BA Exclusive: Mahindra’s New 110cc Bike Caught All Covered; Is it Pantero in New Clothing?

This definitely comes as a surprise for all of us. BikeAdvice reported the first ever spyshots of refreshed Mahindra’s Stallio back in August this year. We had to remove the pics for certain reasons. However, we continued spotting the Stallio (which will now be called as Pantero) in and around the outskirts of Pune.
Now, these spy pics come as a revelation of sorts. We spotted this test mule around Dehu Road in Pune and was all covered without revealing anything. There was not even a single trace what this could be. However, the horizontally mounted engine was a give away for us obviously along with other finer bits.

What appears different?

• The side blinkers are fatter
• The rear suspension spring is traditional black from the red of earlier variant/our earlier spyshot
• From the not so clear frontal pic, the front headlamp appears different which is definitely a welcome change
• The bike carried different console which looked like non-digital. The earlier Stallio had an all digital console reminiscent to Rodeo.
• Tank also appeared to be slightly more muscular.
• Covered rear panels also appear to be different and more protruding

What Appears Similar?

• The silencer and heat shield
• Rear Tyre also appears to be similarly specced 3.0” x 18”
• Grab Rail
• Tail Lamp

The major changes would be done with the engine and the mechanicals. The displacement is not expected to get changed but flaws related to the power delivery and gearbox would have been heavily worked upon by Mahindra. They have been extensively testing the Stallio (now Pantero) for the past many months now.

The BIG Question?
What was Mahindra testing for the last few months in the mules which adorned exactly similar clothes as earlier Stallio? There are the following two possibilities:

1. There are two 110cc machines Mahindra is preparing. One with the older Stallio’s looks and the other a more contemporary different looks. 
2. Mahindra was just testing the revised and retuned engine, mechanicals and gearbox on the older Stallio’s clothes and now since the major issues have been taken care of, the end testing in the product’s final looks!

We strongly feel its the second one which is going to be true. It makes immense sense for Mahindra to redesign and launch the bike with no trail of connection with the discontinued Stallio. Launching the Pantero as an all together a new bike with new design, name and obviously removal of flaws would be the best bet for the new entrant in the motorcycle space.

Pierobon Reveals The Refreshed X60R

The famous Italy based motorcycle chassis builder, Pierobon has revealed their fresh update to the X60R which was first launched a year ago. The Italian firm has got close tie-ups with big titles like WSBK and MotoGP. The refreshed X60R was revealed by the firm at the 2012 EICMA Motorcycle Show on the eve of celebrating over 60 years in the field of chassis design and development. A bike coming from such an Italian firm was indeed bound to receive a lot of attention. The latest edition of the X60R is also based on the previous F042 concept and derives benefit from a host of world class MotoGP technologies.
The Pierobon X60R comes equipped with the Desmodue Evolution engine which is an air-cooled, twin cylinder unit having a displacement of 1168cc. This engine is employed in the Ducati Monster 1100 EVO. It produces 120 BHP of power and 116 NM of torque. It gets a custom built trellis frame chassis made of EN AW-7020 grade aluminum and a big aluminum swingarm at the rear. The frame actually comes in two variations- one accepting the airbox and the other especially created for the old 990 Supersport. Many have a wrong impression that the swingarm of the X60R is derived from the stock Ducati bikes, but that is totally false. Of course, the firm has close ties with Ducati over many years, so much so that the design of the X60R was based on Ducati’s Borgo Panigale!
Other attractive features of the bike include the Termignoni exhaust, Pirelli Diablo Superbike PRO tires, AIM digital instrumentation and fuel injection ECU. At the front the bike gets RT Racing upside-down fork suspension while at the rear links to a 235 DU damper Öhlins cantilever shock.  The firm says that the bodywork has been designed in a very aerodynamic way, especially the front section of the engine that efficiently conveys the air flow to the engine. Additionally air ducts have been carefully design to allow for the maximum air delivery to the pressurized airbox. And at last comes the best part about the motorcycle – Pierbon allows its customers to order the complete motorcycle or just the kit, which – in combination with other components – would allow you to assemble your own bike by yourself! What more can one motorcycle enthusiast wish for!

Meet The Big Daddy Of Bikes- X132 Hellcat Combat

If you are a lover of big, fat Harley Davidson bikes and think they are the big daddy of the motorcycle genre, then you should definitely think twice after looking at this monster- the X132 Hellcat Combat. Yes, such a long name definitely goes with having a long impression in your mind of its looks and appeal. Built by US based Confederate Motorcycles, the X132 Hellcat Combat is a fully naked cafe-racer style motorcycle with a massive engine, but don’t think that such a massive engine is just show and no go. In fact, this is one of the biggest block V-Twin engine equipped bikes in the world and yet is very much capable to set world records. The Hellcat recently set a world record of hitting a speed of 272.2 kmph at the Bonneville Salt Flats making its the fastest unfaired, naturally aspirated, pushrod V-twin bike. But Confederate ss not satisfied with that speed. The company claims the bike is capable of hitting speeds up to 320 kmph.
The engine manufacturing is a craft of its own. The engine area has been entirely carved from aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum billet case and it houses the engine, transmission swingarm pivot and frame mounts. Also, it has dual side-draft intakes with 58mm throttle bodies and the crankshaft is a single-piece forged unit. The ECU is specially calibrated and the firm likes to call it “Combat Performance Calibrated Engine Control Unit”. All these craftsmanship lets the bike develop a peak power of 160 BHP and 217 NM of torque. It is mated to a 5 speed transmission gearbox with Land Speed Racer Gearing and a design patented shaft bearing support system. Overall, the bike weighs 223 kgs. The front has 48mm Forks which are adjustable for rebound and compression while the rear gets Custom Race technology Coil-Over shocks which are also similarly adjustable for rebound and compression. It rides on Pirelli Diablo Rosso 120/70 ZR tires at the front and Pirelli Diablo Rosso 190/55 ZR at the rear.
Braking power for this enormous bike is provided by 4 piston AEROTEC Radial caliper at the front and 2 piston Brembo Monobloc caliper the rear. The bike costs 72,000 USD which translates to Rs. 39,56,400 in our currency. That is a no small sum of money but perhaps it is worth paying that figure to own such a machine, only 36 of which have been made so far by Confederate.

 

TVS Likely To Make Partnership With BMW Motorcycles

The Chennai based indigenous motorcycle maker, TVS Motors today revealed in a statement that the company is having on-going talks with BMW Motorcycles and this partnership is likely to see the light of the day before the end of the ongoing fiscal year. If we take a look at the current dominant players in the Indian market, either they are international bigwigs or they have a collaboration with some international biggie. Hero MotoCorp, which earlier had its tie-up with Honda Motorcycles, Japan has now exited the JV and has technical collaborations with Eric Buell Racing and AVL Austria for motorcycle and motorcycle engine development.
Bajaj Auto on the other hand has a stake in KTM via which its gets access to KTM’s technical expertise. TVS Motors, on the contrary has been a long lone player in the market after it exited its JV with Suzuki Motorcycles. And without an aggressive product portfolio, it is constantly losing market share. The tie-up with BMW will definitely pump in some fresh action into the brand. TVS Motor Co President (Marketing) HS Goindi told reporters, “Talks are on (with BMW) and we expect something to materialize before end of the ongoing fiscal.” He however, declined to comment on the nature and details of the partnership for which the company is in talks with the German firm.
Currently, BMW Motorrad sells high-end performance bikes since 2010 in India. And TVS, on the other hand currently sells a range of motorcycles, starting from entry level TVS Sport in the 100 cc segment to the 180 cc model TVS Apache. Recently, it launched the 125cc bike, Phoenix in India. It is priced at Rs 49,990 for drum brake version and Rs 52,000 (ex-showroom Delhi) for the disc brake variant. Commenting on the company’s expectations from the newly launched Phoenix, Goindi said: “The overall executive motorcycle segment is about 4 lakh units a month in India now and we want to have a share of about 5-7 percent.” He also added that overall, the company is aiming to sell around 20,000 units of Phoenix 125.

India Bike Week Motorcycle Carnival Headed To Goa

The culture of motorcycling is fast evolving in India, thanks to the manufacturers for bringing out high displacement bikes at not-so exorbitant prices in the Indian market. There also has been a shift in the consumer’s buying preferences from simple commuters to gas guzzling big displacement bikes and using them for touring purposes. Also on rise are bikers’ riding groups in various cities. It is really pleasing to witness this shift which will benefit equally for the manufacturers and the consumers alike.

This heavy interest in bikes and motorcycling culture has also paved way for motorcycle carnivals. In one such recent news, Seventy Event media group, along with travel and lifestyle channel Fox Traveller will be hosting the India Bike Week on 2nd and 3rd February 2013 in North Goa. Here you will be able to get up, close and personal with a myriad variety of motorcycles ranging from custom-built ones to superbikes and vintage ones. Also present will be few famous motorcycles that have been used in movies. The attendees will also be treated to a biker build off event which will take place over 2 days.

India Bike Week will also have something very cool called “Pimp My Ride” where the enthusiasts can treat their bikes to some custom paint jobs and also on their personal helmets. Also present will be brand specific service areas for motorcycles along with merchandise stalls selling riding gear, accessories and bike literature. The extravaganza doesn’t end here though. This carnival will also offer three music stages with bars, restaurants, tattoo artists, a speaker’s corner, an internet cafe, gym and spa, mixed martial arts demos as well as a cinema. And the best part comes at last- the organizers have erected a purpose-built test track where you will be able to ride superbikes sold in India at the event. Ticket prices start from Rs. 2000 for a single day and Rs 3,000 for both days. To celebrate 110 years of Harley Davidson, the Harley Owners’ group (HOG) will also be riding to the event.

Hero Impulse Goes Up And High With Indian Air Force

In recent news, 5 Indian Air Force (IAF) riders have made it into the Limca Book of World Records when they successfully crossed 10 Himalayan passes in just 51 hours, the bike that IAF folks used to achieve this world record was the Hero Impulse off-road motorcycle. The 15 member team consisted of Warrant Officer Goutam Dhar Gupta, JWO Vikram Singh Yadav, Sgt. Ravinder Singh Rawat, Sgt. Tejinder Singh Kapoor and Sgt. Madan Mohan Reddy.
These brave guys not only made their way successfully through the 10 Himalayan passes but also broke the previous record of 20,493 feet proceeding to ride up to 20,540 feet. The ride started from Leh on 16th May and ended on 20th May. The route followed by the team was via the Marsimik La, Khardung La and Chang La Himalayan passes and the Tanglang La, Horlam La, Lachulung La, Nakee La, Baralacha La, Rohtang and Jalori. Some of the passes crossed by the team were the highest motorable road in the world. The team was congratulated by Air Marshall Jyoti Narayan Burma, Air Officer-in-Charge administration, Air headquarters, Indian Air Force, along with Anil Dua, senior vice-president (marketing and sales), Hero MotoCorp in Delhi.
Equally commendable I would say was the performance and reliability of the Hero Impulse which rode through such high terrains and helped the team to successfully complete the journey. The Hero Impulse is powered by a air cooled, 4 stroke, single cylinder OHC, 149.2cc engine that develops 13.2 PS of power @ 7500 RPM and 13.4 NM of torque @ 5000 RPM. It is mated to a 5 speed constant mesh gearbox. The front employs telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers while the rear gets a swingarm with mono suspension with Nitrox charged dampers. Front braking is provided by a 240mm disc while the rear is 110mm diameter drum type.

Bimota’s New Sportbike BB2, powered by BMW S1000RR’s Engine

The name of Italian motorcycle manufacturer, Bimota has not been heard by many because they don’t have many products up their sleeve. Back in 1995, the Italian company developed a bike called the BB1 Supermono in collaboration with BMW Motorcycles. The terms of the collaboration was that BMW would be supplying Bimota with the 650cc engine that BMW then used to power the F650. Thus the BB1 Supermono got the same 650cc engine with 48 BHP of power. The bike weighed just 167kgs and could hit a top speed of 196 km/h. The bike caught the attention due to its unconventional design. Only 376 of this light supersports bike were built between 1995 and 1996.
Bimota has now come up with another model, the BB2 and the best part is the collaboration with BMW still exists. This time however, the company has taken many steps further and plonked the 1000cc engine that powers the BMW S1000RR motorcycle. The engine of S1000RR is undoubtedly one of the technologically most innovative straight-four engine currently available in the supersports bike segment. Innovations like speed-resistant valve gear with two overhead camshafts and weight-optimized cam followers make it the perfect power source for the new Bimota project. Bimota has not tinkered with the engine so the performance remains the same. The engine produces 193 BHP at 13,000 RPM.

Designed by by sak_art_design, Bimota’s second BMW-engined motorcycle was showcased at the EICMA International Motor Show 2012. The BB2 gets an all new chassis and a swingarm at the rear, Ohlins upside down forks at the front and Brembo monoblock brakes and a slip-on exhaust. Sak_art_design has carried over the similar controversial styling to the Bimota BB2 also. Although Bimota hasn’t yet revealed whether they will be actually taking this to production or not, I expect it will as no one would be foolish enough to take so much efforts just to shelve the project.

Tacita Develops A New Electric Endure Bike, The T-Race

We all hate electric motorcycles not because they don’t have the same feel as the gasoline counterparts but simply because they don’t have much range and the battery life is short, but not anymore. Apparently, an Italian bike manufacturer, Tacita has developed an electric motorcycle called the T-RACE that employs a liquid cooled maintenance free electric motor to run the bike. The company claims that the batteries that power the bike can be charged up to 2000 times and are made to last through the motorcycle’s life cycle!  Of course, being an electric motorcycle don’t expect any sort of emissions or noise (except the whining motor).
And the company is very serious with its claims too. To test the reliability of the bike, Tacita has decided to enter the the African Rally Raid held in Morocco. PierPaolo Rigo, co-founder of Tacita explains that “We want to make sure we have a bike that will be reliable and can endure anything for our customers. Merzouga rally was a good opportunity for us to test our T-race. Our objective was to gather as much data as possible rather than results and it is mission accomplished.” The company is proud that the T-Race finished the whole rally successfully that took place from November 3^rd to 9^th. The T-Race was the first electric motorcycle to traverse the entire Merzouga dunes and finally is the first to have finished and actually won in the NEW ENERGY category.
Talking about the bike, it is powered by a maintenance-free, 3-phase alternate current, brushless-type, asynchronous electric motor that supposedly produces a peak power of 24 KW. Powering the motor is a Li-Po rechargeable lithium-polymer battery. Currently, Li-po batteries are the most advanced technology available today for traction batteries. It has an approx charging time of 9 hours (or 3 hours with the optional 3KW stationary charger). The motor gets 3 torque mappings; Eco: for the least impact on trails; Sport: for maximum driving pleasure and Boost: 60 seconds at full power for dunes or steep climbs. Suspension at the front is telescopic hydraulic forks while at the rear is progressive linkage with fully adjustable settings.

Official: 2013 KTM Duke 390 ABS ‘Coming Soon to India’

If you are one of those very eagerly waiting for the next BIG thing in India, we have some more dope for you. The upcoming next wave of naked performance biking is coming to India soon. And the name we know is 2013 KTM Duke 390!

Just move over to KTM’s official site and you would be greeted by a prominent “Coming Soon to India” ticker at 2013 KTM 390 Duke’s page. These are probably the first official words about the bike coming on our land. According to our sources, Bajaj might launch the bigger KTM here in India somewhere around March next year. Similar to Duke 200, Duke 390 would also be manufactured at Bajaj’s Chakan plant.
KTM Duke 390 would be based on the existing KTM Duke 200 and there would be heavy sharing of parts to save on costs. It is powered by a 373.2cc single cylinder 4 stroke liquid cooled engine which produces adrenalin pumping power output of 44hp and a torque output of 35Nm. Another significant inclusion would be the Anti Lock Braking (ABS) system which has been long longed for on Indian bikes.
Though, we do not have any concrete clues about the pricing of the bike right now, but we do expect a pretty competitive price sticker to this bike considering the heavy localization and parts sharing it would be subjected to. So, would you like to pay Rs 2 Lac for this menace?

Meet Another Beauty From MV Agusta- The F4 RR

MV Agusta has been known for making some stunning looking motorcycles over the years. This year too, it made us awestruck with the Rivale 800 at the EICMA 2012 with its radical design and street-hard look.  It also showcased another bike, the F4 RR that equally caught my attention. MV Agusta claims that the F4 RR has been developed using the most exotic materials, has an ultra-sophisticated suspension and the new 1000cc short-stroke engine make the F4 RR the most advanced and powerful superbike in the world. According to the folks at the company, the F4 RR is a project for those who demand the ultimate riding experience.
The heart of F4 RR is a new 4-cylinder short stroke engine with radial valve. The engine is completely new and is inspired by MV Agusta’s experience in competition. Apart from the engine case castings, the arrangement of cylinders and a few other elements, the 4 cylinder RR engine shares little with that of the previous F4. MV Agusta has been very meticulous in tuning the engine. For example, the new crankshaft that has a reduced value of inertia, a new bore and stroke dimensions with an extremely over-square relationship, reducing the linear velocity of the piston (from 24.7 m/s to 22.9 m/s); the list can go on and on. All these result in the engine delivering 201 BHP of power at 13,400 RPM.
The engine is mated to a rapidly removable cassette gearbox and the clutch employs a mechanical slipper system to assure proper control even under the most extreme braking conditions. The electronic engine management has also been improved. The bike undoubtedly gets Multi-adjustable suspension at the front and back, the front being Öhlins NIX upside-down front fork has 43 mm diameter inner tube and a titanium nitride coating to improve the smoothness and precision. At the rear it gets Öhlins Racing TTX 36 mono shock. All in all, one of the finest motorcycles available in the world of super biking today. The F4 RR has been subject to countless hours of testing and development and all the hard work is clearly evident.

Ducati Motor’s Stunning Hypermotard At The EICMA 2012

EICMA 2012 show was a huge success with many manufacturers bringing out the best of their products and setting the stage on fire. Out of them all, MV Agusta caught everyone’s attention with its unique radical styling and hooligan-ish looks. It also went on to win the “Most Beautiful Bike” of the show award from an Italian automotive magazine. However, there was another bike which although didn’t win the award but equally stole the show with its looks and cutting edge technology. Its the 2013 version of the Ducati Hypermotard. The Hypermotard won the coveted award back in 2005 when Ducati first showcased the motorcycle at EICMA, Milan. The philosophy behind the Hypermotard was simple; light on weight and extremely high on horse-power making it a deadly combination.
For 2013, Ducati totally revised the Hypermotard and made it much better and launched it in 3 versions, the Hypermotard, the Hypermotard SP and the mid-range tourer, the Hyperstrada. On the other hand, it dropped the 1100EVO model from the Hypermotard line-up. All the motorcycles are powered by Ducati’s new 11 degree, 821cc, Testastretta engine that churns out 110 BHP of power at 9250 RPM and 91 NM of torque at 7750 RPM. This liquid cooled, 4 valve per cylinder engine provides a wide range of torque and an impressive peak horse power value. Ducati says that when developing the new power unit for the next generation Hypermotard, engineers analyzed capacity and bore/stroke ratio to create the optimum combination of tractability and Hyper performance. Like the Multistrada, this also gets repositioned fuel injector spray targets and a secondary air system. It gets a total Ride-by-Wire throttle body setup and Ducati Traction Control system (DTC). Each bike comes with 3 different riding modes; the Hypermotard and Hyperstrada having Sport, Touring and Urban while the Hypermotard SP has Race, Sport and Wet modes.
The Hypermotard gets a new tubular steel Trellis type chassis with modified rake and trail angles to provide for a stable feel without compromising the Hypermotard’s character-forming agility. Front suspension is provided by Kayaba upside down forks while at the rear, it gets a single Sachs rear shock absorber with rebound damping and spring pre-load adjustment. The Hypermotard SP gets Marzocchi upside forks and a fully adjustable Öhlins shock with integrated “piggy back” reservoir at the rear. An welcome addition was the Ducati Safety Pack (DSP) which includes the Bosch ABS 9MP controlled Brembo braking system.  At the front, it has 2 radially-mounted, 4 piston Brembo with 320mm disc and a single 245mm single disc on a single caliper at the rear.

Picture Dekho Bike Jeeto Contest: DSK Announces Winners of Hyosung’s GT250R and ST7 Bikes

Picture Dekho Bike Jeeto Contest: DSK Announces Winners of Hyosung’s GT250R and ST7 Bikes:

ST7 Winner Sandeep Singh with Tanisha, Ajay Devgan and Shirish Kulkarni
Back in November, DSK Motowheels launched the “Picture Dekho Bike Jeeto” contest wherein winners were to win some cool stuff along with Hyosung’s GT250R and ST7 bikes.
The announcement were to be made on 19th and 20th November but for some reason, the results got delayed. However, we have the official word out and the winners are:

• Mr Randeep Singh Taggad from Delhi wins a brand new GT250R.
• Mr Sandeep Singh from Mumbai wins the massive ST7 Cruiser

The winners were presented with these masculine macho bikes in a grand event held in Mumbai this week. As promised, keys of both the bikes were handed over to Randeep and Sandeep by Bollywood superstar and lead actor of the movie Son of Sardar, Ajay Devgan himself along with Mr. Shirish Kulkarni, Director of DSK Motowheels.

GT250R Winnder Randeep Singh with Tanisha, Ajay Devgan and Shirish Kulkarni
Picture Dekho Bike Jeeto was a national level promotional campaign initiated by DSK Motowheels wherein, users just needed to watch the movie ‘Son of Sardar’ and SMS on a particular number to enter in a lucky draw.

Upcoming KTM Duke 390 To Be Fully Faired Sportsbike!

Upcoming KTM Duke 390 To Be Fully Faired Sportsbike!:

At the EICMA 2012 International Motorcycle Show, KTM had revealed a model of the KTM 390 Duke which apparently was just a display model. It was in fact a Duke 200 with a higher displacement engine and slight heavier. Recently it has been revealed by KTM CEO Stefan Pierer that the showcased KTM 390 Duke will not be coming to India. Rather, the Duke 390 bound for India will be a fully faired model. Earlier, Mr. Pierer in month of January had talked about a supermotard, a faired sports bike as well as the naked street model of the Duke.

