New Bike Specifications

First Look: 2014 Honda CRF 450 Rally

October 9, 2013 by Team Bike India Leave a Comment

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) – the Japanese manufacturing bigwig’s racing wing has raised the curtains on its latest entry for the upcoming 2014 Dakar Rally. A year after HRC made a trailblazing return to the Mecca of rally raids, they’ve announced their participation in the next installment of the competition as well. Drawing parallels to last year, HRC have again used the the CRF 450X enduro as blueprint for their dedicated rally machine, called the CRF 450 Rally.

Honda had introduced the Dakar-ready model exactly a year ago,and now, the new CRF 450 Rally has undergone a series of upgrades and improvements based on data pertaining to maintenance requirements, aerodynamics, durability and engine performance gleaned from last year’s race. The bike will be propelled by HRC’s signature Programmed Fuel Injection system this time around as well.

Team HRC’s 5 racers and their respective CRF 450s will participate in the upcoming 2013 Morocco Rally which starts on the 13th of October, using it as a platform to build towards next year’s Dakar Rally, which will also feature the same personnel and vehicles that will appear in Morocco. The bike will be produced and released for sale to other rally teams post-Dakar next year.

Story: Harket Suchde

Police Model Design Honda CBR 250R

October 3, 2013 by Jim Gorde 1 Comment

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd (HMSI) has unveiled the Police Model Design of its CBR 250R motorcycle, in partnership with ‘Grand’ IJS Electronics, a manufacturer of emergency vehicles warning products. The motorcycle was shown at 16th Indian International Security Expo 2013.

The Police Model Design CBR 250R has been designed as a police patrolling vehicle to facilitate quick response to incidents and provide high visibility at night. The motorcycle is equipped with LED lights, red-blue traditional police beacon lights, collapsible pole lights for high visibility, and torch light to allow reading and writing at night. The motorcycle is also fitted with a police siren with public address (PA) system that incorporates a push-to-talk button to switch to the microphone, as well as a utility box. Along with the motorcycle, Honda provides a specially designed helmet that includes a hands-free microphone to help in addressing the public while riding the motorcycle.

Story: Gaurav Nagpal

Harley-Davidson Chennai HOG Ride

October 3, 2013 by Jim Gorde 4 Comments

Chennai recently woke up to the sound of 300 Harley-Davidson motorcycles roaring through the city. H.O.G. chapters across India from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Indore and Kochi came together with their families making this a big milestone for Harley-Davidson in India as it was the biggest zonal ride ever. The posse made their way through the streets of Chennai to Mahabalipuram in celebration of the 2nd Southern H.O.G. Ride. The three day event, organized featured live music, stalls having the latest Harley-Davidson merchandise on display, a tattoo parlour and a “Swap Shop” where riders could exchange motorcycle accessories and install them on the spot.

“The Southern H.O.G Ride has always been one of my favourite regional rides. I attended the first Southern H.O.G Ride in 2012 which was nothing short of fantastic. This year’s edition has been equally fabulous if not more. These three days passed in a flash, as I made new friends, shared my riding stories and will now be riding back home with a whole new set of brothers” Bala Chandrasekharan, Director, Coromandel H.O.G, Chapter, Chennai. Coromandel Chapter is the host chapter for the Second Southern H.O.G. Ride. As the men at Harley-Davidson say, ‘You’re not just buying a bike but an entry into a culture and lifestyle that the brand offers’.

Story: Rommel Albuquerque

Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride comes to India

September 30, 2013 by Team Bike India Leave a Comment

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a global event where bikers from 110 different cities hit their local cities’ streets simultaneously on old-school rides wearing formal clothing. For the first time ever, an Indian city in the form of New Delhi was also part of the event, and it was hosted by a bunch of Royal Enfield enthusiasts, both men and women, who go by the moniker Royal Mavericks.

The ride took place on the 29th of September across the globe, which included the New Delhi leg, in which 72 bikers took to the streets on their Royal Enfield. Tarique Afaque, Founder, Royal Mavericks, was quite proud at how the event turned out, he said, “It gives us immense pleasure and honour to conduct the DGR first time ever in India. It is very exciting to see the riders come out in huge numbers and participate in this momentous occasion. Royal Mavericks takes immense pride in being associated with ‘Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride’ (DGR) for a special cause in the Capital for the first time in India and we are looking forward for such rides in future too.”

Following a highly successful inaugural run in 2012 which was held across 64 cities, the Ride has built on its original premise of riders celebrating their bikes’ vintage lineages and inspirations, and paying tribute to biking culture of the yesteryears by dressing up in strictly formal, vintage-style clothing for the event, by incorporating the task of raising awareness and funds for a charity to its list of aspirations along with the aforementioned celebrations and the joy of riding. This year, the issue the ride aimed at raising awareness for was Prostate Cancer, with the proceeds from the Indian leg of the ride going to the The Prostate Cancer Foundation, Australia.

Story: Harket Suchde

Women Bikers Début at Raid De Himalaya

September 23, 2013 by Team Bike India Leave a Comment

Established in 1999, Raid De Himalaya is a yearly rally event that is executed under extreme duress brought about by the high altitudes of the Himalayan range. In the history of this precarious rally which features events for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers, participants have had to face up to a variety of hazardous circumstances such as the ever present temperatures that fall below 25°C, ice-covered roads, oxygen depravity at a heights of around 6000 metres above sea level, and natural calamities such as blizzards, earthquakes and snow-ins.

Clearly this race isn’t for those of the faint hearted, and this year, for the first time in the history of the rally, a woman rider, namely Sheetal Bidaye hailing form the city of Mumbai will participate in the experts only Moto-Quads rally, while a young 20-year-old student from Fergusson College, Pune, Kalyani Potekar, will compete in Raid Xtreme Alpine category which is for the newer, less experienced riders.

These courageous women will pit themselves against the elements, beginning their journey from Shimla, and traversing through the high mountain reaches of Khardung La and Wari La all the way through to Leh, where the rally comes to a close.

According to Vijay Parmar, President, Himalayan Motorsport, who are the event’s organisers, this journey will be fraught with challenges, he said, “The Wari La climb happens in 14 kilometres, while the Khardung La climb takes 32 kilometres. The descent is equally steep and rapid into the Nubra Valley. The challenge of the Raid lies in competitive driving at these impossible altitudes, which demand the best from both man and machine.”

The rally, that sees only a quarter of its competitors cross the finish line on an average, enters its 15^th year and will run from the 4^th to the 12^th of October.

Story: Harket Suchde