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No Use Putting the Cart Before the Horse

This month Bike India celebrates its 14th anniversary and I would like to thank all our readers, manufacturers, and our supporters for being with us for the last 14 years.

There has been frenzied activity on the electric two-wheeler front for the past couple of months, including the notification from the Niti Ayog saying that all two-wheelers below 150 cc will have to be EVs from 2025. The idea may seem very futuristic, but it is a little unrealistic. To develop an internal-combustion (IC) engine bike the lead time is between three and five years. Imagine developing a bike with electric propulsion from the ground up in six years. It is a very difficult task.

The electric two-wheelers in the market are of a poor quality, made either in China or with Chinese components. We will end up with a heap of scrap because these bikes will not last for more than a couple of years. First let us get clean and uninterrupted power supply before we go electric.

For our anniversary issue we always have some special stories and this year I decided to conduct a ride at the Mecca of motorcycle racing: the Isle of Man TT course and the motorcycle of choice was the Royal Enfield Continental GT. For this ride I had two legends with me: Siddhartha Lal and Freddie Spencer. Siddhartha is known for turning around the fortunes of Royal Enfield and creating these two brilliant twins. “Fast Freddie” is three-time world champion and the only man to win the 250 and 500 world championships in the same year. What better place to put the Contis through their paces than the most demanding racetrack in the world? This time instead of me telling you how the bikes performed, it is Freddie Spencer doing the critiquing this time around. It was a pleasure to ride with Siddhartha and Freddie. For me, it was a dream ride and I would like to thank the Royal Enfield teams both in India and the United Kingdom for making this ride possible.

Once again I would like to thank all our readers and supporters.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Wide versus Narrow

LAST MONTH SUZUKI LAUNCHED A 250-CC GIXXER AND AN UPDATED 150-CC GIXXER. The first ride on both these bikes was held at the Buddh International Circuit. After riding both the motorcycles everyone said that the 250 was not as nimble and quick to steer as the 150. Both the motorcycles share the same chassis with identical steering head angle and wheelbase, but one steers quicker than the other. Nobody knew why that was happening. The answer is very simple: the 250 runs on a wider set of tyres compared to the 150 and this slows the steering response. Fit the 150 wheels and tyres on the 250 and you will see that it is as quick and nimble to steer as the 150.

Incidentally, today the “expert” opinion-making journalists are able to differentiate between a slow-handling bike and quick-steering motorcycle but are unable to identify the reason for the change in characteristics.

We did a road test on the new Honda CB300R and the bike feels like a 150 to ride with a leaner power delivery. The compact motorcycle is a joy to ride as you can flick it through traffic and around corners. Though it is sold out, the price is on the high side. Would I pay nearly Rs 3 lakh for a single-cylinder motorcycle when I can buy a Royal Enfield 650-cc twin-cylinder for almost the same price?

Last month Indian motor sport suffered a huge loss with the demise of Nazir Hoosein. In a way he was responsible for kick-starting my own motorcycle racing career, for it was at the Juhu races organized by his motor sport club, IARC, in 1977 that it all started for me. May his soul rest in peace.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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A Bleak Scenario Indeed

THE TWO-WHEELER INDUSTRY HAS BEEN WITNESSING A DECLINE MONTH ON MONTH FOR the past six months. There are a couple of reasons for this such as the atmosphere of uncertainty in the market, whether it is the job situation or just no cash flow, and to top these issues there is the compulsory five-year insurance for two-wheelers. When somebody buys an entry-level 100/110-cc motorcycle in the region of Rs 50,000, they are already stretching themselves to buy a daily mode of transport. If, over and above this, you burden them with a further Rs 5,000 or Rs 6,000, it makes the bike an unaffordable proposition for them.

Then we also had a fuel price hike wherein the cost of fuel hit the ceiling with an all-time high of Rs 90 per litre. If all this were not enough, we have the Bharat Stage VI norms coming into force. To meet these norms the manufacturers will have to do a considerable amount of work on the existing models and most of them will have to shift from carburettors to fuelinjection. This is going to push the prices even further north and if the economy does not improve, then the downward trend will continue for two-wheeler manufacturers.

The other day I stopped a motorcyclist going down the wrong way at Koregaon Park in Pune and asked him to turn around and ride on the correct side of the road. His response to me was, ‘This is my country and I will do what I want! Who are you to tell me?’ If such is the people’s attitude, what hope can we have? The only option is to enforce law and order in a strict manner, due to which the same Indians follow rules when abroad. Only then will we see some change in the attitude of the people; otherwise the scenario is bound to go from bad to worse.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Dismal Trend

Two -wheeler sales have witnessed a steady decline over the past six months and this has prompted most of the manufacturers to cut down production. Incidentally, the health of the automobile industry is a good indicator of how the economy is doing.

Last month I was in Portugal to ride the all-new BMW S 1000 RR at the Estoril racetrack. The bike is truly a rocket ship. You may read my first ride report in this issue. The problem I face while riding these 200-plus-PS motorcycles is that I am sore for three to four day after the ride. This is due to not riding a motorcycle on the racetrack on a regular basis. The last time I rode a motorcycle on a racetrack was in January 2018 when I had gone to Valencia to ride the Ducati Panigale V4.

After the S 1000 RR ride I headed straight to Las Vegas for the BMW X7 drive and all the fellow journalists were laughing at me as I was struggling to walk up and down stairs. All I can say is that I am thankful to God that I can still wobble around a racetrack at a decent clip and keep the Indian flag flying. Most of the Australian, American, and European journalists are very quick to look down upon Asian journalists, especially when you have grey hair. However, it is only when they see you ride that their perception changes and so does their attitude.

Indian motor sport suffered a big loss with the passing away of George Francis. I had known George since my racing days when he got into race photography. He used to be present at all the race meetings in Chennai and I remember having fun with him while he was shooting. Whatever few action shots I have of myself are thanks to George. Thank you,
George. May your soul rest in peace.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Triple Crown for Rookie Twain

AFTER A LULL OF THREE MONTHS, THE WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP (WSBK) kicked off in Philip Island, Australia, and the MotoGP season kicked off in Qatar. History of sorts was created by Alvaro Bautista and the all-new Ducati Panigale V4 R. It was a race for the V4 Panigale. It was rookie bike and rider that claimed the triple crown of the super pole, race one, and race two. Bautista is a rookie in WSBK but has come from MotoGP and this just proves that the standard of MotoGP is much higher than that of WSBK. I wish one of the sport channels starts broadcasting the WSBK races live.

For the first time, we saw the Japanese rider, Kaito Toba, win a Moto3 race. In fact, Kaito is a product of the Asia Talent Hunt Racing series which is open to all riders from Asia. We do not have a single rider from India in this series which is a stepping stone to Moto3 world championship.

In Moto2, Lorenzo Baldasari won from Thomas Luthi who made a successful return to Moto2 after struggling last year in MotoGP. It was business as usual with the main protagonist, Andrea Dovizioso, and Marc Marquez finishing first and second and Cal Crutchlow making a brilliant comeback from injury to claim the last spot on the podium.

This month we have quite a few first rides, comprising the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, the upgraded Bajaj Dominar, Benelli TRK502, Yamaha MT15, and the updated Yamaha R15 ABS.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Room for Improvement

AT THE VERY OUTSET I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ARAVIND KP FOR FINISHING THE Dakar Rally. The issue of Indian riders not being able to compete with their international counterparts and fighting for podium positions in any form of motorcycle racing, be it motocross or racing on the tarmac, still remains. In this issue we have done an interview with Aravind KP in which he mentioned that this time he was riding between 65 and 75 per cent of his riding capability and that this helped him in not crashing during the raid. Because our boys lack the out and out speed of the international riders, they have to ride at 100 per cent, or even beyond that, just to keep up with a top-class rider.

The solution to this is to start racing at the age of four or five years and racing with better
riders. It should not matter to you that you are not winning races; your aim should be to
become a faster and better rider and then success will automatically follow. For me, finishing
the IOM TT race was more satisfying than winning all the races I have won put together.

Last month we gave away the Bike India Awards. We had 34 two-wheelers vying for those. As many as 13 sub-200-cc motorcycles were launched during 2018 and there were 19 premium motorcycles contending for the Two-wheeler of the Year Award. After facing competition from the best in the world, the Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor was crowned the Two-wheeler of the Year. The Royal Enfield team, led by Siddhartha Lal, deserves all the accolades, for they have created a fantastic motorcycle. It is not that they made an excellent motorcycle and priced it out of the reach of the enthusiasts; their pricing is the real icing on the cake.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Industry Facing a Tough Time

The Indian economy is going through a to ugh time and especially the farming sector is facing a crisis. Naturally, this is taking a toll on the sale of two-wheelers, with most of the big manufacturers showing a de-growth or flat growth for the first time in many years.

The Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) award ceremony was held last month and the new Royal Enfield Interceptor had a landslide victory. The Royal Enfield team, headed by Siddhartha Lal, has done a fantastic job with the 650 twins and they deserve all the success. No doubt the twins are fantastic motorcycles, but the icing on the cake is the price; Royal Enfield are not ripping off their customers like others when they add a cylinder and double the price.

