Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2017 i BIKE India

KHARDUNG LA — YOU’VE probably heard the name before. Whispered softly, almost nervously, by the young rider and uttered cautiously, with a glint in the eye and a whimsical smile, by the experienced one. Towering above swanky Leh, at 18,380 feet, lies the Mecca of Indian motorcycling. The ride there is a journey that sees boys become men and that sacred bond between individual and motorcycle forged in the fires of rut-ridden mud paths and gushing streams of stone-bottomed river crossings. Exhilarating and treacherous in equal measure, the back-breaking, bone-shuddering journey isn’t one to be taken lightly — and your choice of motorcycle goes a long way towards deciding how enjoyable your time in the saddle is. You need something that offers performance, reliability, and comfort. While the most obvious…

IT IS FINALLY HERE and it looks promising. Bajaj Auto teased us with their smallest Pulsar NS series bike, the NS 160, for a long time but the bike was exclusively for export markets; until recently, that is. Bajaj Auto finally realised that they were missing from the highly lucrative 160-cc segment which is ruled by the Yamaha FZ-S, Suzuki Gixxer, and Honda Hornet. It is a segment with technically just three bikes in it and accounts for 33 per cent of the Indian motorcycle market. So Bajaj Auto quietly slipped the NS 160 into the market. After riding the bike in our and Bajaj’s home town, Pune, however, we know that it is here to make a big noise. It looks rather familiar… no, wait, it looks like the…

THEY HAVE done it again. The Americans, more specifically the folk at Harley-Davidson, are an ardent bunch and they have surprised us once again with a new bike called the Street Rod. It may sound like a new variant of the Street 750, but it is an experience quite different from that second most modern Harley in the line-up today. So to see how the changes have affected the sweet little Street, we spent a day astride it to find out just that. Harley-Davidson do things differently. Their approach involves retaining the century-old legacy that makes their products stand out in a crowd and the Street Rod is no exception to this rule. To the uninitiated, the Street Rod might not look different and that is where the difference lies.…

THE DOMINATOR 88 WASN’T the bike that caught my eye in the line-up of bikes at the classic dealership; not by a long way. The little Norton sat there surrounded and rather overshadowed by several BSAs and Velocettes, a couple of elderly Ducatis and half a dozen gorgeous restored 1960s Triumph twins that made this recently ex-Bonneville owner go weak in the knees, if not quite the wallet. But if ever there was a bike that deserved a second glance, it was this one. The Dominator fired up with a single gentle prod of the kick-starter, just as its owner had said it always did. The 497-cc engine was eager and responsive immediately, ticking over happily, snicking into gear effortlessly and feeling generally sweet. And from the moment I pulled…

ROYAL ENFIELD organised the first edition of the ‘Scramble’, a rally in Himachal Pradesh, and yours truly was among the participants. Unlike a conventional rally, the participants (teams of two) were awarded points on the basis of their time between time controls (TC) as opposed to penalties. Royal Enfield hinted that there would be some challenges along the way. However, they also mentioned that the average speed throughout the rally would be a tad below 45 km/h. Sounds easy, right? That’s what I thought as I headed to Shimla. I was in for a surprise. Royal Enfield in association with Himalayan Motorsport went the extra mile to make sure that the rally was managed well. Day zero saw us attend the rider briefing that enlightened us about the rules, first-aid,…

Q. What kind of music do you enjoy listening to? Who are your favourite artistes or bands? A. Mostly Bollywood. Kailash Kher. Q. Which is your favourite sport team? A. Liverpool Football Club and my own DSK Shivajians Football Club. Q. What is your preferred getaway destination? A. Goa. Any day. Q. What is the sport that you enjoy playing in your free time? A. Only football: either on the field or on the PS3. Q. What is the one cuisine or dish you enjoy the most? A. Butter chicken. Q. Name the things that you carry in your pocket at all times. A. My Bluetooth headset and my wallet. Q. Music/bands/artistes? A. I like listening to alternative music. Bands like ‘Kings of Convenience’, ‘Daft Punk’, ‘Empire of the Sun’,…

Before the lights came on, we wished each other good luck. Then the camaraderie ended I LANDED IN CHENNAI for the second round of the ‘TVS Young Media Racer Programme’ and my enthusiasm was slightly dampened after learning that it had rained heavily the previous night. Three hours later, at MMRT, a bunch of motoring journalists, including myself, stood glaring at the sky, trying to avert the sinister grey clouds that loomed in the distance with our displeased faces. Incredulous as it may seem, it worked! The track dried out, the sweltering heat was back, and we had ideal racing conditions. The full loop — all of 3.72 km and 12 corners — turned out to be more challenging than I expected. Theoretically, I knew what lines I had to…

IT WAS QUITE AN EXCEPTIONAL WIN for Tom Sykes in race one and a glide to the top spot for Melandri in race two in Misano. RACE ONE The first race of the Italian round turned out to be a bizarre one thanks to last-lap crashes that saw the emergence of an unlikely winner. As the race got under way, Michael van der Mark of Pata Yamaha led for a good 13 laps, having taken the lead from Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea on lap two. Unfortunately, he ran out of luck on lap 15 as he crashed out due to tyre issues. This gave the lead to Rea, who maintained it nicely for five laps before Aruba.it Ducati’s Chaz Davies made his move on lap 19. Davies took the lead only…

HONDA HAVE ALWAYS done a great job in promoting the sport of motorcycle racing in our country. The Honda One make Race Championship prevails even as 2017 marks its 10th anniversary. This platform has provided a helping hand to many promising racers and has also helped in launching the careers of numerous youngsters who have gone on to represent our country on the world stage. The event took place over the second weekend of July at the MMRT circuit in Chennai. As always, the races are divided into two classes: Novice and Open. The Novice Class consists of riders who are below the age of 23 and have not won any race in any of the preceding championships conducted in India or abroad and they ride race-spec versions of the…

THE 28TH EDITION OF the Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally, organised by Sportscraft in association with Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited, took place on 2 July in Navi Mumbai. The competition had two classes for each two-stroke (above 80 cc up to 110 cc and above 110 cc up to 160 cc) and four-stroke (up to 130 cc and above 130 cc up to 160 cc). This year there were 54 participants with a majority of individual entries and three teams, namely, TVS Racing Team, Lorraine’s Racing and CEAT Team. The rally was flagged off from Hotel K Star in Belapur CCD by a popular radio jockeys from Radio City. Heavy rain on the days preceding the event made the already challenging course a nightmare for the participants. The winding course…

We’ve completed 12 YEARS at BIKE INDIA, and YOU, our READERS, are the FUEL that drives us FORWARD. Your SUPPORT is the most valuable component of BIKE INDIA MAGAZINE, and we can’t THANK YOU enough. So here’s a tribute to YOU — the amazing #BIKERS. May our bond ever grow STRONGER. Ride hard, ride safe Send in Your Pictures with #BIKERS to: bikeindia bikeindia@nextgenpublishing.net Bike India, Next Gen Automotive, 401B, Gandhi Empire, 5th Floor, 2 Serene Estate, Kondhwa Road, Pune - 411040.…

The Thunder-Bob 2017 is Royal Custom Motorcycle’s third custom project and I am really excited to share its details with Bike India. This bike is based on the 2013 Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500. Bobbers have always fascinated me ever since I rode the H-D 883 when it was introduced in India. Since then I have always felt that Royal Enfield are the only bike manufacturers in India who have the legacy of building character bikes. However, the Thunderbird, despite major technical and engineering updates , always lacked the proper stance of a bobber which the targeted customer always wanted. I have been designing motorcycles for a long time and have shared my designs with Bike India. You have always encouraged me by publishing my letters and concepts in your magazine.…

I could not have asked for better conditions to test the Desert Sled’s dual nature. The experience was surreal ASI GOT OFF THE FLIGHT AT MADRID, a member of the Spanish airport staff broke the news that my luggage, consisting of my riding kit and change of clothes, was probably stranded midway. There wasn’t much I could do, and I had a secret mission to accomplish. I reached my final destination, Almería, in south-eastern Spain with just my passport, a little cash, clean boxer shorts (hallelujah), and the survival instinct that most Indians are genetically blessed with. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I was on a mission — to ride the new Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, a thought that can cheer anyone up, no…

THE SIX TRIUMPH café racers pulled up behind a Lambretta at the traffic lights, riders leaning forward to clip-on handlebars, and blipping our throttles as the lone scooter rider looked round in surprise. For a moment it must have resembled a scene from the Britain of the 1960s — a gang of Rockers intimidating an unsuspecting Mod, with trouble in mind. But this was a sleepy village in southern Spain in 2017, the scooter rider was an elderly local, and our bikes were Triumph’s new Street Cup — a parallel twin café racer for sure, but one of the mildest motorbikes ever to wear Ace bars. When the lights changed, we accelerated away in orderly fashion, enjoying the Cup’s unspectacular performance and leaving the locals utterly unthreatened. That lack of…

FOLLOWING THE LAUNCH OF THE 2017 GSX-R1000, Suzuki invited us to the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore for a first ride. As I walked into the pits, two spanking new black and blue GSX-R1000s were waiting for us. The first thing that struck me was how these motorcycles have shrunk in size. The standard GSX-R was the black bike and the blue was the R version. Both looked stunning but the blue was the better looking of the two with golden remote reservoirs on the front forks. Once Suzuki released the GSX-R’s specification along with vital statistics showing a maximum output of 202 PS — an increase of 17 PS — and a slightly reduced kerb weight figure of just over 200 kg, along with the all-important addition of ride-by-wire…

IT’S FINALLY ARRIVED. Presenting the Tornado 302R. No, wait, wasn’t it supposed to be called the ‘B302R’? Or was it ‘BJ300GS’? Bringing all the confusion to an end, DSK Motowheels have launched their latest compact sports bike simply christened the Benelli 302R. And it’s quite a looker. When it comes to styling and sex appeal, few can come close to the Italians: be it a Ferrari or Giorgio Armani. The Benelli 302R is no exception to that, right from the intricate headlight design, exhaust, and the shapely fuel tank. There are a few minute but welcome changes from the pre-production model we had ridden exclusively last year. For instance, the bike last year had far too many monikers on it, which have all been removed and is now the ‘302R’.…

‘MOJO – THE Mountain Trail 2017’ was flagged off from Chandigarh. The journey started with 24 other riders from all over the country for a 14-day ride covering over 2,460 kilometres. Three people from Mahindra had joined us for the ride: Anish Thakkar, Sarath Shenoy, and Hemant Singh. We also had a doctor with us for any emergencies. We embarked on our journey on 8 July from Guneet Wheels Pvt Ltd, a Mahindra two-wheeler showroom in Chandigarh. As a token of good luck and strength, the showroom owner presented each of us with sets of Punjabi pathkas, and a chain with a kanga, kara and kirpan from the Gurdwara. The chief guest, Lieutenant General Iqbal Singh Singha, flagged the ride off at 11.30 am and we were off to our…

THE WORLD GOES ROUND AND ROUND BUT THE human race rarely follows. Unless it’s after hours, traffic barely moves and, more often than not, the whole ‘race’ comes to a grinding halt because of some sort of accident or another. Now, European roads have white lines and road signs, and, more importantly, people who, more often than not, follow traffic rules. However, the world isn’t Europe, and people — many of them clueless about basic etiquette — are on the road, with zero regard for anyone else. That’s where the need for shared autonomous mobility comes in. The 63rd Bosch press event was renamed to the Bosch Mobility Experience this time round simply because the focus is on mobility. We’ve had several assistance systems for a while now; the key…

THE 38-YEAR-OLD has pulled off some magical feats in his time, wins around Assen in 2007, ’09 and ’15 included. However, with championship leader Maverick Viñales faltering — again — and the championship lead now within reach, Rossi appears destined to be engaged in yet another title scrap. With the top four in the championship — Andrea Dovizioso, Viñales, Rossi and Marc Marquez — now separated by just 11 points, this is fast becoming another vintage year. MotoGP From the very first lap, the 68th edition of the Dutch Grand Prix was an all-action, nerve-jangling classic. And, thanks to that ever-present threat of rain, this was an encounter of two parts; the first, on a dry track, a tense follow-the-leader chase, with Zarco, Rossi, Marquez and Petrucci all together, contesting…

FOLLOWING A RAINY race weekend in Coimbatore, the MRF MMSC Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (INMRC) arrived in Chennai on the second weekend of July for some high-octane racing action. Although the weather threatened to play spoilsport, a major part of the weekend had perfect conditions for racing. The 3.7-km-long track at the MMRT was a hive of activity as racers and their teams milled about, fine-tuning their machines before each session. Find a comfortable perch and settle down for a weekend’s worth of racing activity in the next couple of pages. SS 300-400 Class RACE ONE The six-lap Super Sport 300-400 Class race was the second one on Saturday. After starting from the second position on the grid, Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing Team) made quick work of finishing the…

CHENNAI GIRL RYHANA BEE STARTED FROM pole and immediately started pulling away at the front, and although Shruthi N, also from Chennai, set the fastest lap of the race (2:16.773) this was not enough to catch up with the leader. Ryhana crossed the line first, a whole five seconds ahead of Shruthi, while Kalyani Potekar from Madhya Pradesh crossed the line less than two seconds behind Shruthi to secure the third spot. It is a delight to see the level of devotion showcased by these ladies on the track and we hope to see more young ladies display their racing skills in the future.…

FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS, DUCATI’S powerful and racy V-twins — or L-twins, as Ducati call it — have dominated the World Superbike Championship, winning 17 titles since the inception of WSBK. Raymond Roche, Doug Polen, Carl Fogarty, Troy Corser, Troy Bayliss, Carlos Checa, and Chaz Davies — all have put an entertaining show for the world on motorcycles that was based on the company’s road-going line-up. And it is this very line-up of superbikes that has won hearts and championships, helping the Italian firm create its modern identity based on the V-twin engines. Now, however, Ducati have decided to end their association with high-powered V-twins owing to strong competition from the Japanese in-line fours. Just about a month ago, Claudio Domenicalli, CEO, Ducati, announced that the company was working…

The Honda Africa Twin is so easy to ride that even beginners and intermediate riders can explore their personal potential to the hilt THE AFRICA TWIN HAS A RICH LEGACY TO LIVE up to. Its adventure junkie predecessors kicked some serious behind in Dakar Rally, the world’s toughest rally raid. If that wasn’t enough, then the new Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin also has to be extremely versatile to make economic sense. Since most buyers won’t be filling in the Dakar participation forms, the bike also needs to be great on dynamics: comfortable yet sharp handling, packed with modern electronics without being confusing. They also demand good ground clearance but an approachable saddle height. All this at an aggressive price point. Did I forget top quality and finish? And Honda have…

WE JUST GOT OFF the new Honda Cliq after a quick test ride in Jaipur, close to its birthplace at HMSI’s Tapukara plant in Rajasthan. Here’s what we feel... Explaining the idea behind the Cliq, Minoru Kato, the new CEO and President of HMSI, said that compared to the developed cities, the penetration of gearless scooters is very limited in smaller towns and villages. In spite of the Activa out-selling motorcycles and becoming India’s most popular two-wheeler, scooters have managed to capture just a 17 per cent share of the rural market. Just like the Navi, which was aimed at the urban youth who wanted something trendy, the Cliq, has been specifically designed to attract buyers from smaller cities and villages. This target audience traditionally comprises 100-110-cc commuter motorcycle buyer…

YOU KNOW THE BMW YOU’VE come to test is seriously special when the warm-up act is an S 1000 RR on slicks. And especially when even that long-time superbike yardstick has been outclassed by the time you’ve exited the Estoril circuit’s curved pit-lane for the first time, aboard a snarly, burbling race bike that feels so outrageously light, taut and agile that it is clearly an altogether different level of motorcycle. A couple of minutes later that feeling is very much reinforced as the HP4 Race screams down the Portuguese circuit’s long pit straight, its race-spec 16-valve engine hurling it forward with ferocious force. That’s until I sit up and brake, well into top gear at maybe 280 km/h — and far too early, thanks to the majestic performance of…

