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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

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Preventable Loss of Life

Deadly pot holes too k their to ll on yet anot her family on the recent Rakshabandhan Day. Having celebrated the festival with their cousins, this family of four were returning home on their two-wheeler at night when they hit a pothole, lost control, and fell off the bike. The children were run over by a truck and died on the spot while the parents suffered serious injury.

No doubt bad road conditions in the country are to blame for many of the accidents, but, at the same time, why were four people travelling on a two-wheeler which is meant for two persons only? It is high time the police enforced the law and prohibited more than two persons on a twowheeler, including small children.

Having seen a family of four riding on a two-wheeler, Ratan Tata decided to give Indians an affordable car: the Nano. However, lack of enforcement of traffic rules made sure that the Nano did not become a success. Had the traffic rules been enforced effectively, not permitting more than two persons on a two-wheeler, the Nano would have been a great success and a number of lives could have been saved.

Similarly, there should be a stipulation as to the size of the seat of a scooter or motorcycle. At the first ride of a commuter motorcycle, the representative of the concerned company said that they had extended the size of the seat to accommodate more than two persons. That is a wrong signal being sent to the people, indirectly encouraging them to carry more than one pillion rider.

The ISI-certified helmet issue continues to baffle most of us. Some people with vested interests
do not want competition from international brands and, in the process, are depriving the citizens of the country of the right to protect themselves. Incidentally, we have a Rs 350 Rocker helmet bearing the ISI mark. It feels as if it is made of cardboard. I would like to know the ISI safety standard in respect of that helmet!

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Safety at Stake

Moto rcycle riders, especially those who care about their safety, are up in arms against the new helmet rule promulgated by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways which makes the storage and sale of non-ISI helmets illegal. Yes, we do need to put a stop to roadside sale of helmets but not the high-end ones such as Arai, AGV, and other reputed brands. As a matter of fact, I have seen roadside helmets being sold with ISI marks on them. How then does one tell the genuine ISI mark from a fake one?

Speaking personally, I will never wear an Indian-made helmet on a racetrack. I recall a Bell helmet advertisement in the 1970s when they had launched a helmet priced at £350 (Rs 31,500). Compared to that, the rest of the helmets then available in the market were priced between £100 and £150 (Rs 9,000-12,500). “Isn’t your head worth the extra money?” the advert asked.

The Indian helmet manufacturers’ lobby may want this rule but let us be honest to ourselves: are the local manufacturers capable of making helmets that will meet international standards? The answer is a big NO. You cannot stop the sale of good-quality helmets that surpass the ISI standards.

Next month I am going to ride the most awaited 650 twins from Royal Enfield in California, USA . If Royal Enfield get the bike right, it will mean a major success for them. The 650-cc twin is just about the right combination motorcycle for Indian conditions; it won’t be very heavy and bulky and, at the same time, it will have enough performance with good manoeuvrability. My very first motorcycle was the Triumph Bonneville 650-cc twin, producing 47 PS , and it was just perfect for India. I do hope Royal Enfield get this one right.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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A Bold Step Justified
THIS MONTH BIKE INDIA COMPLETES 13 YEARS OF PUBLICATION. AT THE TIME OF THE magazine’s inception in 2005, the senior management had the easy option of adopting the proven formula of starting another automotive magazine, just like all the other magazines being published in the country at that time. However, it was a bold step on the part of Next Gen Publishing to launch a dedicated two-wheeler magazine. Today we stand vindicated, for Bike India has grown from strength to strength thanks to the unstinting support by you: all our readers and manufacturers.

The most awaited motorcycles to be launched in India — the BMW G 310 R and G 310 GS — were launched on 18 July and the wait was well worth it. We had the opportunity to ride both the bikes; you may read the first ride report in this anniversary issue.

