• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Bike India

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

  • Home
  • News
    • Upcoming Launches
    • Latest News
    • New Bike Launches
  • Reviews
    • First Ride
    • Road Test
    • Comparison
  • Features
  • Our Bikes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • NG Auto
    • AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
    • CAR INDIA
    • COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
  • Brands
  • AUTHORS

NEW ISSUE

20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL : AUGUST 2025

August 22, 2025 by Aspi Bhathena Leave a Comment

For Online Subscription

Digital Subscription

Yet Another Milestone

Bike India celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. I still remember sitting with the senior management of Next Gen Publishing in Mumbai, discussing whether we should launch an automotive magazine like the other existing magazines in the country, or two separate magazines for cars and bikes, as in all mature markets around the world. We are happy to say that 20 years down the line, Bike India is the only dedicated bike magazine in the country.


The reason we have been able to sustain this bike-only endeavour over all those years is thanks to the unstinting support of our readers and the two-wheeler manufacturers. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the unsung heroes like the marketing team, the design team, and our copy desk editor. You never get to see their pictures, but it is the hard work they put in throughout the year that helps us bring out the magazine month after month.


Today, high-end sports motorcycles have become very accessible. Anyone can buy one even if they do not have the full amount ready. They can always take a loan to buy one. Buying the bike is the least of the problems, though. They need to respect the bike and learn how to ride it properly. If the bike is capable of doing 300 km/h, it does not mean that you try that speed on the road. A motorcycle capable of doing 300 km/h is a very safe bike at 100 or 120 km/h compared to a bike that is built to do 140 or 150 km/h. The brakes and handling of the big bike have the capability to stop from a very high speed compared to a bike that is designed to do 150 km/h, because its brakes are meant to stop it from 150 km/h. Buy a superbike if you can afford one, but treat it with respect, and the bike will give you a lot of riding joy. Always remember to wear proper riding gear and ride safely.

Aspi Bhathena

Editor

Filed Under: NEW ISSUE Tagged With: 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL : BIKE INDIA AUGUST 2025

BGauss RUV350 Max – Not Your Typical Electric Scooter

July 15, 2025 by Anvay Mahajan Leave a Comment

We rode the BGauss RUV350 Max on public roads and some aspects of this electric
scooter surprised us

[Read more…] about BGauss RUV350 Max – Not Your Typical Electric Scooter

Filed Under: BGauss, Electric, Electric Scooters, Latest Issue, Magazine, NEW ISSUE, Review, Road Test, Scooters Tagged With: battery, bgauss, bgauss ruv350 max, Bgauss ruv350 review, bike, bike india, Electric Scooter, range, review, Road Test

JULY 2025

June 30, 2025 by Aspi Bhathena Leave a Comment

For Online Subscription

Digital Subscription

Automotive Hegemony

The world is dependent perforce on China for the supply of the components required for internal combustion engine (ICE) bikes and even more so in the case of electric bikes. The lure of low-cost components from that country has made most manufacturers dependent on China. Now it is high time they stopped looking at maximizing their profits and began looking at other countries to source such components.

What we have been saying about the drawbacks of electric vehicles (EV) and the world’s dependence on China for batteries and other components and how that country will hold the entire global automobile industry to ransom has already come true with them showing unwillingness to supply rare earth magnets. This was our prediction for the future with regard to EV and, sadly, it has come true sooner than expected. I hope the global automobile industry takes a cue from this and reassesses its plans for the future in order not to be dependent on any one country for the supply of raw material and components.

The principal difference between an established two-wheeler manufacturer who ventures into electric two-wheelers and a start-up that has no prior experience in making scooters or motorcycles lies in the overall riding experience such as suspension set-up, ergonomics, and fit and finish. The first aspect that hits one is the ride quality. Most two-wheelers manufactured by start-ups tend to be so stiffly sprung that one feels that one’s kidneys will fall off if one does not wear a motocross kidney belt. To make matters worse, most road surfaces in India now are far worse than what they were 40 to 50 years ago when we used to ride rigid motorcycles without any suspension. They were not unrideable despite being so rigid.

Last month I was in Hyderabad and the surface of the outer ring road there was fantastic. We should consider sending all the road contractors from across the country to take a good look at such roads.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

Filed Under: NEW ISSUE

JUNE 2025

May 28, 2025 by Aspi Bhathena Leave a Comment

For Online Subscription

Digital Subscription

No Alternative to Strict Discipline

I was in Guwahati, Assam, last month for an event and there were a couple of traffic-related aspects that struck me while I was driving in that beautiful north-eastern city. One was the fact that both the rider and the pillion rider were seen wearing helmets while riding a two-wheeler. The second was the discipline that I witnessed on the road. I saw people follow traffic rules punctiliously: no one violated traffic signals and no one was inclined to drive/ride on the wrong side of the road in case of a traffic jam.

