DSK Hyosung GT650R and Aquila Pro 650 Launch Photos

Today morning we witnessed the launch of the first Super Bikes in India for this year by DSK Hyosung. Here are some of the launch photos of GT650R and Aquila Pro 650.

You can find more photos in our official facebook fan page.

The Ducati Dry Clutch

As the Italian Exotic super Bike Manufacturer who involves itself in extensive racing believes in using Dry Clutch is what makes their bikes unique. Let’s take a peek into the Dry Clutch Technology.

Just as someone can identify a distinctive V-Twin of a Harley that passes by, it’s even more unique to hear a Ducati pull over. Although people might think that the rattling sound that screams for attention needs serious attention for a tune-up. The assumption ends there, the bike is perfectly fine and what the sound the bike produces apart from the sweet exhaust note the clutch rattle is a signature tune of a Ducati that only a Ducati enthusiast will understand.

Basics: What is a Clutch?

A Clutch is an arrangement of plates that are stacked in alternate fashion, one geared on the inside to the engine and the next geared on the outside to the transmission input shaft. In simple terms the friction plates and steel plates are depressed under the spring load that transmits the power from the engine to gearbox which subsequently transmits the same to the wheels.

Wet Clutch

As a Common practice to all the manufacturers and seen almost in all motorcycles the conventional method of the clutch mechanism is the clutch plates and pressure plates bathed in oil and completely sealed that requires a very little or no maintenance at all if driven under ideal conditions. This is the universally followed method by almost all manufacturers even with Ducati with some of their models like 848 and Mosnter 1100 Evo.

Dry Clutch

Dry Clutches on the other hand are totally free from oil and need not require sealing. The dry clutches are exposed which makes the naked eye to see the spinning clutch plates which is not possible with the wet types. The initial dry clutches were designed for racing purposes which enabled the teams to do a quick swap of the clutch without having to drain the oil. This eventually helped them to save a lot of time and get back on to the track. Although some feel that incorporating this technology on street bikes is just a marketing gimmick, the pleasure to watch the clutch spinning at the twist of the throttle is a pleasure too.

Pros and Cons of a Dry Clutch

As the heading says, this will not be a put off for a guy raring to own a Ducati, beware even some of the world class manufacturers such as BMW use this technology too.

Pros:

• Easy access for repairs. Draining of oil not required. Especially useful for racing teams.
• As the name says the Dry clutch does not share oil with the rest of the engine and thus disintegrating the clutch for a service or replacement will not harm the engine’s internals
• Heat generated by the clutch plates on continuous usage does not heat up the engine oil especially important to note for bikes that uses oil to cool the system.
• Oil bathed clutch creates a small amount of drag which will affect the engine power. Although not to a great extent but does get some brownie points for this.

Cons:

• Noisy to some people and music to enthusiasts, a matter of personal preference here.
• With the clutch parts being exposed high chances of the springs getting rusted in the coastal regions. Peace of mind assured by replacing them with stainless steel ones.

Having said all the Pros and Cons about the Dry clutch, ever wondered why does a Dry clutch sound like rattling of stones put inside a steel bucket? It’s simple; the sound heard is the clutch plate bouncing off one another when the clutch is disengaged.

This is the distinctive sound heard when a Ducati pulls over making the rider to pull the clutch lever, freeing up the plates to knock into each other. So, hearing this as a noisy rattle or a sweet clatter is your preference next time you encounter a Dry Clutch Ducati.

Mahindra ‘Likely’ To Launch Mojo By Next Fiscal

We, as Auto Editors and Review Writers will become too busy all of a sudden covering left, right and center on Mahindra’s Mojo as and when the bike is showcased in any expo. The bike was initially showcased in the 2010 Auto Expo and the bike was a prototype at that point of time. Then came the 2012 Auto Expo and the bike was still a prototype. (I still remember visitors craving to get a pic clicked with the Mojo)!

Finally, there seem to be some discussions and progress with Mahindra on making this bike hit the roads. The Mojo, a 300cc bike conceptualizes the trend of Indian youth, and the design concept of the bike reflects the same kind of mood deep within.
But for some reason, Mahindra had stopped progressing with its bikes soon after the issues it faced with its Stallio model. Now, with the coming up of two new models – Pantero and Centuro, Mahindra has again opened its discussions on the Mojo.
Mahindra seems to be giving a try id they can launch the Mojo by next fiscal. They are now looking out for engine prototype that would ideally go with the Mojo. “We are going through testing protocols right now for the engine. We are hopeful of its launch in the next fiscal,” president of two-wheeler sector and member of the group executive board, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mr. Anoop Mathur, said.
He also added that the company is also making sure that the vehicle is duly tested in all aspects including its engine performance before Mojo would strike the roads.

Mahindra 2 Wheelers is trying hard to expand in both the scooter and the motorcycle segment and coming up with new models would be of top priority for the company in order to compete in the Indian two wheeler market.
Expect the company to come up with more products in both these segments in the years to come. “We want our presence across segments and ranges. Our plan is to come out with new models of scooters and motor cycle at frequent intervals over the next three to five years,” Mathur said.
A new variant of the Rodeo would mark its foray into the India market by the third quarter if next fiscal. Before the end of March 2012, Mahindra 2 wheelers would have also started its export plans. However, the company has not revealed any details as of now on what are the models that are focussed to be exported. Also, there are no hints on what are the markets they are eying on.

“It is our strategic plan to have a significant presence in the motor cycle exports market. We hope to start shipping out our bikes within this fiscal,” Mathur said.
I had also posted a news on Mahindra’s R&D centre that was recently opened in Pune. This R&D centre has been recognised by the Department of Science and Industrial Research (DSIR) and will enable Mahindra Two Wheelers to undertake in-house design and development of engine technology for its motorcycles as well.  This facility is the home to over 175 engineers and designers. The new Mahindra Two Wheelers R&D facility was created at an investment of about Rs. 100 crore and has two wheeler experts who are leading in various technology and product development projects.
The two commuter bikes – Pantero and Centure which were launched very recently were brainchild of this centre and this would be of great use in coming up with the right kind of engine for the Mojo.
Regards,

Yamaha May Lose Its Second Spot to Hero Motocorp in Worldwide Sales

India’s largest two wheeler company Hero Motocorp ltd. is all set to surpass Yamaha Motor Corporation of Japan in the year 2012. It is likely possible that Hero Motocorp will surpass Yamaha Motor Corporation global sales by few thousands unit in the year 2012. Hero Motocorp will grab the second spot behind its former partner and now arch rival Honda Motor Corporation of Japan.  Does this mean Yamaha Motor Corporation has lost the battle? Does this mean that Hero Motocorp is really performing well? Does it mean that Indian two wheeler companies will rule the world in upcoming days? Let’s check it out.

Single v/s Holding company

First and foremost, which is world’s number 1 two wheeler company? Our homegrown company Hero Motocorp always claims that it’s world’s number 1 two wheeler company. Now, that is correct only in a single company method. Hero Motocorp is the only company in the world which sells more than 6 million units of two wheelers in a single year across the globe. The second spot belongs to PT Astra Honda Motor of Indonesia, a joint venture between Honda Motor Corporation of Japan and PT Astra International, with 4.27 million Units in the year 2011 and the third spot belongs to our homegrown Bajaj Auto Ltd. with 3.8 million units in the year 2011.
However, if we take the holding company method than Hero Motocorp is not the number 1 two wheeler company. According to holding company method the world’s number 1 two wheeler company is Honda Motor Corporation of Japan with 12 million units in the year 2011 which is followed by Yamaha Motor Corporation of Japan with 7 million units in the year 2011.

Both Honda and Yamaha operates though various subsidiaries and Joint ventures due to which these companies do not have number 1 or number 2 rank as per single company method.  For example Honda Motor Corporation of Japan has a subsidiary HMSI (Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India ltd) in India and Joint venture in Indonesia Astra Honda (Joint Venture is between Astra group of Indonesia and Honda Motor Corporation of Japan).  Honda also had the joint venture as Hero Honda in India which was ended last year.  It is to be noted that although Honda does not have any stake in Hero Motocorp, Hero Motocorp still sells the Honda engine only.  Similarly Yamaha Motor Corporation has various subsidiaries like India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd. (IYM)  in India and PT. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing (YIMM) in Indonesia.

Hero Motocorp v/s Yamaha Motor Corporation in 2012.

As per holding company method Hero Motocorp has the third spot and in the year 2011. It was just 0.86 million units behind the Yamaha Motor Corporation of Japan.  Both the companies were bullish about their prospect for 2012 year sales. Hero Motocorp targeted to sell 7 million units for the financial year 2012-13 and Yamaha Motor Corporation targeted to sell 8.3 million units.  However, the year 2012 remain sluggish for global two wheeler demand which made both the companies to revise their annual sales target.

Yamaha’s global sales in 2012

Yamaha’s 75% sales come from South East Asia Region.  Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand are the major markets in South East Asia from where Yamaha’s most of two wheeler sales origins.  The situation remained disappointing in these markets in the year 2012. Indonesia which, accounts for almost 46% of Yamaha’s total two wheeler sales pie is going through one of the worst year in Indonesian two wheeler industry. For the nine months the sales remain in negative territory compared to last year. In fact in the May 2012 Indonesian two wheeler industry was shrunk by 13.5%. Moreover, Yamaha Motor Corporations has lost some market share to its arch rival Honda in Indonesia. The situation in other markets like Vietnam, China and India is also not encouraging enough. Sales growth in India has come down to single digit.

Chinese two wheeler market

It is to be noted that the world’s first, second and third largest two wheeler market is China, India and Indonesia.  China is world’s largest two wheeler market; however it is fragmented between many Chinese motorcycle manufacturers.  Moreover, Japanese manufacturer are fraction of Chinese two wheeler industry be it Honda or Yamaha.
Apart from this China is also an unfavorable market to other global two wheeler manufacturers due to IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) issue. For example, Chinese manufacturer Taian Chiran Machinery Co.,Ltd. copied Pulsar and made Gulsar motorcycle. Other copy of Pulsar made by Chinese manufacturer Chongqing Union Company Limited is SUM200 Pulsar. Japanese manufacture Honda and Yamaha also had bad experience of Chinese motorcycle manufacturer for selling two wheelers under their brand names.

Indian two wheeler market

The world’s second largest market India, is dominated by Hero Motocorp and Yamaha has only 3% market share in India.  As mentioned above Yamaha will register de growth in Indonesia which is world’s third largest market.  In order to come out this situation Yamaha has planned to produce world’s cheapest motorcycle at $500, it has also planned to launch scooter in India and capacity expansion in Vietnam to increase its sales. However all these efforts will take time to boost sales and for the year 2012, Yamaha will not achieve its sales target for sure.
Compared to Yamaha, Hero Motocorp is in better condition to take Yamaha’s second spot. The company is registering more than five lakh units’ sales in India only and for the year 2012 the company has registered final figure of 6.12 million units which is lesser than what the company targeted.  However it is enough to compete with Yamaha Motor Corporation which registered 4.52 million units sells for the first nine month of 2012. Although the 2012 number is yet to be announced we expect the company to close the year around 6.05 million units which is more than 25% less than what company targeted initially.
Hero  Motocorp will have 9 million units production capacity by 2014. Further, Hero can use Honda engine till 2014 so the company will bind to grow in India given its brand equity. The only challenge which Hero Motocorp will face is retaining its market leader position without Honda support which is very crucial to its future.  However, for next two year we will not see any major change in the condition of Hero Motocorp.
Yamaha Motor Corporation will have to perform better in the South East Asian and Indian market if the company wants to regain it’s second position worldwide. Yamaha Motor Corporation has come out with medium term business plan where company is planning 250 new models to its overall line up to regain  its lost position.
It is interesting to see if Yamaha has retained its second spot or Hero Motocorp have gained world’s second largest two wheeler manufacturer spot on consolidated basis in the year 2012, once Yamaha Motor Corporation will declare its fourth quarter sales of the year 2012.
- Mahavir Kothari

Hyosung To Pull Wraps Off The GV650 In India On January 17th

The middle-weight displacement cruiser motorcycle might see some flurry of activity again with the advent of long awaited Hyosung GV650 on 17^th of this month. DSK Motorwheels who is engaged in the assembly and distribution of Hyosung branded motorcycles in the Indian market will be unveiling the bike. It is to be noted here that rumors of the launch of this bike were afloat on the internet since a long time, when Hyosung was under the realm of Garware Motors. According to the rumors, the Hyosung GV650 was supposed to arrive in the Indian market mid last year, but with Hyosung changing hands from Garware to DSK Motorwheels, it is understood that plans took a setback.
Coming to talk about the motorcycle, the Hyosung GV650/ Aquila is powered by a 647cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC 8-valve 90° V-twin engine that churns out 79 BHP of power at 9000 RPM and 67 NM of torque at 7250 RPM. This engine is mated to a 5 speed constant mesh gearbox sending power via a belt to the rear wheels. The front comes loaded with upside down Telescopic forks with adjustable compression and rebound while the rear gets Swing arm with Hydraulic Double shock absorber, which gets adjustable pre-load settings. Braking power is provided by 300mm diameter Semi floating double discs with dual piston caliper at the front and 270mm diameter single disc with dual piston calipers. The front rides on 120/70 ZR18 59W tires while the rear rides on 180/55 ZR17 73W fat section tires. With fuel injection technology loaded, it is expected to deliver a decent fuel economy figure. It is expected that DSK will be launching this motorcycle in the price bracket of Rs. 4.5 lakhs to Rs. 5 lakhs (ex-showroom). At such a strategic pricing, it will be a good hit in the Indian market since a cost effective middle weight cruiser segment is currently void in India. Let us hope for the best.

Moto Guzzi unveils the 2013 California 1400 Tourer

Moto Guzzi, although facing some topsy-turvy times ahead of it nonetheless makes some fine motorcycles on which bike lovers can drool all day long. One such model is the 2013 California. There have been high praises all around of this Galuzzi-designed heavy-weight tourer motorcycle and just looking at one picture, you can surely come to a conclusion that this motorcycle is some looker. Before going into the details of the motorcycle, let us delve a bit to its history. Decades ago, the California gathered a large and loyal customer base with its style and touring capabilities. It was always a sought-after by touring enthusiasts. Even, the American law enforcement agencies picked up this motorcycle for their “needs”.
The California went through its lifecycle being offered various engine options- 750cc, 850cc, 1000cc and the most recent 1100. After this, Piaggio took over the company and chose to redesign the California all over again and make it even better. Result- the 2013 California 1400 Tourer! In total, it is said that Piaggio spent close to 54 million US dollars in the development of new models and modernized production facilities for Moto Guzzi. The 2013 version is powered by an all-new 1380cc, oppose-twin, 8 valve engine that produces 95 BHP at 6500 RPM and 120 NM of torque at 2750 RPM.  Power is sent to the rear wheels through a six speed transmission. The motorcycle has been built around an all new fresh double cradle steel tube chassis. It gets 3 different engine mapping options- Turismo, Veloce and Pioggia. Other features include ride-by-wire and three-stage traction control. It rides on 200/60 16 inch tires at the front and 130/70 18 inch tires at the rear. Braking power comes from ABS-equipped Brembo brakes with 320mm discs in front and a two-piston rear with a 282mm disc.

Kawasaki Ninja 300R Bookings Start In India Unofficially!

Here is some good news for Kawasaki Ninja fans. Word is out that the unofficial bookings of the Kawasaki Ninja 300R have commenced in some showrooms across India. The new Ninja 250R, which is all set to replace the current Ninja 250R in India, has created a lot of stir in the market and is expected to be unveiled officially on March 2013. Although all the dealerships are yet to start accepting the bookings, if you are interested in the Ninja 300R, you should check personally with your nearest Bajaj ProBiking dealer. According to the rumor, the booking amount is Rs. 6000 for booking a brand new Ninja 300R.
The Kawasaki Ninja 300R is powered by a 296cc, 4-stroke, Parallel Twin liquid-cooled engine that produces 39 PS of peak power at 11,000 RPM and 27 NM of torque at 10,000 RPM. This engine is mated to a 6 speed constant mesh gearbox sending power to the rear wheels via a chain drive.  The bike has been built around a diamond type steel tube frame and has a kerb weight of 172 kgs. At the front it gets a pair of 37mm telescopic forks while at the rear it gets Bottom-Link Uni-Trak with gas charged shock with 5 way adjustable settings. Braking is done by Single 290 mm petal disc at the front and a Single 220mm petal disc at the rear. Pricing has not been out yet but we expect that it will stay close to the south of current pricing of the Ninja 250R due to increased competition from other international motorcycle manufacturers in the similar segment.
The earlier Ninja 250R, although being a fine piece of machinery faced the problem of being overpriced. If Bajaj can resolve that problem this time and make the pricing fairly competitive (Bajaj being known to price its products well), this bike is definitely headed to take the lead spot in the quarter litre segment again!

Bajaj Pulsar 200NS Review by Anand

Some call it a bumblebee, some call it a street fighter, and for some, it’s a newly styled muscular beast. Yes, I’m talking about Bajaj’s latest product “Pulsar 200NS”. A bike which stands for the term “evolution” in Indian biking history. I’m Anand, a bike enthusiast from the ‘City of joy’, Kolkata. Here’s the review of one of the best things in my life.

How It joined my life

It was the month of June when I had my CPT (C.A. foundation exam) and the only words that was tingling my mind were ”Pass the foundation exam n then u can have a bike” (Said by my dad). So after the exam (which went so good which I knew for sure I was going to pass) I started shortlisting bikes. Those days I used to ride my dad’s 15 year old Hero Honda Splendor, even though I learnt biking on TVS Victor and Bajaj Discover, I used the Splendor for more than a year to get my hands on a bike perfectly so that I can jump on to a bigger one easily.

A year before when I used to learn, I really liked the TVS Apache for its acceleration, looks, the exhaust note, etc. But when it came for me to choose a bike, TVS discontinued it and introduced a ‘Beast’ RTR. I was really disappointed with it. So I thought of shortlisting bikes (Sport Oriented). My dad advised me to go for Honda CBR 250R. I also liked the CBR for many reasons. 25 Ps of power, the handling, smooth engine, it was very tempting. But if it was to buy a bike after paying 2Lakhs (cost of CBR250R ABS variant approx.) it would had been better to move on to Ninja 250R. But since I was jumping to a bigger bike from a 100cc bike, I never had that confidence that I could control so much of power.
So I started shortlisting bikes those were good at handling, rear disk brakes were a must, performance and a decent fuel economy. The bikes which came out of shortlisting were (In preferential order), Honda CBR 150R, Yamaha YZF R15 v2.0, KTM Duke 200 & Bajaj Pulsar 220F (since at that time 200NS was launched at some places in India and I was really not so sureabout how that bike would be).

Honda CBR 150R

It’s a great bike for starters. Nice handling, flickable, 18PS of Power. It was all good. The major downer I faced was its price. It was highly over priced at 1.4L (on-road). Plus the rumors surrounding the non-availability of CBR spare parts restricted me from buying it.

KTM Duke 200

The Duke of street bikes; a fun to ride machine, the refined KTM engine, full digital console, and the sexy trellis frame, the orange machine grabs attention of everyone on the road. The bike can be considered the best when it comes to performance, but comfort? Duke wasn’t up to the mark. Plus the light machine, the power to weight ration king had too much of power in it to make me confident about it. It was also priced almost same as the CBR 150R.

Yamaha YZF R15 v2.0

This is the bike which has got the super sport looks to die for. Its styling inspired from its elder siblings was very aggressive and one of the best present in India (for those who want to taste a track machine). I myself prefer the faired bikes like this than any other kind. But I guess it didn’t please my parents that much. The super leaning seating posture, high raised pillion seat, even lack of grab rails, made them go against it. After a long argument in which i failed to convince them, I had to drop the option.

Pulsar 220F vs. Pulsar 200NS

So the only choice I was left with was Pulsar 220F. It was priced nicely, was a good performer. It was a nice option, but my father was still against it because it was quite outdated, and advised me for 200NS. Then the long tussle over the two products, which one is the better one, hovered over my mind (which I saw many people were facing). My friends also started forcing to take it. Then one day when I was surfing over pages saw a Delhi boy’s mileage figure (shared of his 200NS) to be 45kmpl.

I was really astonished to see it as for a 200cc bike, it was really surprising. It gave more mileage than all of the bikes I shortlisted which meant I can ride it even more without worrying about the fuel prices. I quickly read about the KTM inspired triple spark engine Bajaj invented and thought it was worth giving a try. I saw many bike reviews and videos by them (one of which really influenced me was of the “Power to the Rider” ) and made me realize that the bike was really a blast and maybe I’m wrong about the way I think about it (Like it stand no where against to 220F n all).
Then the day came when I came to know that 200NS is launched in rest of India. I quickly went to the showroom to have a look at it, and there it stood, a big muscular yellow NS. I looked at the specs the bike and everything seemed good to me. I asked for a test drive and they were kind enough to let my try the yellow beast. The bike drove me crazy the moment i released its clutch. Everything in the bike was according to my needs. One cannot feel the power as a raw brute force, its rather more like a polished creature, which i didn’t find it difficult to control.
The mileage figure quoted by them was 35-40 kmpl in city, which was like other shortlisted bikes of mine so it really didn’t bother anyone in my family too. So I went directly to the main dealer (Since he quoted the cheapest price for it) and booked my NS in blue color. I was given a waiting period of 25 days min but they said they’ll call it in evening and tell the date when I can get it. I happily returned home and as I reached, they called and asked me the blue color has arrived and whether I can take delivery today?
I was very excited. The following day I went to the showroom and took the delivery (Costed me @95500 plus 900 for registration which was way low in costing when compared with other bikes i shortlisted) & as I rolled down the streets, I got the amazing feeling of a headturner (Mine was one of bikes that came in the first lot, so people were kind of watching the bike for the first time).

Looks and Styling

The CB1000R inspired headlamp, pressed steel perimeter frame, sleeker tail, fatter rear tyre gives it a stunning naked street-fighter’s look. The bike has also got a huge muscular tank which adds to the look of the bike. I mean if the 220F looked a beauty due to the Ducati 749 styled headlamp, I’ll say it’s the muscles on this bike that makes it best looking Pulsar ever.

The bike has got a new digital console as well which provides more info than the previous one and looks cleaner and better than it too. The few downers in its styling are rear tyre hugger which splashes a lot of mud especially on the pillion rider (If there’s any). Then it’s the height of the bike, its high for a short heighted person to drive. It also makes it difficult for the pillion rider to mount on the bike. But other than it Edgar Heinrich (The one who designed it) has done a great job. Almost nothing is similar to the older generation except the pulsar speedlines which made it look similar to the pulsar brand.

Performance and Breaking

The 4-valve triple spark liquid cooled engine delivers 23.52 Ps of Power @ 9500 rpm & 18.3 Nm of Torque @ 8000 rpm and weighs about 145 kgs which gives it an impressive power to weight ratio of 162 Ps/ton. The bike achieves 60kmph at just 3.61s and 100kmph at 9.83s (Company claimed). It’s got 280 mm & 230 mm Bybre front and rear petal disks with floating calipers. They work like a charm and stops the bike smoothly irrespective of what speed you are driving at. But as far as the tyres are concerned, they are really not up to the mark.

Handling and Comfort

Coming to the handling, the perimeter frame and stiff suspension along with the underbelly exhaust (which helps a lot in mass centralization) allows u to take corners beautifully. Many people often complain about older generation Pulsars or even Pulsar 220’s weak fairing, which made one feel like a ping pong ball, the perimeter frame gives you the confidence of cornering like an experienced track rider. But when it comes to off-roading, the stiff suspension will be a pain in your butt. But the bike stays stable on those conditions as well pleasantly makes its way through it. The 200NS with its upright seating posture is quite comfortable. Seats are also well padded and are comfortable on long rides as well.

Mileage

It gives me a mileage of 40-43kmpl on an average.
Small Downers of the Bike
1. The horns are very weak, especially for highway riding.

2. Eurogrip tyres aren’t good enough, Replacing it with a set of Pirellis will be great.

3. Height of the bike is high n can be a problem for medium built guys, also it requires a lot of effort for the pillion to mount on the bike like the R15 v2.0.
As far as I hope one cannot find any more downers other than these because otherwise the bike is great.

The Verdict

After using this bike since 24th August, I never felt that i have made a wrong decision by choosing it than the other bikes (even tough its a non faired bike, but its got the styling which would make you forget about it). The Pulsar 200NS has truly come out as a Next-gen Pulsar. The value for money machine can easily attract anyone from taking other biggies of the market from the package its offering at such a low price. We can now say that it’s going to be hard for other manufacturers to compete against it in the market too. Overall the Engine Smoothness, Linear Power Delivery, Exhaust Note, Styling, Handling, it excels in all of them when compared to the older generation pulsars. Hence, one can say without hesitating that it is “The Best Pulsar Yet”..
Regards,

Anand

California Superbike School Is Back Again!

This bit of news excited all of us motorcycle enthusiasts. And it’s this- the California Superbike School is back to India! The California Superbike School already had 3 successful year stints in India in the past at the MMRT Chennai track and it is here again for the 4^th time at the same venue.

California Superbike School first arrived in India back in 2010 in India which also marked the school’s very first foray into South East Asia and we have one special man to thank for that, Mr. TT Varadarajan. He spearheaded the entire operation of bringing the California Superbike School to India and has been very proud of its success and growth story over the years.
Mr. Varadarajan  comments, “We brought the school to India to satisfy two main goals: One is to provide the right skill sets that are necessary to perform at the highest level of motorsport to talented youngsters who do not have access to world class training. The other is to improve the riding skills of every motorcycle rider to make him/her conscious of safe riding practices, which is the responsibility of any motorcycle rider on the road.” The California Superbike School is supported by TVS Motors and BMW Motorrad, wherein TVS supplies the participants with track-ready Apache RTR 180 bikes while BMW Motorrad provides the coaches and instructors with its litre-class displacement bike, the BMW S1000RR.
The California Superbike School was founded in 1980 by Keith Code and since then the School has trained over 1.5 lakh riders in 27 countries which includes riders in MotoGP, World Superbikes (WSBK) and other road-racing series. This year, the lead instructor for the Indian edition of California Superbike School is Joe Roberts, a 15 year old personally trained by Keith Code and a front-runner in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. The 2013 edition of the India California Superbike School commences from 18^th to 20^th January, followed by another on 25^th-27^th January. So you better hurry!

Bajaj Coming Up With A New Scooter

Bajaj Auto had been the erstwhile ruler in the scooter space post Independence for decades and decades. So much so that the tagline, “Humara Bajaj” had become a household tagline. These scooters were built for quality and robustness and had an infinite life cycle! Some of these survived ages without any signs of malfunction, a thing that the modern day two wheelers can never able to match up.
However, with the advent of low-cost Japanese motorcycles, the scooter market died down very soon with people making a quick shift to 100cc motorcycles. Bajaj Auto thought it was time they made the switch too and thus ended the long standing classic scooter market.
However, Bajaj Auto might be having some revival plans to re-launch its scooter market chapter in India. Let us not forget here that the company already has vast and extensive knowledge of building scooters, after all this company put India on 2 wheels! Bajaj Auto is just looking at the right time and opportunity to take the leap. This was stated by Bajaj Auto CEO and MD, Mr. Rajiv Bajaj. Currently, the R&D officials are burning the midnight oil to build the motorcycle. It is rumored that the bike will be powered by 125-150cc displacement engine with good economy and performance figures. We are expecting a tuned version of the Discover 125ST engine to go underneath this scooter. Other features may include telescopic fork front suspension, an electric start and automatic transmission. The scooter segment is again witnessing a boom in the Indian market and the time is ripe for the company to come out with such a product.
We expect Bajaj to be very competitive with its pricing and the competition is also too tough in this segment with Japanese manufacturers like Honda and Yamaha ruling the roost.

