2012 BMW G650GS Sertao ON Road OFF Road Bike

BMW has a well-deserved reputation as a maker of rugged, all-terrain-conquering motorcycles that also serve as capable, good-mannered street machines. These days the bike that fills that image in most motorcyclists’ minds is the R1200GS. And for good reason: the big GS (and up-spec Adventure model) is a sales volume leader for the venerable German motorcycle manufacturer.

But the success of BMW’s two-wheeled adventuring ways doesn’t result solely from the glory-grabbing 1200GS or even the successful F800GS. There’s a humbler member of the Beemer family that’s contributed substantially to raising the profile of the GS lineup of motorcycles.

The new BMW G650GS Sertão is a more off-road capable version of the G650GS, and also is something of an homage to the F650GS Dakar.

The 650GS Sertão: Even More GS in the Littlest GS
Modestly appointed by comparison to the 1200, the G650GS – powered by a 652cc Single – has been the first step into GS-land for lots of riders, starting way back in 1993 when this single-cylinder, chain final-drive (a serious break from the traditional BMW twin-cylinder platform at the time) was first born as the F650 Funduro.
For 2012 BMW has amped up the GS portion of the G650GS Kevin Duke recently reviewed, by creating a more off-road inclined stablemate, the G650GS Sertão. Named after the dry, hot region in Northeastern Brazil of the same name, BMW wanted to re-infuse the current 650 with the same adventurous spirit it gave to the F650GS in 2000 when the F650GS Dakar was crafted in honor of BMW’s successes in the Paris-Dakar Rally. BMW says the Sertão is the new Dakar.

The humble but able 652cc Thumper has been at the heart of BMW’s 650 single-cylinder lineup for almost 20 years.

the Sertão greater advantage in unpaved environments is: 8.3 inches of suspension travel (nearly 2 inches more than standard), spoked wheels (21-inch in front), hand guards, a 5.0-inch taller windscreen, steel lower engine guard and a 33.9-inch seat height (2.4-inch increase). A fork brace was added and the lower/inner fender removed, while the 1200GS-esque upper fender beak is a tad longer. And, for those counting, the Sertão’s 426-lbs wet weight is 4.0-lbs more than the standard G650GS.
While the standard G650GS is a known quantity to us on the street, BMW invited the moto media to a day of mixed riding environments to sample the Sertão. The day-ride started at the now famous and successful RawHyde Adventures riding school located near Castaic, Calif.
RawHyde focuses almost exclusively on creating anew, or improving upon, the off-road riding talents of motorcyclists, catering especially to BMW GS owners. Founder and proprietor, Jim Hyde, created the school in 2000 initially as a dirt bike/dual-sport training camp, but over the years Hyde discovered that within the GS community few owners of the world-traveling Beemer possessed the skills necessary to allow them to fully unleash the potential of the GS.
After years of successfully teaching off-road and adventure-type riding to the GS community, RawHyde became an official BMW training facility in 2008 – one of only nine BMW-endorsed schools in the world. Known as the BMW Off-Road Academy, RawHyde offers three levels of adventure-riding training, as well as a number of multi-day excursions, including the Continental Divide Ride – a nine-day journey along the spine of the Divide.
Hyde and his team have competed in the Dakar Rally, and plan to do so again in the 2012 event.

The elements and features that make the Sertao better suited than the standard G650GS for off-roading don’t come at the cost of impeding the Sertao’s on-road performance.

Hyde knows the capabilities of the G650GS, as well as the mountainous areas around his facility. A route that included miles of sometimes rough and rutted Jeep-type trails with numerous shallow water crossings along the way proved the proper dirty mixture to go along with plenty of paved-surface riding.
Adventure Worthy
In his review of the standard 650, Kevin refers to the bike as having a “highly cooperative chassis that presents no surprises,” which is aided by a wide, one-piece handlebar providing good steering leverage for “knife-like agility” when dicing up corners. These qualities remain in the Sertão. And despite its additional suspension travel, the front-end doesn’t dive excessively under braking.
Damping in the Sertão’s new long-travel sticks was ideal both on and off-road – impressive considering the fork lacks adjusters – while the 8-plus inches of travel smoothed out even the biggest ruts and rocks I encountered. Good suspension aside, 426 lbs is hefty by dirt bike standards. Yet that streetbike-sized figure didn’t prove a significant hindrance on the trails – the humble engine has the power to pull the bike’s weight out of greasy mud holes or up and over steep inclines, as evidenced by a handful of more daring journos’ antics during the day.
Further impressive, the Sertão’s street-biased Metzeler Tourance tires didn’t prove a serious disadvantage while off-road.

