At nearly 2 lakhs, the Mahindra Mojo might be a "Premium" motorcycle in India.. but what kind of motorcycle is it (to ride)?
Mahindra Mojo, the inspiration:
A small dance routine just before the Mojo was unveiled on to the stage, probably explains the inspiration behind the Mojo. Just as the electronic screens on the stage started to beam images of colorful flowers, some exotic dancers appeared on stage dressed in attires that definitely reminded of the 70’s. The motif at the launch was clearly Flower Power / Free Love / Hippie Culture of the 70’s.
Mojo being brought on stage amidst flowers..!!
As the colorful jig ended, a black Mojo was brought on to the stage quickly followed by Mr. Anand Mahindra himself.
Mr. Mahindra made a speech about how he christened the bike, Mojo. According to him, the name was inspired from a song from the Blues group, Muddy Waters.
1970’s = Flower Power = Hippie Culture = Blues = Mojo..!!
Ok, Now I get it. Actually the Mojo will not look out of place with a Hippie riding it.
But the problem that I see here is that, unlike Mr. Mahindra, for most of my generation (and ones born after me), the only connection with "Flower Power" and the "Hippie culture of the late 60's & 70's is from the song "Dum Maro Dum" from the Bollywood movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
And I don’t really see any hippies around me. Maybe, I should go on that forever postponed vacation to Goa..!!
Anyway, what kind of motorcycle is the Mahindra Mojo?
The 30 sec. teaser ad prior to its official unveiling, showed the Mojo being tested on an international race track in Italy. This suggests that the Mojo would a bike suited for the track. So a naked street bike, sharp enough to be taken to the track. Which basically should mean that the Mojo might be a Street Fighter motorcycle..!!
The wide handlebars, front set foot pegs, slightly kicked out front suspension makes the Mojo anything but a street fighter motorcycle..
That definitely was my notion of the Mojo before the official launch. i.e a Street Fighter. So is the Mahindra Mojo a Street Fighter?
Nope.. Nada.. Definitely no. Why?
On a street fighter motorcycle, the rake angle of the front suspension is aggressive enough for sharp turns. The rear set foot pegs and the handlebar are positioned such that it allows for the rider's weight to be transferred to the front when one wants to get into a corner with his knee down. This makes street fighters ideal for street use and sharp enough to be taken to the track for the occasional track day.
A member of xBhp.Com checking out the riding position of the Mojo
I had the opportunity to sit on the Mojo and get a feel of its riding stance/position. Astride the Mojo the first thing that one notices is that the handlebars are very wide. The foot pegs are set in a comfortable feet forward position. The handlebar-seat-foot pegs relationship is set up in such a manner that once astride the Mojo, it feels like one is on a Cruiser Motorcycle. The wide handlebars, front set foot pegs, slightly kicked out front suspension only corroborates it.
My first impression of the Mojo was that it is a contemporary motorcycle like the Royal Enfield thunderbird minus the chrome.
So how do I like the Mahindra Mojo?
I appreciate the engine specs and the cycle parts used on the Mojo but honestly speaking, the Mojo fails to excite me. Even the discussion on the Mojo on xBhp.Com has gone rather silent post its official unveiling.
Related Posts
- Dummies Guide to International Motorcycle Categories
- Mahindra Mojo: Part 2 [Styling]
- Mahindra Mojo: Part 1 [Features & Specs] with Hi Res Photos
- Mahindra Mojo & Stallio launch in Mumbai [Photos]
Disclaimer:
This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.
15 Comments:
Woow... India udah mulai menemukan karakter designnya sendiri lewat Mahendra... Maju terus Roda dua India. Salam dari Biker Indonesia... :)
Ipung.
Some please have the guts to tell Anand Mahindra that please make and name products which customers want to buy or else it will be just Anand Mahindra who will buy his own products.
The mojo is a colossal joke both in terms of styling and in terms of naming
only someone high of dope like a hippie will love the MOJO
MOJO!!! what a joke LOL. I doubt if Anand Mahindra has ever ridden a motorcycle in his life.
Different styling than rest of the Indian bikes makes it less favourite inbetween..... This isn't what we were expecting.
Anyways reasonably good job Mahindra..... I admire Mahindra's efforts.....
Let us see what payeng sir says about it. We are waiting for his comments.
@Ravindra,
I have already made my comments when I posted about its styling in another post. I honestly cannot categorize the Mojo into any type of motorcycle family that I know of.
Purely in terms of styling, I cannot call the Mojo a Street Fighter or a Super Moto, or even a Classic Cruiser. I don't know what kind of motorcycle the Mojo really is. Plus I don't find the design appealing to my heart.
At first I was excited hearing of a new 300cc bike in India and appriciated the fact that a beginner like Mahindra was doing it. It has been real long I have been waiting for somthing big on 2 wheels, but have not been able to like anyone of the existing to the fullest :(
But I feel disappointed after seeing these pics. I simply can not love those headlamps, I was like yakkk. Looks like a big animal with a fly's head.
- SR Kar
Ohhh yeah, it was really hard for any motorcycle lover in India to accept Mojo's styling. But it is a welcome change for Indians in terms of the engine specs.
All the excitement about this bike has gone after it was officially launched. If the bike fails to excite the youngsters in terms of looks then its going to be a flop even if it has technical brilliance. Since its going to be premium bike style does matter.
@Desibaba- I did tell Anand Mahindra on Twitter. (@Melville_g)....Told him to change at least the name if he can't change the entire bike....couldn't elicit a response.
If they wanted to name it something offbeat and non-pretentious, they should have gone with VOODOO. How is that guys? Does it make the bike look less queer?
Voodoo sounds better than the corny Mojo, at least to the ones who know English.
Friends, Hippie era not all means by “Dum Maro Dum” , it was far beyond that.
Hippies are among one who dares to stand against American Govt. Cruelty in Vietnam. Good stuff like muscle cars (Ford Mustang & all those), Rock N Roll music, birth of Pop music, bellbottom pants, bush shirts etc etc. Ex Hippies are the first human resources to early computer tech boom in 80s. Hippie (Movement) is only second thing which changes the human mind sight and approach to life after WW2. So it was not so bad, as we assume it today!
If Mr. Mahindra, recalls his sweet old memories @ Ghats of Haridwar, by christened this bike something related to Hippie era, I think he is not bad. If in future, I own this bike, I surely don’t feel hesitate by its name.
BTW, It doesn’t look too bad! If it is not Yamaha FZ, then surely not like LML Graptor… Even the XBhpian sitting on Mojo, looks good…
If this bike performs good, (And if my wallet allowed to me…), I will definitely by this one, which is related to nostalgia of 60s, 70s.
(Dear Payeng, cool hippie photo posted. Good One!)
Alright, here are my bits:
First. Just because a track is shown in the ad doesn't mean that the bike is necessarily meant for that. 'Track' is a nice way to get people (especially Indian biking fraternity) to sit up and pay attention. Also titillate them a bit. The ad did that. Does or should it have a clear association with the bike is another question.
Second. Typically brand managers and event planners/managers do not necessarily match the event with the brand. Even if they try to conceptualize an appropriate match, they have a real hard time bringing the the fore the right association between the brand, the produce and the event theme. I wouldn't read a lot into that.
Third. Am sure the agency's brand planners must be working hard to christen this beast. If according to you it doesn't fit any category so far existing, get ready for the birth of a new one. Success or no success I guess will largely depend on how well that category is named and how the name matches the actual product.
I am super excited. It's worth waiting for.
@Siddarth,
Mr. Anand Mahindra did mention about his inspiration behind the name "Mojo" (from one of his favorite Blues group) at the launch.
Voodoo sounds better than the corny Mojo, at least to the ones who know English.
Different styling than rest of the Indian bikes makes it less favourite inbetween..... This isn't what we were expecting.
Anyways reasonably good job Mahindra..... I admire Mahindra's efforts.....
Let us see what payeng sir says about it. We are waiting for his comments.
Some please have the guts to tell Anand Mahindra that please make and name products which customers want to buy or else it will be just Anand Mahindra who will buy his own products.
The mojo is a colossal joke both in terms of styling and in terms of naming
only someone high of dope like a hippie will love the MOJO
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