Pierer also mentioned that a touring model will be replacing the Supermotard. This perfectly makes sense because the Supermotard will be one of the costliest to develop in terms of suspension development, engine tuning etc. In comparison to that, a touring based model is relatively easier to develop since over a sports motorcycle or a naked motorcycle, it is just re-tuning the motorcycle’s responses to the throttle and steering inputs. Additionally, some accommodations have to be made in terms of seating, wind protection and luggage options.
However, it has been revealed that the touring model will come later after the full faired model of the KTM Duke 390 arrives. The Duke 390 will be powered by a 375cc engine that produces 47 PS of power. Speculations on the pricing of the Duke 390 has been all over the media who expect it to be in the range between Rs 1.8 and 2.2 lakh (ex-showroom) and we believe the faired motorcycle will still lie in this range but on the high side of Rs 2.0 lakh (ex-showroom).

Official 2013 MotoGP Season Calendar With Updated Rider List Released

Official 2013 MotoGP Season Calendar With Updated Rider List Released:

The Federation International Motorcycle association has released the official MotoGP calendar for the 2013 race year. As always, the 2013 season of MotoGP will be starting with the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. There has been slight modifications to the date and sadly, Argentina round has been pulled out of the 2013 season because of safety reasons. Apparently, the Spanish government had asked teams and riders sponsored by Spanish oil and gas company Repsol, (primarily known for being the title sponsor for the factory Honda team amongst others) to not travel to Argentina given a rift between the Argentine government and the oil major.
MotoGP, owned by Dorna Sports International was notified by the Spanish Government about the withdrawal of its request asking Repsol sponsored teams and riders to not travel to Argentina on November 20. The 2013 season of MotoGP doesn’t feature India on its list. Next year, India will be witnessing World SuperBike Championship (WSBK) and we can hope being inspired from WSBK, MotoGP can come into India soon, maybe by 2014.
Here is the official 2013 MotoGP calendar:
07 April – Losail International Circuit, Qatar
21 April – Circuit of the Americas, USA
05 May – Jerez, Spain
19 May – Le Mans, France
02 June – Mugello, Italy
16 June – Catalunya, Spain
29 June – Assen, Netherlands
07 July – Sachsenring, Germany
21 July – Laguna Seca, USA
18 August – Indianapolis, USA
25 August – Brno, Czech Republic
01 September – Silverstone, Great Britain
15 September – San Marino (Marco Simoncelli Circuit), Italy
29 September – Aragón Motorland, Spain
13 October – Sepang, Malaysia
20 October – Phillip Island, Australia
27 October – Motegi , Japan
10 November – Ricardo Tormo-Valencia, Spain

The riders and teams for MotoGP 2013

Rider	Team	Machine
Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	Ducati
Colin Edwards	NGM Mobile Forward Racing	FTR Kawasaki
Stefan Bradl	LCR Honda MotoGP	Honda
Hiroshi Aoyama	Avintia Blusens	FTR
Hector Barbera	Avintia Blusens	FTR
Danilo Petrucci	Came Iodaracing Project	Ioda-Suter
Ben Spies	Pramac Racing	Ducati
Randy De Puniet	Power Electronics Aspar	ART
Karel Abraham	Cardion AB Motoracing	ART
Alvaro Bautista	Go & Fun Honda Gresini	Honda
Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda	Honda
Andrea Iannone	Pramac Racing	Ducati
Michael Laverty	Paul Bird Motorsport	PBM
Cal Crutchlow	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha
Bradley Smith	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha
Aleix Esparago	Power Electronics Aspar	ART
Valentino Rossi	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha
Bryan Staring	Go & Fun Honda Gresini	FTR Honda
Yonny Hernandez	Paul Bird Motorsport	ART
Nicky Hayden	Ducati	Ducati
Claudio Corti	NGM Mobile Forward Racing	FTR Kawasaki
Marc Marquez	Repsol Honda	Honda
Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha
To Be Confirmed	Came Iodaracing Project	Ioda-Suter

KTM Aims To Become Europe’s Number 1 Motorcycle Maker

KTM Aims To Become Europe’s Number 1 Motorcycle Maker:

In a recent revelation, Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM has shared his vision of making KTM the number 1 motorcycle marker in the European market and India will be playing a key role to help KTM achieve that. Currently, the numero uno position is occupied by BMW motorcycles followed by KTM. The German automaker is headed for sales of roughly 105,000 units in 2012 while KTM comes close to it with 100,000 units. Compared to this, last year KTM achieved sales of 83,000 units. Bajaj Auto has been playing a key role in this growth story. 4 years ago when KTM sals has dwindled by almost 30% in the wake of global credit crisis, Mr. Pierer along with Rudolf Knuenz, who hold a controlling stake through a holding company entered into a JV with Bajaj Auto with a 47.27% stake.
Bajaj Auto’s production plant now produces half of the roughly 60,000 bikes that KTM sell in the European market. Commenting on this Mr. Pierer said, “We needed a strong back-up. And Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, proved to be a great support. He told us not to worry and that Bajaj will stick by KTM.” Mr. Pierer was recently in India to attend a quarterly board meeting of the joint venture (one of the four quarterly meetings is held in India). He also added on the sidelines that with Bajaj, KTM has found a good base and a good relationship. Both the companies have jointly developed common engine platforms that both brands can use. This technology knowledge sharing has helped KTM to garner new market segments of smaller displacement bikes.
Similarly, on the other hand, Bajaj Auto has gained access to KTM’s know-how of high technology bike development. Now, with Honda coming in strongly in India, Bajaj Auto can use all our high-end technology to take on the Japanese. However some pundits are of the opinion that KTM’s growth, however, may come at a cost and dilute KTM’s equity in the off-road segment which is one segment where KTM has built a loyal, close-knit community. But KTM was not so well-known few days ago in India, in which case it doesn’t matter. All KTM needs is to keep the current pace of growth perspective.

