Latest Bike News

A Timeless Beauty

May 17, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

1928 Windhoff up for auction at Bonhams

In the rarefied world of vintage motorcycle collectors, most vintage motorcycles worth more than $100,000 are pretty well known. Windhoff, however, is a notable exception. Nevertheless, Windhoff produced some of the most stunning machines of their time during the pre-war days. This particular 1928 Windhoff 746cc Four motorcycle is up for auction again on 29 Apr 2012 at Stafford Bonhams. The estimated price for the current sale is around the $160,000 to $210,000USD mark, but chances of finding another one like finding a needle in a hay sack.

Windhoff was a German company based in Berlin, founded in 1880 by the Windhoff brothers who initially were radiator manufacturers. Windhoff produced motorcycles that were not just an average design or engineering. These motorcycles were original, well balanced and mechanically as beautiful as some of the best motorcycles of their time. The Windhoff Four was loaded with innovation – it had no frame, the huge engine was the frame in which was attached the front-wheel fork. The rear wheel was also attached to four fully chromed shafts emanating from the engine, which ran horizontally to the drive shaft, giving the entire unit a great architectural balance.

The unit was renowned for it’s smoothness and flexibility, enabling the Windhoff to be ridden at the speeds as low as 10kmph without snatching. In 1928, a Windhoff machine set the world speed and endurance record on the Opel Race track during the annual Opel 24 hour race.

Cycle Rally for a Noble Cause

May 17, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Cyclists pedaled 2300 km to spread the message of ‘Save the girl Child’ with the support of Firefox Bikes

After pedaling 2300 km International Cyclist Shri Datta Patil and Sudhir Patil from the International Cycle Academy who embarked on a cycle rally from Sangli to Panipat from 22nd April2012, reached New Delhi on their way campaigning against Female Foeticide.

As a part of this noble cause, 15 boys and 15 girls had pedaled a distance of 2500 km. covering a total of 18 cities. The aim of the rally was to spread the message against female foeticide. The children covered various cities like Pune, Gwalior and Agra before reaching the Capital city from there they started their culmination journey to Panipat as an endeavor to spread this strong message to the remotest of corner of India.

Touching Delhi these children were welcomed by Mr. Shiv Inder Singh, MD, Firefox Bikes Pvt. Ltd, stating that Firefox was honored to be associated with the noble cause. Firefox encouraged the children and cyclists by providing them with monetary support as well as technical support at all Firefox bike stations across the country.

Harley-Davidson rolls into eastern India

May 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

The eight dealership of India, Bengal Harley-Davidson, is now officially open

A spanking new showroom at Rajarhat, en-route to Kolkata’s international airport, is the new pilgrim spot for Harley-Davidson aficionados of eastern India. Christened as Bengal Harley-Davidson, the inauguration saw Harley-Davidson owners from the region converging at the showroom. Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India, Anoop Prakash along with bike owners rode through the ‘City of Joy’ to make the presence felt. This strategic location of the showroom should open the floodgate for the thirsty bike enthusiasts also from the North East.

The Milwaukee based company already has dealerships in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Hyderabad.

Harley-Davidson rolls into eastern India

The eight dealership of India, Bengal Harley-Davidson, is now officially open

The Milwaukee based company already has dealerships in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Hyderabad.

Audi-Ducati’s first offering

May 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Audi and Ducati’s first ofering is certainly more radical than we thought

After German car maker Audi took over Ducati, we did expect something worth raising eye-brows from the clan. But much to our surprise (and unlike our guesses of a ‘diesel L-twin’), the news is that the company has built an electric pushbike. The electric pedal bike, or “pedelec’ has been designed keeping stunting in mind, with a dedicated mode (called ‘Wheelie’ mode, in which the power to rear wheel is moderated when front wheel is in air). Weighing about 7 kgs more than a conventional pushbike, the bike has a carbon fibre frame and 26” carbon fibre-reinforced plastic wheels. Powered by a Li-ion battery, the range of the pushbike is 50-70 km, with a top speed of 80 km/h. The most interesting feature of the bike is an on-board computer which wire-lessly communicates with the rider’s smart-phone, along with keeping a record of the number of stunts rider has performed, along with comparing them to others on Facebook.

This interesting piece of machine will be revealed at Worthersee Volkswagen Group enthusiast expo later this year.

From India, to the World

May 16, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Suzuki plans to make India an export hub

Suzuki Motorcycles India Private Limited recently announced its second plant which will come up in Rohtak, Haryana. The foundation stone laying ceremony was performed by Haryana chief minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda. This new plant will be finished by 2014 and will have an annual capacity of 500,000 units. Suzuki Motorcycles will be further expanding this plant depending on the growth of the Indian market.

