Bike India Team

New CEO astride Royal Enfield

February 2, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

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

January 31, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

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 latest and best helmets in business

January 28, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

This month we bring you the latest and best helmets in business

This month we bring you the latest and best helmets in business

1&2. The Arai
Chaser V Helmet
The Chaser V lid is a highly evolved version of the very popular Chaser helmet. It features a wider visor aperture as compared to the Chaser and a highly sophisticated ventilation system.
It has larger rear vents that help create 50 per cent more vacuum which also aids in improving the overall ventilation. This lid also has larger side vents. The interior is very ergonomic and the design is such that it avoids any pressure points yet it offers a tight and comfortable fit. This lid is priced at about Rs 29,500 and is available through various Websites worldwide.

3. The Arai
X-TEND Helmet
This new lid from Arai’s SZ line features a new outer shell that extends three centimetres to the sides in order to provide enhanced safety. It also features a ‘bumper’ reinforcement at the bottom, which aids in safety. The interior is ergonomically designed to provide high comfort and flexibility. The cheekpads are made from EPS, which provides protection on side impact. Better aerodynamics are achieved as the visor holder is more recessed in the outer shell of this helmet. The lid featured here has RAF (Royal Air Force) livery. You can get one of these for Rs 23,000. Available through various Websites worldwide.

4. Furygan Brutale Sport Jacket
This cool black leather jacket from Furygan is meant for the riders who like to zip through corners at high speeds. It is made from 1.2-mm cache leather that has been treated to repel water. It features high quality and CE approved removable protectors at the elbows, shoulders and back. The price of the Brutale Sport Jacket is Rs 23,000. More on
www.furygan.com

5. The X-Lite X-802 Lorenzo Replica
Yes, it is true. The official replica of the very same lid that Lorenzo wore to victory has been launched by X-Lite, who supply helmets to Lorenzo and a few other MotoGP riders. This special edition replica helmet has graphics that are exactly the same present on Lorenzo’s lid. It features lettering done up in 1,800 hand-laid Swarovski crystals. The safety parameters are similar to those present on Lorenzo’s GP lid, so forget about how safe this lid is as it has saved Lorenzo’s head whenever he has suffered a crash. However, the biggest feature present on this lid is the price tag – which reads Rs 6 lakh (excluding taxes, duty and shipping)! This replica helmet is available only on order. So start saving, Lorenzo fans!

Riders of a feather – RE RIDERMANIA

January 28, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Saeed Akhtar visits Rider Mania in Goa and witnesses the common thread that binds Bulleteers together
Photography: Saeed Akhtar

Every year hundreds of Royal Enfield faithfuls, or ‘Bulleteers’ as we fondly call them, converge upon Goa for a two-day carnival, a more impressive bikers’ meet compared to any other in the country. This year Royal Enfield graciously provided me with a Classic 350, the possession of which would make me a Bulleteer and thus enable my entry into this elite echelon comprising solely Bullet riders. To get there, I teamed up with Pune’s famous Bullet club, the Roadshakers.

Upon reaching Vagator in Goa I followed Praveen Sathaye, the Royal Enfield chap, who took me to the Cochicos resort, a quaint little resort that had been booked for the media. After a quick dinner with other members of the media, I turned in early in anticipation of an exciting day ahead.

The next day began with a sumptuous breakfast, after which I went for my first view of the main Rider Mania venue. A huge area enclosed by red and black banners, the venue was divided into five main parts – the eating area, the stage, exhibitions, screening area and shops selling various Royal Enfield merchandise.

At the far end, glistening chrome beckoned and I made my way over there to feast on some exquisitely modified Bullets. It was uplifting to see the creativity of these Indian builders, who, despite being handicapped by the unavailability of custom parts, have carved out a niche for themselves in the second largest motorcycle market in the world.

As in previous Rider Mania editions, there were a host of events designed for the people to showcase their riding skills. The first one was the ‘figure of eight’ wherein a team of four riders were to carve the aforementioned figure in a small area without putting down their feet even once. Local lads Faizal, Sunil, Arun and Prajyot from Café Bullet Goa clinched the event.

In the ‘slow race’ event, Café Bullet Goa kept up the winning spree with Arun dominating the event, followed by Junaid from Bengaluru. As evening descended, Bengaluru-based Indian rock band Thermal and a Quarter took the stage by storm, belting out one chart-buster after another from their considerable repertoire of hits.

For those who had honed their riding in the dirt, Rider Mania 2010 didn’t disappoint. In the dirt track event the next day, Roadshakers (Pune) dominated the event in its totality-Baljeet Gill in the 500cc category and and Pravin Patil in the 350cc category respectively. the armwrestling competition for both the sexes was another huge draw,being the ideal platform for the hardened Bulleteers to flaunt their carefully chiseled brawn. Tejas Dutta from Delhi won the men’s event while Shannon from the host state itself utterly ruled the women’s round.

The camaraderie and joy and jollity at this superbly orchestrated event has to be seen to be believed. Events like these are a regular occasion in foreign countries and Royal Enfield deserve to be commended for not only concentrating on selling bikes, but also endeavouring to provide the riders a common platform where they can come together and mingle. And now, if you will excuse me, I am off to the gym to pump some iron for the next year’s event!

Artistic Rebellion – EGO ENFIELD

January 28, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Ravi Chandnani visits Ego Custom Wheels in Navi Mumbai to take a look at their creation customised for a Bollywood celebrity. Here are his impressions
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

Ego Custom Wheels is the brainchild of Jignesh Mistry and Rannvijay Singh. They started this venture because everything related to bikes and biking formed a common bond between the two friends. Since then both of them and their team have been working hard to ensure that they build bikes that would stand apart from the crowd. The motorcycle featured here is an excellent example of how things should be done in a neat manner. This Royal Enfield has been customised for the famous film director-producer and writer Vipul Shah, who has directed films like ‘London Dreams’, ‘Namastey London’ and the latest, ‘Action Replay’. Being a Bollywood personality Vipul Shah was not concerned about the expense involved and asked the chaps at Ego to build for him a bike that would stun everyone. This meant Jignesh and company had complete creative freedom. Many brainstorming sessions later Jignesh and Rannvijay came to the conclusion which is evident in these pictures. Let us explore the fine details that make this bike such a beauty.

Design
Even a cursory look makes it clear that this bike is not an average custom bike. Its low, long and huge stature may look intimidating at first, but one needs to move closer to understand the beauty of it. The fine details include custom-made parts and hand-made fuel tank along with custom wheels that were done in-house and tyres that were especially ordered from the United States. These, combined with four to five months of hard labour, resulted in a spectacular piece of rolling art.

The front fork was sourced from the Pulsar 220, but the triple trees were modified to make them sturdy enough to handle the additional width of the tyre. The forks and the triple trees are finished in chrome to complement the blue and silver front fender. The headlamp cone housing the projector lamp is also a bespoke piece and was not lifted off an auto-rickshaw. The flowing stature of the bike is precise and is quite evident when you look at the tank, seat and the rear fender, which flow in a beautiful curvaceous line. The tank has been hand-beaten and carved into this beautiful tear-drop shape. And the surprising thing is that there aren’t any undulations even on the belly of the tank. It is one of the best elements of this bike. At the end of the tank you will notice a chrome component sticking out, which is actually the air-filter, which rises upwards through a recess at the back of the tank.

The seat and side panels are elegantly blended together with the tank, cleverly hiding the battery box and the wiring. The biggest piece of body work you will notice on this bike is the rear fender, which has been hand-made in order to accommodate the biggest tyre ever on a custom bike in India. Hold your breath for this – a humongous Avon Venom that has a mind-boggling width of almost one foot! Custom wheel and spacers were created in order to accommodate this giant tyre, sprocket and the brake rotor. Small details such as the handlebar grips, air-filter cover, gear-shifter linkage, handlebar and the rear swingarm were all done in-house by the fabricators at Ego Customs. Almost all the components on the bike were custom-made or modified in-house.

All this hard work and detailing have been highlighted by a shimmering shade of blue, which is accentuated by the use of silver paint with metal flakes specially imported from Singapore. A sky-blue outline completes the simple yet elegant paint job. The finishing is also top class. Minimal use of chrome on select components has resulted in a well-balanced appearance.

The Ride
Well, I have to admit that this is a very heavy bike, but somehow I was able to move it around without starting it. At first the ride might feel a little slow, but you need to open the throttle in order to let it roll smoothly. The riding posture is surprisingly similar to that in a cruiser, but with a lowered handlebar. The front end is quite heavy because of the huge front alloy wheel. However, it does not bother you much in a straight line. It’s round the corners that you really have to work your arm muscles to keep the front balanced. Being a bike equipped with a 500-cc motor, it feels sluggish and that is because of the huge 300 rear section tyre. The building team at Ego insisted that it was an important design element and also that the client loved it. Otherwise, the ride is very similar to that of a normal Bullet, save for the fact that riding it on the road attracts a lot of attention! While riding it on the Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai I had a number of people slow down next to me and click snaps of the bike in motion with their mobile phone cameras. They also asked me a number of question about the bike. It makes you feel like a celebrity and that, I think, may be the reason why Vipul Shah chose Ego Custom Wheels for the job.

I feel it is time many of the so-called custom bike builders learned a thing or two from Ego Custom Wheels in terms of quality, finish and concept. These youngsters have been able to change the way custom bikes are made in the country. Nevertheless, I shall recommend to our readers to check the bikes for themselves before jumping to a conclusion as it would give you a better idea of what can be done in terms of customising a motorcycle.

About Ego Custom Wheels
The bunch of guys at Ego Custom Wheels are all passionate bikers, who always wanted to stand out of the crowd. So, to fulfil this longing they all came up with the idea of starting their own enterprise that would churn out custom bikes of high quality with hand-crafted components. Jignesh Mistry and Rannvijay Singh, the face of MTV Roadies, a VJ and a die-hard biker, started Ego Custom Wheels with a clear aim – delivering bikes that they themselves would like to spend money on. They formed a team comprising a skilled fabricator a hard working mechanic and a few helping hands without whom the team would be incomplete. This hard working association of individuals has been able to entice many rich and famous people from various walks of life and their first big client has been Vipul Shah, the Bollywood producer-director. Apart from this, Ego Custom Wheels have also been active in modifying cars for many Bollywood flicks. So, if you are interested in transforming your everyday workhorse into a rolling piece of art, then you may get in touch with Jignesh on 09819850069
(e-mail: Egocustomwheels@gmail.com)