It’s The 40th Anniversary For Kawasaki Z1

It’s The 40th Anniversary For Kawasaki Z1:


It has indeed been a long ride for the Kawasaki Z1 motorcycle. First launched in 1972, exactly 40 years ago, Kawasaki stormed the motorcycle world back then with the Z1. Born under the project code named ‘New York Steak’, this 4 cylinder, 4 stroke motorcycle helped Kawasaki tell the world about its technological prowess with motorcycles. Till then, Kawasaki had already established a reputed name in designing and producing some of the ultra-powerful two-stroke machines in 500cc and 750cc displacement segment. Although 2 strokes was the way to go by then, yet manufacturers were having some glimpse that the reign of 2 strokes would soon be pushed away in favor of 4 strokes.
The engineers at Kawasaki then came out with a 750cc engine which was one of the firsts from a Japanese manufacturer except Honda. Honda had already brought out its CB750 in 1969. However, Unlike the Honda CB750, which featured a single overhead camshaft, the Kawasaki Z1 had Grand Prix lineage with double overhead camshafts operating four valves per cylinder. This engine put down 82 BHP of power on the tarmac and a claimed top speed of 210 m/h, which was a record as a series production motorcycle. The Z1 made a very deep impact on bike enthusiasts the world over with its performance and Kawasaki’s strict quality controlled components. Yoji Hamawaki, former president of Kawasaki Motors, USA) states that as to the project name ‘New York Steak’, it has to do with the meaty delicacy that the Kawasaki Japanese adored whenever in New York.
Being the fastest series production motorcycle of its time, the Kawasaki Z1 had a great sales history over the world. Many other bike manufacturers, especially the Japanese tried to eventually catch up with this bike but it took a lot of time. Kawasaki went on to add more models to ths line-up with the Z1-R from 1977, the Z1300 from 1978 and the 1982 Z1000R. the Z line-up from the company continues till day with the latest being the 2013 versions of the Z800 and the Z1000.

Yamaha’s 250cc Bike Confirmed For Indian Market [2014]

Yamaha’s 250cc Bike Confirmed For Indian Market [2014]:



The current hot favorite in the sports biking segment is the quarter litre displacement segment, almost all the performance motorcycle manufacturers are queuing up to launch their own variant of the 250cc bike in India. Companies like the Kawasaki, Honda and Hyosung have already established their presence in this segment while others are chalking out plans. In this battle for 250cc supremacy, how can Yamaha get left behind! Finally, to the much expectation of Yamaha lovers, the Japanese motorcycle maker has announced that it will be launching a 250cc motorcycle in 2014.
Managing director and chief executive officer of Yamaha Motor Corporation, Hiroyuki Suzuki told reporters, “We will focus on the scooters category for next two years, but in 2014 we will launch powerful sporty 250cc bike in the Indian market. There is a good market for this premium segment which we would like to tap.” Next in line from the company will be a mass market 125cc segment motorcycle which will be launched in 2015 probably. This mass market commuter motorcycle is expected to be assembled at Yamaha’s upcoming brand new assembly plant in Chennai. Currently, the plant is under construction and will become operational by 2014. Until 2014, as clearly mentioned by Mr. Suzuki, Yamaha is going to work on strengthening its presence in the scooter market in India.
Mr. Suzuki also added in his statement,” The motorcycles manufactured in India meet the advanced specification of developed markets and they are produced at a lower cost. The price is almost double in Japanese market. We are sending R15 to Japan to test market, and if the response is good, we may explore more products for export to Japan and other advanced markets.” well, the sad part about this development is contrary to Yamaha’s belief, it is going to lose out considerably on the 250cc market segment with its delayed strategy. Although I duly appreciate Yamaha’s initiative to focus on the scooter market with the Ray, a 250cc displacement motorcycle launched at this time would have worked wonders for the company.

Bajaj’s New Commuter Bike Launch Gets Delayed To January 2013

Bajaj’s New Commuter Bike Launch Gets Delayed To January 2013:


Bajaj Auto had earlier announced that it has plans to launch an all new commuter segment motorcycle for the Indian market towards the end of this calendar year. However, in a recent interview, the Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj revealed that the 100cc commuter bike would in fact be launched in January next year. This year, the company is focusing on strengthening their position with the new Pulsar 200NS and the Discover 125ST. Rajiv Bajaj is of the opinion that the company will first protect its market share in the current segments in which it operates. After that it will be moving on to the 100cc space.
Shedding some light on the upcoming commuter bike he said that this motorcycle will be one of the most technically advanced 100cc bikes in the world. That would definitely make it expensive than its rivals like the newly launched Honda Dream Yuga but he is confident that customers will be willing to pay the price for the technical gadgetry they will be receiving. Bajaj Auto might be trying to carve out a niche market segment like say a premium commuter but any 100cc customer will be putting value-for-money and practicality in his priority list. Will the new 100cc commuter be able to achieve that needs to be seen.
In the September-November period, Hero MotoCorp has lost its market segment from 54% to about 48% which is a big loss to Hero’s market share. On the contrary, its erstwhile partner Honda’s market share has gained from 7.5% to 12.5%, a 5% point upward move in which the main contributor was its latest launch, the Dream Yuga. Going by the data, customers prefer the Dream Yuga to Hero’s equivalent. This goes on to explain how challenging the 100cc segment is in terms of product competition and customer requirements.

Moto Guzzi Debuts In India With Dealership At Gurgaon

Moto Guzzi Debuts In India With Dealership At Gurgaon:

The Italian high performance motorcycle brand, Moto Guzzi has made its Indian debut with its first showroom/dealership at Gurgaon. The dealership name is Northwards Motors and this Moto Guzzi dealership is also the second dealership of Aprilia in India. The first dealership is located in Pune. It’s known that both Aprilia and Moto Guzzi are owned by Piaggio and the company has decided that the Aprilia dealership at Gurgaon will be sharing space with the Moto Guzzi brand as well. The dealership is already functional and currently a service center is under construction. The service center is located close to the dealership and is expected to go operational within a month.

