Latest Bike News

Bikers ride with Mandela’s message in New Delhi

July 20, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Over 150 volunteers celebrated the 94th birthday of renowned South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela by riding on their motorcycles through the capital and spreading his message of peace and change.

Organised by the South African High Commission Wednesday evening, members of motorcycle group Free Soul Riders (FSR) rode from the high commission’s office in Vasant Vihar area to Raj Ghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi.

“We all came voluntarily. Although we belong to FSR, the rally was open to anybody who had a motorbike and believed in Mandela and his principles,” a participant told IANS. “It was not a coincidence that we chose Raj Ghat as our place of gathering today. I always say, if Mandela is our father, Gandhi was our grandfather,” South African High Commissioner Harris Majeke said in his address.

Drawing a parallel between Gandhi and Mandela’s philosophies, Majeke said the South African drew inspiration from Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement of 1906 and India’s struggle for freedom. He added that after his release from prison, India was the first country that Mandela wanted to visit. Also present on the occasion, Gandhi’s grandson and noted author Rajmohan Gandhi recalled Mandela’s visit to India in 1990 and said that he would like “Indians to embrace Mandela and his ideology and make him a hero,” just like his grandfather is a hero for South Africans. “Gandhi and Mandela, both were passionate fighters for freedom, justice and reconciliation,” he added.

Watch the Bikers for Nelson Mandela Day highlights video, with Morgan Freeman here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHAAvxv6yPw&feature=youtu.be

DSK targets turnover of Rs 100 crore with Hyosung

July 19, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

DSK Motowheels Private Limited, a part of the diverse DSK Group worth Rs 4000 crore, are targeting to achieve an ambitious sales turnover of Rs 100 crore from their newly launched two-wheel venture with Hyosung (SMT Korea).

Shirish Kulkarni, Director, DSK Motowheels stated that they aim to sell 3,780 units in total, including all the 3 offerings. Currently, the company offers the GT 250R priced at Rs 2.8 lakh (ex-showroom), the GT 650N and GT 650R which are priced between 4.2 lakh and 5.5 lakh (OTR, Pune) respectively and the ST 7 cruiser that comes with a price tag of Rs 6.57 lakh.

As you all are aware, DSK recently acquired Garware Motors’ stake in Hyosung and will shortly be setting up a Rs 300 crore manufacturing plant in India within the next two years. DSK Motowheels will be importing engines directly from Korea and assembling them in India.

Jenson Button buys a Ducati Panigale and a Multistrada

July 18, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Formula 1 and McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button splashed out a whooping amount of £23,750 for the Panigale S Tricolore and £17,250 for the Multistrada earlier this month.

Both Ducatis are currently being shipped from the UK to his residence in Monaco. The British racing champ has always been known as an avid collector of both two and four wheels, including a custom Harley Davidson, a blood red Ferrari Enzo supercar and a Nissan GT-R. Which is hardly surprising considering that the former world champion is on a mind boggling five year £60 million contract with his team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

Guess we can now say where Mr. Button is investing all that moolah. Jessica Michibata you are one lucky girl.

Bond on a Bike

July 18, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

James Bond, the fictional British superspy with a ‘license to kill’, has always been noted for his fascination for gorgeous women, hi-tech gadgets and exotic cars.

Now, the grapevine has it that the next installment of James Bond movies, named Skyfall and staring Daniel Craig, will also be featuring a bike prominently in many scenes. The 44 year old British actor’s two wheel companion is a Honda CRF250R motorcycle which has been specially modified for the action sequences in the movie.

Speaking to reporters, Fiona Cole, Corporate communications manager at Honda states, “We like to try and do things differently at Honda, including finding innovative, yet relevant ways to showcase our diverse products, whilst also really engaging with our customers and It’s great to not only have Honda machines chosen as the choice of James Bond, but also to be working with such a longstanding film franchise.”

Skyfall is stated to hit theaters on the 2nd of November in India.

Pedrosa & Marquez confirmed at Honda

July 17, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

HRC, Honda’s factory racing team, has announced that Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez will be riding for the Repsol Honda team for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

The announcement has laid to rest all speculations that Valentino Rossi might be returning to the Repsol Honda team next year.

Speaking on the ocassion, Shuhei Nakamoto HRC team principal, stated, “We are very pleased to renew our contract with Dani and welcome Marc Marquez to the Repsol Honda Team. Dani is enjoying a very strong season and currently fighting with Casey and Lorenzo for the Championship, we are very pleased with his performance. Marc has already proved how fast he is in 125cc and Moto2, and we believe that, giving him the right time to adapt to the new class, he will also be able to show his talent in MotoGP in the future.”