The G650 Thumper is counterbalanced to offset vibration inherent in a single-cylinder engine architecture. At speeds upwards of 80 mph the amount of engine vibes reaching the Sertão rider are minimal – a welcome trait when droning down the interstate.  A flat, plentiful torque curve (44.2 ft-lbs at 7200 rpm as tested) means useful grunt early in the rev range with plenty of pulling power elsewhere, even when lugging along in higher gears.
However, despite near ideal gear ratios for street riding, I found myself wishing first gear had an even lower ratio than it already does when it came to picking my way through tighter, more technical off-road sections.  The sometimes-finicky clutch combined with how quickly the bike can pull away in first gear made it challenging to finesse my way through portions of terrain that demanded near-crawling speeds.
To better enable slow speed maneuvering, first gear in the R1200GS Adventure is 10% shorter than first gear in the standard GS. I’d like to have seen a similar move made here between the Sertão and standard G650GS. However, this is nit picking and by no means a deal-breaker for the new G-GS. Clutch effort is notably light ­ albeit with a too-early engagement for my preferences ­ and the 5-speed trans clicks without a hitch.
A caveat to thoughtful riders says you may want to reposition the shift lever in order to get the toe of bulky motocross-style boots underneath the shift peg for less cumbersome upshifts.
Kevin admired the standard 650’s ergos, noting that its 30.7-inch seat height creates an environment welcoming of riders of shorter stature, especially for a bike with 6.5 inches of travel. The Sertão’s off-road biased suspension creates a seat height far less welcoming of short folks, and you won’t find a low seat option for the Sertão as you will for the standard 650GS. However, there is an optional tall seat (35.4 inches, $239).


I’m not the tallest geezer around, but even with my 30-inch inseam I found the Sertão’s seat height manageable when it came time to dismount or put a boot down during a stop – on and off-road. Additionally, the seat’s width and foam density made it a comfortable place to rest when I wasn’t standing on the footpegs (which offer the added convenience of a removable vibration-damping rubber insert).
Another add-on that may seem pricey when you don’t need it, but soon becomes worth its weight in gold when you do, is the heated grips option. Portions of the ride took us to elevations that saw several inches of fallen snow and near-freezing temps. On the high setting the grips produced enough heat to keep my winter-gloved hands feeling borderline hot. During the frigid route section I realized I would’ve gladly craigslisted something of value in order to have the factory-installed heated grips ($319 if purchased separately) on a Sertão I owned.
The new 650GS’s tall-ish windscreen is a genuine advantage in any scenario, since it offers increased wind deflection while bombing down the freeway, as well as providing some additional protection from debris kicked up by other riders when venturing off the beaten path.


Although numerous evolutionary changes to this BMW model over the past 19 years have given us the G650GS we know today, it has nevertheless remained at its core an approachable but highly capable motorcycle from BMW.
The Sertão is worthy of its GS badging.
Look for the G650GS Sertão in dealers in January 2012 with a base MSRP of $8650, or $8950 with the heated grips and power socket package.

Dudhsagar Waterfall Goa

Dudhsagar Waterfall Literally meaning The mihir & Chandiveera Sea of Milk is located on the Mandovi river in the state of Goa, India and is 60 Km away from Panaji.
Dudhsagar Falls is listed as India's 5th tallest waterfall and is 227th in the world at 310 m and an average width of 30 meters (100 feet).The Waterfall is a major part of the Goa eco-system.
The waterfall is accessible by train and rough road. Local trains are available from madagoan at 8-30 am which takes 45 min. to kulem. The 2nd local train is at noon which is 10 kilometers from Kulem Railway Station (Indian Railway station code QLM).From kulem jeeps are available that charge Rs. 375/- per head in Oct. 2011. The Jeep takes 45 minutes to ride 8 km through jungle and 3 small rivulets. After leaving jeep you walk 1 km and you reaches at the base where there is small pond. You can take bath at your own risk. Last train(local)back to Goa is at 5-15 PM. This waterfall lies on the Londa-Madgaon railway route.

