Two Wheeler dealers in Rajasthan suspend sales of vehicles to protest against the state government’s order of giving two helmets free with every two wheeler sold.

The suspension of the sales was announced by the two wheeler dealers after transport department of Rajasthan announced in a notice on March 29^th that two wheeler sellers, as representatives of the manufacturers, to provide two ISI marked helmets with every two wheeler, one for the rider and one for pillion.

Sai Gridhar, secretary, Authorised Motor Vehicle Dealer Association (AMVDA), told ET Auto.
“We are writing to the minister informing him about the decision to stop sales of two-wheelers across the state from tomorrow till the decision is revoked. We want either the government to take back the decision or the manufacturer to provide us with helmets.”

Yunus Khan, transport minister of Rajasthan said,
“We may revise the decision of providing it “free”, but dealers will have to provide two helmets whether they get it from the manufacturer or add to the cost. According to CMVA, the two-wheeler buyers should get five items along with the bike and helmet is one of them. This is a matter of safety and cannot be compromised.”

As per ET Auto reports, Rajasthan sells around 85,000 two-wheelers in a month, which is approx 6.5% of country’s total two-wheeler sales.  The suspension in two wheeler sales will further affect the already struggling two wheeler segment in the country.

It is to be noted that, all two wheeler manufacturers must provide at least one ISI marked helmet with every two wheeler, as per the Central Motor vehicle Rules Act.

Kerela also issued a notice last month, asking two wheeler dealers to provide helmet, number plate, rear view mirror, saree guard and grab rail for pillion free to every two wheeler buyer.

The Transport Commissioner of kerela also stated that dealers who doesn’t comply with the rule, will get their trade certificates cancelled.

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TVS Racing has signed Shreya Iyer for Indian National Rally Championship this year. The 24 year old rider is the first women rider TVS has ever signed for their race team.

Starting her career at 17, Shreya is the first Indian women rider to successfully complete a ride across sand dunes in Dubai. She has ridden across India including the isolated Suru Valley in the Himalayas and also completed the 2000 kms long Southern India biking expedition in just 6 days.

Arvind Pangaonkar, Head of Team TVS Racing said – “We believe that her participation will encourage women to consider racing as a career. TVS Racing is strongly committed to promote 2-wheeler racing in India and generate interest and improve support for the sport in India. We make continuous efforts to take the sport to as many section of the society as possible and create the ultimate machine and promote the riders for these machines.”

Shreya Sundar Iyer added, “I am proud to be a part of the TVS Racing team. TVS Racing is by far the best Indian racing team with the best motorbikes and trainers. This association will help me work with the best in class machines, racers and technology. I also hope to encourage young bikers, especially women to follow their passion for racing and live their dreams.”

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Yamaha Motor, India has inaugurated its new Spare Parts Centre in Tamil Nadu. The Centre is located in the premises of Yamaha Chennai plant with a total area of 30,000 sq. mts. The company has made a total investment of INR 580 Million in the new Centre.

Mr. Hiroaki Fujita, Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group Companies said – “In the present industry scenario, customer satisfaction is the key to sustenance & growth. Timely supply of genuine spare parts to the customers is the key to success. Our main objective behind the establishment of the new Parts Centre is to cater to the demands of the consumers in South India with Speed, and Quality.”

The centre is targeting to ship out spare parts the very next day of receiving orders. Also, the part supply ratio will be 5% more than that of Bangalore warehouse which has been discontinued now. Speedy spare parts supply to customers is very important for high customer satisfaction and the Chennai parts centre will play a key role in achieving the same. At present, Yamaha has 20 spare parts distributors across 15 states and more than 3,000 spare parts retailers across the country for supply of genuine spare parts to the dealers and customers.

 Mr. Takashi Terabayashi, Managing Director, IYM said, – “The new Centre will play a significant role for achieving IYM Goals. It will contribute to the IYM Profit by strengthening the business foundation and supply chain management operation. The new Centre will support Yamaha business by ensuring smooth supply of quality spare parts in South India as well as other parts of the country and contribute to the achievement of business expansion plans.”

The company will now maintain optimum spare parts inventory at Surajpur and the new Chennai centre for the North and South markets and would cater to the increasing demands across the country with high quality, lower costs & quicker lead time.

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January saw the launch of the long awaited Apache with a bigger heart – the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V. Old Fox reviewed the motorcycle at TVS’ Hosur Test Track, but we were longing for a longer ride! And MaxBhp was the perfect excuse for that ride. And TVS gave us not one, not two, but three spanking new Apache RTR 200 4Vs for the ride to Shillong. Deepak Kamath rode from Chennai, Gourab Das aka MG started his trip from Bangalore, while I started from Saddi Dilli. Together we would clock a total of 10000km on our respective machines! The summer heat be damned, it was time to hit the melting black tarmac, hopefully not literally!

MaxBhp is a motorcycling festival organised by the xBhp Meghalaya Chapter and was made possible with the support of TVS Apache and Motul. Pran Frooto India, Polaris Northeast India, BEADS, Peitngor Cable News and Northeast Today also threw their collective weight behind the event. The event was held at the Umiam Lakeside in Mawlyndep Village, Meghalaya.

This is the journey of DEEPAK KAMATH as he clocked over 3200km in total on his TVS Apache RTR 200 4V:

It’s not always you get notifications on xBhp offering a fully sponsored ride on a new bike! So, when I came across this notification from none other than Sundeep Gajjar, or more popularly known as Sunny, I did not hesitate to connect with him at about 10 at night of that lucky evening!  We exchanged a few notes and I was able to convince him that I wanted to ride! By 11:30 that same night, it was announced on xBhp and I was thrilled to ride to the MaxBhp Festival of the Northeast, the first of its kind biking festival in that region by xBhp.

And thus began the last mile coordination with the team. Sunil Gupta to book my tickets to Chennai, where I would get the new bike, the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V.  I calculated the distance that I needed to ride and told Sunny that I would take 3 days to ride from Chennai to Shillong and hence will start by the morning of 18th April. The other 2 who were riding for this festival would start earlier by a few days!

18th Morning:  I was up by 2 AM to catch an Airport Bus to board my flight to Chennai, scheduled at 06:30.  As I reached the airport, I realized that not only does Bangalore have traffic snarls, but also the airport area. With traffic pile up outside, I did not imagine the kind of rush at the check in.  The security clearance was a NIGHTMARE! It took me more than an hour and a half to pass through this ordeal.  I wasn’t too happy with the way the security personnel were frisking at snail’s pace. Nonetheless, my flight took off on time and I reached Chennai as scheduled. From the airport to the dealership took me an hour and by 10:00 am we were all set to ride!

A small pooja and coconut breaking ritual later at SBM TVS, I was on the road.  Here, I am thankful to the Yezdi boys of Chennai, Srinivasan Kashyap and Ajay Srinivas to have waited for me at the dealership and escorted me out of the city.  I am still an old timer and GPS guidance is still questionable! Many friends had warned me about the temperatures along this route, so the boiling temperatures did not come as a surprise. I have always allowed my mind to work over my body, so it was thoughts of all the cool things in the world, trust me, it works!

Day 1 ride ended at Rajamundry, about 700 km from Chennai.  Please note, I was handed over a BRAND new bike which had run for only 18 km on the odometer and I was advised to retain a sped not exceeding 50/60 kmph.  Friends joked that I might need a constant alarm to wake me up during the ride.  But, here’s where the experience of having ridden over the years comes to play. Run-in is like an ECH graph, you hit a high, slow down to a low, hit high, higher and slow down and possibly stop after a while.  Now, whether I wanted to stop or not, I definitely wanted to stop for refuelling, since this bike had a tank capacity of only 12 litres, which I felt a let down on long travels.  In this case, it was a boon, so that I could allow the bike to cool down. Since the bike needed oil change, I connected with Mr Pradeep of TVS and he in-turn connected with the TVS Dealer in Rajamundhry, Gopal TVS who at 1130 at night were waiting for me at the service centre and readily acknowledged the required attention and the bike, while I hit the bed.  Once the required was done, they dropped off the bike to the hotel, wishing me luck!

Day 2: Rajamundhry to beyond Kolkata: From that day I chased Sunrises and Sunsets. Many of my friends go for “Breakfast Rides”, this was targeting them! It is not about eating breakfast after a 40 km ride, can you go the extra distance, catch a mesmerizing Sunrise and eat anywhere other than pre-designated places? Likewise with Sunsets!  In-between these two natural phenomena was the ride that took me through various interesting landscaped terrain. The pictures speak for themselves and I hope to communicate through my pictures!  That was 1100 km done, IMPRESSIVE for a 200cc pocket rocket!

Day 3: Durgapur to Siliguri: This day was the most horrendous (read as the BEST!) ride day! How do people survive? West Bengal roads were disappointing; they seem to be a decade behind many other states when it comes to road conditions. The stretch from Moregram – Farakka – Malda – Dhalkola can test any good rider’s patience and perseverance.  And to have crossed this stretch at temperatures over 47 degrees during the peak afternoon, guess, I owe this to myself!

Reached Siliguri by 6 pm with warning of extreme weather conditions flooding my messenger and Whatsapp from friends who were closely following my ride.  I was warmly greeted by Santanu Banerjee and his xKmph Team and after checking the weather status towards Guwahati, I decided to stay over in Siliguri and face nature’s wrath the next morning in daylight.

Day 4: Siliguri to Guwahati: After bidding adieu to Santanu at 5 in the morning, I started off on my favourite stretch of NH 31 C.  I love this stretch from my previous travels and this road continues to awe me. Go on ride there yourself; you will feel one with nature here! If you have seen the movie Independence Day, then the clouds that welcomed me as I neared Bongaigaon were just that!  Well, I was all geared up so did not stop and kept the pace at 100 kmph.  As I reached Bongaigaon, I could see the clouds divert to a different direction and hence by 12:30PM when I reached Guwahati, it was bright and sunny!

A distance of close to 3000 km from Chennai to Shillong was done in practically 3 riding days and my fellow riders, Gourab Das form Bangalore and Avinash Noronha from Delhi were still reaching Siliguri when I had reached Guwahati!

Well, it is definitely not about speed, but a longer saddle time that interested me for my rides.  The bike just obeyed the throttle and was perfect to take me between destinations. Finally, on 22nd April, the 3 of us got to meet each other!  The three Musketeers! Gourab who completed 3200 km from Bangalore to Guwahati, Avinash who completed 2000 km from New Delhi to Guwahati and myself.

22nd and 23rd April was the MaxBhp Festival of the North East and we were warmly welcomed by the organizers.  What an event, there are SO MANY passionate bikers in this region! And to have them all meet up at the Umiam Lake, just a few kilometres before Shillong was a treat to the eyes.

Since it was always about chasing Sunrises, Avinash and me decided to head out to Dawki River along with Himajit Dutta and his friend, on the 23rd morning.  At Umiam it was sunny, I decided to leave behind the rain gear and little did I know that this would be a wrong decision for the day! The distance was just about 100 km, but through some of the MOST beautiful landscapes in the North East. This was by far the MOST beautiful ride during those days on the Apache!  The fog was so thick that visibility was reduced to a few meters, less than 10 meters, and then came the rain! Was it rain? In no time, I was drenched to the bone, but still decided to brave on and head towards Dawki.  There was the MOST memorable bump in.

I am sure many know HV Kumar, fondly known as the Human GPS of India. Ever since he got to know of my travel of yesteryears, (having circumnavigated the world in 47 days of riding and 119 days in all), he included me into his forum, which has over 20000 followers.   I was member # 19000!  Of all places, just as we reached the Dawki River, I almost ran into the MH xx xx 5084.  A battered Scorpio!  I knew it instantly, but Kumar did not as he knows me to ride a Benelli and not the TVS. This moment of our reunion has been most beautifully captured and this is cherished for life. From there we threw a leg across the India-Bangladesh Border and then returned to Umiam, again through the thick of rains.

The concluding ceremony of the MaxBhp festival was an out of this world stunt show by Aras, a multi time free stunt ride champion from Lithuania.  This was the start attraction! Amongst so many other events that MaxBhp had organized. Vintage vehicle show, live band, tattoo artistry, stunts from local riders and many more! As we neared the end of this 2 day mega event, it was time to bid adieu with a promise to make it even bigger the next year!

Flew back to Bangalore on the 24 April to the most warm (read as HOT!) climate of Bangalore.

This was a beautiful opportunity that xBhp gave me and also gave me a taste of events that they are involved in.  I look forward to more such associations with this team. Till we meet again!

READ THE MONK’S TRAVEL TALE FROM DELHI TO UMIAM LAKE

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Benelli is planning to introduce a fleet of motorcycles in European market ranging from 125cc to 750cc. The Chinese Qianjiang group bought the Italian motorcycle brand  due to financial issues 11 years ago. Since then the Chinese firm was working on brand building and stabilization by building smaller capacity bikes.

According to the Motorcycle News (MCN) reports, the Qianjiang are ready to introduce a fleet of bigger bikes ranging from 125cc to 750cc for the European market.

Haimei Yan, Benelli’s General Manager  said,
“We have really big plans for Benelli in 2017 to expand our range to appeal to European tastes, we currently only have the 302, the new 251 and the 600 so we can’t say we have the range at the moment to appeal to the European market. But at the end of the year we will show a far more complete range going from 125cc to 750cc. This will include the 500, a new 600 model and also a new parallel-twin 750cc, aimed directly at Europe. We are also working on giving new life to the three cylinder 899 and 1200 engines.”

At present, Qianjiang export 5000 units to Europe out of 50,000 units that it produce annually under the Benelli brand.

“Qianjiang has a very different resource to European motorcycle manufacturers,” confirms Yan. “If you look at them they only have larger bikes, no scooters and few smaller-capacity machines. Piaggio have scooters, but it splits its brands. Qianjiang has all the resources and makes scooters and motorcycles, it has a complete range from 125cc to 1200cc to appeal to a worldwide market. Only really Honda and Yamaha have a similar range and we are the only Chinese manufacturer who builds this variety of bikes. We have scooters, a 125cc and 250c single, 300cc and 500cc parallel twins, 600cc inline four, a new 750cc parallel twin and the 899 and 1200 triples.”

When asked that majority of motorcycles being built at China, can Benelli still be termed as Italian Brand? Yan says

“Benelli’s heritage is very important to us and it is still an Italian brand, We do all the research, design and development in Italy and the Chinese manufacture the product, although the three cylinder Benellis will still be built in Italy. All the new motorcycle technology is coming from Europe, especially Italy, and they have more creativity than the Chinese, but the Chinese are very good at manufacturing. That’s why Benelli works so well. We also believe that we can match the Japanese when it comes to quality.”

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Aamir Khan became a proud owner of the all new Bajaj V15. A motorcycle that contains metal from India’s de-commissioned legendary aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

Aamir, who is known for his passion towards social and national causes, was inspired to buy the V15 when he learnt that this new launch from Bajaj contains metal from India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which played a decisive heroic role in the 1971 India Pakistan war.

When Mr. Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, got to know that Aamir, a personal friend, had placed an order for a V15, he contacted Aamir and decided to have a unique customisation done for his Bajaj V. The new V made for Aamir has a customized embossing of the initial A on the fueltank and one-off graphic design of “Chote Lal” affectionately inscribed on the rear seat cowl.

Mr Bajaj met Aamir at his residence in Mumbai and personally handed over his customised V15 to him.

Aamir was delighted to receive his new bike. Known for riding superbikes in movies like Dhoom3, he commented,
“The V is a special bike and I wouldn’t compare it with anything else. It has a piece of history ingrained into it. For me it’s a proud moment to own a piece of metal from INS Vikrant which was the military pride of India for decades.”

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BMW announced a smart emergency call system for motorcycles to get a quick help in case of an accident. The optional add-on, can be manually activated or automatically triggered by a collision or fall, immediately sending message to BMW call centre for help.

The BMW ‘Intelligent Emergency Call’ system is a small module that can be fitted on the right side of handlebar. It includes a built-in speaker and microphone and a emergency SOS button that can used for activating or cancelling a call.

The e-Call requires a connection to the mobile phone network in order to trigger the rescue chain. In the “intelligent emergency call” option, the connection is established via the permanently installed mobile communication unit. For the connection no specific mobile operator is required. All that is necessary is at least one operational mobile provider.

The intelligent emergency call takes three scenarios into account:

Scenario 1: Automatic triggering in the case of a bad fall / collision.

The emergency call is automatically triggered without time delay, sending a message to a qualified BMW Call Center. The accident victim/rider is taken care of by the BMW Call Center via audio connection until the emergency service arrives. Help is sent out in any case even if there is no response. A display in the instrument cluster shows that the eCall has been initiated. An acoustic signal is also set off. In this case the rider cannot cancel the emergency call any more.

Scenario 2: Automatic triggering in the case of a minor fall / collision.

In this case the emergency call is only triggered after 25 seconds before sending a message to the BMW Call Center. If no help is necessary after only a non-serious accident, the accident victim/rider has the opportunity of cancelling the emergency call at the press of a button. If he does not cancel, the rescue chain is initiated as in scenario 1. A display in the instrument cluster shows that the eCall has been initiated. An acoustic signal is also set off.

Scenario 3: Manual triggering by pressing a button

In this case the e-Call is triggered manually by pressing the SOS button on the right handlebar end, e.g. for calling help for other road users in need. A message is sent to the BMW Call Center and a voice connection is established. A voice connection is mandatory if the e-Call was triggered manually before further measures are initiated. Here too, the accident victim/rider is also given the opportunity to cancel the emergency call at the press of a button or by turning off the ignition. The intelligent emergency call can only be triggered manually when the motorcycle is stationary with the ignition on.

The “intelligent emergency call” system recognises non-emergency situations

The emergency call is not triggered automatically in non-emergency situations (e.g. if the bike falls over in a stationary position or in accidents at low speeds with no other traffic user involved, a shock to the bike when riding over a pothole or while off-road riding (e.g. small jumps or riding over obstructions).

Sensors on the motorcycle detect which event occurred. A crash sensor detects events such as collisions with another vehicle or crashing into an obstruction. A banking angle sensor detects high and low-sides, i.e. which position the motorcycle is in.

The intelligent emergency call system, available in a BMW motorcycle for the first time, constitutes a premium service with international coverage. When a voice connection is made, the rider can communicate with the BMW Call Center in his native language. This is a stand-alone feature which is highly effective in an emergency situation. The optional “intelligent emergency call” will be rolled out in Germany first and then also introduced quickly to further European markets and models.

News Source: BMW Press Release

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Ever imagined riding a Super Moto against factory race bikes. Well yes! This guy named Yuri Barrigan did exactly the same thing in the last season of tourist trophy. On his quest to do something crazy and adventurous, he took his Yamaha YZ450 Super Moto single cylinder bike to Isle of Man TT and raced with Big boys.

Here is what he has to say in a conversation with Supermotoaustralia.com

“The reason I wanted to go to the Isle Of Man on a Super moto is because no one in history had ever attempted it.”

“The (IOM) organization over there told me in emails months before applying that not in a million years would a 450 cc single survive the week of qualifying let alone the race – nor did it have the speed on the straights necessary to make the cut off time…that really lit a fire under me.”

“I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. I qualified the bike in just my 3rd lap of the course with a 26:37.”

“I went on to best that on a 5th lap with a 26:14 averaging 86.9 mph with a recorded top speed on Sulby straight of 112.9!”

“You can see in the comments people saying a 450 is too slow etc, and that I didn’t win or place high in the order. That wasn’t the plan or the expectation…Just to QUALIFY and FINISH was!…”

“It was extremely difficult and I look forward to someone else stepping up and attempting to better my times. I ended up finishing 7th in Newcomer C.”

Will you ever try riding your Pulsar and karizma against those fully faired litre class beasts on Budhha International Circuit. Do let us know!

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Honda motorcycles and scooters India has launched the 2016 Honda Dio at INR 48,264 ex-showroom, Delhi. The new scooter will be available in 4 colors besides the newly launch Matte Axis Grey color with a premium 3D emblem.

Launched in the year 2002, Dio is the original ‘moto-scooter’ designed for the trend-setting youth which merges the aggressive looks of motorcycle with convenience of scooter. It is also Honda’s  No.1 export model and is exported to Latin America (Colombia), South America (Mexico) and neighboring nations (Sri Lanka and Nepal).

Mr. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd said,
“In line with Honda strategy to delight our customers by refreshing our product portfolio regularly, the new Dio is Honda’s sixth new model of 2016. The new Matt Axis grey colour with value addition of the premium 3D emblem without any additional cost makes it a compelling proposition to own one.”

The 2016 Honda Dio continues to draw the power from the same 109.2cc single cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces 8 BHP at 7,000 rpm and 8.77 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm. Besides the new Matte Axis Grey colour, the Dio will be available in 4 colors -Jazzy Blue Metallic, Candy Palm Green, Sports Red and Black.

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Suzuki Motorcycles and Red Bull racing have announced their partnership for the Road to Rookies Cup 2016. The two organisers will provide a structured programme to the young biking enthusiasts to kick-start their racing career.

To select the Road to Rookies Cup participants, organisers will nominate 10 young riders within the age group of 13-17, based on their performance in other motorsports events.

The 10 nominated riders will get coached by professionals from around the world. After training they will race in 2016 Suzuki Gixxer Cup. The two best rider among them will be sent to Spain for further training and get to participate in the Red Bull Rookies Cup. The winner of the ‘Rookies Cup’ will get a direct entry into Moto3.

K Rajini, winner of the 2015 Malaysian Superbike Challenge, will be one of the mentors at the Road to Rookies Cup, he said:
“Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup is going to be of huge help to the young riders. It is for the first time we’ll have a category for 13-17 age group in India. This is going to help Indian racers to be a part of the MotoGP programme overall.

In Spain and Italy, kids start at the age of five and have dedicated schools for training. I am hopeful that this project will change things in India.”

Aras Gibieza, Stunt Rider, who is currently in the country as a part of his nine-city Suzuki Gixxer Day tour said:
“Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup comes as great news for the Indian racers. This is my third visit to the country in the last two years and I can comfortably say that it’s high time we had a category for this age group.”

Mr. Satoshi Uchida, Managing Director, SMIPL, said
“We saw a hugely positive response after entering the Indian racing arena last year, and clearly felt the need to only improve upon the laurels from our first season of the Gixxer Cup. This year, we bring Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup, a world renowned platform, to the young Indian riders for the first time, while sticking to the Gixxer Cup format alongside. We can’t wait for the season of exciting racing to begin!”

News Source: Suzuki Motorcycles India Press Release

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The MaxBhp Festival 2016, Umiam: the 110cc ride across 10 states and one international border

What do you do when you are offered to ride across the country from Bangalore to exotic Shillong to be a part of one of the largest biking festivals in the North-east? You sit and pray that your reliable steed (read “the” TVS Star City Plus) makes it back to Bangalore in time. The first edition of the MaxBhp festival 2016 in Umiam Lake this year was scheduled for the 22^nd and 23^rd of April and here I was on the 11^th of April taking autos and buses for transport. It had been over 90 days since the conclusion of the “TVS Bangalore to Bangkok Moto Run” and thanks to a near inefficient customs process bordering on tragic I was yet to receive the bike. I knew the bike. I knew myself.  I needed at least a week to cover the 3000 odd km from Bangalore to Shillong. I couldn’t pull off the 100+kmph shenanigans. Having done the coastal route from Bangalore to Kolkata last time, I was sure I wanted to take a different route this time around. (There was no way I would subject myself to the Kolkata-Malda -Siliguri stretch ever again!). Having survived a 7000 km journey on an 110cc commuter motorcycle I was confident, I could take just about anything the ride threw at me. I was wrong!

