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Better Late Than Never

It is with a heavy heart that I write this editorial. We lost our former Chairman, Humayun Dhanrajgir, recently. He was a thorough gentleman and one of the best human beings I have ever met. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

‘Better late than never’ is what we can say about the new Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z. It was about 10 to 12 years ago that I had asked Bajaj when we would get to see a 400-cc Pulsar. This was even before the launch of the 400 Dominar. The chassis of the NS 200 was so good that it could easily handle a 400-cc engine.

I was invited to ride the bike at the Bajaj Auto test-track along with the international media group. The motorcycle lived up to my expectations. The Dominar engine’s power and torque delivery makes the bike easy to ride and its sharp handling allows one to throw it into corners with considerable confidence. At Rs 1.85 lakh, it is a steal.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Changing Dynamics

Here is something that throws ample light on how the Indian motorcycle industry has changed over the past decade.

The jury round for the Bike India Awards was held last month. New bikes that were launched between the 1st of December 2022 and the 30th of November 2023 qualified for the Bike of the Year Award 2024. There was only one 100-cc motorcycle, the Honda Shine, that was launched during this period. There were two other motorcycles below 200 cc, two below 250 cc, and two scooters with internal combustion engines (ICE), besides four electric scooters. The segment above 300 cc and below 500 cc, on the other hand, witnessed six new launches. Now, if you went back by 10 years, you would have had six to eight commuter bikes, four to five scooters, and only one or two bikes above 250 cc. Clearly, the dynamics of the Indian two-wheeler industry have changed and the manufacturers also seem to have realised that the cost of making a mid-sized motorcycle is not so much more than that of making a commuter. Moreover, profitability is far greater in respect of a mid-sized motorcycle.

There were a number of strong contenders for the Bike of the Year Award. They included the KTM 250 and 390 Duke, Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X, Harley-Davidson X440, TVS Apache RTR 310, and the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. We also had the BMW S 1000 RR, Ultraviolette F77 electric bike, and two Ducatis: DesertX and Diavel V4. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 was crowned the Bike of the Year.

The traffic situation is going from bad to worse by the day, what with the number of new vehicles coming out every day and the lack of any rider training before one gets their riding licence. We need proper rider training schools to teach traffic rules, the basic dos and don’ts of riding on the road, and, equally importantly, the principle of the right of way.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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An Indicator of Evolution

The jury round for the Bike India Awards 2024 for two-wheelers launched between 01 December 2022 and 30 November 2023 was held last month. There were 34 contenders, comprising motorcycles, scooters, electric scooters, and electric motorcycles. Of these 34, there were only three motorcycles below 200 cc along with three electric motorcycles and nine electric scooters; the remainder being big motorcycles. This shows how the Indian two-wheeler market has evolved over the years. It may be recalled here that when the very first Bike India Awards were presented in 2005, most of the bikes were of a capacity below 200 cc.

We had the very first Indian Supercross League and it was witnessed by a large number of spectators who were thrilled by some exciting racing. It was great to see international riders perform and it was evident that there was a big difference in the standard of riding between the Indian boys and their international counterparts; why, even the boys from Thailand were far quicker than our boys. I hope this exposure helps the Indian riders to improve their skill. The only way to improve one’s riding skill is to ride with riders who are quicker than oneself. In my own case, that was what helped me when I was racing. My thought processes ran as follows: if he can go through a corner so much quicker, then why can I not take that corner at the same speed?

There is a desperate need to have training schools for two-wheeler riders to teach them the basic dos and don’ts of traffic rules to which most riders are oblivious. We need an enclosed space where one can teach learners the basics of how to ride a two-wheeler. As the situation obtains today, more than 99 per cent of the two-wheeler riders are not fit to be on the road in the first place.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor