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Automotive Hegemony

The world is dependent perforce on China for the supply of the components required for internal combustion engine (ICE) bikes and even more so in the case of electric bikes. The lure of low-cost components from that country has made most manufacturers dependent on China. Now it is high time they stopped looking at maximizing their profits and began looking at other countries to source such components.

What we have been saying about the drawbacks of electric vehicles (EV) and the world’s dependence on China for batteries and other components and how that country will hold the entire global automobile industry to ransom has already come true with them showing unwillingness to supply rare earth magnets. This was our prediction for the future with regard to EV and, sadly, it has come true sooner than expected. I hope the global automobile industry takes a cue from this and reassesses its plans for the future in order not to be dependent on any one country for the supply of raw material and components.

The principal difference between an established two-wheeler manufacturer who ventures into electric two-wheelers and a start-up that has no prior experience in making scooters or motorcycles lies in the overall riding experience such as suspension set-up, ergonomics, and fit and finish. The first aspect that hits one is the ride quality. Most two-wheelers manufactured by start-ups tend to be so stiffly sprung that one feels that one’s kidneys will fall off if one does not wear a motocross kidney belt. To make matters worse, most road surfaces in India now are far worse than what they were 40 to 50 years ago when we used to ride rigid motorcycles without any suspension. They were not unrideable despite being so rigid.

Last month I was in Hyderabad and the surface of the outer ring road there was fantastic. We should consider sending all the road contractors from across the country to take a good look at such roads.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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No Alternative to Strict Discipline

I was in Guwahati, Assam, last month for an event and there were a couple of traffic-related aspects that struck me while I was driving in that beautiful north-eastern city. One was the fact that both the rider and the pillion rider were seen wearing helmets while riding a two-wheeler. The second was the discipline that I witnessed on the road. I saw people follow traffic rules punctiliously: no one violated traffic signals and no one was inclined to drive/ride on the wrong side of the road in case of a traffic jam.

When you speak to people in Pune as to why they do not like wearing a helmet while riding a two-wheeler, the main excuse offered is that the weather is very hot. The second is that the helmet restricts their vision and that it is cumbersome having to lug it around after parking the two-wheeler. Most probably, the excuse of restricted vision stems from the fact that they do not bother to look at their rear-view mirrors. As for the other excuse, there are places like Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Kochi (Kerala) where the climate tends to be much more humid than in Pune but people still wear helmets because the law is implemented rigorously by the traffic police there.

When we were growing up in Pune, riding a bicycle in the night without the light would result in the police stopping us and deflating the tyres. The neat upshot was that we would have to walk back home trundling the bicycle along. The same punishment was meted out if one was caught riding “double seat”. Today, however, three or even four persons astride a two-wheeler go scot-free; the police neither stop them nor fine them. Interestingly, the same traffic police tend to stop you if you happen to ride/drive a vehicle bearing a registration number-plate from some other state of the country.

Touching upon another aspect of discipline, some festivals took place last month and the decibel level of the music blaring out on the loudspeakers there was so high that one could not help being assailed by it even a kilometre away. If one happened to be driving past in a car, the whole vehicle would vibrate on account of the blast. Conversely, if you happen to be riding a slightly loud motorcycle, the police will stop you and fine you even without checking the decibel level.

It is high time all the traffic rules and regulations were enforced both in letter and spirit without exception.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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A Pleasant Surprise

Last month we were invited by Ducati India for the first ride of the new 2025 Panigale V4 to Thailand. The ride was held at the Chang International Circuit that hosted the first round of the 2025 MotoGP season.

On a personal front, I was a little sceptical about riding a superbike on a racetrack after five long years. The last time I rode a superbike on the track was the BMW S 1000 RR at the Buddh International Circuit in 2020. I have been riding the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup race bikes but they weigh more than the Ducati and produce one-fourth the power. To make matters worse, during our drive from the Bangkok airport to the Buriram circuit, other journalists sharing the van were saying how they had just ridden the bike in Spain and Italy on a racetrack and how quickly they were going.

After a short briefing, it was time to hit the track and our lead rider was the Technical Director of DRE Racetrack Academy, Dario Marchetti. There were four Indian journalists and one from the Philippines in our group.

After following Dario for a couple of laps, I was asked to let all the riders through and follow them, but I was surprised to see that they were so slow that I passed all of them and soon found myself riding behind Dario. The irony was that, contrary to expectations, I was the quickest rider in our group. Before the ride, I was worried that I would make a fool of myself by going too slow. All I can say is that even today, at the age of 65 years, I can wobble around a racetrack at a decent pace and not make a fool of myself and I thank Lord God for this. We have a tie-up with Alpinestars for riding gear and this was the first time I wore an Alpinestars race suit, boots, and gloves. The race suit is the best fitting suit I have ever worn and the boots and gloves are very soft and supple.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Refined Offerings

Last month we tested two new bikes by Hero MotoCorp: the liquid-cooled Xpulse and the 250-cc Xtreme. Both these bikes were unveiled at the Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA) in November last year. The first ride was organised in Udaipur, Rajasthan, and I got an opportunity to swing a leg over both the bikes for a short ride.

The Xpulse is an all-new bike as compared to the air-cooled four-valve one. It has an all-new chassis with linked rear monoshock suspension and a thicker front fork. Its 210-cc liquid-cooled engine comes from the Karizma XMR. This engine delivers very good power and torque through the rev-range and is a refined unit: no engine clatter and hardly any vibrations. The chassis is well sorted and the bike handles really well on and off the road. In fact, the handling is so good that it makes the 210-cc engine feel inadequate.

The Xtreme 250 is also an all-new bike wherein the 210-cc engine has a longer stroke to increase the capacity. This bike also offers very good handling and its suspension has been set up on the firm side, which is needed for good handling. The 250-cc liquid-cooled engine delivers good power and torque with excellent refinement. It would have been great if they had put this engine in the Xpulse as well.

It looks like MotoGP is being run as Formula 1 was during the Michael Schumacher era when Michael was running F1. What Marc Márquez did before the start of the US MotoGP was nothing short of shocking and no action was taken against him. At the very least, the riders who went into the pits should have been made to start from the pit-lane and those who had taken a big risk by venturing out on slicks should have been allowed to start from the starting grid.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor