Latest Bike News

Hero Honda to unveil new identity

July 24, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

The firm will officially announce new brand image details next month in London

This August Hero Honda will not remain India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer… technically speaking. What we mean is that the two-wheeler giant will be changing its brand identity. Like we had disclosed earlier, after confirming to part ways with technology partner, Honda Motors Japan, the Indian company would be renamed as Hero MotoCorp Ltd and has been burning the midnight oil to create a new global brand image.

Bike India has now got details of the official unveiling that the Hero Group is planning next month. The company has chosen August 9, 2011 as the auspicious day for the introduction of the new brand identity. Interestingly, the venue for the event will be London, UK, a clear indication that Hero does not want to limit itself to just the Indian sub-continent, but wants to be recognised as a major global player in the automobile industry. The auto major had expressed its desire to venture into several emerging markets globally. This is the first major step the company will be taking from the time it announced that it would be going solo. Hero Group and Honda had signed an agreement in March 2011, whereby the Indian firm would pay the Japanese partner around Rs 2,450 crore till 2014.

Earlier this year, the company had hired global brand and innovation specialist Wolff Olins to create its new brand identity, and Law & Kenneth (L&K) as a creative partner to launch and establish the new brand for the company.

It goes without saying that when the unveiling happens in London next month, Bike India will be there to get you the LIVE updates.

Pulsar 220 in new colour scheme

July 22, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

New Bajaj Pulsar 2011 - red and black Now Bajaj gives its flagship bike a superficial upgrade

Looks like Bajaj is following the current trend to offer the same models with newer body-colour and graphics. A new lot of Pulsar 220s have hit the Bajaj showrooms sporting dual colour schemes and unfortunately with no changes in the engine specifications. All is not lost, as the new lot seems to be an attempt to make room in the Bajaj warehouse for the all-new Pulsar that the Indian firm has developed with its Austrian partner, KTM and is sheduled for a pan India launch in a couple of months.

We can wait to get our hands on the all-new Pulsar… till then feast your eyes on the latest colours of the current model. And before you say anything negative, check out Pulsar fan page on Facebook, where in just 20 minutes these pictures received over 500 likes!

New Bajaj Pulsar 2011 - red and black

Karizma R now in white

July 22, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Hero Honda Karizma R Spotlight White Hero Honda aims to spice up the bike with the new colour scheme

Karizma has been one of the most well-rounded performance bikes, below the rupees one lakh bracket. Since its launch in 2003, the bike has been getting regular upgrades and most of them have been superficial. Except the fuel injected version – ZMR which was introduced back in 2009.

Hero Honda Karizma Spotlight White

With competition getting fiercer in the small-capacity performance bike segment, Hero Honda has decided to give it’s 223-cc bike a white wash by launching it in a new Spotlight body colour. There is no change in the engine or other specs, as it produces 17.2 PS and 18.3Nm and is priced at Rs 85,143 OTR, Pune. We have to agree that the new shade does make the bike look good. But we can’t wait for a complete ramp up of the Karizma range.

For more information on Hero Honda Karizma R click here

500kmph+ on a motorcycle, new motorcycle land speed record

July 22, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

brocks performance - bill warner The land speed record for piston engined, wheel driven, semi-streamlined motorcycles has been broken by the same man who held the previous record.

Bill Warner of Wimauma, Florida held the earlier record for a little over 448kmph on his turbo-charged Suzuki Hayabusa. This time, he’s gone for more and exceeded 502kmph on the same bike.

This feat of riding a bike faster than a Bugatti Veyron, was achieved not at Bonneville Salt Flats, but at Loring Timing Association’s land speed races held at the Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine and incidentally, this is not the fastest man has ever gone on two wheels. Faster speeds of 600kmph+ have been achieved by Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner at the Utah Salt flats as recently as September 2010.

Warner said that at that speed, “The bike was bouncing, hopping, skipping and sliding. Needless to say, I got it stopped safely. It was a little scary.” Just a little scary…

That’s it? Yeah, right.

Image courtesy: Facebook

Royal Enfield Classic 500 chrome

July 21, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

The bike maker introduce a chromed version of the Classic 500 internationally

Royal Enfield has recently upgraded their website www.royalenfield.com and it does look rather slick. What caught our eyes was a shimmering new variant of the Classic 500 with ample use of chrome. Previously only a few components on the Classic 500 came with chrome finish however, the company has now coated some of the major components like the front/ rear fender, air box cover and the tank with chrome. The new variant retains the same 499cc UCE engine that produces 28PS of power and 41.3 Nm of torque. Apart from the chrome the other visible change is the long straight exhaust. Unfortunately, it is not yet available in India. The bike has similar aura like the macho Machismo of the last decade. Hope the motorcycle maker gets this version for the Indian enthusiasts as well.

