17 Royal Enfield India once also made Scooters & Mopeds..!!

Compilation of a couple of rare Royal Enfield models of yore..

A lot of changes have taken place at Royal Enfield during the last couple of years. Most significant of these changes has been replacing the nearly 50 year old cast iron engine (which had a separate gear casing) with a modern Unit Construction Engine (UCE). The characteristic thump of the single cylinder engine might have been slightly muffled due to the new UCE engine but nevertheless it’s still a 4 stroke thump.

What might surprise / even shock many is that once upon a time Royal Enfield India dabbled in a couple of 2 stroke models, among which there used to be a Scooter, a Moped and a Mini Moped..!!

Posted below are the 2 stroke models that Royal Enfield / Enfield India (as it was also known for sometime) used to manufacture once upon a time.

66 A detailed look at my new “btwin Rockrider 5.0” bicycle [Photos/Details]

A detailed look at my latest set of two wheels..

I had posted a few days back that I now commute from my Home to Office and back on my new bicycle. Posted below are some detailed photos and also a description of my new “btwin ROCKRIDER 5.0”.

btwin Rockrider 5.0: [Detailed Photos]

11 Exclusive "world first" tech for next gen Pulsars (to be showcased on Dec 2011)

Official word about next gen Pulsars.. to be showcased by Dec 2011.. to hit roads in 2012

Just as posted by me early this year (Feb 2011), the top man of Bajaj Auto (Mr. Rajiv Bajaj) had stated in an interview that completely re-engineered Pulsars were to commemorate the 10 anniversary of the birth of the Pulsar motorcycle/brand.

Now very recently Mr. Bajaj has again stated:

"We launched the first Pulsar in November 2001 and are now ready with a 100 per cent new bike with remarkable engine technology. It is really the next big step after DTS-i"

According to Hindu Businessline, Bajaj Auto will showcase an all-new Pulsar in early December (2011) and the new bike will hit the roads next year (2012). This new bike will will feature an exclusive technology, "this technology does not exist anywhere in the world and could soon be a part of the company's Pulsar and Discover range in due course".

Speculation on what to expect from the new Pulsars?

8 Should Suzuki launch the GW250 in India?

Should Suzuki Motorycles India seriosuly consider bringing the GW250 to India..??

Just because one has the best ingredients..

..doesn’t always guarantee that the dinner would be served sumptuous

Suzuki Motorcycles India needs a flagship model for India. The GS150R has been the flag bearer for them for some time now. Before you mention "Hayabusa", let me tell that I am aware that the Hayabusa in on sale in India, but that’s an imported model for blokes with deep pockets.

I am coming more from the point of view of an aspiratinal model for the "great Indian middle class". Something like the R15 for Yamaha, Pulsar 220F for Bajaj, Karizma ZMR for Hero MotoCorp, CBR250R for Honda.

The humble 150cc GS150R isn’t exactly flagship material, not in 2011-12 India.

Suzuki GW250

Just a couple of months back Suzuki did unveil a 250 cc, twin cylinder model at a Chinese auto show. Needless to say the desi auto blogs went into overdrive speculating/claiming that this was the next big Suzuki model for India. The bike’s name is GW250. It’s a made in China Suzuki model which has been on sale in that country for a few months now.

Now should Suzuki Motorcycle India seriously consider bringing the GW250 to India too?

8 First Hero MotoCorp bike "Impulse" priced at Rs.66,800 (Ex-Showroom, Delhi) [Photos/Specs]

Price for Hero MotoCorp's first Hero branded bike "Impulse" announced..

Customers could say:

"The bike appears minimalistic (stripped down), so why pay the premium?"

Hero MotoCorp has officially announced the price of the "Impulse". The Impulse happens to be the first product to bear the "Hero" (minus the Honda badge) brand name. The Impulse is essentially a Honda NXR 150 Bros, a Brazilian Honda model.

Powered by a carbureted, 150 cc, aircooled engine, the Impulse is most probably sporting the same 150 cc block that does duty on the CBZ Xtreme/Hunk, albeit with slightly different state of tune (13.2 Ps Peak Power and 13.34 Nm of peak Torque).

Price: Priced at Rs.66,800 (Ex-Showroom, Delhi), the impulse gets a price tag which is costlier than the Hero's own CBZ Xtreme (Rs. 63,725) by Rs. 3,000.

Launch Date: The Impulse will be launched very soon in a couple of days time around the Diwali celebrations.