Harley-Davidson LiveWire

source: Harley Davidson

One of the two motorcycle manufacturers in the USA to survive the Great Depression, the other one being Indian. Found in 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it was a hit among all age and class of people. We’re talking about none other than the legendary Harley Davidson.

Fast forward to 2019, the HD has launched its new model named LiveWire. Do you know what a livewire means? It means an energetic and unpredictable person. Yeah, HD didn’t launch a human but a two-wheeler whose performance indeed match with the name.

The first prototype was showcased in June 2014 and was available for test rides in the USA, later it was seen in Europe and Canada in 2015.

The production of LiveWire hit after 18 months and the preorders have started in January 2019. Wow, what do we have is not just a two-wheeler, it is an electric two-wheeler from Harley Davidson.

Now that’s something to talk about. Are you interested? Then hop in for the review of HD LiveWire 2019.

Source: Harley Davidson

Looks and Design

Harley Davidson, one of the world known bike manufacturing company which is known for its cruiser bikes which are powerful and good-looking beast.

Now they have decided to kick both things out by going at Sporty Electric Bike, yes they are serious, and I think you might like if you give it a shot. In terms of looks, I really loved the styling they have given to it, especially the headlight. If you look at it carefully you can have a stare-down with the demonic-eyes looking directly at you.

They have given a sporty design, you can see a bit Harley touch like headlamp cover and colour. They have also given it a 10.9 cm touch screen display, to show every important detail about the bike, but the way this display has been designed and positioned on the bike is something not much appealing. It's like they just stuck a big screen phone on the handle using a holder. Harley Davidson is going to provide customization option, so you might be able to cover things up.

Before we talk about the performance and range, let's see what all tech has Harley Davidson has installed in this bike to assist the riders while riding.

Source: Harley Davidson

The latest LiveWire design is embedded with Electronic Chassis Control (ECC) system. It will make sure that the rider is confident enough go hard and fast on road(we don’t promote reckless riding).

The ECC gives you the following benefits

Enhanced cornering

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)

Traction Control System (TCS)

Drag-Torque Slip Control System (DSCS)

You can see a combined effort of electronic controls and hydraulic power control where it's required. It uses the new six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and ABS sensor tech.

This is just the tech that has been installed, now let's see how it feels when combined with its hardware. As it is an electric bike let’s start with its accelerations.

Source: Harley Davidson

Performance

Get an instant power when you twist the throttle, as you know, no clutch, no gears and nothing to hinder the momentum in which you wanna fly away because its an electric vehicle (EV) and Harley Davidson is using permanent magnets so that you get full torque from low rpm.

As said by Harley Davidson, a high-voltage battery or just say a (RESS); Rechargeable Energy Storage System containing lithium-ion cells packed in a finned cast aluminium housing. The big battery provides a 225 lm of city ride or  142 km combined stop-and-go at highway range.

This is decent enough for a sports electric bike, its no good if it takes too long to charge but it not. An onboard level 1 charger & a power cord which to any standard outlet in your house will do. It gets fully charged overnight. If you want a fast charger, get a level 3 DC Fast Charge station for 80% charge in just 40 minutes or 100% in an hour.

They are using cast aluminium to keep the weight as low as possible, and the frame is extremely rigid. With the Michelin tires, 180 mm rear and 120 mm front give proper grip, and Brembo brakes both in front and rear to give it the stopping power it needs. Combining all this and you get a really capable sports bike, with a low centre of gravity. The ride is comfortable which is expected from Harley, and the body control is exceptional which was not expected. Still, the range is something needs to be verified one the live wire comes to the street to live it up.

Specifications of this two-wheeler couldn’t be found anywhere but we promise to update it the moment we find it.

Source: Harley Davidson

Final verdict:

There are still a few things that are unknown like price and specs, but on the day of launch it comes in the price range it should be worth going for. Best suited for people who are planning for EV, wants a hard acceleration bike with a bit of retro look in a sports bike.

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Evading Luxury Car Tax can Cost you Big Time

Source: Flickr

You guys pay your taxes, right?

