7 Are Motorcycle Bloggers just Glorified Laptop Bikers..??

Yep, I am one too..

In just a couple of months, this blog of mine will complete 5 years. Started in Aug 2006, it is one of the first motorcycle blogs of India. Though out these 5 years I have seen quite a few motorcycle/auto blogs prop up. While most of them have fizzled out while a few still do exist.

I have never raced on a race track, I have never tried stunting, I have not even toured extensively..

most of my biking has been limited to commuting

Many guys who happen to stumble on my blog think that I am some kind of motorcycle expert. Daily I get many e-mails asking for my suggestions and "Advice" on motorcycles. I still get embarrassed when people think of me in this manner. I continue to maintain humbly that I am just another "biker next door" from India.

I can tell you for sure that none of the "desi motorcycle bloggers" out there are any better/expert than me. So are Motorcycle Bloggers just glorified Laptop Bikers..??

If our auto journalists from reputed magazines happen to read this, I am sure they would be nodding vigorously in unison (with a grin on their faces) by now.

9 CBR250R Price for India revealed + officially launched

Honda CBR250R officially launched in India + Prices for India also officially revealed.. Finally..!!

Prices:

1. Non-ABS variant: Rs. 1.43 lakhs (Ex-Showroom Delhi), Rs. 1,57 (On-Road Delhi)

2. ABS- variant: Rs. 1.68 lakhs (Ex-Showroom Delhi), Rs. 1,84 (On-Road Delhi)

Its probably unprecedented in India that a motorcycle model has received around 2500 advance bookings without getting an opportunity to see the bike in the flesh..!!

The Honda CBR250R is the real/proper upgrade to the Hero Honda Karizma..

Even if advance bookings were open from 1st January 2011, the final official prices was not available. Forget about getting test rides, the bike wasn't even there in the showrooms for the guys to get an opportunity to at least see the bike.

Thanks mainly to the information freely available on the internet, the CBR250R has generated around 2,500 advance bookings so far. The bike has finally been launched officially in India on March 22nd, 2011.

[Prices Source: HMSI Website]

The bike will be available in India in three colors: Black, Red, Silver.

4 Feb 2011, 2 Wheeler Sales India

February 2011 sales numbers of our Indian 2 wheeler manufacturers..

The Feb 2011 sales numbers doesn't throw in any surprises.. with Hero Honda at number one position followed by Bajaj Auto, TVS and HMSI respectively, it's double digit growth for all manufacturers.

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.)

18 Can't undertand Mr. Bajaj's Pulsar/Discover/Boxer strategy? Read this..

You must have definitely heard Mr. Rajiv Bajaj's brand strategy to focus more on Discover & Pulsar and less on the parent Bajaj brand.. but do you really understand him..??

It was sometime in April 2010 (when I was on my annual vacation to my native) when Mr. Rajiv Bajaj (MD Bajaj Auto) made an official announcement that soon the product brands "Discover" and "Pulsar" would become independent brands and the parent Bajaj brand would take a back seat.

Imagine for Mr. Rajiv... "Bajaj" is actually his family name..!!

Needless to say, Mr. Bajaj's statement stunned everyone. The usual questions were: So would it be Pulsar Motorcycles? Discover Motorcycles? In fact even till date not many seasoned business analysts and journalists have exactly understood.. why..??

After going through many of the interviews which Mr. Bajaj has given to the (puzzled) media, let me try to put forward whatever that I have understood..

9 TVS Apache RTR 180 with ABS launched

TVS Officially launches ABS (Antilock Braking Systems) on its Apache RTR 180 model.. but are you buying it..??

TVS Motor and the Indian 2 wheeler industry reaches another milestone today as TVS Motor officially launched its ABS (Antilock Braking System) which it has co-developed with Continental AG Germany.

Price: According to SunilG of xBhp who attended the official event, the price for the ABS variant of the Apache RTR 180 is 78,880 (ex showroom Delhi). This makes it around Rs. 9,000-10,000 dearer to the non ABS (normal) Apache RTR 180 variant.

"Jo Alag Dhikhta hai, Woh bikta hai..!!"

I know it’s sad but true

To differentiate the Apache RTR 180 ABS variant, it will be available only in the white color with orange colored "RTR" branding on the tank flap/extension. The tank flap also gets "ABS" lettering on it. Apart from that, the rest of the bike is exactly same.

Even in terms of performance, the Apache RTR 180 is exactly same with 17.02 Ps Peak power @ 8500 rpm and 15.5 Nm @ 6500 rpm. But the kerb weight is going to increase by 4-5 Kgs as I had read somewhere that this particular ABS kit puts an extra 4-5 kgs on the bike.


Why ABS?: