3 Indonesians, Indians, Myself & MotoGP

A look at how the world's premier motorsport event has managed to influence a Biker Next Door from India..

1. The curious case of Indonesians and MotoGP

Imagine Lorenzo wearing "एक कदम आगे" on his forearm..!!

Any guess which is the most MotoGP crazy nation of the world?

Italy and Spain may be producing lots of MotoGP champs but if Google Tends is to be believed (screen shot posted below), it is Indonesians which are clearly ahead in terms of internet search related to MotoGP.

Motorcycles sales currently account for a mere 10% of the 3rd largest 2 wheeler market of the world (Indonesia), the remaining 90% comprises of step thru and automatic scooter models. In spite of being a traditionally non-motorcycle market, MotoGP seems to be one of the most popular and followed sporting event amongst Indonesians.

20 New Yamaha R15.. spy photo.. once again..

One more photo of the new Yamaha R15...

Spy photos of the new Yamaha R15 has once again appeared on the net..!! Now this is the fifth time.

Have a look at the photo. No comments from my side. You got any?

Photo source: xBhp.Com

10 Myths/Excuses for not wearing a Helmet

Collection of a few misconceptions/lame excuses often heard for not using a helmet while riding a motorcycle.. along with some solid myth busters..!!

Myth: Wearing a Helmet Causes Hair loss

One of my ex-boss once said this during a conversation, “Of course, wearing a helmet causes a lot of heat formation on the head/scalp. This cause’s hair loss”. On hearing this I felt like screaming out my lungs and say “WRONG..!!”. But obviously the boss has to be always right, even if he is sometimes blatantly wrong.

Fact: Wearing a helmet might cause a slight friction on the scalp which might lead to you a small amount of hair fall. But then even a slight amount of hair fall daily is natural and happens to everybody even without a helmet.

Hair fall among most mature/aging males is a common phenomenon. One’s genetics, testosterone and a stressful life is more to blame for it. A helmet will in fact keep your scalp clean when out in the traffic by keeping away the dust and pollution.

10 Bike History/Timeline: TVS Victor [2001-2007 (?)]. Why did the TVS Victor fail?

A study in retrospect to understand why the "Victor" brand from TVS had failed..

According to an article published in Business Today:

"Victor, its (TVS) first indigenously developed product launched in 2001, did brisk business initially (selling as many as 40,000 units per month) before a multitude of problems such as rusting of the exhaust pipe, seepage of water into the petrol tank, malfunctioning of the lock, etc., surfaced and sank the product"

In that article senior R&D guys from TVS Motors have admitted that it was quality/durability issues which led to the TVS Victor’s demise. But is it really so?

Even the Bajaj Pulsar which was launched just a couple of months after the TVS Victor has had its fair share of quality issues in the past. Despite that, the Pulsar has now become a legendary brand among Indian Motorcycles.

Could there be some other factors which might have led to its demise?

Although the exact reason for the failure of the TVS Victor brand will remain unclear, posted below are a few of my hypothesis on what could have led to the demise of a once promising brand.

6 TVS to relaunch Victor in India..??

Autocar India says that the TVS Victor might be brought back to life in India..

Trivia. Name the first indigenous motorcycle of India

Ans: Its NOT the Bajaj Pulsar (Nov, 2001) but it was the 110 cc, TVS Victor, which was launched in Aug, 2001 a couple of months before the Bajaj Pulsar..!!

After its "Scooty" brand, the "Victor" brand probably was the most sucessful for TVS..

Back in those days I had to travel nearly the entire stretch of the country from my home in Assam to my Engg. college in Surathkal, Karnataka; and if I can try hard to remember, the TVS Victor did manage to make a decent splash back in those days.

But after a couple of years the Victor lost steam. TVS got busy with its Centra (failed), Star, Apache and Flame series of bikes and before the decade ended, the Victor had seen its last in the Indian market.

The June 2011 issue of AutocarIndia magazine carries a small story that TVS might resurrect the Victor in India. The magazine has published a spy photo of a bike shot from its rear three quarters. The bike looks strikingly similar to the Victor model of yesteryears. The photo seems to have been taken in Chennai, the capital city of the home state of TVS Motor.