in intra-abdominal pressure. A reflex activity of pelvic floor which elevates the proximal urethra, intact connective tissue support of bladder neck and urethra, the action of urethrovaginal sphincter and the compressor urethrae are the main among them. So, most cases of stress incontinence are believed to be related to damage to the neuromuscular functioning of the pelvic floor, coupled with deficient connective tissue supports of the urethra and bladder neck.
Until recently, even the care givers were at loss, when coming to the management of the condition. We were proposing non-pharmacological measures like Kegel’s exercise and all, just for the reason that the surgical measures available were quite inefficient and carry high morbidity. Pharmacological means were equally disappointing. It is also interesting to note that, the recent studies on the efficacy of Kegel’s shows that, it is no good as we thought it was!
Now we have Minimally Invasive Sling procedures, which are found to be very effective and the risk of complications are minimal. The entire procedure takes less than 10 minutes and can be performed under a short GA. Now that more companies came up with competitive slings, the procedure has become very cost effective also. Tension free Vaginal tape (TVT) was introduced first, but Transobturator Tape (TOT) is more popular now. The success rate at 1 year were found to be 83- 97% for TOT and 86- 94% for TVT in different studies. The most probable complication is urinary retention, and both the procedures carry a 7-8% risk for that.
Panasonic Lumix FZ8
If you are an amateur, interested in outdoor photography, and occasionally wild life too, then Panasonic FZ8 is right for you. It offers much more than the point and shoot class.
With the present day norms, FZ 8 comes somewhat lean in megapixels, only 7.2 for that matter. But I don’t think it is in any way restrictive for the regular user. (Of course it is not targeted to the professionals.) It has an excellent zoom, 12X and if you are ready to sacrifice some megapixels, it can be extended to 18X. I am not sure if it is some real optics at work or just some digital trimming. (If you are at 12X and switch over to a lesser image size, say 3.5 mp, the zoom automatically shifts to 18X. You won’t get any further lens movement but a much zoomed picture.)
Other positive features are the Leica lens, 2.5” LCD display and the Mega optical image stabilizer.
Nobody needs any explanation on what the Leica lens means. Even from my childhood I was hearing photographers talking with great admiration on Leica cameras and their ultimate dream of having one. Thanks god, times have changed and even I can own a Leica lens.
The LCD display is really cool. It is fixed, but offers some digital adjustments for angled view, in case you need to take pictures with the camera well above the eye level. The camera offers a multitude of display options, explaining them all are beyond the scope here. The menu is quite straight forward and intuitive. Panasonic have provided a joystick for easy navigation. Enumerating every feature will be a waste of time and space here, and for that you can visit the numerous sites offering those data.
I have serious doubts regarding the image stabilization. I wonder if it works at all. The camera promptly, warns us regarding the shakes in appropriate situations, but unless we use a tripod or something like that the picture comes out blurred. But with the tripod and the correct settings, the results are magnificent.
The camera offers an array of automatic and manual settings, including an intelligent mode. But the camera’s intelligence doesn’t seem to be in same frequency with ours. J. In the point and shoot modes the results are not excellent in lowlight situations. Indoor photos, even when we think it is well lit, come out with lot of noises. But the out door photos are excellent.
Once you become acquainted with the manual settings, you yourself can identify the quantum improvement in the picture quality. You need to be familiar with the camera to take good pictures. Or you can remain happy with the mediocre pictures in the automatic modes.
The camera is powered by lithium ion battery, supplied along with. Charge lasts pretty good and enough for more than 350 pictures.
Panasonic provides graphic software bundled, but I haven’t tried any. Picassa and Gimp already installed in my computer manages every need. (For the same reason I have not tried the raw format.)
Verdict: This camera is an excellent buy in its class and price range. (I bought it for 15K on an offer from Pixetra, 8 months back.) It have excellent potential for good photos. It is a camera for occasions and not a take it everywhere. For that purpose use your mobile phone camera.
Review originally posted at www.mouthshut.com
Making a Choice. Motorcycle!
I was trying to manage without a motorcycle since I sold my old bike. It was a Bajaj Discover. A pretty good one, decent mileage, but over four years of use drained much fizz out of it. I was not planning to sell it anyway. But one day someone with a generous offer and instant payment came and I let that go.
Two months since that, I am badly in need of a bike. Anyone who started motorcycling at the age of 14 and enjoyed it for more than a quarter century can’t be weaned just like that! I need a bike!!
Definitely I need a better one. More power, but should have good kmpl. That was important. Anyone saying they don’t care about mileage is either filthy rich or, spending someone else’s money or simply lying! If I were rich enough not to consider mileage, I would have booked a Suzuki Intruder. Wow!
The bike I wanted for long was Avenger. But not many endorse it. Bad mileage too. No pro-biking service centers in 70 km. Sorry to Avenger.