Don’t you? Oh yes, you should be a tax paying good citizen irrespective of what government does with that money in future. Well, that’s the rule and you got to follow it religiously. And there are no confusions regarding this, you pay normal tax, land tax, house tax, tax for income from other businesses, tax on hotel food, tax on movie tickets and goes the list.

You got to pay the tax or things don’t go well in future. Expect the tax department barging into your tax to raid out the hidden black money in your house.

Not a scene you expect to happen often and of course with you.

Today’s article in on tax, and as you guessed, it related to your vehicles. What, you didn’t guess that? I thought you were smart :D, how many have used Orkut? Just asking.

We are going to discuss the road tax we have to pay when we buy a vehicle and how that tax different in different states and what happened recently that caught my attention. Well not recently but a couple of years ago.

What happened?

In December 2017, a case was filed against a renowned actor of Southern movie industry under IPC sections 464 (forgery) and 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating).

What he did was, buying a luxury car (Audi Q7) from  Pondicherry/Puducherry, posing as a resident there while he actually lived in Kerala.

Now, why he did that? Well, if you don’t know the tax rates of these states, let me show you.

In Puducherry, the road tax he had to pay(as per news reports) is just 1.5 lakhs. But if would he have registered it in Kerala, the road tax could go up to 14-20 lakhs. Smart move huh, but wrong move too.

Transport commissioner Anil Kant asked the crime branch to register the case. Gopi had allegedly evaded tax by registering his luxury vehicle in Puducherry after he became an MP on May 24, 2016, reports Deccan Chronicle.

The Thiruvananthapuram RTO had issued a notice to him last month, seeking explanation on using a vehicle registered in Puducherry in the state.

In an earlier investigation done by Kerala Motor Vehicle Department, it was revealed that as many as 700 vehicles are registered at Puducherry, resulting in a revenue loss of a whopping 60 Cr to the state government.

Since many actors and people were found to be indulging in this kind of tactics to evade taxes have on stirred up controversy in the state, MVD is on a mission to explore every loophole in the system.

Well, 700 is a lot of people evading tax.

Source: 1zoom.me

Evading of road tax is not new but, this kind of big revelation has never happened in my knowledge. Well now that people have read this news last year, they will be getting ideas to find new loopholes in this law. You got to pay tax according to the State Govt’s rule to drive in that state, don’t you? Even if you are changing your home and shifting to another state, you got to pay sales tax on your car when you register the car in that state.

Why all this? Well because the state government made the roads dude! They want to maintain too, which I doubt.

