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TVS design concept

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TVS SupermotoIt is not every day that a budding automotive designer gets a chance to do a project for a national company that has established itself among the best in the country. Satyajit Kulkarni is one such lucky chap who got an opportunity to showcase his designing talent by being part of a team of young designers who represented a top design institute.

TVS Motors, one of India’s well-known two-wheeler manufacturers, wanted to see what potential the young generation had in terms of designing and styling a different genre of bike that is unseen in the Indian market. TVS wanted Satyajit and his team to design and conceptualise a bike that would represent a new style of biking in the Indian market. They came up with a Supermoto concept. Now, Supermoto is a genre of biking that mixes three different kinds of riding surfaces together. A Supermoto bike is so designed that it can handle well on tarmac, rough surfaces and dirt. Internationally there are championships that are held on such bikes and there are purpose-built tracks that provide the above mentioned surfaces to race on.

 

 

TVS have a rich pedigree in circuit racing and motocross racing. Therefore, Satyajit and his team narrowed down on a Supermoto bike for this project. The concept has all the typical traits found on a Supermoto bike. The USD forks seen on the concept are very similar to the ones found on motocross bikes. However, these are thicker than the Motocross USD as they have to perform on tarmac as well as dirt. A Supermoto bike uses wheels that are smaller in diameter than those on a motocross bike because most of the time these bikes are used on tarmac. However, the tyres used are bigger than those found on off-road machines. This is due to the high use of such bikes on tarmac and less on dirt. And keeping that in mind these youngsters have shod the concept with such wheels and tyres. The handlebar is also wide just like a competition Supermoto bike. The suspension of the concept is also a bit lower and stiffer than a motocross bike’s because it makes the bike handle better on tarmac. The overall design of the concept is very much on the lines of a Supermoto and we hope TVS seriously considers building such a bike in the near future.

 

This concept is based on a liquid-cooled, 250-cc, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine, which is the preferred choice of many manufacturers as it is simpler to built and easier to maintain and costs less than any other configuration. The exhaust design is also sleek and minimal. However, it should have been placed in a higher position than it currently is. The tank and front fender are typical Supermoto and the high, short seat also fits perfectly into a Supermoto’s portfolio.

 

Besides Satyajit, the team that worked on the concept included Ajay Chaudhary, Varunjeet Bhinder and Madhur Illa. Ajay was responsible of sketching out the concept and it was Satyajit who rendered it in 3D. These youngsters worked very hard on this concept which was also their fourth year project for transportation design at the DSK International School of Design. This concept clearly portrays the highly creative minds of these four students, who proudly call themselves ‘automotive designers’ today!

Rossi to make 250th GP start

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One more feather in Rossi’s cap

 

Motorcycle racing is a taxing sport, and perhaps the most dangerous too. The strain that it puts on its top-tier riders are all too apparent, with most riders dropping out of the game in their early thirties. In such circumstances, Valentino Rossi – possibly the greatest MotoGP rider to ever walk the earth – has proven his mettle, repeatedly thrashing competitors far younger than himself.

And now, Valentino Rossi will make his 250th GP start at this weekend’s Sachsenring GP. In doing so, he will become just the sixth rider in the history of Grand Prix racing to reach the milestone of 250 GP starts. Up until he crashed and broke his leg in practice at last year’s Italian Grand Prix, Rossi had set a record for the largest number of successive GP starts – 230 in total. His close friend, Loris Capirossi, is the current leader in the former, with 321 starts to his credit.

In other news, Rossi recently gifted his mother, Stefania, a Ducati Monster 696 done up in his trademark yellow and red with the famous 46 decal on the tank. Stefy, as she is affectionately known in paddock circles, revealed that she had always dreamt of a Monster and been telling her son over the years that if he ever went to Ducati, he’d to get her a Ducati Monster.

That’s where we say, ‘Like mother, like son.’

Rossi to make 250th GP start

by Leave a Comment

 

One more feather in Rossi’s cap

 

Motorcycle racing is a taxing sport, and perhaps the most dangerous too. The strain that it puts on its top-tier riders are all too apparent, with most riders dropping out of the game in their early thirties. In such circumstances, Valentino Rossi – possibly the greatest MotoGP rider to ever walk the earth – has proven his mettle, repeatedly thrashing competitors far younger than himself.

And now, Valentino Rossi will make his 250th GP start at this weekend’s Sachsenring GP. In doing so, he will become just the sixth rider in the history of Grand Prix racing to reach the milestone of 250 GP starts. Up until he crashed and broke his leg in practice at last year’s Italian Grand Prix, Rossi had set a record for the largest number of successive GP starts – 230 in total. His close friend, Loris Capirossi, is the current leader in the former, with 321 starts to his credit.

In other news, Rossi recently gifted his mother, Stefania, a Ducati Monster 696 done up in his trademark yellow and red with the famous 46 decal on the tank. Stefy, as she is affectionately known in paddock circles, revealed that she had always dreamt of a Monster and been telling her son over the years that if he ever went to Ducati, he’d to get her a Ducati Monster.

That’s where we say, ‘Like mother, like son.’

This ain’t just about money (and glory), honey!

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motorcycle travel sun setTravel enthusiasts, helped by new age technology, join forces at various forums to help each other while on the road

When Dwarakanath and his friends set out for Ladakh on their two-wheelers, In June 2008, they were going great guns till they reached Rohtang Pass. At that point, the clutch plates of one of the bikes gave way, and they had no clue how and where they could get it fixed. They called friends and fellow riders who asked them to retrace their steps to Manali, where they would find find mechanics who could fix the problem.

New age technology, has made riding to the most inaccessible corners of the country so much easier. Mobile phones with 3G and and laptops with data connectivity have made a huge difference. Lost? Just call a friend for directions on the mobile or log on to your iPhone or android phone and check out your latitudes yourself. When did our parents have such an advantage?

But apart from mobile phones and laptops, there is a third dimension, which has made driving around the country a pleasure, and that is a travel forum. Get on to one and a first-time rider or even the most experienced one will get the latest updates on everything he or she needs while driving from point A to B – road condition, directions, number of toll booths, toll amounts, traffic rules in each State etc etc. There are numerous travel forums that have a very strong online presence, where a huge number of automobile and two-wheeler enthusiasts congregate to get the latest information on travel routes, road conditions etc of places they intend to visit.
bike on a hill ride
Nithin KD, is one such frequent rider who not only keeps himself updated on the latest developments of the road he is about to travel on but also helps others who drive around the country. Though his travelling has been curtailed due to his work, he still helps anyone who asks for information on road routes.

“I once guided a friend, who was riding a two-wheeler all the way from Shimla to Manali via my phone, giving him directions till he reached his destination. The friend would stop at regular intervals and check on the route he was taking, by talking to me,” says Nithin. Like him, there are others for whom travelling is a passion and helping other riders a bounden duty. There are no rewards, just the satisfaction of helping another fellow rider that drives them.

For Yogesh Sarkar of BCMTouring (www.bcmtouring.com) helping travellers is a 24×7 experience. “Whether you are on a bike or a car, the basic requirements remain the same – road conditions, availability of petrol pumps, weather updates and accommodation,” he told Bike India (www.bikeindia.in). The basic idea is to keep each other updated about these factors while travelling around the country.

“When I travelled extensively around the country, I took the help of travel enthusiasts for my requirements, so the idea behind a travel forum was my way of paying back to the community of travel enthusiasts for all they had done for me.”

He says he realises how desperately people need information today. “Last year there were 1.5 lakh views for the condition of the road between Manali and Leh, and this year so far we have received over 70,000 views for the same route.” The minute a rider does a difficult section, he or she posts an update about the condition of the road, and since weather conditions in this section can change travel plans overnight, there are constant updates about this stretch.

Around the same time when Dwarakanath and his friends were riding through Jammu & Kashmir, the Amarnath land dispute also erupted. They immediately got in touch with friends who kept them in the loop of events unfolding across the valley. He says he too has helped numerous two-wheeler riders who called him for help in an emergency.

Rushabh Parekh who runs popular automotive forum team-bhp.com (www.team-bhp.com), which has an on-the-road section, believes it’s about sharing your experiences, so that others can benefit. Over a hundred travelogues are uploaded on his site every month and they along with travel logs are available on request to any member of the forum. Team-bhp boasts 12.5 lakh unique visitors on their forum and the increasing number is proof of the burgeoning community of travellers in the country.

“The idea is to give instant and invaluable feedback to travellers in real-time, which could benefit them, whichever part of the country they are in,“ Rushabh told Bike India (www.bikeindia.in).

Another name that crops up frequently on travel forums is HV Kumar. His name is on almost every second travel-related discussion on the forum. Get on Facebook and type HV Kumar and you’ll be taken to his personal page, and more interestingly, to a page which goes by the title: HV Kumar – Fan, Forum & Message Board. On this page, anyone who needs information of any route around the country, affordable hotels, road taxes, condition of the roads – whether it’s the Golden Quadrilateral, National or State highways, or even the roads in a city or town- he or she will find it. His travel logs are also at your disposal if ever you need them.

In the end, for people like Yogesh, Kumar and the others like them, it’s not about the money or recognition.

Confirmed! Triumph motorcycles coming to India

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Yes, the road test will hopefully come soon…

Confirming the news we broke earlier on Bike India, the UK based motorcycle has officially announced that it is entering the country. Here is what their official note has to say.

Iconic British motorcycle manufacturer Triumph has announced its intention to enter the Indian market.

First established in 1902 and now based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK, Triumph Motorcycles has in recent years been the fastest growing motorcycle brand in the world. For many years Triumph has produced a wide range bikes which perfectly blend design, character, charisma and performance. At the heart of Triumph’s philosophy is a commitment to developing truly unique motorcycles that offer a blend of distinctive design, intuitive handling and performance.

The innovation and engineering passion that gave birth to the iconic Bonneville of the 1960s has today created a broad range of bikes suited to all motorcycle riders, including the striking 2.3 litre Rocket III, the unmistakable Speed Triple, the award-winning Daytona 675 supersport machine and the recently launched Tiger 800. Remaining true to their heritage, Triumph combines the very latest design and manufacturing facilities with the character and design flair that has always been associated with the famous swooping badge.

Triumph has appointed Ashish Joshi as its Managing Director for India. Prior to joining Triumph, Ashish was heading the European operations for Royal Enfield and established the company’s business in Europe. He has over 16 years of experience in Asia and Europe.

Commenting on Triumph’s entry to the Indian market Nick Bloor, CEO of Triumph Motorcycles, UK said: “India is a very important motorcycle market and Triumph has assessed it carefully before deciding to step in. We see it as the next step in our global business model. The appointment of Ashish Joshi is a signal of our seriousness about success in India. I wish him the best and look forward to comprehensive growth from the Indian market.”

Words: Sarmad Kadiri