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Looking Forward to a Bright Future

The year gone by started with a lot of uncertainties because of the pandemic but things settled down as the year progressed. Now, as we usher in the New Year, the pandemic seems to be coming back with a vengeance. A large number of cases have been reported in China and infections in the US are also on the rise.

Owing to the nature my job at Car India and Bike India I travel and drive/ride more or less across the globe. That gives me an opportunity to compare our traffic situation with that in the other countries. Last month I was on a holiday in Africa. I visited Rwanda and Uganda, two very backward and poor countries compared to India. What surprised me the most, however, was how the traffic is regulated and the way everyone obeys traffic rules in those countries. There was no road rage or aggression on the streets. Nobody cut lanes or honked. There was no screaming or shouting; everything was peaceful. Why have we become so aggressive and intolerant? The roads in Rwanda and Uganda were single-lane highways but the quality of the surface was amazing and even the speed-breakers were well designed and of a uniform length and height; not like what we have here where each one is different in height and length.

The two-wheeler market in Rwanda is dominated by the TVS Victor and in Uganda by the Bajaj Boxer. You see only these two brands on the road. Their dominance is such that if you see 100 motorcycles, 99 of them will be Bajaj and TVS, barring an odd Chinese two-wheeler or a Honda or a Yamaha.

I would like to thank all our readers and wish them a happy New Year. Enjoy your ride but always wear your helmet and ride safely.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Looking Forward to a Bright Future

The year 2022 has literally flown by and I am already writing the editorial for the month of December. We started the year with a lot of uncertainty because COVID-19 was threatening to make a comeback of sorts. Today, however, there is greater clarity as the pandemic is behind us and now we may look forward to planning for the future.

It has been a wait of 15 long years for Ducati to win the MotoGP world championship after Casey Stoner who won the crown for them in 2007. This year Francesco Bagnaia won the MotoGP crown and Ducati the manufacturers’ championship. To add to their success in MotoGP, Ducati also won the World Superbike Championship thanks to Alvaro Bautista. Incidentally, that makes Ducati one of the few manufacturers to win both the MotoGP and the World Superbike crowns in the same year.

It is great to see Indian manufacturers getting into motor sport. At one time, it was only TVS who were supporting motor sport and now they have taken their involvement to another level by upgrading the RR310 race series to Asian-level championship. The racing experience has helped TVS make better road bikes and, seeing this, other Indian manufacturers are getting into motor sport.

Hero MotoCorp started at the top by entering the Dakar Rally and now they have begun organising events in the country.

The latest entrant into motor sport is Royal Enfield. They started with a land speed event at the Bonneville Salt Flats and moved on to flat track racing in the United States. Last year was the first time we had the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup in India and it was a great success. Now Royal Enfield want to take the game to the next level with the flat track slide school and track schools for the GT Cup.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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None Too Heartening

With high inflation and the economy still struggling to get back to normal after the pandemic, two-wheeler sales are yet to regain the pre-pandemic levels. Although scooter sales have bounced back to some extent following the resumption of work-a-day life, motorcycle sales continue to be lacklustre on account of lack of demand from the rural areas. The high cost of fuel is yet another factor responsible for low sales, because expensive fuel does hurt the ordinary citizen the most.

The traffic situation is going from bad to worse and the police are happy turning a blind eye to offenders going down the wrong way. Three astride a bike seems to have become the norm nowadays. It is unfortunate that the police look for a soft target. For example, if you happen to be riding a two-wheeler registered in another state, they will stop you even if you have not committed a traffic offence, but they will not take action against people carrying little children on the bike or even three astride a two-wheeler going the wrong way.

During the launch of a commuter motorcycle of late, the person doing the presentation said that the model had the longest seat in the commuter segment. When I asked him if he was trying to convey that the bike would accommodate three people, he changed the subject and refused to answer my question. There should be a law whereby the seat is limited in length, so it cannot accommodate more than two persons. Similarly, those who knowingly flout traffic rules by riding down the wrong way should be heavily penalised or even imprisoned. It is because of such miscreants that law-abiding citizens become vulnerable to accidents trying to avoid morons coming down the wrong way.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Of Road Infrastructure and Traffic Discipline

We in India get thrilled when we get a six-lane highway, having been deprived of good roads in the past. What a six-lane highway does is increase the speed of vehicles and that is where the problem starts. First and foremost, a highway should be designed well and not in a haphazard manner wherein, for instance, three lanes merge into two lanes without a warning. Even if three lanes merge into two, there should not be a wall at a right angle across the third lane; it should merge in gradually so that even if a driver or rider is caught unawares, they will not be vulnerable to a head-on collision, at worst a glancing blow.

The road tax we pay is one of the highest in the world and the road infrastructure is pathetic. Furthermore, we have to pay toll for roads that are half decent.