Now let’s see different tax rates

New Car Registration Slabs - Road Taxes Applicable
City / State	Road Tax Fees for New Car Registration in 2019
Delhi - Individual Registration	Price Upto Rs. 6 Lac - Petrol Cars - 4%, Diesel Cars - 5%
	Price between 6 Lac - 10 Lac - Petrol Cars - 7%, Diesel Cars - 8.75%
	Price > Rs. 10 Lac as Exshowroom Cost - Petrol Cars - 10%, Diesel Cars - 12.5%
Delhi - Company Registration (Where Car Registered in name of Firm - Proprietorship / Partnership / Pvt Ltd / Ltd etc)	Price Upto Rs 6 Lac - Petrol Cars - 5%, Diesel Cars - 6.25%
	Price between 6 Lac - 10 Lac - Petrol Cars - 8.75%, Diesel Cars - 10.94%
	Price > Rs. 10 Lac as Exshowroom Cost - Petrol Cars - 12.5%, Diesel Cars - 15.63%
	+ MCD Parking Charges of Rs. 2000 for cars priced under 4 Lakh and Rs. 4000 for rest of the vehicles. Visit My car helpline for best deals
	.
Kerala	Less than 1500 cc 6% of purchase value 1500 cc and above 8% of purchase value
U.P (Uttar Pradesh) Ghaziabad, Noida, Kanpur, Meerut, Agra etc	8% If Price < 10 Lakh, else 10% Road Tax. No separate classification of Petrol, Diesel
	Additional Temporary Charges of Rs. 1500
	For used cars >15 years, new Green Tax Introduced in UP, Chargeable at time of renewal of registration. Green Tax Slabs yet to be known, it will be in addition to charges for Re-Registration + Smart Card
Haryana - last revised on 1st June 2015 Faridabad, Gurgaon etc	Price Upto Rs. 6 Lac - 5%
	Price between Rs. 6 Lac - 20 Lac - 8%
	Price above 20 Lac - 10%
Maharastra Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Navi Mumbai etc  updated on 4th July 2017
	Price < 10 Lakh - CNG @ 7%, Petrol @ 11%, Diesel @ 13%
	Price between 10 Lakh - 20 Lakh - Petrol @ 12%, Diesel @ 14%
	Price Above 20 Lakh - Petrol @ 13%, Diesel @ 15%
	Additional: If car bought in Company Name or bought by any Ltd or Pvt Ltd company, RTO Slabs would be double the slabs above. Starting GST - No Octroi and No LBT will be applicable
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Hyderabad, Vijayawada ect	Price < 10 Lakh - 12%
	Price > 10 Lakh - 14%
	Additional : 2% RTO Tax, if buying 2nd Vehicle in same name and getting it Registered in A.P
Kerala Calicut, Cochin, Trivandrum, Thrissur etc.	Price < 5 Lakh - 6%
	Price between 5 - 10 Lakh - 8%
	Price > 10 Lakh, but Less than 15 Lakh - 10%
	Price > 15 Lakh but less than 20 Lakh - 15%
	Price > 20 Lakh - 20%
Karnataka	Price < 5 Lakh - 13%
Bangalore, Mysore	Price between 5 - 10 Lakh - 14%
	Price between 10 - 20 Lakh - 17%
	Price > 20 Lakh - 18%
Odisha	Price < 5 Lakh - 6%
Bhubhaneshwar	Price between 5 - 10 Lakh - 8%
	Price above 10 Lakh - 10%
Tamil Nadu	Price < 10 Lakh - 10%
Chennai, Combatore, Madurai	Price > 10 Lakh - 15%
West Bengal - Kolkata (One Time Tax for 5 Years) - whichever higher	5.5% or Rs 17500 in 800 cc Cars
	5.5% or Rs 25000 in between 800cc to 1490cc Cars
	5.5% or Rs 35000 in between 1490 to 1999cc Cars
	5.5% or Rs 45000 in above > 2000cc Cars
West Bengal - Kolkata (LifeTime Tax for 15 Years) - whichever higher	10% or Rs 40000 in 800 cc Cars
	10% or Rs 55000 in between 800cc to 1490cc Cars
	10% or Rs 80000 in between 1490 to 1999cc Cars
	10% or Rs 1 Lakh in above > 2000cc Cars
Chandigarh	All Cars Priced uptil 20 Lakh - 6%
	Above 20 Lakh - 8%
	Zero Road Tax in Chandigarh for People Buying Car with Disability or NGO and Social Welfare Group registered with Social Welfare Department and work for people with disabilities.
Punjab	Flat 8% of Ex-showroom price of car, irrespective of Value or Fuel Type. Also now additional 1% Surcharge Tax levied on Ex-showroom price as Social Security Contribution
Gujarat	Road Tax will be approx 6% (Individuals Cases) and 12% (For Company). For CKD Imported Cars - Road Tax will be Double the rates of CBU Cars.
Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara etc	Additional: Municipality Tax
	Even - an additional VAT Duty will be applicable at rate of 5% on buying SUV and Luxury Cars in Company Name and thus will be Ex-showroom price different on Buying Cars in Individual Name and Company Name
Rajasthan	7% - 9% (for Petrol Cars)
Jaipur, Alwar, Bikaner, Ajmer etc	10% - 11% (for Diesel Cars)
Bihar	7% (For Cars Priced under 8 Lakh)
Patna, Gaya etc	13% (For Cars Priced above 8 Lakh)
Jharkhand	6% (For Cars Priced under 15 Lakh)
	9% (For Cars Priced above 15 Lakh)
	Additional Tax: Further additional 3% Tax on Buying 2nd Car in name of Same Owner
Uttarakhand (revised effective January 2019)	Price Upto 5 Lakh - 8%
Dehradun, Rishikesh	Price in between 5 Lakh to 10 Lakh - 9%
	Price above 10 Lakh - 10%
Himachal Pradesh	Cars less than 1000cc - 2.5%
Shimla, Solan	Cars greater than 1000cc - 3%
Pondicherry (Puducherry)	Minimum Rs 8000 Tax for Cars under Rs 5 Lakh
	Rs 11K for Cars in 5 Lakh - 8 Lakh
	Rs 15K for Cars in 8 Lakh - 15 Lakh
	Rs 60K Flat Road Tax for Cars above Rs 15 Lakh - 20 Lakh
	Rs 1.1 Lakh Flat Road Tax for Cars in Rs 20 Lakh - 30 Lakh
	Rs 1.25 Lakh for Cars above Rs 30 Lakh
Madhya Pradesh - MP Indore, Gwalior & other cities in MP
	7% Flat at Exshowroom Price of Vehicle (if ex-showroom under 10 Lakh)
	8% (Petrol) / 9% (Diesel) (if ex-showroom above 10 Lakh).
Goa	9% for Cars less than 6 Lakh
	11% for Car at Exshowroom Price from 6 Lakh till 9.99 Lakh
	12% for Car costing 10 Lakh and more
	Infrastructure Cess: Additional applicable on Cars Priced above 10 Lakh. Rs. 12,000 < 10 to 20 Lakh. 40,000 < 20 - 40 Lakh. 75,000 < 40 - 60 Lakh. 1,00,000 > 60 Lakh

