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New CEO astride Royal Enfield

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Dr. Venki Padmanabhan takes the riding seat as R. L Ravichandran moves on to the Eicher Board

Royal Enfield Motors, manufacturer of the iconic Bullet motorcycle has announced the appointment of Dr. Venki Padmanabhan as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. The motorcycle maker has in the recent years strengthened their brand image in India and internationally by their witty commercials and bike rides. Dr. Padmanabhan will have the task of taking this to the next step.

Dr. Padmanabhan first joined Royal Enfield two years ago, acting as COO under marketing wizard CEO R.L. Ravichandran. During that time, the company posted a 21-percent growth in sales volume, 54-percent growth in sales turnover and a return to two digit profitability. Prior to joining Royal Enfield, Dr. Padmanabhan, a citizen of the United States and an Overseas Citizen of India, was Managing Director of Chrysler’s South East Asia Global Sourcing Office based in Chennai, India and responsible for $1 billion worth of material sourced to its parent manufacturing units in the United States.

Words: Sarmad Kadiri

Royal Enfield headed westwards

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The Chennai based company is all set to enter the Brazilian market

Royal Enfield, the classic Indian motorcycle manufacturer has a strong desire to enter the Latin American market and wishes to begin this venture with Brazil. The company is apparently in talks with various contract manufacturers in Brazil. RE is looking for a contract manufacturer as the company doesn’t want to raise the stakes too high and enter an unknown market all by themselves. The Brazilian two-wheeler market is approximately 6-7million units a year and it would benefit RE if they enter this market. This venture will also help them to create a bigger footprint the world of two-wheelers. However, the company has not released any information confirming these plans. But we expect RE to do it shortly.

Words: Ravi Chandnani

The Doctor returns

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Rossi hopes to be fully fit before the Malaysian official test

Seventy-three days after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder, The Doctor returned to the track at Misano Adriatico aboard a Ducati 1198 Superbike. The purpose of the test was to ascertain the status of his shoulder which, though recovering nicely, is still quite painful, just a few days ahead of the first test in Malaysia with the Desmosedici GP11.

“First of all, thanks to Filippo (Preziosi) and to Ducati, who organized this test,” said Valentino Rossi. “Misano Circuit let us use the track on a day when Mattia (Pasini) was planning to ride in order to confirm his own condition. The track more or less confirmed what we expected: the shoulder is painful—especially under braking, when the front area hurts, where they stitched the tendon. Movement is stable enough, and we’re also doing not so bad with endurance, but apart from that, it hurts a lot and isn’t very strong. Let’s hope it gets a little better in these next few days before the test in Malaysia. Once we’re there, we’ll work with the riding position in an effort to make the most of the situation and collect important information with the Desmosedici, even though I’m not in top form. Today I did a total of 25 laps on the 1198 Superbike, which is sort of a ‘historic’ motorcycle for Ducati: beautiful and fast. I liked it!”

 

Here’s wishing Rossi all the best for the upcoming MotoGP season.

The Doctor returns

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Rossi hopes to be fully fit before the Malaysian official test

Seventy-three days after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder, The Doctor returned to the track at Misano Adriatico aboard a Ducati 1198 Superbike. The purpose of the test was to ascertain the status of his shoulder which, though recovering nicely, is still quite painful, just a few days ahead of the first test in Malaysia with the Desmosedici GP11.

“First of all, thanks to Filippo (Preziosi) and to Ducati, who organized this test,” said Valentino Rossi. “Misano Circuit let us use the track on a day when Mattia (Pasini) was planning to ride in order to confirm his own condition. The track more or less confirmed what we expected: the shoulder is painful—especially under braking, when the front area hurts, where they stitched the tendon. Movement is stable enough, and we’re also doing not so bad with endurance, but apart from that, it hurts a lot and isn’t very strong. Let’s hope it gets a little better in these next few days before the test in Malaysia. Once we’re there, we’ll work with the riding position in an effort to make the most of the situation and collect important information with the Desmosedici, even though I’m not in top form. Today I did a total of 25 laps on the 1198 Superbike, which is sort of a ‘historic’ motorcycle for Ducati: beautiful and fast. I liked it!”

 

Here’s wishing Rossi all the best for the upcoming MotoGP season.

Royal Enfield aiming high

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A twin-cylinder engine bike on the anvil

 

 

Come 2013 and we might be able to see a twin-cylinder machine bearing the Royal Enfield marque. Though it may sound difficult to believe, the Chennai-based motorcycle company is said to be working on such a bike. The big bike is apparently in the concept phase and the company hopes to finish it by 2013. Along with the twin-cylinder engine bike the company will also roll out a new avatar of the Thunderbird and a new range of bikes with café racer-inspired styling. It seems that Royal Enfield are viewing Harley-Davidson as a threat now and are gearing up to compete with the American legend.

Words: Ravi Chandnani

Royal ride for charity

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Prince William planning a motorcycle ride in India

 

They won’t have been married long, but Prince William, the elder son of the Prince of Wales and the late Princess Diana, will be getting away from his new bride sooner than expected as he plans a royal bike ride round India. 

According to our international correspondents, Prince William is planning another charity motorcycle trip after the success of his last 1,500-kilometre trip around Africa in 2008. As of now we do not have information about the route or the bike the Prince would be riding. This trip will be organised in association with Swinton Bike Insurance of the UK and the company says that the prince has more to prepare for than just for his wedding, as a trip of this magnitude requires a lot of hard work.

Words: Sarmad Kadiri

Car India and Bike India Awards 2011 on TV

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We are coming on your TV

Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your remotes. The recently concluded Car India and Bike India Awards 2010 will be telecast on ZEE Business channel on January 26th (Wednesday) 2011 from 2000 hrs. – 2100 hrs. You can also catch the repeat telecast on January 30th (Sunday) 2011 from 2000 hrs. – 2100 hrs. on the same channel. Catch us in action as some of the greatest movers and shakers of the automotive industry come together and decide the most deserving automobiles of the last one year.

Aprilia RSV4 Superbike unveiled in India

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Piaggio showcases the spectacular line up of its global two wheelers

 

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., the Indian subsidiary of Piaggio & C s.p.a. of Italy, today unveiled the superbike Aprilia RSV4 Factory at the Mumbai International Motor Show along with the original, iconic scooter Vespa LX 125. Aprilia has been a part of the Piaggio Group since 2004 and the Aprilia RSV4 Factory is the flagship from the Aprilia stable. Its super compact 180 HP, 999.6 cc, 65° V-four cylinder engine is designed for maximum power and uses ride-by-wire multimap technology and a sophisticated electronic injection system with 2 injectors and adjustable height ducts for superior performance. All four variants of the RSV4 will be on sale here, and prices will start from Rs. 13 lakh for the base version, going upto 18 lakh for the fully-loaded models. Piaggio also showcased the Vespa LX 125 at MIMS to give buyers a foretaste of what to expect when the iconic Vespa brand hits Indian roads next year.

Speaking at the ocassion, Mr. Ravi Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director of Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. Stated, “Piaggio India is proud to unveil the superbike Aprilia RSV4 in India. This bike is a living example of the technological superiority that Piaggio offers to consumers across the globe. We are in the process of bringing our global line-up of highly successful superbikes to India. We believe that today’s young and mobile Indian has a strong appetite for powerful bikes, and we see immense potential for Aprilia in India. This bike has set world racing tracks ablaze with it sheer power and technology and it will hit Indian roads soon. We are also looking forward to the launch of the iconic Vespa in the country soon. The Vespa LX 125 is much more than a scooter – it’s the original, timeless 2-wheeler that has become a “way of life” in market after market around the world”.

 

SlingShot goes ‘Plus’

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Suzuki adds a visor to the bike to improve its looks

As you know, Suzuki SlingShot has won the Bike India Award 2011 for the ‘Bike of the year – up to 125cc’. Now Suzuki India is giving its two-wheeler buyers a small treat by launching a new variant of the bike called the SlingShot Plus. Wondering what pluses you’d get in the new variant? Well, the list is rather tiny, as the new variant sports a visor which covers the instrument console, right above the headlight. According to Suzuki this increases the style quotient. The ‘Plus’ variant will be available in three trims — drum brake and alloy with kick start for Rs 50,350, with self start at Rs 52,518, and the top of the line with front disc brake, alloy and self start for Rs 54136 (OTR Pune), which is about a thousand rupees more than the basic SlingShot.

Words: Sarmad Kadiri

BIKE India Awards 2011

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The curtain-raiser to the country’s biggest two-wheeler awards, Subros BIKE India awards 2011

 

As the wheel of time spins around, Indian two-wheeler industry is witnessing what can aptly be referred to as its “Golden Era”, with the international players pitching their camps in the country and launches as big and better like never before. And if there were launches, there ought to be the best ones and if there are the best ones, they deserve to be awarded too. So, that’s exactly what we did in the Subros Bike India Awards 2011. So, here’s a sneak peek into the winners of various categories:

  1. BOTY (Bike Of The Year) upto 110-cc: Honda CB Twister

  2. BOTY upto 125-cc: Suzuki SlingShot

  3. BOTY upto 150-cc: Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS

  4. BOTY upto 200-cc: Yamaha SZ-R

  5. Scooter of the year: TVS Wego

  6. Import two-wheeler of the year: Suzuki Bandit

  7. Manufacturer of the year: Hero Honda

  8. Brand Ambassador of the year: John Abraham

  9. Reader’s choice BOTY: Harley Davidson 883 Sportster

  10. Bike of the year: Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS    

    The Pulsar 135LS is a clear example of how aggressive Bajaj is getting towards offering the best to its customers. The company has genuinely managed to make a motorcycle that has good, up-to-date technologies,good performance, good handling, good styling and good efficiency. All this from a 135cc motorcycle that is not a derivative of an existing motorcycle comes to us as a welcome surprise.

    Words: Gasha Aeri                     

                                                                                        

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BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
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