This is the first time I have witnessed an Indian-built motorcycle that is not built to a cost. From the switchgear to the quality of plastics and all the other components, everything is top-class and can be compared with the bikes’ bigger, more premium siblings. For example, the axles are drilled to reduce unsprung weight and there is not a single component on the motorcycle that you can associate with cost-cutting. The only thing that lets the premium feeling down is the backlash sound from the engine at idling.

Once again, I would like to thank the marketing team at Bike India and the entire editorial team, photographers and, last but not least, the designers for their hard work throughout the year to bring out the magazine. A big thank you to all our readers and manufacturers for their support.

Please wear a helmet while riding, obey all the traffic rules, take care, and enjoy your ride!

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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New Safety Measures: Are They Any Good?

The new braking system made mandatory as part of the safety regulations for two-wheelers does not make sense on account of the fact that the mechanical linked braking system has a flaw. The hydraulic linked braking system is fine because it is self-adjusting and the braking pressure to the front wheel and the rear wheel is regulated via a valve. In the mechanical system, on the other hand, it is done with cables and the free play on either side determines the amount of braking pressure to both the wheels — if the cables are not adjusted properly or if one of the brake liners wears out more than the other, then only the front or the rear brake will operate. This makes the system even more dangerous than a standard set-up wherein you know exactly how much braking pressure you are using on the front and rear brakes.

The mandatory ABS (anti-lock braking system) for motorcycles above 150 cc is another sham, because the manufacturers are providing ABS for the front brake only — the rule does not specify that both the wheels must be equipped with ABS . ABS is used mainly in emergency situations and at that time the rider normally applies both the brakes. Under hard braking the weight of the bike is transferred to the front wheel and there is hardly any traction on the rear wheel which tends to lock up — and if either of the wheels locks up, the rider tends to lose control. ABS should be mandatory for both the wheels if the aim is to enhance the rider’s safety.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Put a Stop to This Menace

IT IS WITH A HEAVY HEART THAT I AM WRITING THIS MONTH’S editorial and that is because of a tragedy that occurred of late, one that I always fear about: people driving down the wrong way on our highways. Last month a truck driving down the wrong way hit Darshan Rajpara, a dear friend of mine and Bike India, a keen biker, and a member of the core team of 70 EMG and India Bike Week.

What is the point of being the largest two-wheeler market in the world if our roads are such death-traps? It is high time drastic steps were taken by the authorities to enforce the law. In the aforesaid unfortunate case, the truck driver drove away scot-free after taking an innocent man’s life. Indeed, offenders like this should be tried for manslaughter and every time anyone is caught driving down the wrong way, s/he should not only be fined, but put behind bars because, at the end of the day, it could be a case of attempted murder.

Last year alone our country witnessed 1,48,000 deaths in highway accidents, and these were only the ones that were reported. As a country of a billion people, we do not seem to attach much importance to life, so much so that we are willing to put someone’s life to risk just to save ourselves a one-kilometre detour.

The only thing we seem to get from our politicians is lip-service; all that they are interested in is getting elected and coming to power. When efforts are made privately to curb issues like this, it is our government bodies that have them removed. For instance, one of the housing societies had put one-way spike speed-breakers, similar to those in American parking lots, but the Pune police had them removed.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Bleak Scenario

THE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN GENERAL IN THE COUNTRY seem to have failed to keep up with the growth in the number of new vehicles coming on to the roads every day. A recent survey conducted in the city of Pune showed that the number of automobiles was more than the population of the city. This is due to the lack of proper public transport. The bus rapid transport (BRT) lanes are not being used properly and the ones that are being used seem to be occupied by municipal transport buses that have broken down. These buses are in such a poor condition that one would hesitate to step into them.

The MotoGP fiasco in Argentina has kicked up quite a stir in the motorcycling world. None of this would have happened if the officials had done their job and black-flagged Marc Marquez for riding in the wrong direction on the racetrack. However, nobody showed the courage to do so because Marquez is running the MotoGP championship like Michael Schumacher was running F1 when he was with Ferrari. His lame excuse was that he did not know what the marshal was saying. If one has been racing motorcycles for the past 10 years and one still does not know a simple rule that one cannot ride in the wrong direction on the racetrack, then one should not race motorcycles at all.

Marquez needs to be suspended for a minimum of six months and a rule has to be brought in that every time a rider bumps someone, he should be docked with championship points. Something has to be done before someone gets seriously hurt or killed. It is not funny when somebody comes and hits you at 300 km/h.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Development and Improvement

THE INDIAN TWO-WHEELER MANUFACTURERS IN THE PAST DID not have an R&D department or, if they had one, it was more like a resting and dreaming department. Most of them thought that they did not need one as it amounted to a waste of money or they were not allowed to have one by their partners. The two local manufacturers that have a good R&D facility are Bajaj and TVS, and now Hero MotoCorp have set up a massive R&D centre on the outskirts of Jaipur in Rajasthan.

In this modern age just having a good R&D department is not enough; taking part in motor sport is also very important for the product. Besides, this gives the R&D engineers exposure to improve their capability. Motor sport also helps the R&D with riders who can push the bikes to their limits and give a feedback to the engineers as to what changes are required to further improve those bikes.

If a manufacturer wants to make adventure sport bikes, then they need to take part in rallying and motocross events. If, on the other hand, they decide to focus on street and sport motorcycles, then they need to compete in road racing (circuit racing). Today TVS have a big advantage over the rest of the manufacturers because they have been taking part in racing for the past 35 years and it gets reflected in their products such as the Apache RTR160, 200 and the RR 310.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Ducal Supremacy

THE LAST MONTH WAS VERY HECTIC FOR ALL OF US AT BIKE INDIA with the Auto Expo and the Bike India Awards being held in quick succession. A number of motorcycle manufacturers seemed to have decided to give the Auto Expo a miss, two of the biggest of them being Bajaj Auto and Royal Enfield.

Although quite a few motorcycles and scooters were unveiled at this year’s event, very few of them were actually launched. The press conferences scheduled back to back make it more or less impossible to attend most of them and even if you make it to the press conference, it proves pointless, for all that you get to see are the backs of the photographers. No wonder a number of manufacturers are having second thoughts about whether it is worth their while to be present at the Auto Expo.

This year there were many strong contenders for the Bike India Two-wheeler of the Year Award. Most of the 22 contenders were premium bikes from Triumph, Ducati, Suzuki, Avantura Choppers, Honda, and the latest entrant, BMW Motorrad. Since affordability is very important for the Indian market, the KTM 390 Duke walked away with the Two-wheeler of the Year Award.

Last month I rode the first production V4 Ducati motorcycle at the Valencia circuit in Spain. I have ridden most of the litre-class superbikes on racetracks and they all feel like 1,000-cc superbikes, but the Panigale V4 has set a new benchmark in the segment.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Truly a Sight to Behold

LAST MONTH I WAS IN LIMA, PERU, FOR THE DAKAR RALLY. This was my first visit to South America and the perception I had about South America being a backward Third World country ruled by drug barons and goons turned out to be totally wrong. In fact, I was in for a pleasant surprise. The roads over there are far better than what we have over here and the most important thing is that people obey traffic rules.

The first motorcycle I saw at two o’clock in the morning was a Bajaj Pulsar 135. Bajaj is the most popular brand of motorcycles in Peru. They also have Bajaj auto-rickshaws with fibreglass body and doors. Our guide said that law and order in South America had improved over the last 10 to 15 years.

Two Indian manufacturers, TVS and Hero MotoCorp, are taking part in Dakar, the toughest motorcycle rally in the world. I spoke to Aravind KP and CS Santosh after the first special stage and both of them looked confident and in excellent physical shape. The bikes, at the speeds they were getting up to on the flat parts of the desert, were a sight to behold as they raced across the desert. Riding a motorcycle off road for anything between 300 and 500 kilometres a day requires a lot of fitness and both the India boys looked extremely fit..

Aspi Bhathena
Editor