Ampere Magnus Neo, an electric scooter recently launched by Greaves Electric Mobility earned a place in the India Book of Records after it was ridden over 2,300 km from Bengaluru to New Delhi.
Ampere Magnus Neo Earns Place in India Book of Records
JANUARY 2025
Demise of Visionaries
The year 2024 ended on a sombre note with the demise of Dr Manmohan Singh, one of the best prime ministers we have had. It is thanks to him that we are in a position to buy the best motorcycles in the world here in India today.
As the Union finance minister, it was Dr Manmohan Singh who liberalized the Indian economy in 1992 and invited global manufacturers to come to India and invest here to set up their businesses. At the same time, he made sure that the Indian manufacturers could compete with their international counterparts. He was a thorough gentleman and a kind-hearted human being. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
The second bad news was the passing away of Osamu Suzuki san, the former CEO of Suzuki Motorcycle Company. Suzuki, the well-known Japanese marque, has given pleasure to millions of motorcycle riders across the world and in India as well. The company first came to India in collaboration with TVS and the first motorcycle launched together by them was the Suzuki AX100. There is a special connect for me with the Suzuki brand. I learned to ride a motorcycle when I was 10 years old on an 80-cc Suzuki. Rest in peace, Osamu Suzuki san.
The year gone by was extremely hectic with a number of new launches, both ICE engine bikes and electric ones. The New Year promises to be the same or even more hectic, starting with the Bharat Mobility Show kicking off things. Then we have two new products from Hero MotoCorp. And this is just the beginning.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers and manufacturers for their support and wish everyone a happy New Year. Ride safely and stay safe in 2025.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
DECEMBER 2024
Two-wheeled Evolution
A sea change has taken place between how motorcycling used to be perceived 25 years ago and how it is seen today. Back then, motorcycles were seen as a cheap mode of transport to travel from point A to point B. Now things have changed to such an extent that bikes are seen as a lifestyle with riders showing off their fancy riding gear alongside their superbikes.
The manufacturers are also doing their bit by organising motorcycle festivals. The first manufacturer to hold a motorcycle festival was Royal Enfield with “Rider Mania”. Now it is “Motoverse”. Then came the India Bike Week (IBW), which was started in 2013 by 70 EMG. At that time, only Harley-Davidson used to support the event and they are present even today but other manufacturers like Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, and KTM are also there at this event.
Not to be left out, TVS started their own festival when the dynamic Vimal Sumbly took over as the head of premium biking. Now the manufacturers have begun using these festivals to launch new premium products.
What I noticed during my stay in Goa was that there are a few riders who bring motorcycling into disrepute by riding fast and dangerously within the city. Enjoy your bike outside on highways, but do not make a nuisance of yourselves and give biking a bad name. All they seem to be doing is cause eyebrows to be raised, not to speak of the possibility of hurting themselves.
Then you have those “mobile phone riders”. They barely possess the necessary riding skill but always have their mobile phones stuck between the shoulder and the ear. Needless to say, this not only imperils their own life, but is verily a hazard to other road-users. The police should come down heavily on such riders and confiscate their mobile phones.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
NOVEMBER 2024
EICMA Registers High Participation
The EICMA Milan motorcycle show was one of the biggest in terms of participation with almost all the top global manufacturers being present and showcasing at least a couple of new motorcycles or more.
The Indian manufacturers were represented by Hero MotoCorp, Royal Enfield, and Ultraviolette. Last year Hero MotoCorp had showcased a naked streetfighter concept which was now launched as the Xtreme 250. They also launched the fully faired Karizma 250-cc, a liquid-cooled 210-cc Xpulse adventure bike, and a Vida electric scooter.
The Flying Flea C and S electric bikes were showcased a day before the show by Royal Enfield at an old aircraft manufacturing factory. The connection between the launch location and the Flying Flea goes back to the Second World War. The Flying Flea was a lightweight motorcycle used by Paratroopers as their mode of transport. The design of the new Flying Flea is very minimalist and lightweight like its predecessors. It is going to be the electric brand from Royal Enfield, so there is a clear distinction between the electric and ICE bikes. The company also displayed the Electric Himalayan test mule and launched the Classic 650 and the Bear 650 in Europe.
The other Indian brand, Ultraviolette, is one of the youngest in India. It showcased the concept X, an electric ADV.
The other bikes of interest for the Indian customer were the BMW F 450 GS, a parallel twin-cylinder bike that will be made in India by TVS. The Piaggio Group displayed the Aprilia Tuono 457, which is based on the fully faired RS 457 that was launched earlier this year. The KTM stand had a new 390 Adventure on display and a very interesting 390 SMC, which sits between the Duke and the Adventure.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
OCTOBER 2024
A Far Cry from the Star of Yore
Finally, I got an opportunity to ride the BSA Gold Star and, at first glance, it was a bit of a let-down considering what the Gold Star stood for in its heyday. At that time, it was a premium brand from BSA motorcycles. The original Gold Star was one of the best looking motorcycles of that era with a completely aluminium engine with big fins for the cylinder block and cylinder-head and a nice chrome swept-back exhaust bend pipe. This bike has none of that; in fact, the exhaust system is swept out instead of back and the engine, clutch cover, dummy timing, and pushrod tunnel are painted instead of being buffed aluminium.
The engine is based on the Rotax engine that was used in the BMW F650 Funduro. The engineers at Classic Legends have worked on it extensively to mellow it down from the original bike’s performance in order to make it more tractable, for it to be able to run a high gear at low speed. In doing so, the engine has lost the punch that one would get from a big capacity single-cylinder engine. This was done to compete with the twin-cylinder Royal Enfield and pander to the Indian customer who likes to plod along in third and fourth gears in the city. In the process, the bike has lost the fun factor of a big single-cylinder. The chassis, suspension, and brakes are well sorted, though.
The TVS engineers have further improved the RR 310. They have used all their learnings from their racing programme to further improve the performance of the RR 310. Now they have taken it to another level.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
SEPTEMBER 2024
Revival of an Icon
Last month, on the country’s Independence Day (15 August), Classic Legends, who make motorcycles like the Jawa and Yezdi, launched one of the most iconic British motorcycle brands: BSA (Birmingham Small Arms).
During the post-War era and up to the early 1970s, BSA was one of the most popular motorcycle brands in the world. They had some popular models like the Shooting Star, Lightning, and their most iconic model, Gold Star, which is the model they have launched in India. The original Gold Star came as 350 and 500 singles; this one is a 650 single-cylinder.
The Gold Star was a performance bike of that era; in contemporary terms, you could call it the Ducati Panigale of the 1950s and ’60s. We have not had the opportunity to ride the new Gold Star as yet, though.
This was the first time we saw the Royal Enfield GT Cup race at the Madras International Racetrack and the shift to a different venue was a welcome change. The track has changed a lot since I raced there for the last time in 1999. It has become quicker by at least four to five seconds a lap after resurfacing and the pits are well appointed with all the basic requirements. The riders did good lap-times of one minute 56/57, but what was shocking was that none of them was riding on the correct racing line and these boys have been racing for more than five to six years with Honda and TVS. Both Honda and TVS have been running their racing programmes for a long time and have some very good racing bikes but they have not been able to teach the boys how to select the correct racing line. If they are not capable of riding on the correct line on their home circuit, what hope do they have to succeed on international racetracks?
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
AUGUST 2024
A Memorable Milestone
This month, we, at Bike India, are celebrating the 19th anniversary of the magazine.
In 2005, when the management of Next Gen Publishing were preparing to launch a new magazine in the automobile space, they made a tough decision to publish two magazines: a car-only magazine, Car India, and another dedicated only to two-wheelers, Bike India. This call was taken at a time when all the other automotive magazines published in the country at that time were—and even today are—automobile magazines that cover both cars and two-wheelers in the same issue. Next Gen Publishing is the only publishing house catering individually to two-wheelers, cars, commercial vehicles, and automotive components through separate magazines.
Last month I was in Barcelona, Spain, for the first ride of the new Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 (you may read the report in this anniversary issue on page 40). I experienced no pain or fatigue even after spending nearly seven hours in the saddle. The reason for this is that I grew up riding bikes like the Norton Dominator and my brothers the Laverda 750 SF whose clutch was very heavy.
There are several back-end workers like the copy desk editor and designers who never get the credit for putting the magazine together. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire editorial team and the marketing team for their hard work day in and day out.
Finally, I would like to thank all our readers and the manufacturers for their unstinting support over the past 19 years.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
JULY 2024
Nurturing Motor Sport Talent
In India, we tend to talk a lot about promoting motor sport. Often, we wonder why there is not a single Indian rider in MotoGP or in any other motorcycle world championship representing 1.4 billion people of this country. It is not that there is dearth of talent here; it is the difficulties the government creates by banning the import of helmets and other racing gear that constitute a major reason for this scenario.
The Indian helmets with ISI certification do not meet the requisite FMSCI safety standards. Forget helmets, even racing suits and riding gear are not allowed to be imported because they come under safety riding gear.
As a journalist, when I travel overseas for an international motorcycle event, I face a problem upon my return due to my Arai helmet. The Customs officer at the airport says we are not allowed to import a helmet into the country. Then one has to explain to the concerned officer that our ISI-certified helmets do not meet the international safety standards and, therefore, one has to use a helmet conforming to those standards.
This takes me back to when I was racing motorcycles. There was a ban on the import of most goods and yet one had to import everything if one wanted to go racing. Not so long ago, one could walk into a store and buy the best helmet and riding gear. Now, however, we have gone back to the days of Licence Raj.
Consider the travesty here. Indian motorcycle manufacturers like Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, Royal Enfield, and TVS Motor make motorcycles that can take on the best in the world, but we still do not make helmets that can match, let alone surpass, their international counterparts. If the Indian economy had not opened up and the likes of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki had not come into India, there would be no competition for the Indian manufacturers and, in all probability, they would still be making the same bikes as they were in the 1960s and ’70s.
If the government are worried about cheap Chinese imports, let them put a ban on the import of cheap and flimsy helmets, but let the Indian riders protect themselves well with the right gear.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
JUNE 2024
A Reasonably Priced Good Motorcycle
I was not able to go for the first ride of the Aprilia RS 457 organised in January this year at the Kari Motorway racetrack in Coimbatore, but I had an opportunity to ride it last month. It may be recalled that the RS 457 was unveiled just before the Indian MotoGP race in September last year and it was not possible for us to bring you an in-depth report at that time.
The twin-spar pivot-less chassis of this motorcycle is made of cast aluminium and it is a two-piece unit split in half at the headstock and bolted together where the steering column is mounted. The cast aluminium construction is extremely strong and this gives the chassis a lot of strength and rigidity, besides making it less prone to flexing. The solid frame and good suspension make it handle very well too.
The 270-degree firing order parallel-twin motor produces good power and torque throughout the rev-range and that makes the motorcycle easy to ride both in the city and on the highway. The only drawback is that there is considerable mechanical noise and that adversely affects the refinement aspect.
There is a good amount of kit on the bike such as an upside-down (USD) fork and radial disc brake calliper at the front. On the whole, the Aprilia RS 457 is a good bike at that price.
The most frequent question that I am asked by first-time-buyer parents concerns the best motorcycle for their son. My suggestion is to start with a 125-cc bike. After a year, one may consider upgrading to a 250-cc bike and so on. It is not advisable to buy your son/daughter a superbike as his/her first motorcycle even if you can afford to buy one; it will only land him/her in trouble and, worse still, it will be too late by then. Therefore, please avoid high-powered bikes for you kids until they gain enough riding experience and are capable of handling a powerful motorcycle.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
MAY 2024
Better Late Than Never
It is with a heavy heart that I write this editorial. We lost our former Chairman, Humayun Dhanrajgir, recently. He was a thorough gentleman and one of the best human beings I have ever met. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
‘Better late than never’ is what we can say about the new Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z. It was about 10 to 12 years ago that I had asked Bajaj when we would get to see a 400-cc Pulsar. This was even before the launch of the 400 Dominar. The chassis of the NS 200 was so good that it could easily handle a 400-cc engine.
I was invited to ride the bike at the Bajaj Auto test-track along with the international media group. The motorcycle lived up to my expectations. The Dominar engine’s power and torque delivery makes the bike easy to ride and its sharp handling allows one to throw it into corners with considerable confidence. At Rs 1.85 lakh, it is a steal.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
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