Bajaj’s new 100cc motorcycle to be launched on January 7th

Bajaj’s new 100cc motorcycle to be launched on January 7th:
Original Source: Bajaj’s new 100cc motorcycle to be launched on January 7th from BikeAdvice.in

Bajaj has long focused on the performance motorcycling segment. It’s been quite a lull time for the company in the 100cc segment game. But, the storm is about to unveil on January 7^th. According to the media reports that got leaked long back, the company has been working on something very high-tech on their next 100cc commuter motorcycle. Bajaj officials confirmed those reports later with a positive note. Even Mr. Rajiv Bajaj threw some hint on such a motorcycle being in the works at Bajaj’s R&D center in Pune. The company claims that the upcoming motorcycle is going to be the most technologically advanced commuter motorcycle till date in India.
But on the other hand, so much technology loaded to a commuter bike would also make it very expensive. Apparently, this bike is indeed going to be expensive compared to its rivals in the same category but Bajaj feels differently. The company is of the opinion that it is the right time for such a motorcycle to be launched in the market and buyers will surely love it. Any more specific details about the motorcycle is yet to be revealed. Whether it will be on the lines of Discover or on the existing 100cc commuter bike, Platina will also be answered on 7^th. Unfortunately, till then we will have to wait and watch. But if Bajaj indeed lives up to its claims, then it will definitely be worth the wait.

Bajaj Auto Ltd. Launches New Discover 100T at Rs.50,500

Bajaj Auto Ltd. Launches New Discover 100T at Rs.50,500:
Original Source: Bajaj Auto Ltd. Launches New Discover 100T at Rs.50,500 from BikeAdvice.in
India’s second largest motorcycle manufacturer Bajaj Auto Ltd. today have launched a new 100 cc mass market motorcycle the “Discover 100T” at a premium price of Rs.50,500 Ex-Showroom New Delhi. The newly launched bike is set to take on Hero Moto Corp’s Passion, its variants and Honda’s hot selling current commuter’s trend the “Dream Yuga”. The introduction of this new Motorcycle will allow Bajaj to increase its market space which is currently 20 percent in the overall mass market commuter segment.
The Discover 100T is powered by Bajaj Auto’s patented 4-Valve DTS-i technology. The bike churns out a sweet 10.2 ps of power and is currently 30 percent more powerful than the other competitor products offered in the market. In short the Discover 100T delivers power of a 125 cc Motorcycle with an astonishing mileage of a 100 cc addressed K.Srinivas, president of Motorcycle business at Bajaj Auto.
Bajaj Auto says that the current mass market segment wherein 5.5 lakh units are sold every month is getting further dissected into sub-segments namely A1, wherein bikes like platina and Hero HF are sold between Rs.36,000 to Rs.40,000. The A2 Segment has motorcycles like Hero Splendor, Passion and the discover 100 from Rs.41,000 to Rs.45,000. The A3 Segment has motorcycles like Dream Yuga from Honda and Passion pro from Hero Moto corp which are priced between Rs.46000 to Rs.51000.
The newly Launched Discover 100T is positioned in this A3 segment where there is no product from Bajaj’s stable is available. With the launch of Discover 100T, Bajaj is planning to increase its market share in the segment to 30 percent within a couple of years.
Bajaj also informed that the currently launched model has been developed with a minimal expenditure of Rs. 5 to 6 Crore which is also based on all new Discover platform. The company is also planning to introduce one more motorcycle on this same platform in the calendar year 2013.