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Global Gauntlet

The year 2023 has literally flown by and we are already in 2024. Interestingly, quite a few new bikes were launched last year. What’s more, they were not ordinary motorcycles; they had a certain significance to them because those bikes were made by Indian manufacturers for global brands like Harley-Davidson, Triumph, and BMW. While Hero MotoCorp, the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world, are making motorcycles for the American marque, Harley-Davidson, Bajaj Auto are producing bikes for KTM and Triumph, and TVS for BMW Motorrad. This speaks volumes about indigenous manufacturers making world-class motorcycles in India.

Then there is Royal Enfield. Under the able leadership of Siddhartha Lal, they are taking on the world’s best motorcycles with their stunning products. The first two in this line that made the world sit up and take notice were the two 650 twins, Interceptor and Continental GT 650. Now, with the new Himalayan 450, they have taken the game to another level. There was a time when we would say, ‘This is not bad for an Indian manufacturer’, but today they are busy taking on the best in the world.

The Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) Award ceremony was held last month in Mumbai. There were a number of strong contenders for the IMOTY crown, starting with two bikes from the Hero stable: the Karizma XMR and the Harley-Davidson 440X. Then there was the RTR310 from TVS, two KTMs—250 Duke and 390 Duke—two Triumph 400s, and the Royal Enfield 650 Meteor and Himalayan 450. It was the Himalayan 450 that won the IMOTY Award for 2023.

I would like to wish all our readers, fans and followers a happy New Year. Ride safe!


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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EICMA Showcases Great Variety

The Milan motorcycle show (EICMA) was held last month and, unlike car shows, the event was abuzz with displays of both electric bikes and internal combustion engine (ICE) bikes. We saw Indian motorcycle manufacturers showcasing world-class electric and ICE motorcycles.

The Hero MotoCorp stand had on display the new Xoom 125-cc scooter, besides a 160-cc moto-scooter and a concept motorcycle, the 2.5R, which is a naked streetfighter. On the electric side, they showcased a new Vida scooter which will go into production soon, an off-road bike, and a small electric bike for children that is adjustable in size to suit kids aged six to nine years. Hero R&D are doing commendable work as regards new models.

The other two Indian manufacturers were Royal Enfield and Ultraviolette. Royal Enfield held the global launch of the new Himalayan 450. They also displayed the electric Himalayan, which was their test mule. Ultraviolette showcased the F77 street bike and the F99 race motorcycle.

The highlight of the Ducati stand was the new Hypermotard 698 Mono, the first single-cylinder in recent times from Ducati. The Honda stand showcased the return of the Honda CBR 600RR. While the Kawasaki stand had the first hybrid production motorcycle, the Ninja 7 Hybrid, on display, Aprilia had the made-in-India RS 457 and RS 660 among the main attractions. For me, the Yamaha XSR900 Eddie Lawson replica was the highlight of the Yamaha stand.

The Chinese manufacturers had a number of bikes on display, but, sadly, their bikes was not up to the mark. It is worth noting in this context that the bikes made by the Indian manufacturers today can hold their own against the best by their global competitors.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Single-cylinder Motorcycles

With the cost of high-end multi-cylinder motorcycles going up all the time, premium motorcycle manufacturers have begun to look at making single-cylinder motorcycles. This was started first by KTM, then BMW tied up with TVS to make affordable single-cylinder bikes and the next in line were Hero MotoCorp with Harley-Davidson. The Triumph-Bajaj tie-up following soon thereafter and now Ducati have announced that they will be making a 659-cc single-cylinder motorcycle.

The cost of twin-cylinder motorcycles remains beyond the reach of most customers and that has prompted all the manufacturers to look at affordable motorcycles to boost their sales. To bring the manufacturing cost down, most of the global manufacturers have a manufacturing facility in India. The Japanese manufacturers have their own set-ups, whereas the European manufacturers have tie-ups with Indian manufacturers.

The new Royal Enfield Himalayan is ready to be launched soon. It is going to be powered by a liquid-cooled 450-cc engine with four valves. The 450-cc engine capacity could see Royal Enfield getting ready to take part in the Dakar Rally in the near future.

The Indian manufacturers are making world-class motorcycles that can take on any international manufacturer in build quality. Towards the end of last month, I got an opportunity to see and ride the new Himalayan. The bike looks stunning right from the design and build quality to its proportions, which are perfect. It is nice and compact, has a low seat height, and the seat tapers towards the front, so one can get both one’s feet down on the ground, which is a big advantage for an ADV motorcycle. The new Sherpa liquid-cooled engine is very compact and 10 kilograms lighter than the previous one. The Himalayan is really nice to ride. You may read our detailed report in the next issue.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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A Red-letter Day in Indian Motorcycling

MotoGP was held at the Buddh International Circuit last month for the very first time. MotoGP on Indian soil was a momentous event for motorcycling in the country. The who’s who of MotoGP world championship were present on the occasion.

There were a few niggles, though, such as final track homologation which took place on the Thursday before the race weekend. This led to a lot of uncertainty as to whether the race would take place or not because some of the changes required to have the circuit homologated could not be executed in time. We must give credit to the folk at Fairstreet for the success of the event.

Last month we also took part in the first ride of the TVS RTR 310 in Thailand. During the ride I asked Vimal Sumbly, the head of premium biking at TVS Motor Company, the reason for holding events such as the launch of the electric scooter in Dubai and the RTR ride in Thailand outside India. The answer was simple: he said the idea was to make TVS a global brand, not just limited to the Third World countries but also significant to the developed countries and markets.

The RTR 310 naked version was long overdue after the launch of the RR 310. This one is aimed at the KTM with streetfighter specifications. You may turn over to page 32 for our first ride report.

Indian motorcycle manufacturers like Bajaj, TVS, and Royal Enfield have come a long way with their capabilities to make world-class bikes in terms not only of looks and design, but also of performance, handling, braking, and reliability.

If our two-wheeler manufacturers are capable of making world-class bikes, why can our helmet manufacturers not make world-class helmets? At present the irony is that people can buy the best motorcycles in the world but cannot protect themselves with the best protective gear. Why can our helmet manufacturers not make good helmets to compete with international helmet manufacturers?


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Mishap Claims a Promising Young Racer’s Life

Indian motorcycle racing lost a bright young star in the making last month with the demise of Shreyas Hareesh, one of the most talented youngsters I have seen in motorcycle racing. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

It was a racing incident and, as all of us know, motorcycle racing is a dangerous sport. At the same time, we should try to make it as safe as possible. The first step towards this is riding gear of a good quality, which is difficult to procure in India today due to the ban on the import of helmets. Indeed, it is a sad scenario that the government has banned the import of helmets just to protect the Indian helmet manufacturers. Even after so many years in the business our manufacturers cannot make a helmet that meets the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) standards that are mandatory for racing in the country. It is unfortunate, to say the least, that we are going backwards in time to protect poor manufacturing.

Indian two-wheeler manufacturers like Bajaj Auto, TVS, Hero MotoCorp, and Royal Enfield are making world-class motorcycles, taking on global manufacturers and beating them in international markets. If we can make world-class motorcycles, why can we not make good helmets?

Another important aspect is that the riding gear should fit properly; neither too tight nor to loose. If the body armour shifts, it will not protect the vital organs that it is supposed to protect during an impact, thus leading to serious injury.

Ride in peace, my little friend.

We saw two big launches recently, the return of the Hero Karizma and the Royal Enfield Bullet, the longest model in production anywhere in the world that has been in production for over nine decades. The new Karizma has a modern liquid-cooled DOHC four-valve engine and a trellis frame. The Bullet gets its engine from the Classic which has been further refined with the power delivery tweaked to suit the bike’s character.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Yet Another Milestone

BIKE INDIA MAGAZINE CELEBRATES ITS 18TH anniversary this month. What a ride it has been wherein the magazine has gone from strength to strength! Even today we are the only dedicated bike magazine in the country and for this I would like to thank all our readers and manufacturers for their unstinting support over the past 18 years. We look forward to your support in the future too. Incidentally, only two of us, Ramnath and myself, are the members from the founding editorial team of the magazine in 2005 still working for the magazine.

Last month we witnessed two major motorcycle launches: first it was the Harley-Davidson X440, built in collaboration by Hero MotoCorp, and the day after it was the Triumph Speed 400, also made in collaboration by Bajaj Auto. The H-D X440 is aimed squarely at the Royal Enfield 350 Meteor and Classic. It delivers a little more performance than the Royal Enfield and is in the same mould of being a laidback cruiser. The Triumph Speed 400, on the other hand, is more of an all-rounder. It will allow one to cruise all day and, at the same time, have a blast around their favourite mountainous terrain. It is easy to make a one-dimensional motorcycle, either a laidback cruiser or a performance bike like the KTM Duke, but manufacturing one capable of doing both is a challenge and I must say that Bajaj and Triumph have done a fantastic job with the Speed 400.

Some journalists say that the Speed 400 engine is based on the that of the KTM. That is not true at all; in fact, there is nothing in common between the two engines. Then there are some who feel that it sounds like the Bajaj Dominar’s. It is a 400-cc single-cylinder engine. Therefore, if it does not sound like a single, should it sound like a twin or an in-line four?

We recently lost a promising young racer in 13-year-old Shreyas Hareesh. We offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

On the occasion of the 18th anniversary, I would like to thank the Bike India team for their hard work and support throughout to bring out the magazine. 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Sad and Shocking

The biking community suffered another big loss last month with the demise of Navroze Contractor in a road accident on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Navroze was a member of the Next Gen team, specifically Bike India and Car India, from day one and from the very first issue of these two magazines. In fact, he was on our editorial advisory board.

Navroze was a genuine motorcyclist. He loved riding motorcycles and he died doing just that. He had ridden motorcycles across the globe and done photography for none other than Motor Cycle News, UK. The sad part is that he was killed in an accident for no fault of his. It was the other rider coming down the wrong way who hit him at such a great speed that the front end of his bike got ripped off the chassis.

Indeed, it is sad that we keep losing people in road accidents for no fault of theirs just because some idiot is not willing to go those 100 or 200 metres to make a U-turn. Shame that innocent people lose their lives and such morons get away.

To cite an instance, at Koregaon Park in Pune, near the Hotel Blue Diamond, we see four policemen waiting to catch people who take a left turn disregarding the traffic signal, so that they may fine them. About 50 metres from where these policemen stand, people on two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cars, and small pick-up trucks keep going down the wrong way, but they take no action against them. I think riding or driving down the wrong way is a bigger offence than making a left turn where it is not a free left turn.

Dear Navroze, you may be gone but never forgotten. Ride in peace, my friend.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor