New Bike Launches in India

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) commenced the second phase of production operations at their second two-wheeler production plant in the Tapukara Industrial Area in Rajasthan.

This will help the company to expand its production by another six lakh units per annum, giving it a cumulative production capacity of 28 lakh units per annum. The Japanese automobile major has invested more than Rs 1,000 crore in the second plant and doubled the annual production capacity. The second assembly line is flexible enough to manufacture both scooter and motorcycle models, which includes the Activa, CB Twister and CB Shine, at this plant in addition to the existing Manesar plant.

Honda’s third plant in the vicinity of Bengaluru was announced in 2011 and it is scheduled to become operational in the first half of 2013, with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million units. This capacity expansion plan will increase HMSI’s total annual production capacity to four million units.

India’s entry-level performance bike segment is abuzz with new models from different two-wheeler manufacturers.

Kawasaki, Honda and Bajaj have introduced the Ninja, CBR250 and Pulsar 200NS, respectively, to the country’s enthusiasts, who have appreciated the bikes and set the cash registers ringing. It’s Garware Hyosung’s turn now to exploit the surging demand with the GT250R.

The company is expected to launch the 250-cc performance bike in a couple of months, the bookings for which will open in May 2012. The bike will be identical to the GT650R, except for a smaller motor which will churn out 28.89 PS and 22.68 Nm.

The company will leave no stones unturned to make the 250 a success and will also offer tempting finance schemes to woo buyers. A naked version of the bike, called the GT250, will be launched soon thereafter. The biggest challenge for the Korean bike-makers will be to price the GT250R competitively in view of the massive import duties and taxes it attracts. Most of the 200-cc to 250-cc bikes are priced well under Rs 2 lakh, except the Ninja 250R, which costs close to Rs 3 lakh.

The competition is becoming fiercer in this segment and we hope other manufacturers also join the fray.

The wait is over… The mania begins again as Bajaj readies to launch the new range of Pulsars this Monday, January 30th 2012

Bajaj is also timing the launch of the new Pulsar series in a way that it commemorates the Pulsar brand’s 10 years of existence. The new range of bikes are based on the same platform as the KTM Duke and also retains the popular DTS-i twin spark system. The bikes will now be lighter and faster than before, so remember ‘Safety First’. The front braking unit will probably be provided by Bybre, the same employed on the KTM 200 Duke. Carrying the sporty, street-bike DNA will be two-step seat, underbelly exhaust similar to the KTM and new alloy wheels designed to keep the weight low for better performance.

Price and other details will be revealed during the launch on Monday. Till then, watch this space.

Check out the official Pulsar website – click here

The legendary British bike maker will roar into India with seven of its products in 2012

We have been waiting for a long time for Triumph to enter the Indian market. In 2008 we revealed
Triumph’s Indian ambition and now, almost four years later, the British company has finally
revealed its plans for India. Firstly, the company will be assembling some of its bikes in India to
make them affordable for the Indian consumers. For this the company is hunting for a site to set up
an assembly facility. Secondly, we Indians will be getting to taste bikes like the Iconic Bonneville,
the modern day British racer – Daytona 675, the multi purpose Tiger 800, the awesome Speed
Triple and the monster of a bike – Rocket III. We may also get the Sprint and the Speedmaster.
Bikes like the Tiger 800 and Daytona 675 are expected to be assembled here in India however, there
is no official conformation from the company yet. Triumph will be present at the 2012 Auto Expo
with the afore mentioned bikes and we expect the bikes to hit the dealerships by mid-2012.

Metro develops tubeless tyres for motorcycles with Continental

Metro Tyres develops and designed tubeless tyres for motorcycles with Continental AG of Germany in technical collaboration.  Metro tyres, initially will manufacture tyres from its state-of-the-art Ludhiana plant where it has invested Rs.30 Crore for upgradations and capacity expansion. Metro has earmarked another investment of Rs.50 Crore to be invested in the Manesar (Gurgoan) Plant for their tubeless tyre Venture.

Metro tyres are looking at OEMs and Export Markets for their tubeless tyres in the wake of the growing Indian Two-wheeler Industries, more in specific, the High End Motorcycles. Metro senses a huge demand for tubless motorcycle tyres here.

The overall 10-12 percent growth in motorcycle sales and around 29 percent growth in export sales are together paving way to create this demand for tubeless tyres. Metro supplies its tyres to Continental for the overseas market, while the domestic market already has the OEM development for the 250cc category bikes.

The company has capacity to produce 2 lakh motorcycle and two-three wheeler tyres and tubes per month, which will be escalated to 5 lakhs tyres and tubes per month post Manesar expansion. Metro is looking at a turnover of Rs.600 crore by 2012 and aims to be a 1,000 crore player in the next 4 years.