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HONDA Civic 2019 review

Source: Honda India

At one time this car was one of the most popular cars out there in the market, because of its looks and interior design. And now, it is back after a long time on Indian roads. To some extent the new design can be made to look a bit similar to the old one, it's coupe body shape but not that similar. Yes, we are talking about Honda’s one of the beauties here, the Honda Civic.

Source: Honda India

History

Civic has been there since long. It was introduced in 1972 as a 2 door model car and then turned into a 3 door hatchback.  It was introduced as a subcompact car and it has gone through several changes since then.

It was later lifted up to the sedan range but still as a compact car, to be precise it falls in between Honda Fit and Accord. In the beginning, it attracted customers as it was known as the most fuel-efficient car. Not just fuel-efficient, it was reliable and environment-friendly. Its sporty looks and performance were also some of the reasons for its success.

Many in Japan shifted to Honda Fit as they preferred compact cars and minivans, the production of non-hybrid Civic was stopped in 2010. They later launched the 10th generation model in 2017.

Civic has grabbed attention worldwide and is going strong for decades. Now, let’s see how the latest Civic performs in the new world of cut-throat competition.

Source: Honda India

Looks & Design

This 2019 model is way sportier and sharp looking than the old one, and for me, this new design is what I prefer. The new headlamp looks sharp and aggressive with the front shape, and the back looks like it has been taken straight from the type R fits perfectly, and the body shape and line going from front to back with wheel muscular wheel arches add to the sport sharp look.

At inside, the old one when coming for the 1st time looked way ahead of its time, seating in that car was special and especially when compared to others. It was like a mini cockpit of a spaceship. I am not saying the new civic Interior is bad. The build quality is really good with the fit and finish. But it's not as mad as it was before.

When we talk about space for front drive and passenger and driver both leg and headroom is really good as you are sitting really low, and at the rear even if 2 tall people are at the front you will get a good leg room at back, but because of coupe shape there can be some issues for tall people at back only for the headroom will be there.

But the seating position is really good and the support given by these seats are really supportive especially in the front.

And at back the width and space is good enough to get 3 adults comfortable.