Day 1: Central India. #Hindustan ka Dil Dekho ads had enticed me enough to visit the heart of India numerous times and I decided this was as good a time as any. My initial itinerary was to pass through Anantpur, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Jabalpur, Varanasi, Darbangah, Siliguri, Guwahati and finally Shillong. Friends harped upon the heat wave passing through the country. Bah! These fellows. I will be fine, 200 km into the ride I was pouring entire bottles of mineral water down my jacket. Hot is an understatement. I had started the ride with enough jackets and gloves to complete a mission to Antarctica. I reached Hyderabad at 530 pm on Day 1, 564 km from Bangalore in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. (I did contemplate if I should ride topless, but better sense prevailed. The stern looking cops in Andhra Pradesh had a lot to do with this decision!)

Day 2: My respect for the people living in Telangana went up exponentially as each hour passed. I have never wanted to ride naked so badly. By now I was dunking entire bottles inside by helmet as well.  If it hadn’t been for the smooth tarmac of NH5, I would have probably dumped the bike and flagged down an “AC” car back to Bangalore. Riding alone is fun. Riding anywhere at 44 degrees is painful. The bike groaned and squeaked as I tried to reach the magical 90kmph mark. (It did though). The last time I entered a hotel without looking at the rooms beforehand and at any price was on the last day of the Bangalore-Bangkok ride in Thailand. I ended up in a Rs. 400/- night room in Nagpur similarly. It wasn’t that bad. You don’t have to use their toilet. The calls of nature can be answered, well in nature. Oh ok, let’s just keep the hotel out of this!

Day 3: You meet the best people in the most unusual places. I am a regular smoker and I hadn’t smoked in peace over the last 2 days thanks to those inhuman temperatures. I was determined to have a nice peaceful cigarette before battling the sun-god today. I do think the heat had gone to my head. I became possessed by my brand and searched enough shops to put a wedding family shopping spree to shame. A loud expletive hurled at the world at large in my last shop caught the attention of a gentleman having tea at the side of the road. He came up to me and asked me what the problem was. Turns out he was a biker too and offered to take me to his “Nukkad-wali Dukaan”. And a couple of more faces turned up. 30 minutes later at Café John amidst a group of old-timers and one of the oldest spots in Nagpur complete with my packet and a couple of photographs. I chuckled my way into what was one of the first upcoming highlight of the trip: Madhya Pradesh.

You know you have entered MP when temperatures drop and bad roads happen simultaneously. 8 lane highways? What are those? Single lanes were the order of the day. With bovines and people determined to get hit by your bike. Kids jumped in front of the motorcycle without a qualm, boulders the size of footballs were placed strategically to ensure maximum braking and more expletives. Men crowded around you with innocent faces every time you stooped for a break and questions ranged from your agenda behind this ride to “Aapki shaadi nahi hui? Hey Bhagwan” (You aren’t married yet? Dear god!). The forests of Central India were a visual treat. And an absolute delight to ride in. Let the pictures do the talking here.

One really cannot say one has to been to MP and not visited the brilliant Marble Rocks at Bhedaghat. And what a place it was!

Day 4: It was time for Uttar Pradesh. I was headed to the holy city Benares. The saga of bad roads were behind me and it was time for some “UP Wale Bhaiyya Tashan”. UP is like a box of assorted chocolates. You never know what you signed up for unless you have tasted it. 20 minutes after discussing politics and the current state of affairs with the cigarette shop guy, I was clicking away madly in Sarnath (part of the Buddhist Circuit). With hand woven Benares silks at throw away prices, I couldn’t but help pack a few in my overstuffed rucksack for the women back home.  Stopped at Mirzapur instead of Benares. Had enough of cycle rickshaws and hand carts trying to show me who’s the boss.

Day 5: The ride was on in full throttle. I am an EDM fan. But I must say our Bihar DJs are a talented bunch. With some of the grooviest Bhojpuri numbers and “Bagal wali Dance maareli hai” there is little hope in trying to ride.  You stop by the side of the road and join the party dancing their way to glory in the middle of the road. Marriage season was here, and Bihar seemed determined to prove it. With an average of one wedding procession on a national highway every 2 km, I swerved around wailing kids, sweating musicians, exasperated relatives and the bridegroom who in most cases turned out to be the guy who was showing his best moves. The panchayat election propaganda autos made the ride distracting. Darbangah came at 830pm.

Day 6: Say hello to Nepal. Here is the deal with entering Siliguri. The usual Kolkata-Malda-Siliguri route is a test. It’s a test of enlightenment. If you make it the entire way without losing your cool and abusing a single truck driver, congratulations! You have attained inner peace! One of the fundamental reasons of choosing the MP route was to spare myself the ordeal. Enter Gaurav Patel: staying near the Indo-Nepal Border at Araria in Bihar. A random chat on messenger the night before at Darbangah and I was all set to cross an international border on my way to the MaxBhp Festival. Gaurav was a brilliant chap. Post a sumptuous home cooked lunch at his place and some “Surya” cigarettes (They are the Marlboros of Nepal), Gaurav took it upon himself to ensure the TVS Star City Plus made it to its fourth country. The 250 km odd ride through Nepal was oddly gratifying. Biratnagar to Mechi. Entered Siliguri at a comfortable 6.30 pm. Siliguri has a unusually strong biking brotherhood and friends from my previous tryst with the town during the Bangalore Bangkok ride ensured a night with great people and good music.

Day 7: I was officially on the last leg of my tour and the ride to Guwahati through the Dooars was brilliant. Just like the last time. After having battled inhuman temperatures across half the country imagine my joy on seeing cloudy skies. The joy was short-lived. The cloudy skies turned into a blinding rain making all progress futile. After multiple stops and riding at speeds enough to let stray dogs overtake you, I finally entered Guwahati at 6 pm.  Zener Bar of the Assam xBhp chapter (I couldn’t meet him last time) and I shared an evening of biking chronicles, the upcoming MaxBhp festival and the exotic north-east.

Day 8: The Last day: The 3 riders on their Apache 200s and I got together in Guwahati. Gourab, Deepak and Avinash and a bunch of other people I had only met on Facebook before ensured that the final strength of the number of riders on the road from Guwahati to Shillong was a comfortable 30 plus. Kaleem Ma, Khiyar Pasha, Akash Dutta, Himajit, Sunil and I travelled the last 80 odd km to Shillong together.  Great roads, and the locale! The next 48 hours were spent in taking photographs. Head banging in the Rock Concert, taking photographs, meeting new friends from Bangalore (I am talking about you Karthik), taking photographs by the side of Umiam lake with Khiyar, Akash, Himajit and Sunil and of course taking more photographs.

The MaxBhp event’s location was genius. Neelam of Assam XBhp and JDan did a great job of getting the event to be purely organic and with no trace of steel anywhere. And the stunt show by Aras of Suzuki on the last day deserves a special mention here. All the more because of the stuff Akash pulled off to get a better view.

Thank you xBhp, thank you TVS and finally thank you MaxBhp and the North-east Biking brother for having me over. Till next time…

Text & Photos: Arunabh Majumdar

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Sarath Kumar will make his debut in the Super Sports 600cc class of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship this weekend.

The 24-year old Chennai-based rider, who has competed in the Asia Dream Cup in the past, will join the ARRC in the second round to be held at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, on May 8-9 after missing the first round in Johor, Malaysia, in April due to a knee injury.

Sudheer, Director, True Pursuit Global Management said, “India as a country has always been very cricket-centric and I believe we have much more talent in India in other sports also. So when I heard about Sarath, his talent and performance in the international series, I decided to support him. It will be great pride to see India in the Asian level championship.  

 “I know WOW Digit personally and it is an upcoming brand across Asia. So I brought them on board as a main sponsor for the team. They saw an immediate synergy with ARRC as it travels to different parts of Asia that are our key markets. Although WOW Digit does not have a direct connect with moto racing, the excitement of racing and the viewership across Asia will give the brand a good reach. So, it’s a win-win situation.”

On his expectations from Sarath, Sudheer said: “We now know that the class is competitive from what we saw during the first round in Johor, Malaysia, and as long as he participates in the right spirit and learns the techniques this season, we will be proud of an Indian participation.”

Sarath Kumar said: “This is a big opportunity. I have been riding 250cc for long now, but my bodyweight and height were becoming a disadvantage. Hence, this was the only move I could make and thanks to my team Honda, Mr John Sudheer, Ten10 Racing and WOW Digit, this opportunity has come at the right time.

 “It is one the toughest grid in the World today, maybe even tougher than World Super Sport, but ARRC will provide a great platform for me to work hard, ride and learn from the best in Asia. Having missed the first round due to knee injury that I am still recovering from, it is going to be a tough task to catch up and learn the bike and get up to pace.

 “Since 2011 in World Championship, I have always been involved in international racing, thanks to Ramji Govindarajan of Ten10 Racing who has been working hard to keep my international career going for so many years. However, this switch is critical to my racing career as this will define my future in international racing.”

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Two Wheeler sales report for the month of April 2016

Sales Chart Shared by Samarth Singh

Hero MotoCorp Ltd. (HMCL), Country’s largest two-wheeler maker reported 14.89 % increase in sales at 6,12,739 units in April. The company had sold 5,33,305 units in April 2015.

Company said in a statement,
“Sustaining its performance trajectory in the past few months, Hero sold 612,739 units of two-wheelers in April, registering a sturdy double-digit growth of 15 per cent over the corresponding month last year when the company had sold 533,305 units.”

Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India (HMSI)  has recorded a 27 % growth in its cumulative April 2016 sales. Honda sold a total of 431,011 units in April 2016 as compared to 340,679 in the same month last year.

Company’s export has grown from 11,699 units in April 2015 to 17,040 units exported in April 2016.

Bajaj Auto recorded 2% growth in sales. The company has sold 2,91,898 two wheelers in April 2016 against 2,85,791 units sold in April last year.

Yamaha Motors India, has registered a growth of 66% in domestic sales (including Nepal) in April 2016 as compared to the corresponding period last year. The company sold 63,927 units in April 2016 as against 38568 units sold in April last year in the domestic market.

Mr. Roy Kurian, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd. said,
“As the Q1 growth trajectory of 47% steadily headways into the current quarter with 66% growth in April 2016, Yamaha will continue its consolidated performance of steady sales growth along with more network expansion. Fascino is doing extremely well and with Cygnus Ray-ZR launched, Yamaha is looking to further augment its position in the scooter market by targeting 10% market share by end of 2016. Yamaha’s introduction of Saluto RX will sport more excitement as now it will cater to the requirements of basic commuter segment.”

TVS Motor Company, witnessed an increase of 21.6% in April 2016 in domestic sales. Sales stood at 197,692 units in April 2016 as compared to 162,516 units in April 2015. Where sales of scooters have increased 28.3% during April this year with 63,341 units sold in the month as against 49,375 units sold in April 2015. Motorcycle sales increased 20.7% from 74,953 units sold in April 2015 to 90,491 units sold in April 2016.

Royal Enfield continues 2016 with a strong sales performance and sold 48,197 motorcycles in combined domestic wholesale and exports in April 2016 recording a growth of 42% over same period last year.

The company has sold 47,037 units in the domestic market in April 2016 compared to 33,118 units sold in April 2015 while exports increased from 800 units exported in April 2015 to 1,160 units exported in the past month.

The post April 2016 Two Wheeler Sales Report appeared first on xBhp.com.

Ducati and Milestone have unveiled Ducati 90th Anniversary Official Videogame, the new title is dedicated to the racing and Ducati fans, it will bring together the most iconic Ducati models and race tracks. The game is scheduled for its official debut in June this year.

Ducati – 90^th Anniversary The Official Videogame” comes from the creators of RIDE and Ducati passion itself, and is a true spin-off, entirely dedicated to the historic Ducati brand and presenting ninety years of motorcycle legends in a spectacular and exciting videogame.

The latest title from Milestone Studios boasts extensive content. The bikes themselves of course, with 39 different Ducati models included in the game, 29 of which have never before been seen in this context, divided into 7 eras, from the 1950’s to the latest, high-performance Bologna-built bikes. You can race with the legendary 125 Desmo (1958) or with the 500 Pantah (1970), the beautiful 750 F1 (1980), but also with the first Monster 900 (1990) or the various evolutions of the “naked” par excellence, such as the high-performance Monster S4RS Tricolore. The Superbikes had to be incorporated of course and include the 848 (2000) and the highly exclusive 1199 Panigale Superleggera (2014), as well as the Desmosecidici GP15 ridden by Andrea Dovizioso and many Ducati production milestone models.

One can compete on 5 road tracks (Stelvio Park, Kanto Temples, Sierra Nevada, French Riviera and North Wales) and on 8 faithfully reproduced racetracks (Imola, Potrero de Los Funes, Alméria, Road America, Magny Cours, Donington and Sugo). Also part of the game, the track that is dearest to the Ducati fans, the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, the setting for so many legendary races, but also for the nine editions of World Ducati Week, the famous gathering that, every two years, brings together Ducatisti from all over the world.

Ducati is all about passion, but also history, and it is here that the Museum comes into play, included in a racing videogame for the very first time. A space entirely dedicated to those fans and enthusiasts who wish to discover all the technical and historical details and interesting facts that have made each of the bikes so famous, bikes that have contributed to writing the best and most unforgettable pages of Ducati’s history.

The post Ducati 90th Anniversary Official Videogame Unveiled appeared first on xBhp.com.

Bike #1: Bajaj Pulsar 180 Classic.

Read the full blog here. Video coming up soon!

The post #100Motorcycles – India In 0-100 Motorcycles! appeared first on xBhp.com.

Suzuki Motorcycle India, a subsidiary of one of the world’s leading two-wheeler manufacturers Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, inaugurated a new World Class Showroom dealership – ‘Dream Suzuki’ – in Patel Nagar, New Delhi, adding to its increasing network across the country.

Motorcycle enthusiasts can see & experience the entire fleet of Suzuki superbikes, motorcycles and scooters available in India at the Dream Suzuki Dealership. To cater to the passion of aficionados, Suzuki will keep expanding its network of World Class Showrooms to ensure accessibility for customers.

Suzuki will add one more World Class Showroom in Bhubhaneshwar on May 18, 2016 – Jyothe Motors, which will make it a total of 11 Showrooms across the country. As of now Suzuki has World Class Showrooms in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur and Kerala.

 Mr. SATOSHI UCHIDA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SMIPL, said “Internationally, the Suzuki brand is synonymous with technical expertise and the joy of riding. We wanted our showrooms to reflect this ethos, and therefore we created a channel to establish this concept and cater to the evolving needs of niche buyers. Through our network of World Class Showrooms, we want to make the global Suzuki experience accessible to motorcycling enthusiasts across the country.”

Suzuki’s World Class Showrooms will showcase the newly Made-in-India Hayabusa and the entire range of Suzuki superbikes – V-Strom, GSX-S1000 and GSX-S1000F, Intruder M1800R as well as the ATVs – Ozark 250 and QuadSport400. The dealership will also showcase Suzuki India’s scooters & commuter motorcycles Gixxer, Gixxer SF, Access, Hayate and Lets.

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Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India have started the deliveries of their recently launched Honda Navi  in Hyderabad. The company organized a gala delivery event where the keys were handed over to Hyderabad’s first Honda Navi owner.

Mr. Keita Muramatsu – President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said,
“Navi has been very close to our hearts since the concept development stage. The overwhelming response brings re-assurance of it’s acceptance by India’s youth. Now it is all set to excite the young trendsetters of Hyderabad.”

The standard NAVI, starting at Rs. 41,619 (Ex-showroom price, Hyderabad), will be available in 5 colour options: Patriot Red, Hopper Green, Shasta White, Sparky Orange & Black.

The company showcased three different models under the Honda Navi brand at the expo – Navi Street, Navi Adventure and Navi off-road. All the three models are fitted with the same 110 cc Honda HET engine that is seen on Honda scooters such as Activa. It produces 8 bhp @ 7000 rpm and 8.96 Nm of torque at 5500 rpm. The Navi can attain a top speed of 81 km/h as per Honda and is equipped with 130 mm drum brakes at both front and rear wheel. Honda claimed it to be their first 100% made in India model from concept development to production.

Targeted at the youngsters, Honda claims it to be a fun two-wheeler, which is neither scooter nor a motorcycle in true sense.

Since it’s official showcase, NAVI has won hearts across. Overwhelming response from customers has been received with the sales crossing 5000 units across seven cities (Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai & Ahmedabad) in just over a month’s time.

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Hero MotoCorp announced that they will have CS Santosh riding for them in Dakar 2017 on board a Speedbrain 450 Rally Bike. The team has been called the ‘Hero MotoSports Team Rally’.

Hero MotoCorp have formed a strategic partnership with Speedbrain GmbH of Germany for rally racing. Speedbrain is a German off-road racing specialist. The Hero MotoSports Team Rally will first participate in the Merzouga Rally in Morocco between May 21st to 27th 2016. The Merzouga Rally is a Dakar series race.

The team will be riding on the upgraded version of the Speedbrain 450 rally bike. This will be the first of many international rallies in preparation for Dakar 2017. Partnering CS Santosh will be Portuguese rider Joaquim Rodrigues. Santosh has participated previously in the Dakar Rally, first onboard a KTM and then a Suzuki. His teammate on the other hand is a rookie in the world of rallying, but has won races in Motocross, Supercross and Enduro. The 34 year old Portuguese and successful Indian rider would make a good combination for the new team that has been formed. Speedbrain brings experience in this field having raced at the top since 2006.

The Hero MotoSports Team Rally will be under the direct supervision of Dr. Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Hero MotoCorp, and will work in close collaboration with his team at the Hero Centre of Innovation and Technology. The Hero MotoSports Team Rally will also assist in development and testing of new Hero vehicles concepts, using the data collected from the races.

Mr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, MD and CEO, Hero MotoCorp Ltd., said, “In the recent past, we have rapidly expanded our global footprint and also made significant investments in enhancing our R&D capabilities. Motorsport is a natural progression for us, as it will allow us to bring value-added products with top-of-the-line technology for our millions of customers. This initiative is also reflective of our consistent support to sports and sportspersons. I welcome Santosh and Joaquim on board and wish them all the very best.”

Dr. Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd., said, “Hero products are known for their robustness, reliability and quality. It is, therefore, a logical step for us to engage in International Rally Sports – which is the ultimate proving ground for any product and its components. In Speedbrain we have a very professional and technologically capable partner and we look forward to a fruitful journey together.”

Mr. Wolfgang Fischer, Managing Director, Speedbrain GmbH, said, “After several successful years in the rally raid sport, collecting tons of experience and creating a very specialised, motivated and loyal race team and the conceptual skills on how to build an efficient and competitive bike, we are more than happy to form a new, strategic partnership with Hero MotoCorp, to realise our common vision for the future.”

xBhp wishes CS Santosh and Hero MotoCorp luck for this interesting venture.

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MV Agusta has finally entered India with its Pune based partner Kinetic Group and launched 3 bikes ranging from INR 16.78 Lakh to INR 50.10 Lakh, ex-showroom, Pune.

We have earlier posted that MV Agusta is planning to enter into Indian two-wheelers industry and ever since Daimler A.G took over MV Agusta, they made their intentions clear that they were looking for an Indian partner to make a debut into Indian industry. Finally they did it with their long-time partner Kinetic.

Kinetic has been assembling engines for MV Agusta, and being an existing partner was the Ideal deal for MV Agusta to build their brand in India. In a way Kinetic motors too will be revived as a brand in India. Kinetic had earlier signed an agreement with MV Agusta for supply of various components of motorcycles for Agusta’s entry level model under the Cagiva brand.

The Kinetic Group will be assembling some of these super bikes at its Ahmednagar factory, for which it has set up a small assembly line with an investment of Rs 5 crore.

The kits will be imported in semi knocked down form and will be assembled at the factory. It will be marketed and distributed it through its Motoroyale showrooms.

Kinetic has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with MV Agusta to sell bikes in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The company will operate as MV Agusta India Private Limited.

Ajinkya Firodia, MD of M V Agusta India said,
“We were the first company to launch a super bike in 2001 and we have sold over 1 crore two wheelers so far. Through Motoroyale we are creating a platform to bring in the most super premium motorcycles in the country. Our focus over the next one and half years is to build the MV Agusta brand and grow the segment.”

The company launched three bikes the F4, F3 and Brutale 1090, which will be sold across 6 showrooms in the country. The first showroom will be inaugurated in Pune on Thursday and through the year the company will expand into markets of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai.

Judah Sangaran, Far East, Country Manager for MV Agusta Motor S.p.A said,
“We will be bringing in the full range to the Indian market of 10-12 motorcycles in the next two years. It is a growing market and it is growing exponentially, we see this market growing at the a strong double digit and we would like to acquire bigger market share in times to come.”

The company is targeting to sell 300 bikes this year, which it plans to grow by 70%-100% in 2017.

News Source

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Ian Hutchinson

Professional motorcycle racers are a unique breed of human beings. They wrestle with their motorcycles moving ahead at heart-stopping speeds and come out successfully at the other end. And no matter how well prepared, well-equipped and alert a rider is, he is, many times, riding into the unknown given the universal risks involved in keeping the rubber side down when you have only two of them in a line!

Racing, a calculated risk?
Racing on a race track is like taking calculated risks in a sense that there are several safety measures put into place should a rider encounter an unfortunate situation which may result in physical injury. There are run-off areas with extended tarmac, large areas filled with gravel and mud to help slow the rider and the motorcycle down, there are tyre walls and of course, race marshals with their keen eye out at every track. Yet, even with all the preparedness, bad things happen to racers. Mostly small, some take time to heal while few are career ending or even fatal. No rider would ever like to imagine himself in the last situation. On the other hand, Street Racing events such as Isle of Man TT, though immensely popular, are even more dangerous because their safety arrangements are simply not at the level as the ones on a race track.

Motorcycle racing is like an adventure sport which serves your adrenaline and by nature, is likely more dangerous than regular sports.

In this article, we will celebrate the bravery and the determination of a rider who experienced a career-ending injury in a race, but stayed strong to return to doing what he loves most – riding and racing motorcycles.

Ian Hutchinson

Ian Hutchinson

Ian Hutchinson is a British motorcycle racer who has been racing professionally since 2003. He specialises in Street Racing events such as Isle Of Man TT, North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix. He has also participated in on-track racing events like the British Supersport Championship.

Since his debut in 2003, Ian has had a number of wins under his name which includes 11 Isle Of Man TT wins and 1 win each for the North West 200 and the Macau Grand Prix. His most number of wins came in the year 2010 when he took 5 IOM TT wins as well as his only North West 200 victory.

However, there’s a rider like John McGuiness who is older and has, at least, 23 IOM TT wins under his belt and is the most successful TT racer so far. So why are we really talking about Ian Hutchinson?

For that, we have to delve a bit deep into his career and see if there’s more to him and his victories!

The Accident and the Will Power to Make a Comeback
Incidentally, 2010 was the same year when Ian met with a terrible accident while racing in the British Supersport Championship riding a Honda CBR600RR. Hutchinson, along with few other riders, fell on the track as the conditions were wet and then he got hit by another rider and received multiple fractures in his left leg. The injury was severe enough to make Hutchinson skip the remaining BSB season as well as next year’s North West 200 and the Isle Of Man TT.

Since then, Ian has received 30 operations including skin grafts and an external fixator to support his left leg.

But he didn’t give up. Ian has since continued his quest to return to motorcycle racing. He has tried to ensure that the injury doesn’t affect his racing much and his results show that.

In 2013, Ian got his first victory in the Macau Grand Prix since 2010. In 2015, he went on to win three Isle of Man TT races taking his total TT wins to 11. Just phenomenal. For this year, 2016, Ian has signed with the BMW Tyco team and he will ride the S1000RR Superbike in IOM TT and other international races.

It is inspirational when we look at people like Ian and their intent to not give up no matter what. Here’s wishing that Ian Hutchinson continues to race for as long as he desires and hoping that he would win more races and championships in the years to come.

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