Pulser? Actually I love it. But there are more of them in the road than needed.
Hunk. Well, I don’t like the looks, what’s that ugly thing they screwed to the tank?
Unicorn. Sure, a good candidate. But have 3 months booking. Not worth for that waiting. But have some very strong points, riding comfort, mileage and puncture proof tires.
Apache. Too much vibration, doubtful durability. (Actually, I don’t know much about that. Not common in my area. Net search returned the above impressions.)
Now the choice narrows down to Yamaha FZ 16 and Suzuki GS150R.
The Yamaha is a definite head turner, no arguments. I would say it’s the first bike in India with some radical design concept. Good power too. 14 bhp and excellent midrange torque. I almost booked it. But, again buts..! FZ16 is designed for city commuting. Its engine and ergonomics are best fitted for that. Excellent for a rabbit chase, but not good for long distance ride. Pillion rider position is also not comfortable. Worse for women. I love long distance biking and my wife frequently pillion rides.
And the last choice, Suzuki GS 150R is yet to be launched. All the information I could get from the net were that given in their brochure only, like the engine balancer technology, six speed gear box and the dual mode engine function. The picture of the bike was not very impressive either.
I rang up the local Suzuki dealer and asked if a demo is available. Fortunately there was one.
Compared to the other 150 cc bikes, this one looks definitely bigger. The parameters are bigger than that of FZ, but I am not very sure about the other ones. Looks are much better than that evoked by the pictures. I liked three parts most, the headlight, tail lamp with integrated indicators and the instrument console. All these three are better than anything else in the Indian streets. The only competition for the headlight would be a Pulser 220. The tail lamp is LED with white crystalline wrapping. Very clean and decent. The integrated turn signals match the assembly very well. The instrument console has an analogue tachometer and the remaining functions are all digital. It also has a gear position indicator. Much hyped, but not very needed I believe. Another functionality is the gear up-shift timing signal. That too, just a gimmick I think. But the entire appearance of the instrument console is great.
But when you go through the brochure, you will understand why these three parts are such unique. They are either derived or straight taken from the great GSX-R. Designed with effort and talent.
The remaining body parts are just amateur work. Nothing very outstanding. The design doesn’t seem to have done around any particular theme. The fuel tank is massive. Remember the surprise we had when we first saw disproportionate tanks in Pulser? Now that our thresholds have set high, Suzuki dares to fix an even bigger tank. Holds 15.5 lits. Anyway the tank and the side wraps to the tail end give the bike a masculine look. The tank is all metal unlike that of FZ.
The fuel cock is a straight steal from Unicorn. Bad, I say. That thing would be more appropriate on a fan regulator than on a bike. It’s the same with the chrome trims which is also an imitation of Unicorn. Don’t suit both the bikes.
The riding position is very comfortable. A sixth gear itself indicates that the bike is designed for long trips too. Like the FZ, this engine also have good midrange torque that practically translates to excellent pickup and effortless city ride. The engine is very quite, thanks to the balancer tech. (FZ16 don’t have that but R15 have) The engine have dual mode, economy and power. I read somewhere that it remaps the ignition, but the showroom person says nothing that big is there. It only changes the timing indication for up-shift. Anyway more tech than the modes in TVS and Bajaj.
Suzuki leaves the option for kick starting too. FZ don’t have that. I like to have a kicker for some confidence.
Now the final decision;
Looks: Yamaha clear winner.
Engine power and pickup: Yamaha slightly ahead. Suzuki engine seems to be more refined.
Riding Comfort: Suzuki better, especially on long distance.
Pillion rider comfort: Suzuki
Sixth Gear: Suzuki – yes, Yamaha – No.
Fuel efficiency: Suzuki way ahead.
As I am past the age of adrenalin thump, I decided in favor of Suzuki. Waiting for the delivery in mid January. I will update this review, once I have some real road experience.
Sample medicines, Global warming!
Hormones or No Hormones?
Some twelve years ago, at a restaurant at Trichi, I made that prediction. We were on our way to thanjore to attend a conference. The hot topic of those days were hormone replacement therapy for the menopaused. Lekha, my classmate was in all support and was arguing vehemently for the HRT. There I said, ‘In ten years time there won’t be any hormone replacement. This is just a passing fad!’ Sure it was not a learned opinion. Actually it just came out of my pure jealousy, for we men had nothing of such kind. We too had problems, who says we don’t?
My classmates, almost all of them ladies virtually tore me down. They said in ten years time every middle aged women will be taking the pill. That ten years have passed. And none of us were correct!
Those days, we thought it would take care of every middle aged problem, spare arranging marriage for the children. (Even that was thought possible, for it enhanced mood, memory and cognition.) We counseled ladies, once you stopped having your periods, all your bones will go weak and it start breaking altogether. We told them, your heart will get clogged with all those ‘cholesterols’ and you are the next in the line for an ‘attack’. We in our kind of society was shy to talk about sex and libido, still we sure did give some hints. There was some concern about the risk of breast cancer. Then again we had data. So we reassured them, ‘HRT sure increases the risk of breast cancer, may be three or four unfortunate females in a lot, but not before it protects the hearts of a thousand!
So HRT was a panacea. The best thing ever happened after the creation of Eve.
Of course there were skeptics. They thought about alternate ways. (Even they were not daring enough to say that, it is simply a transition phase in life and we have to take it up with dignity and wisdom. But I am a man and I won’t understand!) There came all those multivitamins, anti oxidants and pound soyas. There were advocates for yoga, meditation and even regular coitus. Our Professor had a simple revelation; he said it isn’t fair to advise regular coitus, for many women of that age, a capable mate is a distant possibility. So one of my Madams went a step further, and recommended in her next presentation- ‘regular masturbation’.
So twelve years have passed. Data and experience accumulating. In between someone called Women’s Health Initiative came up with some startling information. HRT actually increase the chances of cardiac accidents and strokes. So is the risk of thrombo embolism. Contrary to the earlier belief, estrogen only therapy actually showed a decreased chance for breast cancer, but gets cancelled once you add progesterone which is supposed to protect your uterus from cancer. So the effect is nullified.
So, where stands the HRT now?
The scientific community presently recommends it purely as therapeutic and definitely not as prophylactic as we used to. For those of you having ‘hot flushes’ and dryness HRT is still there and hormone is the gold standard. For every one else, you are flooded with choices but not hormones.
Creative Zen Stone Plus
With almost every mobile phone sporting an MP3 player and expandable memory, the relevance of simple MP3 players are ever diminishing. But still they are useful, like while workout, to at least some of us. I hate to carry a phone on jogging for I like no distractions while on these simple indulgence with nature.
Creative have introduced their next gen Zen Stone. It is Zen Stone Plus. Here they have added a small but very nice display, thereby providing lot of interactivity. The display is monochrome, blue OLED which is very neat and pleasant to the eyes. ( I wish some one come up with a basic phone with such a display) With default setting, it goes off after a few seconds of input, saving energy.
In addition to the music player functionality, Zen stone plus is also armed with a FM tuner, voice recorder, time function and stop watch. Something fine for a workout accompaniment. Wish it had a pedometer.
The controls are minimal and quite intuitive. ( Display helps.) You need to hold down the power switch some 3 seconds to switch it on, and it takes another 3 seconds for the music to start. I think this 6 seconds is quite a long time. If you had just transferred some files it takes a little longer. Switching off also takes a few seconds of holding down. Little annoying until you get used to it.
A hold switch is notably absent. I can’t say it’s a must. But there is a shortcut switch which can be customized.
With the display added, we can now browse the music, not to the exact file, but to the folder. There are quite a few play options like repeat, shuffle and many combinations thereof. Again thanks to the display. Equalizer functions are also present.
The FM tuner doesn’t appear to be very powerful. I live at a FM fringe area and it doesn’t tune in anything, when bigger sets manage.
Though Creative provides some software, (need to download) it is not necessary. Once connected to computer, it behaves just like a drive. You can just drag and drop, copy and paste, delete, it is your wish. (use XP SP2 or
The sound quality is quite good, with good thump and not much of distortions.
The stereo headphone jack is of standard size. That will be of great help in case you require changing one. Another advantage is that, you can connect it to standard desk top speakers if you need your music loud to all. Means, you need not spend on specific accessory.
The build quality is quite good. True to its name, gives an impression that it is tough as stone in built. The switches are all neat and precise. The head phone connector is quite deep and well fitting, so no fear of getting it loose over time.
Creative suggests a 3hour charging before initial use. So a full charging may take around that time. They claim 9 hr 30 minutes use with a single charging. But I am afraid it isn’t that much. ( I don’t have exact value, but may be around 7 hrs.) Another thing, you need to charge from USB. This can be inconvenient, if you are not using your computer for long durations and quite frequently. A separate charger is available, but is quite expensive.
Unlike the iPod shuffle, it doesn’t have a clip or any thing of that sort to facilitate wearing. It is really a big handicap when you take it for your workup. Quite a few accessories are listed in rediff, like wrist band and clip, but they are all prohibitively expensive.
Price: A 1GB model cost Rs 1900 with bill and 1 year warranty. (Same time, shuffle cost Rs 2500) Creative have also introduced 2GB and another model with built in speakers.
If you are planning to buy a low cost MP3 player (honestly, I can’t find many reasons for that.) then definitely, Zen stone Plus will be a better option. May be even above iPod shuffle. (Except for the clip)
Read it at Mouthshut