Your Apache on a TVS promo

July 19, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

TVS Apache 180 white wheelie Many a bike enthusiast loves to shoot himself and his bike both in photo and video.

Learning from the Yamaha Fazer experience, TVS has now asked customers of it’s top-of-the-line motorcycle, the Apache, to, well, show off.

For this, they have created a contest on Facebook, where you can upload a video of your Apache, with or without you, and send it to the judges at TVS. All that the video is supposed to do is to explain between 3 to 40 seconds, why you love your Apache. If you win, your video gets featured in an upcoming promo, if not, your video can still be used by TVS anytime in the future. If there are any other prizes, they are not mentioned yet. Also, a final date of entries isn’t declared yet.

So get your video cameras out and get featured.

TVS Apache 180 white wheelie

Rossi to make 250th GP start

July 14, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

One more feather in Rossi’s cap

Motorcycle racing is a taxing sport, and perhaps the most dangerous too. The strain that it puts on its top-tier riders are all too apparent, with most riders dropping out of the game in their early thirties. In such circumstances, Valentino Rossi – possibly the greatest MotoGP rider to ever walk the earth – has proven his mettle, repeatedly thrashing competitors far younger than himself.

And now, Valentino Rossi will make his 250th GP start at this weekend’s Sachsenring GP. In doing so, he will become just the sixth rider in the history of Grand Prix racing to reach the milestone of 250 GP starts. Up until he crashed and broke his leg in practice at last year’s Italian Grand Prix, Rossi had set a record for the largest number of successive GP starts – 230 in total. His close friend, Loris Capirossi, is the current leader in the former, with 321 starts to his credit.

In other news, Rossi recently gifted his mother, Stefania, a Ducati Monster 696 done up in his trademark yellow and red with the famous 46 decal on the tank. Stefy, as she is affectionately known in paddock circles, revealed that she had always dreamt of a Monster and been telling her son over the years that if he ever went to Ducati, he’d to get her a Ducati Monster.

That’s where we say, ‘Like mother, like son.’

Rossi to make 250th GP start

July 14, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

One more feather in Rossi’s cap

That’s where we say, ‘Like mother, like son.’

New Pulsar coming in September

July 12, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Bajaj to launch a bigger Boxer next month, followed by the new Pulsar

The Bajaj Pulsar has an enviable position in the history of Indian performance biking. However, over the last few years, its shine and allure has waned considerably thanks to the competition smartening up and launching an ever-improving range of premium bikes that delivered more bang for the buck. Bajaj has also tried to keep the Pulsar fresh with regular nips and tucks, but a full-scale revamp was what was sorely needed. And it’s here finally, thus confirming the report that BIKE India has previously carried. Come September and the completely new face of the Pulsar will be launched, according to Mr. Rajiv Bajaj, MD of Bajaj Auto Limited. While engine and powertrain specifications are still under wraps, it is clear that new model will heavily feature technology and know-how that Bajaj has gained from its association with KTM.

But before the revamped Pulsar hits the streets, Bajaj will be introducing the 150cc version of its hugely popular people carrier, the Boxer, next month. Also referred to as the ‘Bharat bike’, the new Boxer will be powered by a 150cc engine that has been specially tuned for use in rural areas. This includes a highly strengthened chassis and cycle parts that has been reinforced for carrying heavy loads typical of city users. The new bike is expected to be priced around the Rs. 40,000 bracket.

Bajaj Auto is targeting monthly numbers of 4.20 lakh bikes and three-wheelers by October, which translates into approximately five million units annually. At present, the company averages 3.7 lakh units a month, of which, the Discover accounts for 1.35 lakh and the Pulsar around 85,000 units.

Ducati Diavel sold out…

July 12, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Ducati Daivel red bike …until September

When the Diavel was first unveiled before the world’s press, it created a minor storm amongst the public with its love-it-or-hate-it looks. However, now it seems as if the Ducatisti have taken to the looks of this monstrous power-cruiser with the same passion that they have accorded every other Ducati sportsbike to date. According to an MCN report, almost 5,000 Diavels have been built until now, with the bike sold out in most major markets until September.

This brisk sale has enabled Ducati to rake in approximately £69 million by way of revenue from the Diavel only. Ducati aimed to make 8,000 in the bike’s first year of production but this may have to be increased as 4,700 bikes have been built in four months of full production with 3,200 officially registered around the world. Of the 4,700 Diavels built, just over 2,800 (60 per cent) are the more expensive carbon versions while the rest are standard versions.