First mass market offering from the company is now on sale

Suzuki Motorcycles India have launched the Hayate commuter motorcycle unveiled by them at the Auto Expo 2012. It has a youthful design, similar to Honda Twister and is powered by a 112cc four- stroke engine. Power and torque figures haven’t been disclosed as of now. The bike has drum brakes and alloy wheels as standard and is available in 5 colour schemes.

The Hayate will compete against the Honda Twister, TVS Jive, Yamaha YBR 110 and the upcoming Hero Passion X Pro and Honda’s Dream Yuga. It is available in two variants, with the kick start one priced at Rs 40,162 and the Kick+electric at Rs 42,162 (ex-showrrom Pune). The bike has been currently launched in the west zone but the other regional launches will occur in a matter of time. Stay tuned for more information and the detailed review of the bike.

Brammo announces pricing and availability of Empulse range of electric motorcycles; ties up with Icon Motorsports

Brammo, the Oregon-based electric vehicle specialists, have announced the pricing and availability of their premium Empulse and Empulse R electric motorcycles. The two models, priced at $16,995 and $18,995 respectively (in the USA) will go on sale later this year and be capable of reaching a top speed of 160kmph and a peak range of over 150 kilometres. The company claims that the 9.3 kilowatt battery driving the bike can be recharged in 3.5 hours from any standard household while the riding experience will be pretty similar to conventional motorcycles because of the six-speed gearbox and regenerative braking (similar to engine braking) like a normal motorcycle.

In other news, the company also announced that Icon Motorsports, the American helmet and riding apparel manufacturer, will be their main sponsors for the 2012 race season. Team Icon Brammo is set to compete in the four regular season races, in addition to the TTXGP World Final at the legendary Daytona International Speedway.

For more details on the Empulse and Empulse R, hit up their company website at www.brammo.com

 

Pulsar crosses 50 lakh sales mark

The country’s second largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto today said its Pulsar model motorcycles have crossed 50 lakh units sales mark since its launch over 10 years ago.

“The (Pulsar) brand has crossed the landmark 5 million sales mark, while celebrating a decade of existence. Pulsar is the only brand in the performance segment which has crossed the 5 million mark in India,” Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) said in a statement.
The company had first introduced the Pulsar motorcycles in November 2001 in two engine capacities — 180 cc and 150 cc, which now has expanded to a portfolio starting from 135 cc light-sports model to 220 cc ‘street-fighter’ product and enjoys a market share of 44 per cent in the performance segment, BAL claimed.
“Not many brands in the Indian automobile space have crossed the 5 million mark. This holds true even for mass motorcycles. The Pulsar range has received many accolades over the years,” BAL President (Motorcycle Business) K Srinivas said.
The company had unveiled the Pulsar 200 NS early this year and it is hopeful of the model doing good in the market, he added.

On- and off-roader bike has a 798-cc parallel twin engine

BMW Motorrad, the two-wheeler division of German car manufacturers BMW, recently launched the BMW F650 GS in the country. This 798-cc parallel twin on- and off-roader promises 72 PS of peak power and 75 Nm of maximum torque and weighs about 200 kg. It comes with a 19-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear one, with disc brakes at both ends. The engine has been mated with a six-speed transmission and the bike has a telescopic suspension at the front and an adjustable mono-shock at the rear. ABS is an optional feature, which can also be switched off.

The BMW F650GS has been priced at Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). With the competitors in this segment being priced lower than this, the price of this Beemer sure sounds rather steep, but then it is most likely to attract a different set of customers too.

Mahindra Two Wheelers registers 7% growth, riding high on the success of Duro DZ scooter

Mahindra Two Wheelers Ltd (MTWL), a part of the US $14.4 billion Mahindra Group, continued to build its presence in the two wheeler segment. The company’s scooter sales in April 2012 stood at 10191 units, a growth of 7% over last year. The newly introduced Mahindra Duro DZ continued to receive great customer response across the country.

“We are really encouraged by the enthusiastic customer response that the new Mahindra Duro DZ continues to receive across the nation. Our future growth momentum will be driven by a range of similarly exciting, new product launches over the next few months.” said Mr. Viren Popli, Senior V.P. Strategy and Market Development, Mahindra Two Wheelers.

The cumulative sales for the company have crossed a landmark figure of three lakh units, with both the Rodeo and Duro scooter brands having a franchise of more than one lakh consumers across the country. Mahindra 2 Wheelers’ powerful 125 cc scooters cater to a range of consumer segments. The Mahindra Rodeo with its very innovative, contemporary features is popular amongst young couples, while the Mahindra Duro DZ is positioned as a solid family scooter. The Flyte is the Indian woman’s two-wheeler of choice.

Honda CB Shine gets new clothes

HMSI is strengthening its market position in the 125cc motorcycle segment by unveiled the refreshed look of its popular CB Shine. The CB Shine now comes in 2 new colours – Force Silver Metallic and Monsoon Grey Metallic. CB Shine however will continue to be available in its existing colours – Black, Geny Grey Metallic and Rebel Red Metallic and now comes with new graphics on the fuel tank. In its refreshed avatar, the new CB Shine will soon be available in 3 variants: Spoke wheels with drum brakes (with tuff-up tube), Alloy wheels with drum brakes (with tubeless tyres) and Alloy wheels with Disc brakes (with tubeless tyres). The new look is bound to bring in the breed of bikers who are out for a sporty looking bike which gives good mileage and not to forget the all important front disc brake option.

Salman Khan becomes Suzuki brand ambassador

Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) today announced Salman Khan as its first ever brand ambassador in India. The ‘Dabangg’ star with a massive fan-following will spearhead Suzuki’s above-the-line and below-the-line initiatives, and will be seen endorsing the new Hayate motorcycle soon.

Suzuki two-wheelers will be looking at associating with Salman Khan across the gamut of his projects, campaigns and initiatives. With the recent aggressive product launches that provides customers a choice in each segment, Suzuki two-wheelers has embarked on a journey of ramping up its presence and relationships across the country and market segments. For Suzuki two-wheelers, the iconic status of Salman Khan and his national, cross-market, cross-segment appeal combined well with the Company’s recently adopted brand theme of Apna Way of Life.

Mr. Atul Gupta, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, SMIPL, said, “We are delighted to have Mr Salman Khan associating with one of the world’s most iconic two-wheeler brands. We believe that Suzuki and Salman together will make an emotional connect with all sections of customers that Suzuki’s range of two-wheelers reaches out to. The association with Salman was driven by the imperative of quickly building a strong connection between the Suzuki two-wheeler brand and the different segments that our expanding range of products is addressing.”

Vespa is poised to make their second foray into the Indian scooter market, come April 26^th. We have ridden their first offering, the LX 125, and are working on our ride report, to be featured in the May 2012 issue of BI. In the meantime, feast your eyes on these pictures.

 

 

 

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Full details about Lisbeth Salander’s motorcycle in TGWTDT finally emerge

It is a truth generally acknowledged that whenever Europe or Asia comes up with an excellent film, Hollywood will usually follow suit with a high-budget remake and completely ruin the original’s reputation. Not such with David Fincher, the director of several cult movies like Seven, Zodiac and Fight Club. Fincher’s attention to detail and obsession to every minute aspect of his prop pieces is legendary and his latest remake of Stieg Larsson’s acclaimed masterpiece, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is an apt example. Now, thanks to our friends over at BikeExif, we have some details on how the cafe-racer (ridden by Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander) that played a pivotal part in the movie was developed.

The bikes here are three late 1960s Honda CB 350s, coml,etely stripped to the bone and rebuilt to the director’s specifications by noted customiser, Justin Kell of Glory Motor Works in LA. All three CBs were restored, stripped, cleaned, re-painting, powder-coated, polished and cadmium plated for the shots. Since the shots called for good lighting, HID headlamps were fitted in the bike. Things like clutches, brakes, wiring harness and spokes were replaced and the engine was given everything new to the bits, even new valve job, pistons and rings. The carburetters were rebuilt and fuel tanks were stripped and relined. Flat track style seats were installed, covered in vintage glove leather.

All this labor showed good results in the movie, we know. After all it ain’t easy to make an old lady look the same age as a young damsel. Watch the final result here and you will agree.

Ducati launches special edition Monster in collaboration with fashion giant, Diesel

If the German car-maker Audi goes ahead with its plans of buying Ducati, who knows, there may be a TDI engine powered Duke in the future. For now, check out this special edition Monster launched by the Italian marquee recently.

Diesel is an Italian clothing brand most famous for their denims. Diesel has been associated with Ducati since last year as their MotoGP team sponsor. Taking the partnership forward, Ducati has launched the special edition of their Monster 1100EVO naked street-bike called the ‘Monster Diesel’.

It has military green body panels in matte finish and yellow brake callipers on the front disc rotors while the footpegs, seat, wheels, exhaust and even the trellis chassis are all painted in black. Also, the exhaust heat shield and the seat have ribbed design. Diesel on their part have launched a special collection of riding gear and accessories under the ‘Capsule collection’. The Monster Diesel was unveiled at the Diesel store in New York city, USA recently but will arrive in Ducati showrooms only by July this year.