Source: Honda India

Specifications

 ENGINE

	Petrol	Diesel
Type	4 Cylinder, SOHC i-VTEC	4 Cylinder, DOHC i-DTEC
Displacement(CC)	1799	1597
No. of Valves	16	16
Power (kW [PS] @ rpm)	104 [141] @ 6500	88 [120] @ 4000
Torque (NM @ rpm)	174 @ 4300	300 @ 2000
Fuel Efficiency (km/l)*	16.5	26.8

TRANSMISSION

		Petrol	Diesel
Manual	-		6 Forward & 1 Reverse
Automatic	CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission)

SUSPENSION SYSTEM

	Petrol	Diesel
Front	MacPherson Strut, Coil Spring
Rear	Multilink, Coil Spring

Source: Honda India

Performance

When it comes to performance, compared to its rivals it is underpowered. But it's not just the power that matters but also how it handles, and it handles corner like a champ.

Yes for Indian roads the civic ride height has been raised, but Honda has not just raised the ride height, by the way, it handles you can say they have done a good job civic gives confidence while going around corners and the weight of the wheel is gradual and proper, but the feedback is something else which I was expecting to be a bit better.

The power delivery is linear and gradual not as punchy as its rivals. You can say that the only thing it lacks most compared to its rivals is power, which is not by much margin but the looks and the way it corners can handle a bit more power with ease.

Even the ride quality is really good, it socks up to the irregularities of roads properly.

Source: Honda India

Safety Features
We really need to talk about the safety features Honda has installed in this beautiful Civic.
As they say in their website, "When it’s about safety, limits are set, pushed, and broken. And then, they’re set again. There are no compromises. So, you drive with total confidence."

Let's get to the first safety feature.

-LANE-WATCH (1ST IN SEGMENT#)
When signalling signal left, a small camera set on the mirror will bring the video feed to the central screen showing nearly 4 times more than the passenger-side mirror you see. This keeps you aware of your surroundings and kills the blind spots while you are on the road.

-6 AIRBAGS
Dual front i-SRS airbags, side airbags & side curtain airbags promises complete protection for each & every passenger.

-5-STAR ASEAN NCAP RATING
Honda believes in safety for everyone. Civic got ASEAN NCAP 5-star rating through enhanced collision safety performance in internal testing.

-ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE (EPB) with AUTO BRAKE HOLD (ABH) (1ST IN SEGMENT#)
The Electric Parking Brake takes the place of a traditional style brake to keep your car stationary with the push of a button.

-ACETM BODY STRUCTURE
It is Honda’s fully patented safety technology they developed that absorbs impact and diffuses G-forces generated during a collision for minimising the injury to passengers.

-EMERGENCY STOP SIGNAL (ESS)
In the event of sudden stops or brakes are applied suddenly, the hazard lights automatically flash to alert other drivers. Isn't it cool!

-POP-UP HOOD (DIESEL ONLY)
It helps to reduce the possible head injuries of pedestrians, in case they experience a frontal impact with the vehicle.

-VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST (VSA)
It prevents the loss of control around tight corners, the VSA system will stabilise the car by reducing understeer or oversteer.

-AGILE HANDLING ASSIST (AHA) (1ST IN SEGMENT#)
Applies brake pressure to individual wheels, enhancing cornering ability and decreasing the need for corrective steering.

-HILL START ASSIST (HSA)
Prevents the Civic from rolling backwards when you put leg from your brakes on a hill or an inclined plane. We have seen this facility in many SUVs and offroading cars.

-REAR SEAT ISO-FIX
It secures your child’s car seat to inbuilt ISO Fixpoints in the back seat and ensures maximum safety for them.

-ABS with EBD and BRAKE ASSIST
This feature prevents the car from the skidding even when you brake really hard.

-MULTI-ANGLE REARVIEW CAMERA
A choice of 3 views gives you a full picture of objects behind you as you reverse your Civic in cramped parking spaces. Well, this one is a good feature.

The safety features provided by Honda deserves appreciation, and we look forward to updations on the safety features. Honda here clearly balanced the lack of new design and inspiring style with new and amazing features.

Price: 17.70  - 22.30 lakhs

Source: Honda India

Final verdict:

Looks and design: 9/10

Specs & features: 8/10

Dynamics & performance: 7/10

Safety & quality: 8/10

If you're looking for a sporty looking car, which is comfortable and good city and highways go for civic. it is a great car to be in and to look at and gives great confidence, but if power is in your 1st priority then civic is not for you.

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