To get the best view of this waterfall travel by Delhi-Goa express (12780), Howrah-Vasco Amaravathi express (18047), Pune-Ernakulam Express(11098), Chennai-VascoDaGama Express or Miraj-Castle Rock passenger train which starts from Miraj rail junction.

As it is on the border of Goa and Karnataka you can access the waterfall form Karnataka via train. The station route is Hubli->Dharwad->Londa (or Belgaum->Londa)->Tinaighat->Castle Rock-> Doodha Sagar.

This station is about 30KM from Londa station. You may check at Londa station for trains halting for a min at Doodha Sagar. The falls is about 100 Mtr from this station. Ensure you carry food to falls as the doodhaganga station has no such facility. You may move around the falls on railway line for about 2-3 Hrs and catch returning train by 5PM.

2012 Toyota Camry to be launched in August 2012

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has announced that the company aims to build its elegant sedan, the Toyota Camry at its Bengaluru facility starting July 2012. The company has also confirmed its plan of introducing the new 2012 Toyota Camry in the Indian market by August 2012.
The company is planning to invest close to Rs 8.98 billion, as part of its phase-II expansion plans in the country. The additional investment to be infused at Toyota's facility in Bengaluru, will ramp up the production capacity by 100,000 units, taking the total capacity of the plant to 310,000 units annually. The company is also aiming to bump up the localization of its Etios series, which currently stands at 70 per cent to 90 per cent over the next two years.
TKM deputy managing director Sandeep Singh said the company's focus in India would be semi-urban and rural markets, to support its growth and also to increase the number of dealers from 173 to 225 by year-end.
Also, Toyota is planning to invest Rs 5 billion in its engine and transmission plant, which is expected to start by the third quarter of this year and transmission plant by January-March next year.

2012 Renault Fluence E4 D to be launched in India on August 3, 2012

Renault India said that an upgraded Fluence diesel is indeed coming. In fact, the updated, 2012 Renault Fluence E4 D will be launched in India on August 3, 2012.
Renault India has confirmed that there will be an upgraded version of the 1.5 dCi diesel motor under the hood of the 2012 Fluence and there will be additions to the list of features as well. However, the blokes at Renault are keeping all the finer details close to their chest until the official launch gets underway this week.
The upgraded Fluence could get an automatic variant with a dual-clutch transmission. Now, the upgraded Fluence will still be available with a manual transmission only. The interesting bit is that the ‘upgrade’ could actually be the new Energy 1.5 dCi 110 engine which debuted last year in the European market with the Renault Scenic.
The new 1.5 dCi motor will get retuned turbochargers, redesigned / re-profiled fuel injectors and a new oil pump. The engine could be mated to a Start-Stop system as well. In the Renault Scenic, the entire setup also includes a braking / deceleration energy recovery system which is used in restarting the vehicle when the Start-Stop system is employed. The new setup is not only greener with lesser CO2 emissions; but it is more fuel efficient too.
When the new Energy 1.5 dCi 110 drivetrain debuted last year with the Scenic, Renault had made it clear that the new engine will soon find its way into other mainstream cars from the French carmaker. Therefore if the upgraded drivetrain does come to the Fluence that will be launched this week, then ours will be the first market to get the new, updated, 2012 Fluence.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga will be launched on April 12

Maruti Suzuki will launch their new seven-seater MPV, Ertiga, on April 12. The Ertiga launch is also a global one, as the MPV will be rolled-out in India before being offered in any other market. This is one of the most important launches of the year, as Maruti enters the seven-seater segment with a diesel vehicle that is expected to be cheaper than the Mahindra Xylo and Toyota Innova.

Maruti has released a new teaser ahead of this very important launch, and is calling the Ertiga a LUV (Life Utility Vehicle). The Ertiga has been specifically developed for the Indian market, although it was designed in Japan – with the help of Indian engineers. The MVP will be launched in few other ASEAN markets in the coming months, particularly Indonesia.
The Ertiga was first unveiled at the 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi in Janaury, along with few details of specs. The MPV will be powered by a 1.3-litre multijet diesel engine and a new 1.4-litre Kseries petrol engine, which will certainly be fuel efficient. Maruti is expected to price the Ertiga very competitively - under Rs 10 lakh.
We did have a close look at the Ertiga at the 2012 Auto Expo, and Click Here for a detailed preview of this all new seven-seater Maruti – along with pictures and video.

Toyota's IMV series vehicle cumulative global production and sales crosses 5 million units

Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan has announced that the (Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle) IMV Series Vehicle Cumulative Global Production and Sales crossed 5 million units. Toyota initiated the IMV project to createan optimized global manufacturing and supply system for pick-up truck, minivan, and SUV to cater to the market demand in more than 140 countries and regions worldwide.
Under the IMV project Toyota manufactures diesel engines in Thailand, gasoline engines in Indonesia and manual transmissions in India and the Philippines. These are supplied to the countries manufacturing vehicles on the IMV platform. The IMV series vehicles are manufactured in 11 locations across the globe. For vehicle assembly, Toyota will use plants in Thailand, Indonesia, Argentina and South Africa. These are four main IMV production bases that also export IMV vehicles.
Hilux, Innova and Fortuner are the vehicles manufactured on the IMV platform are Innova and Fortuner are the two models from the IMV series that are manufactured in India. Commenting on the IMV vehicles in India, Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said “We are very happy to have touched the record 5million mark in global production and sales of the IMV series vehicles. India is one of the leading IMV countries and has played an important role in the success of the IMV project. This underlines the faith that Indian customers have placed in the Innova and Fortuner through the years, that has translated into its success in India.’’
“The Innova and Fortuner like all IMV series vehicles are designed to provide unprecedented satisfaction in terms of comfort, styling, handling, safety, fuel economy, and environmental sensitivity. The New Innova and New Fortuner have been very well received. The Innova and Fortuner are very successful models in India. Innova achieved cumulative sales of around 3, 28,000 units since its launch in 2005 and Fortuner around 30,000 units since its launch in 2009,’’ added Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director – Marketing, TKM.

BMW,Motorrad launches F650 GS bike in India at Rs 9.99 lakh

BMW Motorrad has launched the F650 GS bike in India, priced at Rs 9.99 lakh ex-showroom Delhi. The entry-level enduro bike will rival the Triumph Tiger XC800 with the latter yet to be launched. The bike has been made available to the Indian enthusiast as a CBU or completely built unit. Since, the bike will be imported in to the country directly , customers will have to pay for the extra import duty the Government of India charges.
Currently , the import duty on bikes is 75 percent which explains the 800 cc bike wears such a high price tag. The in-line 2-cylinder engine chugs out 71 bhp of raw power and 76 Nm of peak torque allowing the bike to tackle the worst nature can throw at it. Unlike other BMW bikes of this era , the F650 GS gets a chain final drive as opposed to the shaft drive of the big-brother F1200 GS. The power of the twin-cylinder can be harnessed via a six-speed transmission.
In India , the top-of-the-line F650 GS with all the added extra like ABS and adjustable shock-absorbers will be available. Coming to the design aspect , the F650 GS is more of a workhorse than a ramp model. It features the assemetrical headlight assembly which can be found across the BMW bike range these days. The rugged built of the bike helps it tackle the harshest of terrains without breaking a sweat. The market for such bikes isn't very big , but there are a few enthusiasts who will be in search of some seriously reliable machinery.
With an asking price of close to Rs 10 lakh , the BMW F650 GS would be a low-volumes product. With the launch of this bike , the ball is now in Triumph's court. The pricing of the Tiger XC800 would be the One to watch out for because this is the bike that will be the main rival for BMW Motorad.

Top Ten Batsman of Pakistan Cricket Team

Cricket is the one of the best game of all the times. There is always a chance either to win or loss so mostly people say " cricket by chance " but in cricket you will always see some of the legends that remembers you after their retirement. In each country there are legends either its Pakistan , India , Australia , Srilanka , England , West indies , New zealand and others but today in this Hub I will write about the top ten batsman of Pakistan International team of all the times that will always be remember in our memories.
Top Ten Batsman of Pakistan International Cricket team list is just made by me on my interest , if someone is not in the list don't be worry as there are more and more legends from Pakistan Cricket team but I go only on my interest.

Imran Khan

Imran Khan the " lion of cricket " was first selected for Pakistan International Cricket team on 1971. Imran Khan is the former captain of Pakistan team all rounder and specially the right arm fast bowler. He is the " king of wicket takers " and was one of the striker to wickets. Imran Khan has start his impression when he took 12 wickets in Sydney in test cricket against Australia. Imran Khan was remembered as the " Fantastic Cricketer " as he was rule when he believed that he can do others can do also. Imran Khan make another impact when he took 25 wickets against West Indies and showed himself as the revolution in Pakistan Team. There are much more to say for Imran Khan as Wasim Akram said that it was Imran Khan who makes the team to the right path and he was the Leader and he has leadership qualities and his batting and bowling makes the victory for win the WOLD CUP OF 1992. Imran Khan hit 362 wickets in his career and he was famous for his batting also have the ability to hit sixes outside the ground. Imran Khan was one of the fastest bowler he paced to hit every series wickets and as well scored well as a good batsman. Under the captaincy of Imran Khan Pakistan started to win the series one by one against England , then India and West Indies also. He was a dangerous player of Pakistan. Currently Imran Khan is the famous political leader of " Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf " party and have great support of youths who love Imran Khan for his honesty.

Javed Miandad

Javed Miandad was one the former cricketer of Pakistan and famous for his batting. Javed Miandad in his career have done some unforgettable records and he is the leading test cricketer from Pakistan International Team. Javed Miandad is famous for his six against India in 1986 when 4 runs are left at one ball and he hit a huge six that leads to the Pakistan victory. He was a best test cricketer and his best test score is 280. Javed Miandad was after his retirement the coach of Pakistan International Team and have under his coaching , Pakistan wins a lot of series. Javed Miandad score of 8832 in test cricket was the best record for long time but later on Inzimam ul Haq breaks that record. Miandad have still the highest double century taker from Pakistan and on world cricket at 6th number. He will remain in our memories for his famous six always.

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram no doubt the fastest bowler of all the times in cricket history having full guts and attributes that the fast bowler must have. Wasim Akram is the former cricketer of Pakistan team and all rounder with his stunning bowling , amazing batting and best fielding and also the best captain of his time. Wasim Akram have the best bowler and have different deliveries which he always target to the batsman infront of him.
Wasim Akram have hit the 414 wickets in 104 test matches which is the Pakistani record. And in ODI Akram took 502 wickets in 356 matches which is also the amazing record. Wasim Akram was the only first fast bowler of international cricket who crossed the 400 wickets and Muttiah Muralitharan of Srilanka also achieved this target. Wasim Akram takes four time hat tricks which is the unbelievable record and still unbreakable.Glenn McGrath after breaking the record of Wasim Akram also admires that he was the best bowler of all the time and this record of mine will be ever remembered by me.
Wasim Akram have different varieties of deliveries which could danger any batsman. Wasim Akram have only the ability with swung to old and new ball also and he could make incredible deliveries with old ball. Wasim Akram was ability to swing the ball where he can with his quality deliveries but only one thing that leads Wasim Akram not to be too much best of his inability of captaincy and making the team to be able to win the series. Wasim Akram at the end was also in controversy of Match fixing by which his career was not as much as he will be when he make use of his talent in the right way.

Shahid Khan Afridi

Shahid Afridi was the most lovable cricketer of Pakistan Team , famous for his long and huge sixes and now Afridi has place as a best spin bowler in the hearts of million of peoples. Shahid Afridi has many records which are unbreakable like fastest century , fastest 50 , 12 runs on one ball , 8 runs on one ball , fastest delivery of 134 as spin bowler, and many more you can have check the two more Hubs which I have written only for Afridi check this
There is much information records success all about Afridi Career have put in that hubs.

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis is also the fastest bowler of Pakistani team and famous for his fast bowling and yorkers all the time. Waqar Younis has the record of youngest Pakistani Captain to till date and the third youngest test captain of only 22 years. Waqar Younis is famous for his reverse swing by which he is able to hits 373 test wickets and 416 ODI wickets.
Waqar Younis have the greatest record of 5 wickets in three consecutive ODI matches. Currently Waqar Younis was the coach of Pakistani team and about a month ago he resigns from his coaching career also. He will be remembered in our memories for his amazing yorkers , and wicket taking bowling.

Inzamam-ul-Haq

Inzamam-ul-Haq is the former cricket and captain of Pakistani team from 2003-2007 and team players called him Inzy. Inzamam was the best batsman of his time and his image maked when he hit 60 runs in semi final of world cup 1992. Inzimam was famous for his pull shots in the world cricket. His average of approx 50 runs in test and 40 runs in ODI makes him the best batsman of his time. Imran Khan once said about Inzy " the best batsmen in the world against pace" Inzimam always play centuries and most of them are winning centuries and Inzimam was the first batsman who have record to setup half centuries in ODI career about 83. The top score of Inzimam at test career was 329 a highest score of his life. Inzimam take retirement on the same day when the Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer died who is the best friend of Inzimam.

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar the fastest bowler of the world cricket and the former Pakistani Team player. Shoaib Akhtar or Pindi Express is famous for his fire speed bowling who take many wickets around his career. The career of Shoaib Akhtar is full of controversies and banned due to which Shoaib Akhtar have written a autobiography of " Shoaib Akhtar Controversially Yours " by which he have put the burning points on the most senior batsman and players.
You can read more about Shoaib Akhtar on my other Hub " Tribute to Shoaib Akhtar " and About his book " Controversially Yours ".

Saeed Anwar

Saeed Anwar the left handed batsman of Pakistan Team and a great Opener. He have the ability to open the account in front of every bowler. Saeed Anwar was famous for his record of 194 runs against India in Chennai which is the long time record but now break by Sachin Tendulkar. Saeed Anwar have a quick start and is famous among audience with this quality. His good timing and wrist flicking give him an extra cover and he pitched most balls out of the ground. Saeed Anwar has also the three consecutive centuries record against Sri Lanka , West Indies and again Srilanka. Currently Saeed Anwar moved his life to preaching Islam. But it will remain in our hearts as the best opener and best left handed batsman of all the time for Pakistan Team.

Zaheer Abbas

Zaheer Abbas is one of the superb batsman of Pakistan Team. Zaheer Abbas mostly know for his name " Asian Bradman " and he was also among those few cricketers who wear spectacles. His start is amazing and in his 2nd test match Zaheer make 274 runs which is still the fourth highest score of test of Pakistan. Zaheer Abbas was also famous as Runner Machine as when he is in the ground , scores are not adding but multiplying.
Sunil Gavaskar the former test captain of Indian team once said about Zaheer Abbas " Zaheer Ab Bas karo " means that " Zaheer stop it now " as he was the score machine.
Zaheer Abbas was the only Asian batsman who scored Hundred first class centuries and Abbas will remain in our memories for his best batting.

Mohammad Yousuf

Mohammed Yousaf is the former right handed batsman of Pakistan team and have setup many records and break also the long records of his time. Mohammed Yousaf was formerly known as " Yousaf Youhana but later on he accept Islam. Mohammed Yousaf was the third batsman from Pakistan who have scored more then 6000 runs in test career and also the third highest scorer of the ODI matches in Pakistan batsman. Yousaf has break many records and the famous record of him was the most centuries in a calendar year.
Mohammed Yousaf hit 9 centuries in 2006 which is the world cricket record and still unbreakable in cricket history.He have also been dismissed 3 times when he is near to double century mostly at 190 score. Mohammed Yousaf unbeatable 1788 runs in ten test matches including 12 centuries is the world second unbreakable cricket record.
Mohammed Yousaf was banned from the Pakistan cricket board for an indefinite period of time and putting a disciplinary problem against tour of Australia saying that his stay to the team is harmful. And on the reply later on Mohammed Yousaf take the retirement himself and end his career and moved to Islam preaching like Saeed Anwar. Pakistan lost the supreme batsman who have the ability to break the records of everyone but he has been quit out without any solid evidence. The batsman like Mohammed Yousaf will remain in our memories for ever.