Finally, after many years the Pune police are enforcing the mandatory helmet rule for twowheeler riders. Resistance to this is coming from many quarters. Starting with the ordinary citizens, politicians and doctors have opposed the helmet law; some of them saying that you don’t need helmets within city limits since the roads are congested and the speed is low. Incidentally, there is a case in point. I was waiting at a traffic signal and an elderly couple on a two-wheeler were nudged from behind by a three-wheeler. The rider lost control which resulted in the old lady falling backwards as she was sitting side-saddle. Her head suffered a knock on the road and she lost consciousness. She had to be rushed to a hospital. She could have walked away only if she were wearing a helmet. All this happened at less than 10 km/h. Thus, it does not matter at what speed you are riding; wearing a helmet is a must. Wearing a helmet does impede your vision somewhat, that is why you should use rear-view mirrors
while riding your two-wheeler.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Additional Financial Burden

Two -wheeler sales have been heading southwards for a couple of reasons, the first one being the cost of fuel and the second the cost of the mandatory five-year insurance for new bikes. This has added another Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 to the cost of the entrylevel 100/110-cc motorcycles and scooters. Needless to say, this is a considerable increase when someone is scraping the bottom of the barrel to buy his or her basic mode of transport.

Retro motorcycles are the flavour of the month. After the Royal Enfield 650 twins, Classic Legends have now launched the Jawa 300-cc motorcycle. The big difference between the two is that the Royal Enfield 650 is a modern retro design while Classic Legends have replicated the 1960s’ Jawa. It is a gamble they have taken and only time will tell whether they succeed with its styling. The second problem for Jawa is that Royal Enfield have set a new benchmark with the 650 twins in terms of performance, all-round rideability, and build quality. To better this, Jawa have their work cut out; they will have to produce a phenomenal motorcycle. In this issue you may read the first-ride impression of the Jawa bikes.

The police want to enforce the helmet rule for two-wheeler riders from 1 January 2019 and people and politicians have already started raising objections to it.

I would like to wish all our readers a happy New Year and please wear a helmet while riding. Please don’t drink and ride. Obey all traffic rules, because you don’t only put your own life at risk, but also those of other road-users by not doing so. Think of the loved ones waiting for you at home.

Wish you all a happy New Year once again and safe riding.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Double Delight

LAST MONTH I RODE THE ROYAL ENFIELD 650 TWINS IN THE US AND WE WERE REALLY impressed by the two motorcycles. At that time I speculated that the Conti GT would be priced around the Rs 3 lakh mark and the Interceptor around Rs 2.75 lakh. However, Siddhartha Lal blew us all into the Arabian Sea in Goa at the launch with the announcement of the prices: Rs 2.50 lakh for the Interceptor and Rs 2.65 lakh for the Continental GT. In fact, Siddhartha reminded me about a discussion we had had at their technical centre in the UK last year about how manufacturers tend to double the price of a motorcycle when they add a cylinder to the engine, say, from a single to a twin-cylinder. The single-cylinder 535 Conti GT was priced at Rs 2,10,000 and now Royal Enfield have not doubled the price, but just charged the cost of adding another cylinder. With this pricing Royal Enfield are sure to shake up the motorcycle market and, in the process, have also shown how manufacturers have been taking the customer for a ride.

Mahindra’s Classic Legends have brought the Czech brand, Jawa, back to life by launching the Jawa 300-cc, the “Jawa forty two”, and concept Perak with Bobber styling.

Last month Hero MotoCorp showed four versions of the X Pulse at the biggest motorcycle show in the world, EICMA (the Milan Motorcycle Show). The four variants looked very impressive. After parting ways with Honda, Hero have gone from strength to strength. Taking on the best global players head-on is no mean feat. Hats off to Pawanji for achieving monthly sales of 7,50,000 motorcycles. A great job, sir!

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Worth the Wait
IT HAS BEEN NEARLY ONE YEAR SINCE ROYAL ENFIELD UNVEILED THE INTERCEPTOR 650 AND the Continental GT 650 at the Milan Motor Show and, finally, last month I got an opportunity to ride both the bikes in Santa Cruz, California. I was wondering why I had travelled half way round the world to ride motorcycles manufactured in Chennai, India. I got my answer after the ride; because these were among the best roads I had ridden on and probably the best in the world.

The reason for the delay was that Royal Enfield did not want to take a chance with these bikes, being intent on ironing out all possible issues before the actual launch of the two twins. I was really impressed by these two motorcycles that Royal Enfield have come up with. The second surprise for me was the riding capability of Siddhartha Lal. A number of CEOs and MDs say that they can ride a motorcycle, but Siddhartha can genuinely ride well. We were riding hard and he kept up with us. His passion for riding also shows in the products he has launched. This time Royal Enfield have really nailed it.

The cost of fuel is on a northward trend on a daily basis and, needless to say, this hurts the ordinary man, especially the lower middle class who rely mainly on two-wheelers. The government knows that one needs to buy fuel for one’s daily commuting; it is a necessity and not a luxury. This rising fuel cost will also have an adverse impact on the sale of new motorcycles and scooters. They claim that it costs more to build new roads than the road tax paid by the citizenry, which, by the way, is among the highest in the world. Furthermore, if the road happens to be half
decent, one has to pay toll for that “luxury”.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor