Bike India Team

Cycle Rally for a Noble Cause

May 17, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Cyclists pedaled 2300 km to spread the message of ‘Save the girl Child’ with the support of Firefox Bikes

After pedaling 2300 km International Cyclist Shri Datta Patil and Sudhir Patil from the International Cycle Academy who embarked on a cycle rally from Sangli to Panipat from 22nd April2012, reached New Delhi on their way campaigning against Female Foeticide.

As a part of this noble cause, 15 boys and 15 girls had pedaled a distance of 2500 km. covering a total of 18 cities. The aim of the rally was to spread the message against female foeticide. The children covered various cities like Pune, Gwalior and Agra before reaching the Capital city from there they started their culmination journey to Panipat as an endeavor to spread this strong message to the remotest of corner of India.

Touching Delhi these children were welcomed by Mr. Shiv Inder Singh, MD, Firefox Bikes Pvt. Ltd, stating that Firefox was honored to be associated with the noble cause. Firefox encouraged the children and cyclists by providing them with monetary support as well as technical support at all Firefox bike stations across the country.

They Sure Look Sharper Now

May 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

As the TVS Apache series gets a facelift, we ride the RTR 180 to see if there are any surprises under the skin

The TVS Apache series has been quite popular in the sub-250-cc performance motorcycle segment. The last time the Apache received a notable design upgrade was in 2009 and three years is long time in the Indian motorcycle market.

The company, therefore, went back to the drawing board and tweaked the Apache’s design to come out with a sharper looking motorcycle. The new design has been adopted by the entire Apache range, which includes the RTR 160, RTR 180 and the RTR 180 ABS.

To start with, the RTR has a new head cowl that gives the bike an aggressive look. It also gets all-time running LED pilot lamps that were the highlight of their teaser campaign and they look stunning. The other most prominent change is the elongation of the tank shrouds. The tank shrouds are just pieces of plastic clinging on to the tank shell and are supposed to give the bike a sporty look as we know it, but, according to TVS, they also improve performance and aerodynamics, which helps in reducing engine heat! Looking at the design, we were baffled: why this otherwise proportionate bike has these sabre teeth when the ones on the earlier model were so much better. Other than those, however, the chiselled, sharper lines of the bodywork, with carbon-fibre finished plastic inserts in a few places look good. The bike also gets new switches that are very ergonomic, decals hailing from the Hyper Edge variant, all metal rear foot-pegs and a better looking seat cover.

Under the new body, however, there are hardly any changes. The RTR 160 is powered by the same 159.7-cc, four-stroke engine producing 15.4 PS of power and 13.1 Nm of torque while the RTR 180’s 177.4-cc engine churns out 17.3 PS of power and 15.5 Nm of torque.

The bike is still plagued by high-frequency vibrations from the seat, handlebar and foot-pegs and, owing to its stiffer suspension, it does not offer a very comfortable ride. However, handling still remains a strong point in case of the Apache.

The colours available in the new series include dual-tone colours for the RTR 160 (green, red, yellow or grey with black base) and single-tone (yellow, grey, white or black) for the RTR 180 while the RTR 180 ABS comes in either white or black. The prices of the 2012 series Apache are Rs 75,493 for the RTR 160, Rs 82,554 for the RTR 180 and Rs 94,447 for the RTR 180 ABS.

The 2012 series Apache hasn’t met the expectations of upgrades in performance, but the new look has given the heave-ho to the dated looking design and will help the bikes hold their own in this heavily fought segment.

Photography: Sanjay Raikar

Harley-Davidson rolls into eastern India

May 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

The eight dealership of India, Bengal Harley-Davidson, is now officially open

A spanking new showroom at Rajarhat, en-route to Kolkata’s international airport, is the new pilgrim spot for Harley-Davidson aficionados of eastern India. Christened as Bengal Harley-Davidson, the inauguration saw Harley-Davidson owners from the region converging at the showroom. Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India, Anoop Prakash along with bike owners rode through the ‘City of Joy’ to make the presence felt. This strategic location of the showroom should open the floodgate for the thirsty bike enthusiasts also from the North East.

The Milwaukee based company already has dealerships in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Hyderabad.

Harley-Davidson rolls into eastern India

The eight dealership of India, Bengal Harley-Davidson, is now officially open

The Milwaukee based company already has dealerships in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Hyderabad.

Audi-Ducati’s first offering

May 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Audi and Ducati’s first ofering is certainly more radical than we thought

After German car maker Audi took over Ducati, we did expect something worth raising eye-brows from the clan. But much to our surprise (and unlike our guesses of a ‘diesel L-twin’), the news is that the company has built an electric pushbike. The electric pedal bike, or “pedelec’ has been designed keeping stunting in mind, with a dedicated mode (called ‘Wheelie’ mode, in which the power to rear wheel is moderated when front wheel is in air). Weighing about 7 kgs more than a conventional pushbike, the bike has a carbon fibre frame and 26” carbon fibre-reinforced plastic wheels. Powered by a Li-ion battery, the range of the pushbike is 50-70 km, with a top speed of 80 km/h. The most interesting feature of the bike is an on-board computer which wire-lessly communicates with the rider’s smart-phone, along with keeping a record of the number of stunts rider has performed, along with comparing them to others on Facebook.

This interesting piece of machine will be revealed at Worthersee Volkswagen Group enthusiast expo later this year.

From India, to the World

May 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Suzuki plans to make India an export hub

Suzuki Motorcycles India Private Limited recently announced its second plant which will come up in Rohtak, Haryana. The foundation stone laying ceremony was performed by Haryana chief minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda. This new plant will be finished by 2014 and will have an annual capacity of 500,000 units. Suzuki Motorcycles will be further expanding this plant depending on the growth of the Indian market.

Suzuki is also planning to use India as an export hub for its two-wheelers, especially the mass-segment commuters. SMIPL National Head-Marketing, Anu Anamika recently said at the launch of the Hayate mass-segment motorcycle “Yes, this is possible, but I cannot tell you which part of the country this would be located.” Exports to neighbouring countries have already commenced from the Gurgaon plant and this is proposed to be stepped up in future with exports to Southeast Asian countries, too.

The Gurgaon unit, on which a Rs.400-crore investment has been made since the company commenced operations at this unit in 2006, has an annual capacity of 3.6 lakh units (of scooters and motorcycles). This will be ramped up to 5.4 lakh units by 2013-14 when investment would increase to Rs.500 crore, according to Ms. Anamika.