Latest Bike News

Breaking New Ground

May 31, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

The national motorcycle racing championship 2012 starts tomorrow. Read on to know why we think the championship will be bigger and better this year

The 2012 season of the MMSC (Madras Motorsport Club) national motorcycle racing championship is about to kick-off this weekend, with the first of the five rounds to be held at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore.

The engineering services company SIDVIN has returned as the title sponsor of the championship this year and along with the other sources, the organisers will be distributing Rs 25 lakhs as prize money to the winners, an amount unheard of in Indian motorcycle racing.

To add to that, FMSCI (Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India), the governing body for motorsport in India, have made some positive changes to the structure of the championship. The 135cc and 165cc group D classes are reserved for the novice riders who aren’t allowed to modify their bikes. The new 165cc group C class will have open participation and allows certain modifications the bike while the 165cc group B and 600cc group A will be the elite classes, with no restriction on bike modifications. The effects of the changes are already visible as the FMSCI have announced 220 riders entries and nine team registrations already.

Most notable feature, however, is the introduction of the manufacturer’s championship. The manufacturers of the bikes raced will be awarded points based on the result and the one with the highest points at the end of the season will win the title. This will create competition and interest among the bike makers which will eventually bring in their active participation.

Among the one make races, Honda will introduce the new CBR 150R class and a team championship in the CBR 250R class. Yamaha will be introducing the YZF R15 version 2 with Daytona race kits and TVS will run their own one-make series along with the national championship. And there’s more! Each of these three companies will be sponsoring their prodigies in various international racing events.

Good times are here!

From Japan to Canada

May 30, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

A Harley-Davidson’s incredible Tsunami tale

No we are not nothing about some sort of a natural disaster occurring at Harley-Davidson headquarters, we are talking about something quite so unique that it has found its way into the Harley museum. A Harley-Davidson motorcycle that had turned up on the shores of western Canada after being lost in the Japanese tsunami last year was discovered by Peter Mark in British Columbia. Apparently, after being swept away from Miyagi prefecture, the bike spent over a year at sea floating in a cargo container.

The motorcycle’s owner, Ikuo Yokoyama who identified the motorcycle’s number plate was ecstatic and was in touch with the people at Harley. He narrated the miracle story as how his bike had been preserved in the container for over 1 year. Harley-Davidson offered to pay the bill to both fully restore the bike and then ship it back to Japan. But, Yokoyama has requested that the bike be preserved and displayed at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the U.S.

Yokoyama, who lost three family members in last year’s disasters, says that he wishes that the motorcycle, and its incredible tale, to serve as a memorial for all the victims of the March 11th tragedy. Bill Davidson, the vice president of the museum, says the owner’s wishes will be honored, and he hopes to bring Yokoyama to the unveiling.

World Ducati Week 2012 is go!

May 30, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Held every two years since 1998, the World Ducati Week sees thousands of Ducatisti coming together and sharing their passion for the legendary Italian bikes.

This year’s packed program at the spectacular Misano circuit from the 21st till the 24th of June will include an all-star Drag Race shootout between Rossi, Hayden, Checa, Bayliss, Smrz, Guintoli and more. Scheduled to start at 18.15 on Saturday evening, 23 June, the spectacular quarter mile Drag Race will challenge the razor-sharp reflexes of both MotoGP and World Superbike riders along the Misano World Circuit. This year’s elimination races will be run on specially prepared Ducati Diavel Carbons.

Tudor, the Swiss watchmakers, are the main sponsors of the seventh edition of the World Ducati Week. The riders are then destined to meet the public at a giant WDW2012 party at the Piazzale Roma in Riccione later in the evening where a spectacular night of music, entertainment and pure Ducati passion will be at full swing. Thousands of Ducatisti from all over the world have already booked their WDW2012 tickets online and advanced bookings will remain operative until 13 June on the dedicated event website wdw.ducati.com. from 18 June.

In other news, Ducati also celebrating one million “Likes” on the company’s official Facebook page, recently. Managed by the official website, www.ducati.com, the company has used Facebook to reach out not only to its long-established European and American markets, but also to an emerging Asian markets, full of fans who desire the premium brand’s high performance motorcycles. A new video has been created to thank passionate “virtual” fans of the iconic Italian motorcycle manufacturer. With the company preparing to cover its massive World Ducati Week event live on Facebook from 21-24 June, and its one million “Likers” boasting a combined Facebook friendship of over 180 million, Ducati’s incredible following looks set to sky-rocket even further.

You can see the Ducati ‘One Million Likes’ video here.

Dhoni gets a Confederate Hellcat

May 29, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Indian cricket captain M.S.Dhoni has bought himself a state of the art confederate Hellcat motorcycle

We all are aware off Captain cool’s love for two wheels and with the Hellcat being one of the most beautiful motorcycle an avid bike enthusiast can buy it was only a matter of time for the captain to lay hands on the beauty.

Confederate Motors, Inc. is a manufacturer of exotic street motorcycles based in Birmingham, Alabama. It was founded by trial lawyer H. Matthew Chambers in 1991, to enlighten motorcycle designs through true American inspiration. The company’s first motorcycle rolled off the production line there on November 11, 1994. Over 500 first generation Hellcat models were built from 1996 to 2001.

In 2007, the companies crown jewels the B120 Wraith and F131 Hellcat took first and second place respectively in the production manufacturer category at the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building show at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Yamaha’s sub Rs 30,000 bike

May 28, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

The Japanese subsidiary reveals plans to launch the cheapest motorcycle ever

In an exclusive chat with Bike India, Mr. Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO & MD, India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd stated that the company is planning to develop one of India’s cheapest motorcycles, is to be priced at under Rs.28,000 (USD $500) for India and other developing markets. The bike would be produced in India which is also going to be its base for exports. The move comes barely a week after its arch rival Honda launched its cheapest bike yet in India, the Dream Yuga. At present, Yamaha’s cheapest bike is the 110cc Crux priced at Rs 40,800 (OTR, Pune), which is also sold in India and China. The new bike will take on the likes of the Hero MotoCorp CD Dawn and Bajaj Platina and Boxer.

Mr. Suzuki stated, “We are considering a new low cost export model priced at 30,000 INR for the African market. This we feel is a viable price as the African market demands a product which not just performs well but is also competitively priced. We are working towards delivering such product.”

Look’s like there is a new battle ground which is going to act as the king maker in the Indian two-wheeler segment. Even with the likes of 1000cc, 600cc and 250cc bikes showcasing their presence in the market, it’s the commuter bike masses that are deciding the fates of the firms’ success in the market.