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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

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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

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Activity Aplenty

The year gone by was extremely hectic and this year seems to be going to be even more so. January was kick-started by the Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) awards ceremony. Then there was the Bharat Mobility Show in Delhi and the first ride of the new Ultraviolette motorcycle.

The IMOTY ceremony was an august gathering comprising the who’s who of the automobile industry. The 2025 award was presented by Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman and Managing Director of JK Tyre. The winner of the IMOTY 2025 was the Aprilia RS 457.

The Bharat Mobility Show was quite a let-down, except Hero MotoCorp’s launch of three motorcycles and a scooter that had already been unveiled at the Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA). BMW Motorrad launched the S 1000 RR and the 1300 GS Adventure. Suzuki launched the electric Access, Honda the electric Activa, and TVS a CNG variant of the Jupiter, besides showcasing Norton motorcycles. The Yamaha stand had the RD 350 and the RX100 on display in the historic section with a couple of adventure bikes. There were quite a few small electric two-wheeler manufacturers who displayed electric scooters. Incidentally, the new Expo facility is good and it would have proved even better had it been a little compact and not so widespread.

A new rule promulgated by the Regional Transport Authority makes it mandatory for all motorcycles registered before 2019 to be fitted with security number-plates. To get these number-plates, one is required to apply to the local Regional Transport Officer who will then direct the applicant to a motorcycle dealer authorised to carry out the fitting of the official number-plates.

The Indian motor sport community lost another stalwart, Darius Bhathena, who started his career racing bikes at Lohegaon in Pune. He was a man with a golden heart. May his soul rest in peace.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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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