10 Motorcycle scene in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa [2010]

A casual glance of the motorcycles that I caught plying in Bhubaneshwar City

Motorcycles are not just my passion but have turned into an obsession for me. Not only do I dream/think about motorcycles for the better part of my day, but even when I am out on the street I keep checking out the different types of motorcycles that ply on our streets. This comes more naturally to me than the natural male instinct to check out members of the opposite sex. No, honest..!!

I probably need to consult a good mechanic.. Err, I meant a good psychiatrist.

Motorcycles in front of the Jagannath Temple, Puri (60 kms from Bhubaneshwar)

I had been to Bhubaneshwar twice this year. First time I was there in the month of Aug 2010 and then for the second time just a couple of weeks back in Dec 2010.

I managed to see just one Ninja 250R in my two visits to Bhubaneshwar

I found Bhubaneshwar as a well spread out city and essentially with a strong middle class flavor. Depending in the part of city the traffic was quite decent to slightly crowded, but no where as bad as Bangalore or Mumbai city. People mostly drive/ride at leisurely pace and display good civic and driving sense.

Here is an account of the kind of motorcycles that I observed in Bhubaneshwar city (the capital of the state of Orissa).

1. A front number plate displaying the registration number is not mandatory for a two wheeler in Orissa..!!

For anybody from rest of India it will come as a surprise/shocker and for good reason as well. As far as I know, for almost every other state of India, every 2 wheeler including 1000 cc motorcycle imports has to have a mandatory front number plate displaying the registration number of the vehicle.

Most people in Bhubaneshwar retain the metal front plate but instead of putting in the registration number of the bike on it, a personalized message/slogan finds place on it.

2. Bhubaneshwar is dominated by Hero Honda models with good presence of TVS Motor and a decent presence of Bajaj models

Bhubaneshwar is populated mostly by Hero Honda models like the Passion, Glamour and CBZ Xtreme. I could also spot the popularity of the TVS Apache and TVS Star City and Sport models in Bhubaneshwar. The Bajaj Pulsar also has a decent presence there.

3. I saw more Hero Honda Karizma ZMR on the streets than the Hero Honda Karizma R..!!

Note: Photo sourced from the internet, not clicked in Bhubaneshwar

Yep, it’s true I really had to look very hard to spot a Karizma R on Bhubaneshwar streets but have spotted the Karizma ZMR in possibility all its available color options. Strange but true..!!

4. Could observe a preference of Hero Honda Passion (100 cc) and Glamour (125 cc) than the plain Jane Splendor (100 cc) and Super Splendor (125 cc)

Probably the people of Bhubaneshwar prefer to make a style statement by preferring the more stylish offering of the same platform. I could spot many new Passion Pro models but not enough of new Splendor+/Pro models. Same holds true for the 125 cc Glamour compared to the Super Splendor.

5. Yamaha SZ-X seems to have caught the imagination in Bhubaneshwar

The recently launched SZ-X can be seen on the streets of Bhubaneshwar without much difficulty. Not surprisingly I could not spot even a single SZ (the relatively sober variant of that particular model). Goes to prove another point that Bhubaneshwar’ians prefer an extra dollop of style on their bikes.

6. Sudden popularity of the Bajaj Discover and Pulsar 220F models

Note: Photo sourced from the internet, not clicked in Bhubaneshwar

When I was there in Bhubaneshwar for the first time in Aug 2010, I had noticed that the new Bajaj Discover model wasn’t that common a sight on the Bhubaneshwar roads. Same was true for the Pulsar 220F model.

But when I went there for the second time in Dec 2010, I was surprised by the now common sight of the new Discover 100/150 models. Also I could see the Pulsar 220F model much more frequently on the streets.

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.