Suzuki is also planning to use India as an export hub for its two-wheelers, especially the mass-segment commuters. SMIPL National Head-Marketing, Anu Anamika recently said at the launch of the Hayate mass-segment motorcycle “Yes, this is possible, but I cannot tell you which part of the country this would be located.” Exports to neighbouring countries have already commenced from the Gurgaon plant and this is proposed to be stepped up in future with exports to Southeast Asian countries, too.

The Gurgaon unit, on which a Rs.400-crore investment has been made since the company commenced operations at this unit in 2006, has an annual capacity of 3.6 lakh units (of scooters and motorcycles). This will be ramped up to 5.4 lakh units by 2013-14 when investment would increase to Rs.500 crore, according to Ms. Anamika.

Yamaha’s big plan for India

May 14, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Setting up a new two-wheeler factory in Tamil Nadu

India Yamaha Motor (IYM) Pvt. Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Tamil Nadu approving the construction and operation of a new two-wheeler factory in the state. The new facility will join the company’s Surajpur (UP) and Faridabad (Haryana) factories to meet the rising demand for two-wheelers in India, where the new factory could also produce scooters, like the Ray which was displayed during the 2012 Auto Expo.

The new factory is to be constructed on a lot of approx. 440,000 sq.m. in an industrial park in Vallam Vadagal on the outskirts of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Plans call for the construction of a factory facility with a total floor space of approx. 114,000 m2 and is scheduled to begin in September 2012, with completion and start of operations scheduled for January 2014. The company aim to employ 1,800 people and have an annual two-wheeler production rate of 400,000 units at the start of operations. Production capacity will then be increased in stages to a level of 1.8 million units annually by 2018, at which time employment is expected to reach 6,500 people. The forecast for the total investment in the new factory and facilities is approx. Rs 1,500 crores over the next five years.

Discovering new Avenues

May 14, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Bajaj launches new Discover 125 ST

Bajaj Auto has just launched the Discover 125 ST in India. The ST monicker here stands for ‘Sports Tourer’ which Bajaj says is a first for the Discover platform. The 125 ST is powered by a 125-cc, twin-spark, air-cooled, 4-valve engine producing 13 PS of peak power and 10.8Nm of peak torque. The big change here is the inclusion of a monoshock suspension, designed to endow the Discover with sportier handling than its peers which traditionally employs archaic twin shock absorbers at the rear.

Like most of its siblings, the ST will also employ Bajaj’s patented ExhausTEC, and also incorporate a 200 petal disc brake setup upfront for better braking prowess. With a kerb weight of 124.5 kgs, the ST is good enough to reach a top speed of around 105 kmph thanks to a new five-speed gearbox and all the aforementioned innovations. Fuel tank capacity stands at a conservative 10 litres.

The new Discovers will go on sale next month, and pricing will be released at the time of its sale. Currently, the price of the Discover range starts from Rs 50,000 (on-road, Pune).

Moto Morini Begin A Fresh Innings

May 11, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Italian marque reveals first bike after being rescued last year

After being rescued by Eagle Bikes, owned by Sandro Capotosti and Ruggeromassimo Jannuzzelli, Moto Morini have revealed a new bike, called the Rebello 1200, on their 75th anniversary.

This new bike shares its 1,200-cc, 133 PS V-twin with its elder cousin, the Corsaro. It also shares the tubular steel frame with the Corsaro. However, the styling is reminiscent of the old café racers. The suspension set-up includes fully adjustable Marzocchi front forks and Öhlins adjustable rear shock. Braking at both the ends has been taken care of by Brembo. The Rebello will come with an innovative electrically moveable saddle that takes the it from monoposto to biposto with a simple flick of switch, while maintaining the bike’s rear-cowling look.

In keeping with its siblings’ pricing strategy, expect the Rebello 1200 to be priced around the Rs. 10 lakh (approximately € 14k) mark in European markets when it goes on sale later this year.

KTM 690 Duke Track launched

May 11, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Announces 200 units of the special 690 Duke Track racer edition

KTM recently lunched a very special version of the 690 Duke, called the 690 Duke Track. As the very name suggests this bike has been especially prepared for track riding and features performance upgrades that put it in a much higher league of machines. This bike is based on the motorcycle that KTM run for the European Junior Cup, a support event for the World Superbike Championship, at eight rounds throughout the year.

The 690 Duke Track has been homologated only for track use and, as such, will be illegal for street riding purposes. At over Rs 8 lakh (UK price), the special-edition motorcycle makes 80 PS of peak power (nine PS more than the stock version) and weighs 10 kg lighter. There are a number of performance parts like the Akrapovic exhaust system, modified airbox, high performance camshaft and an altered fuel mapping, which together give this bike a considerable edge over its stock sibling.