The road transport ministry is trying to make helmets mandatory for pillion riders as well, which is a welcome move. We know that it is very inconvenient to carry an extra helmet, but the pillion rider is at as much risk of getting hurt (or even worse) as the rider.

On the one hand, the ministry of road transport wants to push the use of helmets and, on the other, the government has banned the import of helmets that are superior to the ISI-mark helmets sold here. This is a little perplexing, to say the least.

To make the roads safer we must enforce traffic rules and have a stringent riding/driving test in place. Almost ninety-nine per cent of the people who possess a licence to ride a bike should not be on the road in the first place, for they have no clue about riding a bike nor are they conversant with the basic traffic rules since there is no rider training programme before issuing a licence.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Normality Still Proves Elusive

Life was just about regaining normality after the pandemic when the war between Russia and Ukraine gave rise to a global crisis with energy shortage pushing up the price of fuel and gas. The semiconductor shortage seems to be easing now as manufacturers start increasing production. Two-wheeler sales, however, are yet to regain the pre-pandemic figures and the economy is yet to recover fully. The combined upshot of all these is that all the essential commodities are becoming more and more expensive and this naturally hurts the ordinary citizen, who is a two-wheeler buyer, the most.

This month we have tested a variety of two-wheelers, including two 300-cc scooters by Keeway and two 350-cc Hunters by Royal Enfield. The Keeway scooters come in a retro and moto scooter design. To date Royal Enfield motorcycles were made mostly for laidback cruising and riding, barring the Continental GT and the Himalayan. While the GT is a retro café racer, the Himalayan is an off-road touring bike. Now the company seeks to attract younger riders with the Metro and Retro Hunters.

The authorities in Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon) have increased the fine five-fold for driving/riding on the wrong side of the road, for it is one of the biggest causes of road accidents. As has been discussed in these columns time and again, the traffic situation in our country is moving from bad to worse by the day. People tend to show blatant disregard for traffic rules, whether it is traffic signals or cutting a road-divider to make a right turn or driving/riding down the wrong way. Last month I was driving up from Mumbai and was horrified to see a police SUV being driven down the wrong way between Lonavala and Khandala on the Expressway. If the custodians of the law start braking traffic rules in this manner, what can one expect from ordinary citizens? We look up to the Army for setting standards of discipline, but today one comes across even Army personnel breaking traffic rules. We need to take drastic action now, otherwise the situation will deteriorate into one of free for all.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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A Route Less Travelled

This month Bike India celebrates its 17th anniversary. In 2004, a new publishing house, by the name of Next Gen Publishing, was founded. It was funded by the Shapoorji Pallonji Group and HDFC. When Next Gen decided to start an automobile magazine, it would have been very easy for them to take the tried and trusted route of launching one that covered both cars and two-wheelers. However, the core team decided to take a big risk by launching two separate magazines: Car India and Bike India. To date, Bike India remains the only dedicated bike magazine in the country.

The team at Bike India would like to thank our readers and manufacturers for their support over the past 17 years and look forward to it in the future as well. The magazine has gone from strength to strength. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the unsung heroes of the Bike India team whom you never get to see or hear about: the marketing team, the office staff, and the design team who are not in the limelight and put in a lot of hard work month on month to bring out the magazine.

Last month I rode the new Triumph 660 Tiger and was pleasantly surprised by the bike. It is a mid-size motorcycle that does everything you want. The compact size of this bike makes it easy to handle when you are not on the move and easy to navigate through city traffic and, at the same time, it has enough performance to do long-distance touring. One wonders whether one really needs a 1,000- or 1,200-cc adventure sport bike to do long-distance touring.

Once again, I would like to thank our readers and manufacturers for their support. Please wear your helmets and be considerate to others on the road and ride with care.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Need to Get Priorities Straight

Since 2020 life has become very unpredictable as one does not know what is round the corner a couple of weeks down the line; whether we will get another wave of COVID, or if Putin goes to war. Due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, the fuel prices have gone beyond the Rs 100 mark and this has hit the common man the most. The two-wheeler owners have to put their hand in their pockets to pay for petrol and this is one of the major reasons why the sales of new two-wheelers has taken a hit.

Last month, we were invited by Bajaj for the opening of their new assembly line of the all-electric Chetak at Akurdi where the original petrol-engine Chetak used to be manufactured. The new assembly line takes up a fraction of the space of the huge building with a lot of space for expansion to increase the capacity as and when needed. The new assembly line is sleek and modern but what impressed me the most was when we were taken for a walk of the new R&D facility. The battery testing facility is placed remotely to keep any fire hazard away from the main R&D building. Though we had limited access to the R&D centre, I must say I was really impressed with the new R&D capability of Bajaj Auto.

The Mumbai Police are making it mandatory for pillion riders to wear a helmet. Yes, it is incontinent to carry a extra helmet but let me say that a pillion rider is just as much or even more vulnerable to getting injured or losing their life in an accident as the rider. Many a time I have seen a rider wearing a helmet and their wife, girlfriend, or friend without one. I stop and ask the rider, “Don’t you care for your partner’s life?” Moreover, three—even four persons—on a bike is a big no.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Rest in Peace, Zal

This month’s editorial is being written in a very sombre mood for we lost one of our former colleagues, Zal Cursetji, in a road accident. We keep talking about the pathetic traffic situation in our country, but it is not until it affects one of our own that it hits us hard.

It was in the wee hours of a Saturday that Zal was returning home after dropping off a friend when tragedy struck. A car took a turn from the opposite side without indicating and hit Zal head-on. The impact was on the left side of the car and the accident occurred in the middle of the square. The car driver did not use the turn-indicator nor did they give Zal the right of way.

Road safety is a big concern today and the root cause of the problem is lack of proper riding and driving schools. The driving and riding test is a joke; most people who obtain a licence to ride or drive do not have a clue about driving a car or riding a two-wheeler. It is high time we devised a stringent driving/riding test so as to preclude those morons on the road who are a hazard to others and themselves.

Drunk driving is another issue which needs to be addressed with a proper breath-analyser test and not, as is the current practice, with a policeman poking his nose into the rider’s/driver’s face, trying to make out whether they are sozzled.

This editorial is dedicated to dear Zal. We have lost you, but we will keep fighting to make our roads safer. Let us hope we can make a difference and try to educate people about road safety.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Disheartening Scenario

One calamity after another keeps disrupting the automobile industry. We were just about recovering from the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic after two years when Russia waged a war on Ukraine and now China has been locked down due to the pandemic. This has disrupted the auto components supply chain, causing delay in production and increasing the waiting period for buyers.

The lockdown in China will have an adverse impact on electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers also, because most of the electric two-wheeler components are supplied by that country.

Last month I happened to visit the Dainese store in Bengaluru. It was a sad sight that no AGV helmets were on display owing to the ban on the import and sale of foreign-made helmets. In our opinion, it is the most ridiculous ban. It is understandable if the intention of the authorities is to protect the local manufacturers against cheap imports from China, but it is ludicrous to ban the import of all helmets. It is dangerous, too, because the ban practically denies individuals the right to protect themselves as they see fit while riding a two-wheeler.

On the one hand we want to promote motor sport in India, but, on the other, a rider cannot buy a helmet to take part in a race because Indian-made helmets do not meet the stringent safety standards required for racing. If a helmet meets international safety standards, then its sale should be allowed in India. Some of the helmets made in India are so pathetic that I would not recommend them even to my worst enemy!

Today everybody is talking about the transition from internal-combustion (IC) engine bikes to EV and zero tailpipe emissions, but nobody talks about how much CO2 is generated while making an IC engine bike and how much goes into the making of an EV. Furthermore, let us not forget how much coal is burnt to generate electricity. When you look at the whole picture well, it becomes apparent that an EV is not as “green” as it is touted to be.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Recognition for the Meritorious

The Bike India Awards were presented last month. Even with all the headwinds in the automobile industry, we had a strong field of two-wheelers contending for the coveted Two-wheeler of the Year Award. Incidentally, the premium bikes launched last year outnumbered the entry-level commuter bikes. The Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) Awards were also given away last month.

The adventure sport motorcycle segment is gaining considerable momentum with more and more people opting for these bikes because they are quite easy to ride during their daily commuting as well as for long-distance touring, with good off-roading capabilities thrown in for good measure. In the beginning this segment was limited only to high-end motorcycles until the Royal Enfield Himalayan was introduced at an affordable price. We pitted the Yezdi against the Himalayan to see which one is the better all-round motorcycle.

The economy is just about recovering from the after-effects of COVID-19 and now we are witness to the Ukraine war which is affecting global economy.

The party is over for us Indians because the elections are over. An increase in fuel prices is the daily order now, with petrol costing in excess of Rs 114 per litre.

The safety of electric bikes is becoming a big concern. A father and daughter died due to an electric scooter catching fire during charging. Another case was that of a scooter catching fire in Pune. Everybody seems to be jumping on the EV bandwagon to make a quick buck, endangering people’s life in the process. Without proper testing, these products are made available in the market in a hurry.

There is a lead period of nearly four years for an internal combustion engine bike from the drawing board to the showroom. The EV is a new ballgame altogether, so the manufacturers need to be more careful and undertake rigorous testing to make sure that their two-wheelers are safe before marketing them.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor