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MARCH 2025

March 5, 2025 by Aspi Bhathena Leave a Comment

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

FEBRUARY 2025

February 7, 2025 by Aspi Bhathena Leave a Comment

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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

JANUARY 2025

January 9, 2025 by Aspi Bhathena Leave a Comment

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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

DECEMBER 2024

December 17, 2024 by Aspi Bhathena Leave a Comment

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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

November 16, 2024 by Aspi Bhathena Leave a Comment

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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