The Bombay Travel Woes:
Being a biker is no special feature to most commuters on Indian roads. In a country where population outnumbers job opportunities, people are more than willing to travel miles to reach their place of work. Real estate rates in the premium South Bombay area are so exorbitant that the average employee has to live in far-flung suburbs and uses public transport to reach the offices. The estimated population of Bombay is 12.6 million. (Census is carried out once every 10 years by the Government. The population of India crossed the billion mark at the turn of the millennium.) There is a huge influx into the city from various parts of India since Bombay is reputedly the financial capital of India. This is the city that never sleeps. You can get food & cigarettes at roadside stalls past 2 a.m.
The local trains ((Central Railway & Western Railway ) are the lifelines of the Bombayite commuter. Next come the Government run buses (BEST), which have the widest network of routes and stops within the city; among the best in Asia. The local trains and buses stop their services only between 2am and 4am. Such is the demand for transport that the authorities can afford to ply their services at odd hours. A double-decker bus is as ordinary a sight here as in London.
Using Bombay’s Roads:
Though most of the major roads have been upgraded from tar to concrete there is a clear bias between the affluent South Bombay and the congested suburbs. The working class living in the suburbs have to face potholes, Municipal / telephone / gas workers digging up roads ad hoc, overflowing gutters/drains, open manholes, bold traffic violation and bolder corrupt cops.
If you fantasize about riding your steed during a beautiful Indian monsoon, don’t. Monsoon travel is hell in Bombay irrespective of whether you use roads, rails or even airplanes. If you want to see how the roads look during monsoon Google Images for “Afghanistan after the bombing”, that is how bad Bombay’s roads become after the onslaught of rains.
But there are a few good highways and bridges in Bombay, which in the early morning or late night becomes a privileged spot for racing among the youth whose parents have too much money to keep it to themselves.
Media:
Bombay is also the Cine capital of India. The city which produces the most number of movies, mostly in Hindi language; another attraction for people to arrive to Bombay in the hopes of becoming a celebrity. A Hindi language movie “Dhoom ” set off a craze for superbikes and now you can spot the imported Hondas, Kawasakis and Yamahas on city streets. The villain biker/robber in the movie played by actor John Abraham has signed on as a brand ambassador for Yamaha . The media and the general public do not view biking as a negative trait yet. It is a common & economical means for daily commute.
Current Indian Bike Fare:
As said above – ‘common & economical’ is what defines the majority of bikes sold in India, a major drawback for power enthusiasts. The manufacturers wish to have huge sales by reaching & appealing to the masses. The masses need an affordable bike with low maintenance and high mileage. So most of the bikes with million plus sales figures are 100cc and 125cc sissies. The market for two-wheelers (motorcycles, scooters, non-geared scooterette, mopeds) in India is estimated at 5.5 million annually (Two-wheeler Prices ).
Hero-Honda (a joint venture of Hero Group with Honda Japan) leads this 100cc segment with its Splendor and Passion range priced at Rs.44000 and Rs.46000 respectively (US Dollar 1 = Rupees 43.56). These two bikes still have consistent admirers even after years of their launch (Splendor was launched in 1994). Recently Hero-Honda re-launched these two with better-styled upgrades such as dual-tone paint job with the nametag Splendor+ and Passion+ (sic +). Hero Honda has been the undisputed market leader for a long time and now faces a threat from Bajaj and its own partner Honda (Hero Honda Sales and Income. Note: India uses the measurement unit of ‘lakhs’ and ‘crores’ instead of Million for currency denomination. 1,00,000 is One Lakh and 1,00,00,000 is One Crore).
Bajaj Auto Ltd has the next biggest market share in motorcycles and is closing in on the market leader (Bajaj Sales ). While in the west and south India Bajaj's market share as compared to Hero Honda is 1:2 and 1:4 respectively, in the north and east it is close to 1:1. Their Bajaj Discover DTS-i 125cc is available at Rs.50000 with an electric start, disc brake and alloy wheels.
There is no competitor matching such specifications at such a price. Discover gives 65 km/ltr. Before ‘Discover’ they promoted ‘Boxer' which was available at a very competitive price of Rs40,000 for the low end segment. Bajaj’s other successful product is the Pulsar available as a 150cc or a 180cc. Pulsar has been judged as the best stunt bike made in India. But the two variants lack product differentiation in terms of their styling.
Bajaj has already announced that 2006 will see the launch of Pulsar DTS-Fi 250cc with many industry firsts (in India) such as rear-wheel disc brake, led tail lights, twin stocked headlamps (one parabolic & another projector type), larger diameter front disc brake, etc.
If Bajaj is able to attract a following for power bikes then Pulsar 250cc will usher a new era and a new personality for the ‘Indian Biker’. Honda, which had launched its solo venture Honda M&S India Pvt. Ltd., would have to match the new Pulsar and ditto for Yamaha India. TVS has already launched the TVS Apache with similar specifications and pricing of the existing Pulsar. TVS had a good run with its 150cc Fiero and economical TVS Victor in the past (TVS Sales ).
Honda (solo venture) made a disappointing maiden entry with the conservative, fuel-efficient Unicorn 150cc. A good slogan ‘Be a Wing Rider’ had few takers. Such attempts to grab the mileage-conscious as well as the power enthusiast are bound to fall on their ugly fiberglass arse. Yamaha’s Fazer 125cc was good on looks but failed to match Pulsar’s performance. Its poor-man’s cruiser called Enticer 125cc is now out of production. Having ridden my Yamaha Enticer since 2003 I have to say it is lightweight (115 Kg.) and easy to handle, though calling it a cruiser is a stretch. It is a totally run-down version of the international Yamaha Royal Star. The new cheap cruiser is Bajaj’s Avenger (Rs.70000), which has the same styling of its erstwhile expensive Eliminator except that it now has 180cc DTS-i engine of the Pulsar.
Bajaj looks set to capture the biking interests of Indians. Its only negative feedback so far is poor after-sales service at Authorised Service Centers. On the after-sales front no one beats Hero Honda, which has the widest network of dealers and just about any mechanic is able to fix your Hero Honda product. Also Bajaj Pulsar aficionados complain that the 180cc variant has a long waiting list even though the customer is shelling out Rs.8000 extra for the performance ride. Dealing with such issues now will ensure Bajaj’s home base lead as the market opens to bigger bikes.
The Original Indian Cruiser:
So now you think that the Indian biker is a real wuss who rides a snail and locks his wallet before visiting the gas station. Well, let me introduce you to a mid 19th century brand – Royal Enfield . They set shop in England as Enfield Manufacturing Co. Ltd. and registered as ‘Royal Enfield Manufacturing Co. Ltd.’ in 1893 with the trademark “Made like a gun”. They went from making needles to pedal-cycle to a quadricycle by 1897 and even a motorcar by 1904.
Royal Enfield surprisingly launched a 2¾ hp V twin engine shown at a motorcycle show that year. Soon by 1914, Royal Enfield was supplying motorcycles to the British War Department for the First World War with various models under production.
The Indian debut happened in 1949 with the 350cc Bullet when Madras Motors started assembling the Royal Enfield motorcycles to supply it to the Indian Army. The Bullet would disappear from most regions of the biking world but Enfield India Company thumped along. In 1994 the ailing company renewed its reach after they were acquired by the Eicher Group.
Today the ‘Bullet’ is regarded as an icon of Indian biking. It has the widest following among military and police professionals.
The new management intends to create a brand image through clubs, planned tours , branded accessories and merchandise to recreate the type of success that Harley-Davidson has in USA. Their original 350cc & 500cc Bullet is still sold with its sturdy cast-iron engine generating the unique thump. The more attractive newer brands are the 350cc Thunderbird and Machismo models. They have an all aluminum lean burn engine and constant vacuum carburetor for improved performance (this engine sadly lacks the classic thump but warms up faster than the cast iron engine).
Also if you want a custom chopper in India the most recommended bike for a chop is of course the Bullet. Their fans, known as ‘The Bulls’ or ‘The R.E.D.S.’ (Royal Enfield Discoverers) are a class apart (Popular Bullet club in Bombay and one in neighboring Pune city). Only the Bullet can boast of maximum biker clubs in India and rates highest in customer satisfaction . Any tourist interested in touring India on a bike goes for the Bullet Standard 350cc or 500cc iron engine. For a 50 year old technology that is indeed impressive.
So if anyone reading this does not admire the fiberglass pansy bikes on their street, get out and get a Royal Enfield motorcycle. Whether you drive on the road or off it, riding this ‘King on Wheels’ is a pleasure uncomparable to any destination you will reach.
