December 2020

Looking Back, Looking Forth

This is the last editorial in the year 2020. The year just flew by with over three months of total lockdown and some curbs still in place. We, at Bike India, tried to do our best to bring the latest news and first ride reports to you even during the lockdown period.

The long-awaited Meteor from Royal Enfield is finally here and it marks a big step in the right direction. It is a totally new motorcycle, unlike in the past, starting with the engine, which is an overhead cam unit with two valves per cylinder, although I would have preferred a four-valve unit. The frame is also all-new with the engine as a stressed member. The Meteor is a big step up and you may read a detailed report in this issue. We have also tested the new BS6 BMW G 310 GS. There is a big improvement in the engine refinement and another big plus is the reduction in the price of that motorcycle.

There has been a big surge in the sales of two-wheelers during the festive season as there was a lot of pent-up demand with prospective customers wanting to buy bikes but postponing the plan owing to the countrywide lockdown. Now they seem to have decided to make the purchase during the auspicious festive season. The sales figures from December 2020 to March 2021 will indicate the actual state of the two-wheeler market as also the economy.

Touching upon law and order, it would be great if the police implemented the traffic rules as stringently as they implement the rule about wearing a mask. It would also save a lot of law-abiding citizens’ lives who do not break traffic rules themselves, but get killed in road accidents due to other people, say, riding or driving down the wrong way and violating traffic rules with impunity. Stay safe, maintain a safe distance, and with care.