10 India August 2009

aspi bhathena editor

This month, the team at BIKE India has been extremely busy with the Auto Expo and the Bike of the Year awards. The Auto Expo was a bit of a letdown as far as two-wheelers were concerned. After all the launches in the end of November and December, there were no new two-wheelers unveiled by any of the major manufacturers except the Calcutta based two-wheeler maker, Vibgyor that showed three new motorcycles. Harley-Davidson too had a big display with twelve different models. TVS also showcased an Indian made hybrid scooter.

The real highlight of the show was the appearance of the nine time world motorcycle racing champion, Valentino Rossi. Yamaha flew in Rossi for two days and that sent all his fans into a state of frenzy. In fact, there was a small skirmish between the security personnel and some over enthusiastic photographers.

One of the biggest problems at the

To Bike india issue 055 February 2010

Expo were the photographers who did not give a damn about anybody else and it was more or less impossible to cover the press conferences. I have been to a lot of shows all over the world, but have not seen this sort of behaviour anywhere else. I think we Indians need to get a hold of ourselves and behave in a more civilized manner and not make a fool of ourselves in front of the world.

The NDTV Profit and CAR India and BIKE India awards ceremony was well attended by the auto

industry and was also graced by some of the industry bigwigs. This year, the Automobile Man of the Year award was presented to Mr. Pawan Munjal and the Two-wheeler Manufacturer of the Year was Hero Honda for their fantastic performance in difficult times. The prestigious Two-wheeler of the Year honour was bestowed upon the Kawasaki Ninja 250R.

Yamaha flew in Rossi foR two daYs and that sent all his fans into a state of fRenzY

82India February 2010

83February 2010 India

82 83

Delhi is known for its food and

hence the dozen food stalls

THERE IS MORE TO THE AUTO

EXPO THAN JUST NEW

LAUNCHES AND CONCEPT

MACHINES

A lineup of single horsepower machines outside the Maidan

The students’ road safety march for safe driving and riding

The world’s smallest electric bike? We

featured this and its maker, Santosh, a few

issues back in the magazine

Notice something upside down?

Honda had their own little open air space for

safe riding as well as stunt sessions

The Auto Expo isn’t just about two-wheels or four for that matter. It goes without saying that both two wheels and two legs are an attraction for the young at heart and almost every two- wheeler manufacturer had glowing beauties parked, err, standing with their products or at the counter desk. Here is a little compilation from BIKE India as a tribute and salute to these damsels. All of them took the physical, and in Delhi’s case, the mental agony of standing, posing, smiling or simply trying to answer the never ending questions by the crowd. Cheers to these unsung heroines.

AUTO EXPO 2010

contributors

Highly talented albeit a little eccentric, Varun Kulkarni was bombarded with so much work this month that he (almost) stopped picking on the girl in the BI headquarters. Nonetheless, all were impressed with Varun’s creativity in designing our Auto Expo feature, although he did spend too much time on the images on page 83. To prove his dedication, this guy even stopped playing FB games and tagged along to chillingly cold Delhi with the editorial team.

VARUN KULKARNI

ADHISH ALAwANI

Our in-house foodie, Sarmad is the man responsible for online operations including handling the websites as well as social networking groups for BIKE India. His first major road test comes in the form of the Pulsar 135 comparison which he not only handled perfectly, but also delivered with his typical, witty one- liners to make it a very interesting read. Our news section wouldn’t be complete without his regular inputs.

SARMAD KADIRI

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61February 2010 India

Harley-Davidson has tied up with ICICI to provide brilliant fi nance options for their motorcycles. With a minimum down payment of as much as 15 percent of the vehicle cost and a tenure for a period of fi ve years, you can get the XL 883L Sportster for a down payment of close to Rs 1.2 lakh with an EMI of around Rs 13,000. The fantastic fi nance option laid down by ICICI is further going to boost sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and make it much easier to own these machines than most of the imported bikes available in the country.

FINANCE OPTIONS

HARLEY-DAVIDSON SETUP A FEAST FOR MOTORCYCLE enthusiasts visiting the Auto Expo. Not only did the American marque surprise everyone by bringing in as many as 12 different models from the basic fi ve families of the entire Harley-Davidson range, but they also stunned prospective buyers with a price range affordable for a wide variety of consumers.

The Harley-Davidson brand comes with a rich heritage and the company plans to charm the Indian customer with the same legacy. As a result, we see various models from each of the fi ve families namely Sportster, Dyna, Softail, V-Rod and Touring making their entry into the Indian market. The basic XL 883L Sportster happens to be the cheapest of the lot with a price tag of Rs 6.95 lakh (ex-showroom). The prices climb up gradually all the way to Rs 21.95 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Street Glide. Apart from these basic fi ve families, the fi rm has also introduced the Custom Vehicle Operation motorcycle or simply the CVO in the form of the Ultra Classic Electra Glide. To talk a bit about the CVOs, these are machines custom designed by a team working closely with Harley- Davidson and the team is responsible for creating a certain number of CVOs every year. The Ultra Classic Electra Glide will be the most expensive offering from Harley-Davidson and will be priced at Rs 34.95 lakh (ex-showroom).

The variety of machines offered by Harley makes sure that the consumer gets a huge range of options. Not only that, with the price range starting from as low as Rs 6.95 lakh, it is going to be easier for a larger number of people to purchase their dream machines. What’s more, the company’s dealerships will also sell Harley-Davidson merchandise for hardcore fans. Time to cruise, Hogs?

SOFTAIL: Powerful and torquey cruiser with a rigid look

NIGHT ROD:

Harley’s most

powerful offering

DYNA: The subtle cruiser with

authentic Harley character

ELECTRA GLIDE CUSTOM: The best Harley you can have

XR1200X: Who said Harley can’t make sporty machines?

AUTO EXPO 2010

84India February 2010

85February 2010 India

SHOOTOUT PULSAR 135 vs RIVALS

An Indian at a sushi party

Does the lightweight Pulsar have the right mix of spices to tingle the commuter’s taste buds? Or will they still prefer the Japanese offerings?

Words: Sarmad Kadiri Photography: Sanjay Raikar

HONDA CBF STUNNERThe trendy 125cc city commuter gets a snazzy facelift and looks more ‘stunning’ than ever before

BAJAJ PULSAR 135 LSThis new kid on the block is tagged as LS (Light Sport) which could well have been ‘Lethally Styled’

HONDA UNICORNThe most well-sorted 150cc in India that has set the benchmark for refinement across segments

The Auto Expo is always a big deal for the Indian market as well as our readers. Doing most of the honours of penning down the interesting stuff from two wheels to two legs was Adhish. If there was a bike to be mentioned, he has it done it and how. An avid MotoGP follower and stunt freak, he also gave great company to Bunny on the adventurous Pune-Delhi ride on Superbikes namely, the Hayabusa and the CB1000R.