May 2020

Coping with Difficult Times

Although we have been under a countrywide lockdown for the past
month and a half, we have made an attempt to keep you abreast of whatever little is going around the world. There has been bad news in the last month, starting with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The world of motorcycle racing lost Tony Rutter, a seven-time Isle of Man TT winner and four-time world TT-F2 champion.

The pandemic has thrown the whole world out of gear with most countries going into total or partial lockdown. That means no production and no prospect of sales. The manufacturers will be able to survive this lockdown but the vendors and dealers will find it difficult to sail through on account of the financial crisis. After all, they have to pay their employees’ salaries and rent for their premises, etc. In the absence of production and sales, things are going to be extremely difficult.

There may be a silver lining to the dark cloud once the lockdown is lifted. The way we live will change with social distancing becoming a way of life. People will have to stop using public transport where, for the most part, they are packed like sardines and start relying more on personal transport. This will boost two-wheeler sales.

The government needs to support the manufacturers by allowing a reduction in the GST as well as by allowing them to sell all the BS4 stock. If this is not done, there might be a lot of repercussions. The industry was already in the throes of a slowdown even before the virus struck.

This month we will not be printing the magazine; it will come to you only in the digital format. Even if we were to print the magazine, it would not be possible to circulate the copies in the present situation. As of now, please stay at home and stay safe.