Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i BIKE India

TEAM ORANGE SHOOK UP THE PERFORMANCE biking scene when they entered our market in 2012 with the 200 Duke. Now, seven years later, they’re hoping to recreate that magic in the middleweight naked sportbike segment with a bigger and badder Duke. KTM’s first proper big bike is here, and we take it to the track to see if it was worth the wait — and if it is worthy of the nickname that KTM have bestowed upon it. Enter the Scalpel; the 790 Duke. There is no mistaking this bike for anything else. That vertically split LED headlight, the sharp lines leading back from those aggressive tank extensions, the slim, compact profile, and the liberal use of the colour orange all scream KTM. Beyond the fuel-tank, there is no bodywork…

WE HAD TRAVELLED TO THE Buddh International Circuit a couple of months ago to ride Suzuki’s sporty new 250, and came away quite satisfied with the effort that Suzuki had put into the development of this motorcycle (story in the July 2019 issue of Bike India). I had, back then, expressed the desire to spend some time with the motorcycle on the streets, its natural habitat, and Suzuki obliged by sending us a brand-new bike to have some fun on. I quite like the uncluttered design of the Gixxer SF 250, with just the right amount of cuts and creases punctuating the matte black bodywork to accentuate the motorcycle’s subtle lines. The full-LED headlight is all-new, although from certain angles it does evoke memories of a previous generation GSX-R1000, and…

THE BMW MOTORRAD INTERNATIONAL GS Trophy is a biennial event that sees teams of GS riders from all over the world spend a week travelling through remote locations for a week, as they battle the elements and each other across trying terrain and daily challenges. Although the GS Trophy events have so far been held in Tunisia, South Africa, Patagonia, Canada, and Thailand, the 2018 edition of this event, held across Mongolia, was the first time that a team from India was thrown into the mix. Last month BMW Motorrad India organized the second GS Trophy India, qualifiers to select the three Indian riders that would take on the world at the 2020 International GS Trophy, to be held in New Zealand from 9 to 16 February. The selections were…

SHELL, DUCATI’S LONG-TERM TECHNICAL PARTNERS, and the Italian motorcycle giant had an interesting day planned for the Ducatisti in India with their MotoGP rider, Andrea Dovizioso, visiting India for the first time. “Desmo Dovi” spoke about his experience with Ducati as a team and the importance of the Ducati and Shell partnership. The event was held as the final leg of Shell Lubricants India’s flagship “MotoSport Promo Campaign”. More than 25 lucky Shell Advance consumers had a chance to ride at the event under the guidance of Ducati Ride Experience (DRE) certified trainers who helped riders improve their skills and also ensured safety. Rajini Krishnan, winner of multiple national and international championships, alongside Dilip Lalwani and Neharika Yadav were announced as the riders for the Ducati India team. Aakash Rajshakha…

MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT THE ENDURANCE RACING format took place last year, also with Suzuki Motorcycle India. Unlike Suzuka and the lot, my whole race lasted for an hour. Certainly hilarious by racer standards, but that outing helped me learn a lot and I have been itching to put it to test since. So when the invite arrived for the Suzuki Media Endurance Race this year, I hummed a merry tune as I packed my gear and headed to the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. This time, Suzuki had a surprise for us. We had the honour of marking the début of the race-spec Suzuki Gixxer 250 SF on the track. The road-going Gixxer is a capable motorcycle with a torquey engine and remarkable handling; thus making it a good…

WILL WE SEE ANOTHER CHALLENGE TO Marc Marquez? Fabio Quartararo came really close recently and we wondered how he would fair here. Moto2 looks quite interesting, too, with Alex Marquez craving a good result to hold his lead. Moto3, well, anything is possible here, and that is why we love it. MotoGP Championship leader Marc Marquez of the Repsol Honda team once again provided a masterclass with a start-to-finish victory at the Aragon GP. This meant that the Spaniard is now just three points away from securing an eighth world championship title. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Maverick Viñales qualified in second and stayed there for most of the race, but was caught by two Ducatis of Andrea Dovizioso of the factory Ducati Team and Pramac Racing rider Jack Miller…

THE WSBK CAMP DESCENDED at the Circuito San Juan Villicum for the penultimate round of the competition this year. While the rest of the field was still gaining the confidence to push during qualifying, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) went ahead and hammered in a 1’40.771-lap, thus claiming pole position. He was joined on the front row by Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Race One Before the race got under way, there was some tension between the riders and the organisers. In the end, seven riders elected not to race; citing unsafe riding conditions. The remaining 12 riders were on the grid and the start was one to watch. Rea stormed ahead of Bautista to take the lead and…

I am thinking of buying a motorcycle below Rs 80,000. I am interested in the TVS Radeon and the Hero Splendor. Which of these two would prove better and why? Please advise me. Romil Harsora, Bengaluru Dear Romil, Both are very similar motorcycles, but the Hero Splendor Plus could offer better fuel efficiency because it has a smaller engine. If you want a balance of power and fuel efficiency, then the TVS Radeon could be a better choice. Check which of these manufacturers has a better presence in your area for after-sales and service before making a decision. And, of course, do take test-rides on both to see which one suits you better.…

IT’S EASY TO SAY THAT YOU’RE DOING A MAD SOLO ride. Sure, Mumbai-Goa or Delhi-Chandigarh is cool and all, but it isn’t challenging now, is it? At Bike India, we like pushing boundaries, though. And that includes national boundaries. When you’re planning a big, bad, cross-country, crossing-multiple-countries ride, well, you need the right bike. And that choice of bike is significantly crucial too. You can make or break your journey (and your back) with the bike you choose. Ordinarily, I would have watched the shadows lengthen and the sands of time drop away one speck at a time, thinking and dwelling on this decision. And then I would have thought some more and then gone on overthinking it until it drove me nuts before finally settling on a final decision…

I WAS AT A LOCAL GYM TO MEET ASHISH RAORANE, the privateer rally raid motorcycle racer who had miraculously outperformed seasoned Indian racers backed by industry biggies in the FIM Baja series. To my pleasant surprise, this unassuming guy-next-door walked up and introduced himself as Ashish Raorane, the first Indian to be ranked 12th worldwide in the rally series. For some reason, I was expecting someone a little flashy; maybe, some more bling, anyone but an understated, soft-spoken guy in a simple black tee and shorts. He’s not all muscle and grit, has the demeanour of an IT professional, but his tattooed arm gives away his adventurous streak. We instantly bonded over bike rides, races, and rallies. Ashish does not have the backing of a factory team, but his talent…

‘The passion you have makes the difference. If you have the passion and a clear goal, it helps you a lot’ WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK DESMO DOVI A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT his exciting MotoGP career. It was nice to be able to interact with Dovi and make his first visit to India memorable. He was happy to see the BIC track and hoped to race or ride there in the near future. Here are the excerpts: In your MotoGP career, what has been your most memorable battle or moment? Well, it’s not easy to say one because over the last three years, I have had some really incredible fights and finished most of the time in a good way. Very difficult to say. I mean, the last one…

DUCATI INDIA INVITED US JOURNOS TO EXPERIENCE THE MOTOGP IN Buriram for the Thai GP. It is safe to say we came back with huge smiles on our faces, albeit with a slightly arduous travel itinerary. Was it worth it, though? Oh, yes! We arrived at the Chang International Circuit early on Sunday where we were introduced to Ducati’s sporting director, Paolo Ciabatti, at the Ducati Team tent. Ducati were gracious enough to allow us access to the media room, from where we watched the day’s happenings. In addition, the Italians invited us to have lunch with them at their team tent. It was a sumptuous meal — and Italian, of course — in the presence of the top cats at Ducati. However, the pièce de résistance was when we…

THE THAI GP PROMISED TO BE AN IMPORTANT race across the classes. MotoGP had a Marc Marquez needing to outscore his title rival, Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, by just three points to win the title. Moto2 had Alex Marquez holding on to his healthy lead in the championship. Moto3 had the top two championship contenders just two points away from each other. This would be exciting. MotoGP The front row of the grid had a familiar tone with Fabio Quartararo on the Petronas Yamaha SRT on pole, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Maverick Viñales in second and the defending champion, Marc Marquez, on his Repsol Honda in third. The fight for victory would be among these three. That was fairly obvious, especially with Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and Alex Rins on the…

II Which bike would be the best option in terms of everyday practicality below Rs 2 lakh? I am looking for something with at least a 200-cc engine, a sporty design, and the best handling capabilities. What would you suggest? Rajan Kumar, Chennai Dear Rajan, There are a number of motorcycles in this category today. The KTM 200 Duke remains the most powerful offering in India, although it isn’t  the most practical one. On the other hand, the Hero Xtreme 200, Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS, and TVS Apache 200 4V seem to be more suited to your priorities and are also priced well within your budget. There are also some 250-cc offerings priced below Rs 2 lakh such as the Yamaha FZ25, Yamaha Fazer 25, Suzuki Gixxer 250, and Suzuki…

AS MOTORCYCLE STYLING HAS progressed over the decades, instruments too have advanced from simple, cable-operated dials to highly sophisticated electronic readouts, incorporating a variety of different information from ambient temperature to lap-times. Some have gone to extremes, with designs that are so flashy and overflowing with data that the vital stuff can be overwhelmed by glitz and technology for the sake of it. Irrespective of the period, the best instruments focus on what we need to know at any given moment. The rest is a distraction. My first bikes were from the 1970s, so two round dials — speedometer and tachometer — was par for the course on most larger road bikes. I’ve owned and ridden a few with just the speedo, but irrespective of how humble the origins, I…

AS MOTORCYCLE JOURNALISTS, WE GET TO EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE BEST two-wheelers in the world as they’re launched. The downside is that we rarely get to ride the same motorcycle twice. No matter how good the bike is, how strong a connection you feel with it or how badly you want to spend a few more days with it, once done with the test ride and shoot, it is time to return the machine to its rightful owner — and probably never experience it again. The first Triumph Street Triple 765 RS was one of my favourite motorcycles of 2017; although I only had it for a day, this motorcycle has remained at the top of my list of naked middleweights and has also been my mobile wallpaper since. So,…

THERE WAS EERIE SILENCE ON THE grid that seemed to last an eternity. Slowly, though, as the seconds ticked away, the hum of the engines grew back into a familiar tone. There was no mad anxiety this time around such as I had felt in the past. I was oddly calmer with a feeling of being on a mission and even though there may have been a thousand thoughts running around, my mind refused to give any of them a listen. I sat there watching the five-minute board, then three, and, finally, one, which was followed by those lights illuminating. Five seconds later... Well, the lead up first. This was the last round of the TVS Young Media Racer Programme 3.0 which was to be held at the Buddh International…

Marc Marquez’s younger brother has had an up-and-down career. Alex made history in 2014 when he won the Moto3 world championship, alongside big brother’s second MotoGP title, which made them bike racing’s first simultaneous sibling world champions. Alex graduated to Moto2 the following year, but was in the gravel more often than on the podium. Between 2015 and 2018 he won three GPs and suffered 71 crashes. The youngster’s talent promised so much but delivered little. Then came 2019. Moto2 switched from Honda’s CBR600 four-cylinder engine to Triumph’s more torquey 765-cc triple. Suddenly, Marquez was back in business, winning five of the first 10 races. His plan is to win the 2019 Moto2 title, then move into MotoGP in 2021 to share the same grid with his brother. Here are…

THE CIRCUIT DE NEVERS Magny-Cours played host for a round of WSBK with heavy rain for company during the early part of the weekend. In a wet qualifying session, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) set a time of 1’53.955 and claimed pole position, ahead of Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). If things went well, it could also lead to Rea being crowned world champion once again. Race One When the lights went out, Rea was immediately under pressure from van der Mark; the duo almost colliding on the first lap. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) also checked into this fight. Soon Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) made their way from the…

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE race weekend, Pune’s Tanay Gaikwad was tied for the lead in the Gixxer Cup with Syed Muzammil Ali (Bengaluru). Come race weekend, a healthy mixture of luck and skill proved to make all the difference in their quest for the championship. The Gixxer Cup boys had a total of two races over the weekend. Here is what went down at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. Race One Ali was the fastest in qualifying with a time of 1:24.253. Keeping him company in the front row were Gaikwad and Sanjeev Mhatre (Mumbai) in second and third places respectively. The trio got off to a good start and an interesting battle was developing for first place. Misfortune struck Ali because, after the second lap, he fell…