However the dealership has already started accepted bookings for Moto Guzzi motorcycles. Currently the Griso 1200 8V is open for booking. The Griso 1200 8V is powered by a four-stroke, V-twin, 1151cc engine that produces 110 BHP of power. This engine is mated to a six speed gearbox. Moto Guzzi is however yet to unveil its motorcycle offering line-up for the Indian market which we expect the company will release in the first half of 2013. Moto Guzzi has some fine motorcycles in its product stable and we hope Piaggio brings them to the Indian market very soon. The 2013 year is already looking very promising for the biking enthusiasts.

eCRP Energica Electric Sports Bike Goes To Production

eCRP Energica Electric Sports Bike Goes To Production:


Would conventional engines be replaced by electric ones in high performance motorcycles is beyond our comprehension but one thing is certain- some manufacturers are very serious about it. The eCRP is one such bike. A prototype of the concept model was first released to the world back in EICMA 2011. Back then, it had received a considerable amount of attention from media and the visitors for its razor-sharp looks and electric powertrain. Showcased by CRP Racing, the bike was loved and was probably the first Italian all-electric sports bike to break cover. But little did people expect that it will actually make into production. CRP Racing has announced that they will be taking this bike to production and also unveiled a production version of the motorcycle at 2012 EICMA show.
The most interesting part of the motorcycle is its electric motor. The Energica is powered by an air cooled, PMAC synchronous motor with permanent magnets and churns out 134 BHP of power and 160 NM of torque. Power to the motor is provided by a 11.7 KW battery pack unit. The company CRP Racing claims that the bike can achieve a top speed of 220 km/h and has a range of 150kms on a single charge. The eCRP is built on a steel trellis frame. On the front, it gets inverted adjustable Marzocchi forks while at the rear it gets a ZF Sachs monoshock suspension unit. Braking power is provided by double floating 310 mm discs at the front and a single disc of 220 mm diameter at the rear. The seats have been designed by a renowned Italian specialist, Schedoni who is responsible for the interior works of companies like Ferrari and Pagani.

Other features include a digital multi-function LCD dashboard, ride-by-wire throttle and multiple engine mappings. The eCRP is expected to be offered on sale from 2014. The company has already started accepting bookings indicating that the launch date is quite near.

How BMW’s Dynamic Damping Control Works

How BMW’s Dynamic Damping Control Works:


Some time ago, we looked at the innards and working of Ducati’s latest semi –active suspension system called Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DSS). Today we look at one of its biggest competitor, BMW Motorcycle’s semi active technology. BMW has termed its semi-active suspension control Dynamic Damping Control (DDC). This technology was first introduced into BMW Motorrad bikes on the event of the BMW Motorrad Innovation Day 2011 and since then has been one of the favorites among the riders. However, BMW Motorcycles isn’t new to the field of semi-active suspension systems like Ducati. Back in 1986, BMW Motorrad had launched the Paralever swingarm , a technology that improved driveshaft rear suspension through the transfer of forces. Then in 1993, BMW introduced the Telelever which separated steering inputs from suspension and then in 2005, the Duolever was introduced that offered torsional rigidity through dual swingarms for the front wheels.
Also, BMW has not restricted the DDC technology to just 2 wheelers. Cars like the BMW M3 and M5 have been given the treatment of the DDC technology too. Coming to bikes, the DDC’s main philosophy is to adapt the suspension system to the requirements of motorcycle physics and integrating this in the relevant control systems. The DDC control system can be rightly viewed as a a step further in the evolution of the ESAII control that BMW introduced in 2004. The ESA technology allowed the the rider to adjust suspension elements at the push of a button which was a first in production motorcycles. The ESAII gave the additional control of spring rate variation.
Being the evolution of ESAII, the DDC reacts electronically to rider inputs in terms of braking, accelerating, and cornering on various road surfaces and further analyzes the parameters provided by sensors to set the correct level of damping at electrically-actuated proportional damping valves. In DDC, the rider gets 3 riding modes- “Comfort,” “Normal,” and “Sport”, each having its individual characteristic control maps. Let us examine how the DDC comes into life right from the point when you get on the bike. When the ignition key is activated, a complete system check is performed from ECU to the ABS module to the DTC control, spring travel sensors and DDC control unit. When you set off, the front and the rear damper valves are actuated only marginally. Now, when you leave the city limits and go to highway cruising, the rear damper valve is actuated more strongly due to increased dynamic wheel load distribution and in the drive torque.

When you are cornering, things get slightly complicated. Initially both the valves are actuated more strongly with increasing inclination until it reaches the vertex. When the rider comes to the original position between 2 corners, the actuation of the two damping valves constantly drops to the original power level with decreasing inclination. Again when the bike dips into the next corner, the loop begins. The control flow takes place from the DTC sensor box to the DDC control unit and then to the valve actuators in the spring dampers. Finally, the valve controls get de-activated when the motorcycle is brought to a stop.

