[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by Transsenger

AL viking buses with Hino Euro1/BS1 engines had these sound (exhaust). As you said the easily identifiable are those KeSRTC HiTech buses. Cheetah buses had slightly different sound & was locally known as Hino Super! Not sure what difference it had technically!...

To my knowledge, Viking and Cheetah have similar power train options.
These two are almost same in all the aspects but for WB, FOH, ROH!

[smashnerd]

Originally Posted by Transsenger

AL viking buses with Hino Euro1/BS1 engines had these sound (exhaust). As you said the easily identifiable are those KeSRTC HiTech buses. Cheetah buses had slightly different sound & was locally known as Hino Super! Not sure what difference it had technically!

The whistling sound is made by the Cummins engined Tata buses/Trucks.

The old buses with Leyland engine sounds similar to Volvo.

Meanwhile, the latest BS2 / BS3 AL Hseries engined buses are very silent and have beautiful sound from exhaust like turbo whistle.

I used to think that those screaming chicken ones were having AL engines? Are the Hino ones Turbo or Naturally Aspirated?

P.S. - I'll try to get a video of the Cheetah that runs outside my house at full scream just for the fun of it. Its an incline here and that bus just screams up in 2nd gear. I love that sound

[smashnerd]

rosemala - YouTube

Got an awesome video of a cut-chassis Screaming Chicken AL going over one steep and muddy road deep in the forests. Offroaders, take note

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

@smashnerd - pathetic!!! The roads!!!

This tamasha repeats everytime? And howmany times a day? And why the slush at this time of the year?

The bus is a cheetah, 200 or 205 inch wheel base. Approximately 5/6 years old - going by the registration number - 6K. (of course - the resident KeSRTC watcher will correct me if I am wrong).

All I can say is - the AL 370 and first generation Hino engined buses sounded same. And 2/3 year old buses, too sound the same. Though the new gen buses tend to be more silent (there seems to be norms on noise gearbox and diffs can make), over a period of time, Tatas tend to get similar note, ALs tend to get a similar tone. But, Tata and AL buses sound different.

Try walking up the incline from Kottayam railway station to the Civil Station - the buses will be coming up from behind you, and it is fun identifying the buses.

I think the difference lies in exhaust design. Also, note that even a slight barrier on the right side of a bus can reflect the sound and create a ruckus.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

This tamasha repeats everytime? And howmany times a day? And why the slush at this time of the year?

The video was uploaded to Youtube in August 2011 - being in the midst of monsoons, slush would be just normal. From the way people are helping the bus, I am sure its a once daily service.

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

The bus is a cheetah, 200 or 205 inch wheel base. Approximately 5/6 years old - going by the registration number - 6K. (of course - the resident KeSRTC watcher will correct me if I am wrong).

Its a 178" Cheetah. It is 6 years old now (registered on January 05, 2006).

[raj_5004]

Guys, we have decided to sell off one of our buses - the A/C one. Now one particular person who showed interest in purchasing our bus already has a 49 seater bus which is being built in Prakash & he has offered us that bus for 25 Lacs.

Now, has there been any new launches by AL in the recent years? And technical advancements in any models with respect to economics & service?

If today, I want to build a 49 seater non-A/C bus, which chassis will you experts suggest me? If the bus being built by the guy in Prakash is on a good chassis, we might as well pick that bus up, of course with our customizations & colour. We will get the bus in another one month in that case.

[raj_5004]

Friends, is it true that the AL 114 hp & 140 hp Vikings are not available anymore?

I can see only 160 hp Vikings in their website now.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Friends, is it true that the AL 114 hp & 140 hp Vikings are not available anymore?

I can see only 160 hp Vikings in their website now.

Yes. You're right. The BS3 versions start at 160 bhp. Good move, I must say.

I wish they provide 300+bhp versions of the 12M/12M-RE chassis/FBVs to compete with Volvo, Merc, Isuzu, etc

[smashnerd]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

@smashnerd - pathetic!!! The roads!!!
.
.
.
All I can say is - the AL 370 and first generation Hino engined buses sounded same. And 2/3 year old buses, too sound the same. Though the new gen buses tend to be more silent (there seems to be norms on noise gearbox and diffs can make), over a period of time, Tatas tend to get similar note, ALs tend to get a similar tone. But, Tata and AL buses sound different.

Try walking up the incline from Kottayam railway station to the Civil Station - the buses will be coming up from behind you, and it is fun identifying the buses.

I think the difference lies in exhaust design. Also, note that even a slight barrier on the right side of a bus can reflect the sound and create a ruckus.

Its a road to some far off village, forest road stuff. So it's not surprising that it's not paved.

I don't see what you mean by old buses starting to sound the same. They all have their own particular sound and they might get loud and rickety but not the same!

One more doubt. I've heard this fairly loud clunk sound when some AL's are running in stop-go traffic from above the rear axle. What's making that sound and is that not damaging i.e. parts hitting each other?

[ajman28]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

Pardon my ignorance, what's this automated manual transmission ?

A small brief on AMT can be found in the following thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commer...-2012-a-3.html

If required I can elaborate a bit more.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Yes. You're right. The BS3 versions start at 160 bhp. Good move, I must say.

I wish they provide 300+bhp versions of the 12M/12M-RE chassis/FBVs to compete with Volvo, Merc, Isuzu, etc

Not good for operators like us who are already suffering because of neck throat competition.

A 160 hp bus wont be as fuel efficient as a 114 hp one, with whom I have to compete eventually. I would have preferred a 114 hp BS3 bus.

I am talking only from business economics point of view.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Not good for operators like us who are already suffering because of neck throat competition.

A 160 hp bus wont be as fuel efficient as a 114 hp one, with whom I have to compete eventually. I would have preferred a 114 hp BS3 bus.

I am talking only from business economics point of view.

Raj, I believe the newer BS3 ones give the similar FE as those 114bhp or 140bhp ones. I doubt AshLey would kill the goose that lays the golden eggs - read, stop production of lower powered versions. Wait for others to comment.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Raj, I believe the newer BS3 ones give the similar FE as those 114bhp or 140bhp ones. I doubt AshLey would kill the goose that lays the golden eggs - read, stop production of lower powered versions. Wait for others to comment.

Our non AC bus (114 HP) gives an average of 3.75 to 4 kmpl. Our AC bus even when run without AC gives us max 3 kmpl. On the long run, every kmpl matters to us.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by binaiks

...Its a 178" Cheetah. It is 6 years old now (registered on January 05, 2006).

Cheetah has only 176" as WB and not 178".

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

Cheetah has only 176" as WB and not 178".

I have owned a 210in WB cheetah. Errr .... 2 of them.