ACCELERATING OUT OF A curve with the little two-stroke twin revving eagerly, sun gleaming off its chromed petrol tank and a high-pitched exhaust note providing a vivid soundtrack, it was easy to understand why Bridgestone’s 350 GTR was so highly regarded 50 years ago. And it was sad to think that this model was the high point for a firm that abandoned motorcycle production shortly after it was built. The GTR, introduced in European markets in 1967, was one of the most sophisticated bikes of its day, featuring a disc-valve induction parallel-twin engine as well as a generally high quality of construction. Even now, it impresses with its neat looks, crisp performance and reliable handling. Yet not long after this bike was built, Bridgestone not only ceased production of the…

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO ask riders questions even when you know the answer. So, I ask Andrea Dovizioso what predictions he has for the last half of the 2017 MotoGP season. He doesn’t even speak; he just grins and makes a zero with his right thumb and forefinger. Then he says, “Also, the same for this weekend.” The Italian is talking about those black and rounds things which, more than ever, decide who wins and loses in MotoGP. Michelin’s MotoGP tyres work over a narrow temperature range, which explains the thrilling unpredictability of the racing. One weekend, one rider manages to adjust his bike to generate the right temperature in the tyres, the next weekend he misses that window and is left behind. That’s why we see someone like Maverick…

MotoGP BY THE END OF LAP ONE IT was Sachsenring situation normal: Marquez ahead of Pedrosa, the two Repsol Honda men who had won the previous seven races at the track. There was only one question: how long would it take for the pair to pull clear of the pack, slip-sliding their RC213Vs around the rollercoaster track? But wait, here comes a rookie on a second-hand motorcycle! On lap three Jonas Folger took third place from Jorge Lorenzo, who had made his usual fast staff on the Ducati, before engaging reverse gear and slipping to 11th. On lap four Folger set a new lap record, closed the gap on Pedrosa and then swept past at Turn 12, the track’s best overtaking spot. The next lap he did the same thing…

NOW IN ITS THIRD year, the Suzuki One Make Race Championship, also known as the Gixxer Cup, has been giving enthusiastic youngsters the opportunity to test their mettle on the racetrack. Suzuki provide identical, race-spec Gixxer SF 150-cc motorcycles with complete team support to all competitors, so the riders have to only concentrate on the racing. It is such events that identify the best, most committed racers, and help to pave a path towards a career in motorcycle racing. The competitors have been carefully chosen after exhaustive selection rounds in various cities across India, and they finally came together at Kari to battle for top honours. Round one of the JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup was held on the second weekend of July, with qualifying and a race on Saturday,…

THE TVS APACHE ONE Make Championship gives an opportunity for young racers to showcase their skills on the racetrack. The championship comprises two categories: Open and Novice. Both these categories include two races on race-tuned TVS Apache RTR 200 bikes. The bike used for the championship, the TVS Apache RTR 200, is nowhere close to the street-legal version of the same. Although visually similar, the race-spec bikes feature upgraded engine internals, track-biased tuning, better breathing and a free-flow exhaust, all in a quest to increase top-end power and allow the bike to rev much higher than its road-going counterpart. Open Class RACE ONE The first Open Class race that took place on Saturday saw Chennai’s Prabhu V steal the show. Pushing right from the start, Prabhu was chased to the…

BACK FOR ITS SECOND year, the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup takes young talented racers and sets them on a career path towards becoming a world-class motorcycle racer. Of course, it is only the best of the best that are selected, and at the end of this season the chosen racers will be sent to compete in the Rookies Cup 2018 in Spain. From there, opportunities can arise to give the sharpest riders a chance to race in Moto3, Moto2 and, finally, MotoGP. It is a long and arduous journey, but each of the youngsters out on the grid at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore could be looking at making a name for themselves in the motorcycle racing world. The young racers had a qualifying session on Saturday,…