Official Press Release:

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is pleased to officially announce Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez as the two factory Honda riders for 2013 and 2014.

Dani Pedrosa, who currently lies 2nd in the World Championship as the season reaches the halfway point, will extend his contract with Honda, whom he has raced with his debut in the World Championship in 2001. Dani is a three time World Champion (2003 in 125cc, 2004 and 2005 in 250cc) and made his debut in MotoGP in 2006, claiming the Rookie of the Year title and fifth position in the Championship. He has been runner up twice and has also finished third in the premier class on two occasions. After celebrating his maiden win of the 2012 season last weekend in Germany, Dani has shown he is certainly one of the contenders for the title in the premier class this year.

Marc Marquez, born on 17th of February 1993, will make his debut in MotoGP with the Honda factory team at just 20 years old. Already recognised as one of the biggest young talents in the World Championship, Marc has signed for two years with HRC. He was 125cc World Champion in 2010, runner up on his debut year in Moto2 and is currently leading the Moto2 World Championship by 43 points.

Pedrosa & Marquez confirmed at Honda

July 17, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

HRC, Honda’s factory racing team, has announced that Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez will be riding for the Repsol Honda team for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

The announcement has laid to rest all speculations that Valentino Rossi might be returning to the Repsol Honda team next year.

Official Press Release:

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is pleased to officially announce Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez as the two factory Honda riders for 2013 and 2014.

Triumph to set up plant at Narasapur, near Bangalore

July 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Triumph is in the process of finalising its plans for its Indian entry.

As we have reported earlier, the company has chosen Karnataka for setting up its manufacturing plant and has sought land in the state. Now, the latest news is that the iconic British marque is looking for approximately 30 acres of industrial land in Narasapur, an industrial town about 52 kilometres from Bengaluru. Triumph plans to invest approximately INR 850 crores in two phases on a manufacturing plant with an initial capacity of 250,000 motorcycles per annum.

Speaking to members of the press, M Maheshwara Rao, commissioner of industries and director of department of industries and commerce, stated that the company has placed before the government some specific requirements to set up their plant that includes allotment of 30 acres land at Narasapur Industrial Area in Kolar district. The proposed manufacturing plant would be operational by 2015, he added.

Triumph to set up plant at Narasapur near Bangalore

July 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Triumph is in the process of finalising its plans for its Indian entry.

Honda sells a crore two-wheelers in India

July 13, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI), announced that it has cumulatively touched the 10 million (1 crore) customers milestone.

The growth curve is impressive as the company had achieved its 1st million (10 lakh) mark in five years but crossed the last 10th million in just 5 months in the world’s second largest two-wheeler market.

Thanking Honda customers, Mr. Y. S Guleria, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, HMSI said, “We thank our valued customers and reaffirm that as the fastest growing two-wheeler company of India.” Talking about the rapid growth in India Keita Muramatsu, President & CEO, HMSI said, “Going ahead, Honda will intensify its efforts to rapidly expand production, network and continue to achieve many more million smiles introducing advanced Indian centric products across all motorcycle & scooter segments to realize our Dreams for India.”

Metro Tyres unveils new visual identity, launches new ad campaign

July 13, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Metro Tyres Limited, one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of two wheeler tyres in India, unveiled a new logo along with a new advertisement campaign.

The new identity is designed to profile Metro as a company that understands youth aspirations and reaches out to young people, India’s dominant demographic segment, with cutting-edge products.

“Metro Tyres has evolved significantly over the years with a view to staying ahead of the dramatic changes in the Indian business sector. Today, our company is present in more than 53 countries and is the largest exporter of bicycle tyres and tubes from India,”said Rummy Chhabra, Managing Director, Metro Tyres Limited. “Our new visual identity consists of a re-designed Metro name, appearing in italics to represent motion and speed. Complementing the logo, our advertisement campaign is a story of transformation: from a child to a youth. In doing so, it reflects who we are today and the company we aim to be tomorrow.”

Metro has an exclusive tie up in two wheeler tyres with Continental, Germany, one of the world’s largest tyre companies. With a market share of 24 percent in India, Metro Tyres manufactures close to 30 million tyres annually in its seven state-of-the-art plants in North India. The company sells its products through a network of 10,000 dealers spread across India. In addition, it is the sole supplier of tubeless tyres for Honda CBR 250R and also supplies to Bajaj Auto, Piaggio and Suzuki, among others.