When you speak to people in Pune as to why they do not like wearing a helmet while riding a two-wheeler, the main excuse offered is that the weather is very hot. The second is that the helmet restricts their vision and that it is cumbersome having to lug it around after parking the two-wheeler. Most probably, the excuse of restricted vision stems from the fact that they do not bother to look at their rear-view mirrors. As for the other excuse, there are places like Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Kochi (Kerala) where the climate tends to be much more humid than in Pune but people still wear helmets because the law is implemented rigorously by the traffic police there.

When we were growing up in Pune, riding a bicycle in the night without the light would result in the police stopping us and deflating the tyres. The neat upshot was that we would have to walk back home trundling the bicycle along. The same punishment was meted out if one was caught riding “double seat”. Today, however, three or even four persons astride a two-wheeler go scot-free; the police neither stop them nor fine them. Interestingly, the same traffic police tend to stop you if you happen to ride/drive a vehicle bearing a registration number-plate from some other state of the country.

Touching upon another aspect of discipline, some festivals took place last month and the decibel level of the music blaring out on the loudspeakers there was so high that one could not help being assailed by it even a kilometre away. If one happened to be driving past in a car, the whole vehicle would vibrate on account of the blast. Conversely, if you happen to be riding a slightly loud motorcycle, the police will stop you and fine you even without checking the decibel level.

It is high time all the traffic rules and regulations were enforced both in letter and spirit without exception.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

Filed Under: NEW ISSUE

MAY 2025

May 5, 2025 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

For Online Subscription

Digital Subscription

A Pleasant Surprise

Last month we were invited by Ducati India for the first ride of the new 2025 Panigale V4 to Thailand. The ride was held at the Chang International Circuit that hosted the first round of the 2025 MotoGP season.


On a personal front, I was a little sceptical about riding a superbike on a racetrack after five long years. The last time I rode a superbike on the track was the BMW S 1000 RR at the Buddh International Circuit in 2020. I have been riding the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup race bikes but they weigh more than the Ducati and produce one-fourth the power. To make matters worse, during our drive from the Bangkok airport to the Buriram circuit, other journalists sharing the van were saying how they had just ridden the bike in Spain and Italy on a racetrack and how quickly they were going.

After a short briefing, it was time to hit the track and our lead rider was the Technical Director of DRE Racetrack Academy, Dario Marchetti. There were four Indian journalists and one from the Philippines in our group.

After following Dario for a couple of laps, I was asked to let all the riders through and follow them, but I was surprised to see that they were so slow that I passed all of them and soon found myself riding behind Dario. The irony was that, contrary to expectations, I was the quickest rider in our group. Before the ride, I was worried that I would make a fool of myself by going too slow. All I can say is that even today, at the age of 65 years, I can wobble around a racetrack at a decent pace and not make a fool of myself and I thank Lord God for this. We have a tie-up with Alpinestars for riding gear and this was the first time I wore an Alpinestars race suit, boots, and gloves. The race suit is the best fitting suit I have ever worn and the boots and gloves are very soft and supple.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

Filed Under: NEW ISSUE

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 26
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

19TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

Triumph Street Triple 765 R and RS Review | The Best Street Triple Yet

Ducati Diavel V4 Review | Devil of the Mountain

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 first ride | Aspi Bhathena

SPECIAL Featured Story

2025-Yamaha-MT-15-Vivid-Violet-Metallic.web_.jpg

India Yamaha Motors Launches the new 2025 Yamaha MT-15 Version 2.0 

Yamaha India has just launched the updated Yamaha MT-15 Version 2.0 under its ‘The Call of the Blue’ campaign, priced at Rs 1.69 lakh (ex-showroom).

More about this.

Recent Posts

  • 2026 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Launched in India
  • TVS Orbiter launched at Rs 99,990; Offers 158 km IDC Range
  • TVS Orbiter, all-new Electric Scooter Positioned below TVS iQube, gets Launch Date
  • A Love-hate Relationship

Car India

Car India Magazine - Get your Digital Subscription

Footer

Latest News

2026 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Launched in India

TVS Orbiter launched at Rs 99,990; Offers 158 km IDC Range

TVS Orbiter, all-new Electric Scooter Positioned below TVS iQube, gets Launch Date

Hero Glamour X 125 First Ride Review – The Bike India Verdict

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

Bike India: India’s no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
SiteMap

Copyright © 2025 · BIKE INDIA INDIA’S NO. 1 TWO WHEELER MAGAZINE, BY FAR! ·