Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine
We took part in a masterclass in motorcycle drifting at the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Drift Clinic held in Chennai. Here is a brief guide to the first step into the world of motorcycle drifting
[Read more…] about Adrift Astride a Guerrilla: Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Drift Clinic
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
Refined Offerings
Last month we tested two new bikes by Hero MotoCorp: the liquid-cooled Xpulse and the 250-cc Xtreme. Both these bikes were unveiled at the Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA) in November last year. The first ride was organised in Udaipur, Rajasthan, and I got an opportunity to swing a leg over both the bikes for a short ride.
The Xpulse is an all-new bike as compared to the air-cooled four-valve one. It has an all-new chassis with linked rear monoshock suspension and a thicker front fork. Its 210-cc liquid-cooled engine comes from the Karizma XMR. This engine delivers very good power and torque through the rev-range and is a refined unit: no engine clatter and hardly any vibrations. The chassis is well sorted and the bike handles really well on and off the road. In fact, the handling is so good that it makes the 210-cc engine feel inadequate.
The Xtreme 250 is also an all-new bike wherein the 210-cc engine has a longer stroke to increase the capacity. This bike also offers very good handling and its suspension has been set up on the firm side, which is needed for good handling. The 250-cc liquid-cooled engine delivers good power and torque with excellent refinement. It would have been great if they had put this engine in the Xpulse as well.
It looks like MotoGP is being run as Formula 1 was during the Michael Schumacher era when Michael was running F1. What Marc Márquez did before the start of the US MotoGP was nothing short of shocking and no action was taken against him. At the very least, the riders who went into the pits should have been made to start from the pit-lane and those who had taken a big risk by venturing out on slicks should have been allowed to start from the starting grid.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
The Revolt RV BlazeX is based on the RV1 platform and shares most aspects other than the battery and the motor. We rode the EV and here’s what we think of it.
[Read more…] about Revolt RV BlazeX: Blazing a Trail
Good Old Bikes Come Back with a Bang
The organisers of the India Bike Week (IBW) have started “Generation Speed”, a festival for cars and bikes, and its first edition was held on the 22nd and 23rd of February on the Amby Valley airstrip. Generation Speed is the Indian version of the Goodwood Festival of Speed wherein you do not just have stationary cars and bikes on display but you get to drive/ride them. This takes the spectators back in time where they can hear the old familiar sound of the engines and smell the admixture of two-stroke synthetic oil and 100 octane from the exhaust.
This event gave us the impetus to bring back old bikes to life. The Crusader was last raced in 1988 and it was for the first time that it was kick-started after 38 years. The Enfield 200 was last raced in 1990 and it was ridden after 35 years. I had raced the RD350 in 1993. Incidentally, even today these motorcycles would give bikes twice their capacity a run for their money.
The new KTM 390 Adventure first ride took place last month and I got the opportunity to swing my leg over the bike. The first impression is that it is nimble and easy to ride with an engine that is lively and wants to be revved. It is good for performance but, at the same time, the low gearing and busy feeling with vibrations is not good for long-distance touring. This motorcycle is good for short blasts and off-road riding. It will also be tricky because the power comes gushing with a bang and this will make it ticklish to ride on gravel and in tight off-road conditions. The light flywheel makes the engine quick to rev but, as a result, it loses out on bottom-end grunt.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
