Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i BIKE India

ABOUT A DECADE AGO, IN 2011, THE WORLD’S LEADING TWO-wheeler company revealed its new identity in London, giving birth to Hero MotoCorp as we know it today. This mega event caught the attention of international media, putting the Indian two-wheeler on the global map. Cut to 2020 and the company is hosting yet another world-class mega event, called Hero World 2020, to showcase its vision of mobility, innovation, and technology. The venue is Hero’s state-of-the-art Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT), located in Jaipur. Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman of Hero MotoCorp, unveiled indigenously developed BS-VI models. Now the 2020 versions of the Passion Pro, Glamour, Xtreme 160, and Xtreme 200 Rally Kit have the uphill task to take the baton forward for the firm in these rather challenging times. I…

IN OUR LAST ISSUE YOU READ ABOUT MY TRIP TO SPAIN where I rode the 2020 BMW F 900 R roadster and its touring-inclined cousin, the F 900 XR. What I didn’t tell you then, due to embargo obligations, was that I also spent a morning with the very wholesome S 1000 XR as well, since BMW Motorrad are considering bringing this one to India later in the year. Five years ago, BMW Motorrad slotted the potent four-cylinder motor from their S 1000 platform into an adventure-styled motorcycle with upright ergonomics, upmarket suspension and brake components, and running on 17-inch alloy wheels shod with sticky road rubber. The idea was to create a high-speed touring missile for tarmac-bound riders who were not interested in the off-road capability or utilitarian design…

EVEN SEVERAL DECADES AFTER THE XJ650T WAS launched, the appeal of Yamaha’s first and only turbocharged street bike is easy to understand. All you need is a fairly straight and clear road, 6,000 rpm or more on the rev-counter, and the needle of the boost gauge in the angular instrument panel pointing to the green zone, showing that there’s pressure in the intake system. With all that in place, cracking the throttle open has the Yamaha responding with a wonderfully strong surge of acceleration. There’s no hesitation as it rips through the national limit and continues to gain speed. Moments later, you back off and let the XJ hold a steady cruise while you sit comfortably behind its efficient full fairing, occasionally checking the usefully large and clear mirrors. Such…

HAT COULD BE MORE EXHILARATING THAN A 10-DAY TRIP TO THE W snow-clad mountains of Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh? The answer to that is exploring the mountains with a motorcycle alongside you. To experience the real beauty of these mountains they have to be visited at a time and season when not many dare to venture into those places. With varying terrain, temperature and high altitudes coupled with thrills at every moment, this ride was an experience that will be plastered in my memory forever. Whiteout 2020 is a ride, the third of its kind, organized by Royal Enfield and this year it had a limited number of participants: 11. With two riders from the media and two official Royal Enfield lead riders, there were a total of 15…

Harith Noah is TVS Racing’s rising star. The 27-year-old from Kerala has been racing for the last 10 years and has seven national supercross titles to his name. He has been involved with TVS Racing since 2012 and made his international début at the 2018 rally of Morocco. Earlier this year, he faced his biggest challenge ever as he represented India at the Dakar, considered the toughest rally in the world, as the newest member of the Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team. Although he could not finish the rally due to technical difficulties faced on the third stage, he gained invaluable knowledge and experience that would assist him in next year’s Dakar campaign. We recently caught up with him for a chat. Here are the excerpts: You recently faced the…

WITH SPORT and adventure bikes becoming more popular in India, Honda are focusing their their attention on this segment. In a recent interaction, the Japanese company confirmed that it would be producing sub-500-cc motorcycles in India. That’s not really the big news because Honda already assemble bikes such as the CB300R here but since even completely knocked down (CKD) units attract huge taxes, the single-cylinder neo-retro bike costs about the same as the Royal Enfield 650 twins. The story peg is that Honda are aiming at 100 per cent localization for the new line-up of middle-weights and this should facilitate a lot more competitive price point. Thus, the company will not be importing foreign-made components and assembling the motorcycles here but, this time round, vital components such as the powertrain,…

Looking for a Comfy Cruiser I am looking for a comfortable bike for daily use (70 to 100 kilometres). I had an Avenger which clocked 1,80,000 km in six years. It is difficult to find comfort that is as good as it is on the Avenger. I am now looking for a new cruiser. My budget is Rs 1.5 lakh. I also wanted to know what the difference is between the Bajaj Avenger in terms of BS IV to BS VI. Avnish Kumar, via social media Hello, Avnish, If the Avenger suits you so well, it would make sense to stick to it. The Avenger Cruise 220 would be ideally suited to your needs. As for the differences between the BS IV and BS VI bikes, they are mostly restricted…

X-TECH EVO RIDING BOOTS The manufacturers say that the X-Tech Evo riding boots have been designed to maximize safety, performance, and comfort. They have a solid body along with removable and changeable sliders and polyurethane shields. A foam lining inside adds to everyday usability. The sole is made of a lightweight rubber compound that helps a rider flex more on the foot-pegs while they are changing direction. Priced at Rs 10,799, the X-Tech Evo riding boots are a new option for riders that are into sport touring and occasional track days. TOUR JET RIDING PANT V2.0 Constructed with CE level 2 armours and liners, the Tour Jet riding pant V2.0 has been built to withstand all weather conditions and with long-distance touring in mind. The level 2 armour includes removable…

ELECTRIC MOBILITY SEEMS TO BE THE buzzword these days and everyone seems to want a piece of this pie. Battery-powered two-wheelers have been popping up everywhere — from small start-ups selling sub-standard scooters assembled from Chinese kits to mainstream motorcycle and scooter manufacturers like Bajaj and TVS testing the waters with their first battery-operated products. I make no secret of the fact that I have been quite reluctant to accept electrics as a replacement for good old-fashioned IC power and have spent the last few months dodging media launches and rides of the many electric two-wheelers that have been flooding our market. I am quite attached to the sound, vibrations, and soul of a conventional motorcycle and find the eerie quiet of an electric quite unnerving. However, with increasing air…

APART FROM THE TARMAC PROVING ground, the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) also has a full-fledged off-road track and one of the first products to emerge from here is the Rally Kit. This is a cost-effective remedy to convert a standard Xpulse 200 into an enduro and is the result of the learnings Hero MotoCorp have gained at the Dakar Rally. This light and manageable off-roader is a brilliant proposition for those who want to hone their off-road riding skills without burning a hole in their pockets. The good news is that the kit has been homologated, which means it can be used on public roads. We got to sample the prepped bikes on the factory off-road test-track. Judging the bike in just three laps on the unfamiliar ground…

A YEAR AFTER MAKING US SIT UP and take notice with their 200 Duke back in 2012, KTM veritably blew us away by launching the 43.5-hp 390, a machine that finally dethroned the three-decade-old RD 350 as the quickest “small” motorcycle you could buy in India. The market has matured a lot since then, options are rife, but the orange pocket rocket continues to be extremely desirable among the young street Rossi crowd due to its class-leading power-to-weight ratio and accessible price. The 390 Duke saw its first proper update in 2017, with new bodywork reflecting the design of the 1290 SuperDuke, the segment’s first full-colour TFT dash, updated electronics package, ride-by-wire throttle, LED lighting, and Bluetooth connectivity options. Now, for 2020, KTM have no choice to rework the 390…

THE CALIFORNIA SUPERBIKE SCHOOL OR “CSS”, AS IT is popularly known, is a school that teaches the finer aspects of motorcycle handling or, as they call it, “The Art of Cornering”. They have been in the business of step-by-step coaching for 40 years now, first put into motion by the founder, Keith Code, in the late 1970s. Today, batches of highly trained coaches tour the world, conducting CSS at racetracks around the globe. The best job ever? CSS India was made a reality thanks to the efforts by the father-son duo, TT and Siddarth Varadarajan (now a CSS coach himself). Bike India were invited as always and yours truly was given the assignment. Prayers do get answered, don’t they? From the excitement dripping off the page you might think that…

Recently I bought a helmet with the “ISI” mark as a sticker. Is it legitimate to have an ISI mark sticker instead of a printed mark? Is it legal to put just a sticker like this instead of properly printing the ISI mark? Jatin Singh,via social media Dear Jatin, Congratulations on the new lid. Some manufacturers use stickers to display their products’ safety standards while others choose to have it printed on the shell as a graphic. It is perfectly fine to have a sticker rather than a printed or stamped ISI mark. Wish you the best and ride safe.…

TWO YEARS AFTER I WAS LAST IN Morocco, I’m here again to ride another new Triumph motorcycle. The last time around it was the 2018 iteration of the Tiger 800, with over 200 changes to make it smoother, sharper, and better than its predecessor; this time I’m here to sample the next chapter in Triumph’s middleweight Tiger saga, the all-new Tiger 900 that will be hitting our shores in the coming months. The Triumph Tiger 800 has led the charge in the ADV space since its introduction into our market back in 2014, providing two-wheeled explorers with a sturdy, touring-inclined machine that could cover massive distances without breaking a sweat. Comfortable ergos, forgiving suspension, and that flexible three-cylinder motor made the Tiger the perfect tool to take on our unpredictable…

WE ALWAYS SAY THAT MOTORCYCLING IS THE BEST AND MOST pleasurable way to explore this world. Motorcycle companies have agreed and today we have a large number of bikes that are made for the job. In India, Royal Enfield gave us the Himalayan, which has been quite a success story for the company. The Himalayan, named after the famous mountain range, has just been given its new diet as far as emission norms are concerned. Which begs the question: how vegan is the new Royal Enfield Himalayan BS-VI? Well, not much has been changed, to be honest. We still have the same 411-cc engine, bodywork, panelling, and ergonomics. There are only a few changes, welcome changes, to spruce up sales of the much-liked motorcycle. Firstly, the emission control, sporting a…

KTM BURST ON TO THE INDIAN MARKET WITH the 200 Duke back in 2012, making waves as soon as it arrived. The bike sported new chiselled looks with manic performance in its segment and has stood firm on being the highest selling KTM in the country. Soon after the Austrian motorcycle company launched the even more manic KTM Duke 390 which blew away all comers. In 2017, the Duke 390 was given a complete overhaul which made the boisterous machine a bit friendlier. This was down to a whole new chassis which is now a bolt-on unit and a more linear power delivery. The 200, though, remained the same, until now. The 2020 KTM Duke 200 now features the bolt-on frame we love on the bigger variant and, with its…

THE NEW HONDA Activa 6G has just been launched in the country. We rode the new BS-VI scooter in Mumbai recently to find out what is on offer. The Honda Activa has always been a much loved and successful scooter in the country and shot to further fame by becoming the best-selling scooter in India. The Honda Activa 6G has been fitted with a silent-start feature powered by their globally acclaimed eSP (enhanced Smart Power) tech. This is where the ACG (Alternating Current Generator) motor removes gearing mesh and gear engagement noise at the start and promises to taper maintenance. It is indeed noticeably softer on the ear, enhancing the appeal of the smooth motor the Activa is known for. Besides, we have a completely new engine platform and, with…

THE INDIA HARLEY OWNERS GROUP (H.O.G.) RALLY is a celebration of the brotherhood that binds all the owners of the Bar & Shield brand. This year, the Rally coincided with the American cruiser-maker’s 10th year on Indian soil, so the party had to be that much bigger. As always, we were in attendance at the event to chronicle all the happenings; only this time, Harley-Davidson loaned us the Road King so that we could ride down from our home town, Pune, and indulge in the full experience. Here’s how it all went down. The Ride The streets of Pune were alive with the thrum of five meaty V-twins at the crack of dawn as we headed out towards Goa, with yours truly in the lead, as I was the only…

WE HAVE HAD A TOUGH start to the year, especially with the Coronavirus spreading throughout the globe. With travel restrictions weighing heavily the world over, many MotoGP team members would not be allowed to travel for the Losail weekend. The decision was made to cancel the first round of the MotoGP class race. Moto2 and Moto3, however, were already in the middle-eastern country before the imposition of the said restrictions. This meant that the first race would have Moto2 and Moto3 taking place as per schedule. A quick refresher: Moto2 is where the blistering bikes run the same Triumph 765-cc, three-cylinder engines and Moto3 has 250-cc single-cylinder rockets. Moto2 Moto2 started with the American, Joe Roberts, on the American Racing Kalex bike starting on pole with Sky Racing Team VR46…