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Motorsport Calling

September 21, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Hero Moto to sponsor Narain Karthikeyan for Indian GP

Hero Moto is gearing for its entry into the world of top-level motor racing. The company recently announced that they will be sponsoring Narain Karthikeyan and his team for the Formula One Grand Prix to be held in India next month. As per the deal, the Hero Moto logo will be prominently displayed on Narain’s HRT-Cosworth F111 car, giving the brand huge coverage and publicity in what is unarguably the country’s largest sporting event of the year.

Speaking on the ocassion, Narain Karthikeyan stated ,“Hero is one of the oldest and most prominent Indian brands and I am pleased to be associated with it. Today is a very important step in the right direction for motor sports in the country. The sport has come a long way since the day I started racing. Viewership has gone up a lot, and corporate support is now more forthcoming. Formula One is in its nascent stage in India with great potential waiting to be explored. I hope with the support from Hero Motors we will be able to scale new milestones in the times to come”.

Commenting on the association with Narain Karthikeyan, Mr. Pankaj Munjal, Managing Director, Hero Motors said,“Hero Motors is committed to be amongst the first Indian corporate houses to compete in the Indian Grand Prix and we are indeed very proud to be associated with Narain Karthikeyan and Hispania Racing Team (HRT). The alliance with the HRT will provide a unique platform for the group to communicate its extensive of competencies to a global audience. The association with Narain Karthikeyan and HRT team has lot of synergies in our core values for which we are known for and truly reflects our commitment towards excellence, speed, growth & innovation.”

The Indian Grand Prix will be held in Greater Noida, India from October 28th – 30th October 2011.

It’s official: new Streetfighter 848

September 20, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

The Ducati Streetfighter gets a smaller and (slightly) cheaper sibling

Going by the official blurb, the brand-new model from the Italian manufacturer aims to add everyday accessibility to the naked sportsbike family. The press note issued by Ducati goes on to say that the 2012 Streetfighter combines a new 848 Testastretta 11° engine with enhanced geometry of a chassis to provide confidence-inspiring agility and that the new model is user-friendlier, with a smooth and flexible power delivery, revised ergonomics and ‘Ducati Traction Control’.

As informed BI readers might remember, the original Ducati Streetfighter entered the ring for the first time at the Milan show back in November 2008, storming the hearts of all who laid eyes on it, and going on to win the ‘Most Beautiful Bike’ title. Its high performance and achingly beautiful Italian styling became the object of desire for sports-naked connoisseurs everywhere and now the 2012 Streetfighter 848 hopes to widen that appeal further with enhanced usability.

Available from November 2011 onwards, the new fighter is dressed in red for Ducati traditionalists, while yellow makes a return for mid-range purists and ‘dark stealth’ provides a matte-black reminder of the Streetfighter’s aggressive image. Pricing remains unannounced as of now.

BMW’s Concept E

September 20, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Concept electric scooter charges up Frankfurt Motor Show 2011

Toeing the green line, BMW unveiled their long-awaited Motorrad Concept E at the recently concluded Frankfurt Motor Show. This concept electric scooter might be an addition to the long list that the e-scooter market already has, but it emanates a certain charisma that distinguishes it from the usual crop.

From its futuristic design to its state-of-the-art features, the Concept E is a clear representation of where the company imagines the alternative commuters might be heading for. The paintjob is a combination of black, green and white hues and the battery is stored away under its green side panel. There is a fan under the pillion seat (much like the under-seat exhaust in a conventional bike), which ventilates the battery area.

As for technology, the Concept E comes with touch-buttons on the handlebar with a display screen in the middle. Also, instead of the customary rear-view mirrors, this green machine comes with two video cameras, hidden under the tail-lamp.

Just as BMW described in their presentation, we believe this concept will turn out to be a very practical and fun-to-ride commuter, while also contributing its part to a cleaner future

New Kwaker coming … Godspeed

September 8, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Kawasaki ZX-14 This October will witness the green streak of the latest ZZR 1400

In the world of superbikes everyone from Japan to Italy is trying to make a motorcycle that would push the limits of speeds. Yet, many years ago superbikes started getting so quick that the manufacturers started limiting their top speed electronically. Since then, the battle for top speed is pretty much a moot point. Acceleration, engine size etc. have not been able to become the holy grail of superbike worship either.

And continuing in this spirit, Kawasaki will be launching the latest big-daddy-of-everything-lime-green , the ZZR 1400 (or ZX-14 or ZX-14R) on October 10th of 2011. Kawasaki has maintained almost CIA like security and has not revealed any new info on the bike. It did however, release a lot of teaser videos for us to enjoy. Check them out on www.bikeindia.in.

Mahindra Stallio 2 be relaunched after Diwali

September 7, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Mahindra Stallio Mahindra’s 2 Wheeler has decided to relaunch its bread and butter winner, the Stallio in November. The production of the motorcycle had been stopped in Feburary to sort out issues with the bike and it will be launched again after the festive season.

Mahindra also has announced that will be raising the prices of all their vehicles by 2% soon. While that have not announced the reason for this increase, we feel that the reason might lie in the natural inflation of money or rising advertising costs.