9 Changing attitude of the Indian middle class towards bikes/motorcycles [Indian 2 Wheeler Update, 2011]

One has to accept that in 2011 excitement for cars among India's middle class is clearly visible. What could be the future for "desi" bikes/bikers..??

Having attended college way back in 1998, I belong to a generation which has seen

[1] As a child [1980’s- mid 1990’s]: The heydays of the Bajaj Chetak Scooter

[2] As a teenager [1990-2000]: Change of preference from geared scooters to 4 stroke 100 cc motorcycles, led by the Hero Honda Splendor

[3] As a young man [2001-2011]: Birth and growth of Indian Performance 4 Stroke motorcycles, spearheaded by the Pulsar (150/180) twins and emergence of the gear less scooters led by Honda Activa

It was in college when I started to look at bikes with keen interest, which later resulted in me starting "Bike Chronicles of India" in 2006 with the mission to capture the changing 2 wheeler (motorcycle) scene of India through my eyes. Since then for me it has been only about Indian motorcycles 24/7, 365 days a year, for the last 5 years..!!

This particular post is the first which I am making is on what I feel are the first signs of the changing Indian attitude towards motorcycles in 2011.

Sign 1: Increased density of cars in Bangalore City (which I once considered a bike capital of India)

32 Honda CBR250R (India) Ride Review [+ Photos]

Review of the new "fastest made in India" bike.. the Honda CBR250R

The CBR250R from Honda was a sweet surprise to the bikers of India. Manufactured in both Thailand and India and sold all over the world, the CBR250R is a clear sign of the serious Intent that Honda has for the Indian market.

For a price sensitive but burgeoning market like ours, this is the way forward that other companies like Yamaha & Suzuki need to follow. i.e.

"Develop: By keeping the Indian customer in the mind, Manufacture: In India to keep costs down & Sell: In India at a reasonable price and export to other markets and still make a good margin".

Posted below is my Review of the Honda CBR250R after spending one full day with the bike.

Styling: “It’s a mini VFR but with a CBR branding”

19 New (2012) Honda CBF Stunner Launched

Honda refreshes the 125 cc CBF Stunner..

After 2 rather conservative designs/products in the form of the 150 cc Unicorn and the 125 cc Shine, the 125 cc CBF Stunner was the first sporty design to have come out of Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI).

Back in 2008 when the CBF Stunner was launched, I thought that the bike seriously had the potential to become a best seller for Honda. After all the bike had the "premium" good looks of a "mini Karizma", at a price point lower than the reigning 150 cc bikes along with the fuel efficiency and reasonable performance of a 125 cc engine.



But somehow that never happened and the conservative CB Shine still continues to be Honda's best selling 125 cc in India. Indian customers are really a tough nut to crack. Probably the Indian customer could see through the half fairing that it was just a 125 cc bike, with a slightly higher price tag compared to the competition.

Honda gave the CBF Stunner it's first upgrade back in Jan 2010. But still there wasn't any major change to the CBF Stunner's fortunes. Honda has again decided to give the CBF Stunner a minor upgrade. But this time it is just a paint/sticker job.

So what has changed in the CBF Stunner?

30 Yamaha R15 Version 2.0 launched.. and it's beautiful [Photos/Specs/Price]

Yamaha launches the first upgrade of its R15 model.. calls it Version 2.0

It's a cosmetic upgrade ok.. but it's "awesome"..!!

It was in Dec 2010 when the first "spy photos" of the upgrade of the Yamaha R15 had appeared on the net.

Since then it has been a rather long 10 months for Yamaha India to finally officially launch the upgrade of the Yamaha R15 which they are calling as Version 2.0

Throughout these 10 months it was amusing for me to see almost every desi auto-blog out there get hyper excited and post wild speculations like, "The power will be increased to 21-22 Ps (from the current 17Ps)..!!", or even "Price is expected to be reduced by Rs. 10,000..!!" to some smart ones claiming that it was the "European R125 & not a R15 upgrade"..!!

1 Watch Yamaha R15 Version 2.0 being launched Live..!!

Watch the launch of the 2.0 version of the Yamaha R15 live on the web..!!

The launch of the new Yamaha R15 Version 2.0 will be telecasted live on webcast from 11:30 AM on Sep 6'th 2011.

Click here to go to the live webcast page.

Also posted below is the first official photo of the new R15 Version 2.0.



I am expecting slightly higher price for the new R15 and maximum around 1Ps (from 17Ps to 18Ps) upgrade in power (if any). Will be updating the complete details post the official launch.