Hyosung Starts Bike Owners’ Club Hy Ryders

Hyosung Starts Bike Owners’ Club Hy Ryders:


These days brand building and marketing is the very key to measure the success of a product. Recently, DSK Motorwheels, which bought the Korean motorcycle company’s stake Hyosung started its own bike owners’ club, Hy Ryders as a part of the brand loyalty and building exercise.  The first group of riders who mainly hailed from Mumbai and Pune on different Hyosung motorcycles like the GT250R, GT650R, the GT650N and the ST7 were flagged off from Mumbai and from Pune.  The ride commenced simultaneously from Mumbai and Pune in the wee hours of Sunday. A total of 65 riders participated in the event from both the cities.
The main venue of the event was Nature Trail resort in Khopoli, a forest setting location midway between Mumbai and Pune. DSK Motorwheels also arranged for various team based activities which included ock climbing, flying fox and other fun events for the participants of the meet. This has been the first of its kind of event organized by DSK Motorwheels for its customers and it turned out to be a good success. The participants were incredibly pleased with the way things were arranged by DSK , rules that the company had made were to be strictly followed while riding together on the highways like having a group of of two riders each, following the escort vehicle, maintain discipline and safety on the highway and arrangement of pitstops on the way for refreshments.
With the success of the event, DSK has plans to conduct similar events in other Indian cities soon. DSK says the Hy Ryders is a good initiative which helps the motorcyclists to enjoy a chance to get away from their busy schedules and experience their motorcycles out on the highways with like-minded individuals. There are plans to have this event organized in Bangalore very soon.

Piaggio Plans To Launch The Typhoon 150cc Scooter In India After Vespa

Piaggio Plans To Launch The Typhoon 150cc Scooter In India After Vespa:


After a long dormant state in two wheelers, Piaggio finally struck success with its premium scooter, the Vespa LX125 in India. Although its pricing is on the higher side compared to its competitors, what makes it stand aside and command such a price is its iconic looks and premium feel. After having a good response with the Vespa, Piaggio is now planning on bringing in the 150cc Piaggio Typhoon. It is expected that the company will be bringing this to India in mid 2013. The international version features a 125cc engine but Piaggio feels that another 125cc engine would kill the demand of the vespa. This is why the Typhoon will be getting the Piaggio Fly’s 150cc engine for India alone. Now that is some special treatment!
With the 150cc engine, the Typhoon would become perhaps the first scooter to sport MPFI fuel injection in a scooter. The 150cc version churns out 114 BHP of power at 7750 RPM and a healthy 11.5 NM of torque at 6000 RPM. Piaggio claims that the CVT automatic gearbox used along with the engine can deliver a fuel efficiency figure of 32kmpl. Top speed is claimed at 100 kmph. It will also have a decent range of more than 200 kms with a fuel tank capacity of 7 litres. Talking about the looks, the front fascia with its centrally placed headlamps has a unique styling. It also sports broad tires making it look very sporty. Piaggio will obviously be targeting the young Indian crowd with this scooter and with such a styling it surely will find many buyers too.
Other features include 220mm disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. It also gets a sturdy looking front telescopic forks and an aluminum swingarm at the rear. It is expected to be priced in the bracket of Rs. 85,000 to Rs. 90,000 (ex-showroom).

Moto Guzzi Debuts In India With Dealership At Gurgaon

The Italian high performance motorcycle brand, Moto Guzzi has made its Indian debut with its first showroom/dealership at Gurgaon. The dealership name is Northwards Motors and this Moto Guzzi dealership is also the second dealership of Aprilia in India. The first dealership is located in Pune. It’s known that both Aprilia and Moto Guzzi are owned by Piaggio and the company has decided that the Aprilia dealership at Gurgaon will be sharing space with the Moto Guzzi brand as well. The dealership is already functional and currently a service center is under construction. The service center is located close to the dealership and is expected to go operational within a month.

However the dealership has already started accepted bookings for Moto Guzzi motorcycles. Currently the Griso 1200 8V is open for booking. The Griso 1200 8V is powered by a four-stroke, V-twin, 1151cc engine that produces 110 BHP of power. This engine is mated to a six speed gearbox. Moto Guzzi is however yet to unveil its motorcycle offering line-up for the Indian market which we expect the company will release in the first half of 2013. Moto Guzzi has some fine motorcycles in its product stable and we hope Piaggio brings them to the Indian market very soon. The 2013 year is already looking very promising for the biking enthusiasts.

Check out more images of the showroom at Aprilia Facebook page.

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Yamaha’s 250cc Bike Confirmed For Indian Market [2014]

The current hot favorite in the sports biking segment is the quarter litre displacement segment, almost all the performance motorcycle manufacturers are queuing up to launch their own variant of the 250cc bike in India. Companies like the Kawasaki, Honda and Hyosung have already established their presence in this segment while others are chalking out plans. In this battle for 250cc supremacy, how can Yamaha get left behind! Finally, to the much expectation of Yamaha lovers, the Japanese motorcycle maker has announced that it will be launching a 250cc motorcycle in 2014.

Managing director and chief executive officer of Yamaha Motor Corporation, Hiroyuki Suzuki told reporters, “We will focus on the scooters category for next two years, but in 2014 we will launch powerful sporty 250cc bike in the Indian market. There is a good market for this premium segment which we would like to tap.” Next in line from the company will be a mass market 125cc segment motorcycle which will be launched in 2015 probably. This mass market commuter motorcycle is expected to be assembled at Yamaha’s upcoming brand new assembly plant in Chennai. Currently, the plant is under construction and will become operational by 2014. Until 2014, as clearly mentioned by Mr. Suzuki, Yamaha is going to work on strengthening its presence in the scooter market in India.

Mr. Suzuki also added in his statement,” The motorcycles manufactured in India meet the advanced specification of developed markets and they are produced at a lower cost. The price is almost double in Japanese market. We are sending R15 to Japan to test market, and if the response is good, we may explore more products for export to Japan and other advanced markets.” well, the sad part about this development is contrary to Yamaha’s belief, it is going to lose out considerably on the 250cc market segment with its delayed strategy. Although I duly appreciate Yamaha’s initiative to focus on the scooter market with the Ray, a 250cc displacement motorcycle launched at this time would have worked wonders for the company.

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