Spectacular Strides
If one looks at the recent motorcycle launches, one can see how the Indian two-wheeler industry has evolved over the past two decades. Fifteen to 20 years ago, most of the launches would have been 100-cc commuter motorcycles and scooters, whereas today a majority of them are 250-cc and above, except for a couple of commuter motorcycles. Apart from the mid-size and high-end bikes, we have also seen some electric motorcycles being launched along with a hoard of electric scooters that are being launched every other day.
The second Hero World Day was held on the 23rd of last month where the company launched the new sporty commuter, 125-cc Hero Extreme, and unveiled the 440-cc Mavrick, which is Hero MotoCorp’s version of the Harley-Davidson 440X. They also showcased the technology for the future and Dr Pawan Munjal presented the Karizma concept in the memory of his late father, Brijmohanlal Munjal, the founder of the Hero Group. This year Hero added another feather to their cap by finishing second in the Dakar Rally. Ross Branch, the man who got the podium finish, was also present at the Hero World Day.
There was a double celebration for India at this year’s Dakar with Ross Branch finishing in second place for team Hero MotoCorp and Harith Noah winning the rally two class for TVS Racing. Every Indian should be proud of both these achievements.
This month we feature the first ride of the made-in-India Aprilia RS 457 for the world. The parallel-twin RS 457 seems to tick all the boxes on the racetrack. We will get to see how it performs on the road when we conduct a real world road test.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
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