10 Ad Campaigns: Yaari Ki Gaadi & O Suzuki Slingshot

2010 Splendor NXG Campaign, "Yaari Ki Gaadi": "Good TV Commercial, Irrelevant Positioning"

The Splendor NXG according to me has always had an identity crisis right from its very inception. Let’s try to analyze how Hero Honda has tried to position it in the mind of the customer in the last couple of years.

1. 2007: When it was launched the launch campaign was something called "The Splendorful Bike". Confused as to what it means? Don’t ask me.

2. 2009: This campaign this time it revolved around "Bharosa bhi, Style bhi". After all the Spendor NXG borrows its name from Splendor+, its 100 cc cousin which has the reputation of reliability. So therefore the "Bharosa"(i.e reliability) part comes in. Hero Honda has tried to give the Splendor NXG stylish looks compared to the Splendor+. [Watch the TVC here]

I have heard of Friendship Bands, but a Friendship Bike?

But there was/is one small problem for the Splendor NXG. The NXG comes across as just a copy of the Passion Pro, its other 100 cc cousin. Actually the current Passion Pro is any day a better looker than the NXG. So anyone who wants a Stylish looking Splendor will obviously go straight for the Passion Pro, why should he look at the Splendor NXG?

3. 2010: "Yaari Ki Gaadi"

7 Profits that Indian 2 Wheeler Makers made in 2010-11, Q2

Want to know how much profit our "desi" two wheeler makers make..??

Foreword: I am waiting to see how many blogs come up with similar stories after this post..

The sole existence of any business is to earn profits. There have been examples in the past of two wheeler makers which had to shut shop because they were not operating profitably. Memory of LML (Lohia Motors Limited) which had to shut down in 2006 due to financial bankruptcy is still fresh in my mind.

the big picture emerges only when one gives a glance at the "Profit" that these three companies make..

Currently the top 3 two wheeler makers of India by sales volume are Hero Honda, Bajaj Auto Ltd., and TVS Motor. One can analyze their monthly sales numbers as posted regularly on this blog. But what about the profits that these companies make?

Posted below is a graph indicating the Sales and Profits (in Crore Rupees) of the top 3 two wheeler makers, for the 2nd quarter (July-September) for the financial year 2010-11.

10 Bare/Naked Yamaha FZ

Photos of the Yamaha FZ minus its body panels..

Wanted to see how the Beefy Yamaha FZ looks like without its clothes? Taufik from Indonesia has posted photos of a stripped the FZ (branded as Byson there) on his blog.

Don’t miss the mid ship silencer and the actual metal tank of the FZ/Byson.

1 October 2010, 2 Wheeler Sales India

Oct 2010 sales numbers of our Indian 2 wheeler manufacturers..

Companies pile on their best ever numbers in the 2010 festive season. Big daddy Hero Honda clock half million sales in a single month..!!

Note:

1. The monthly sales figures include domestic sales as well as exports. Also it includes sales of all types of 2 wheelers (Motorcycles, Scooters, Mopeds etc.)

26 Hero Honda Splendor Pro APDV Review

Review of the world's largest selling single model in its new avatar.. the Hero Honda Splendor Pro

The humble Hero Honda Splendor has been the world’s single largest selling model since the year 2000. Without any doubt Hero Honda calls it as one of "the world's greatest achievements" (on its current Splendor+ minisite).

It was therefore surprising that Hero Honda was not putting a self start even as option on its best selling model (even lower priced model like the CD Deluxe has been available with self start) for so long.

Finally Hero Honda decides to put an electric starter as an option on the Splendor and also gets a new name, the Splendor Pro. [News Source: Splendor Pro launched]


What else is new in the Hero Honda Splendor Pro?

New graphics (obviously), new clear lens turn indicators, matt black exhaust silencer instead of the earlier one in chrome, new design speedometer console, new adjustable rear shock absorbers, a pass light and a ignition system which Hero Honda calls APDV (Advanced Pro series Digital Variable ignition system).

I decide to pay homage to this two wheeled sales wonder from India by taking it out for a test ride.

11 Passion Pro APDV Review [Digital Display]

Test ride/review of the Hero Honda Passion Pro APDV motorcycle..

Yes sir, I finally manage to push/force myself to test ride the Hero Honda Passion Pro APDV.

I have never considered a 100 cc motorcycle to be desirable. After all how much can one get excited over 7.8 Ps of power?

Then why exactly have I ventured out to check the new Hero Honda Passion Pro APDV?

Having blogged on Indian 2 wheelers for 4 years now, it would not be fair if I do not check out the bikes which have made the industry tick.

This test ride is actually the first of upcoming test rides of a few of the 100 cc bikes which have made India the second largest selling 2 wheeler market in the world.

Like it or not, 100 cc's might be tiny in engine capacity and its ability to produce maximum power/torque but are very big in India in terms of making the monthly sales numbers rock.

5 Mahindra and Ten10Racing, to be the first ever teams from India in MotoGP..!!

MotoGP 2011 will have two teams from India..!!

If there was a manufacturer sponsored factory team from India which deserved to participate in MotoGP, it's TVS Racing

I have never bothered to follow MotoGP (the glamorous motorcycle racing championship) simply because so far I did not have a team to cheer for. Label me a jingoist but fact remains that unless India is participating, I just don’t get the motivation to follow that sport.

But that would soon change in the 2011 season of the MotoGP championship, because in 2011 there would be not one but two teams from India donning the Indian tricolor at the 125 cc class MotoGP championship..!!

The two teams would be "Mahindra" and "Ten 10 Racing".

33 Honda CBR250R Video Review [Autocar India] + Official specs

Autocar India gives the intial review of the CBR250R.. Honda finally reveals the power/torque figures.. Real shocker is the price tag..!! Booking starts from Jan 01..!!

[Update, Nov 15'th: Booking starts in India from Jan 01, 2011.

One can fill up the online inquiry form for the CBR250R on Honda India's website.

The Yamaha R15 and the Hero Honda Karizma ZMR will find it hard to justify their 1 lakh plus price tags..

Autocar India magazine happends to be my current favourite Indian Auto Publication due to their honest and "to the point" (without the hyperbole and the eloquent crap) style of auto journalism.

I even like their TV show the Autocar Show, which is aired on the UTVi channel. But reading a magazine a watching a TV show is a different matter altogether. Credit goes to "Kartikeya Singhee", the host and (Dy. Editor Autocar) of the Autocar Show, whose lively / cheerful presentation and screen presence makes the show a must watch for me.

Screenshot of the Autocar Show CBR250R Review

Autocar Show has recently posted a video review of the CBR250R on its YouTube channel. In the video, Kartikeya Singhee covers the global launch of the CBR250R straight from Thailand.

Highlights from the Review:

• Great low and mid range torque


• Decent handling on the race track (though not in the same league as the Ninja 250R)


• Company claimed Fuel Efficieny of 50 Kmpl..!!


• Less than Rs 1.5 Lakh price tag (From the mouth of HMSI boss)..!!

3 New Pulsar Commercial (Pulsar Mania II?) to feature Jorian “Untouchable” Ponomareff..!!

A new Pulsar commercial is being shot which will feature one of the hottest young international talent in the world of Freestyle Motorcycle Stunting..!!

New Pulsar Commercial: Pulsar Mania II?

Right from it’s birth in 2001, TV Commercials of the Pulsar has always set the benchmark for motorcycle commercials in India. The iconic 2008 Pulsar Mania commercial (posted below) has so far been my personal favorite among the lot. To me the Pulsar Mania TVC with its "synchronized ballet on motorcycles" is till date the Best Motorcycle Commercial in the world.

Participate in a contest and get to visit the sets where the new Pulsar commercial will be shot..!!

Improving perfection is a very tall task, and I have had my doubts whether the Pulsar Mania commercial could ever be superseded by anyone, including Bajaj themselves. But it looks like now there is a new Pulsar commercial (Pulsar Mania II?) in the making which is poised to do just that.

And this time Bajaj has roped in Jorian Ponomareff, one of the hottest new international talents in the world of freestyle motorcycle stunts to feature in the next Pulsar commercial..!!

Who is Jorian Ponomareff?

9 Bike History/Timeline: Hero Honda Passion: [2001-2010]

The history and time line of one of the best selling 100 cc bikes in India, the Hero Honda Passion

When a common man in India thinks of buying an "affordable, good looking/stylish motorcycle which also returns good fuel efficiency", the first name that probably comes to his mind is the "Hero Honda Passion".

And its for good reason actually. After successfully surviving in India's thriving, but tough to crack two wheeler market for nearly 10 years, the Hero Honda Passion has now become a huge brand. It is probably second in terms of sales, to its cousin the Hero Honda Splendor (which is the world's largest selling motorcycle model).

In the meanwhile Hero Honda has stuck to it's promise of offering "Style" right from the launch of the Passion. The tag line for the Hero Honda Passion might have transformed from "When Style Matters" to a more "desi" "Ab Sirf Style Hi Style Bolega" for the Passion Pro in 2010, but Hero Honda has been consistent with its message.

With reliability always associated with Hero Honda products its not surprising to see why the Hero Honda Passion been so successful a model. Posted below is the history of the Hero Honda Passion so far.

33 Yamaha FZ, comprehensive review [Top Speed/Fuel Efficiency]

A comprehensive review of the Yamaha FZ.. over a three day period

The Yamaha FZ has successfully brought back the "Fun and Oomph Factor" while commuting..

This review of mine is of mine is actually late by 2 years. But when Yamaha had launched the FZ-16 in Oct 2008, I was not able to blog due to personal & professional reasons. I resumed blogging only since Jan 2010.

Meanwhile Yamaha went ahead and launched two more variants the FZ-S and the Fazer both based on the same FZ-16. Since the other two variants are just merely ones with a slightly different paint scheme (FZ-S) and with a fixed half fairing (Fazer), I don’t expect the other two to ride much differently than the FZ-16.

I had the opportunity to ride the FZ-16 over a period of 3 full days as one friend had gone home on his Diwali holidays while leaving his 16,000 Km old FZ-16 with me.

10 How to physically visualize "Torque"

Demystifying "Torque" and what "Nm" and "Kgm" means.. in simple English

Power and Torque are two terms that are always mentioned to convey the performance of the engine of an automobile. I had earlier posted on the difference between power and torque, and today let me post on how to physically visualize Torque.

"Torque is the simply the force which is responsible for twisting the wheels on your bike".

One easy way to visualize torque is to see the photo posted below in which the rider is performing a tyre burnout.

45 How to lose a "Dog Chasing a Bike"

Ever been chased by dogs while riding your bike..?? This is what I always do..

Disclaimer: Although I have been always successful in my tactic against the stray dogs, one can try the same at his/her own risk.

"You are retiring home on your bike at night. On a lonely stretch of road suddenly a pack of dogs get irritated by the sight/sound of your bike and charge straight towards you.

The look on their eyes is fierce and their incisors dangerously exposed. It seems that the primitive instinct of the dogs has suddenly come alive and they just want to rip apart your limbs..!!

"Apni gali mein Kutta bhi Sher..!!"

With countless number of stray dogs roaming around on every Indian city/town/village, I am sure that most Indian bikers must have experienced this unpleasant experience sometime in his/her life.

So what do you do for self preservation in such a situation?