Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i BIKE India

Whereas the entry-level Brutale is more about faster access to peak torque to ease city riding, the range-topping RR is quick to whip out maximum power and is all about dynamic performance and popping wheelies VISITING ITALY IS ALWAYS special — the food, art, landscapes, and, of course, the fabulous motorcycles. This time round I was there to ride one of the most important models that MV Agusta have produced in recent history. The Italian icon was plummeting down the pit-less burrow of financial crunch till a cash-rich Russian firm came to their rescue. The Russians are also actively involved in shaping MV Agusta’s marketing plan, utilising their expertise in the digital space to make the Italian firm future-ready. MV aim to be more active on the social media and…

THE NINJA H2 SX has plenty in common with the machine that started Kawasaki’s supercharged family three years ago. Just like that original Ninja H2, the SX has sharp-edged styling, it features a blower bolted to its four-cylinder engine, and answers a twist of the throttle by doing its best to rip its clip-on bars out of your hands. But the Ninja H2 SX is a very different machine from the outrageous original H2. It has an aggressive, origami-like full fairing instead of a half-fairing, its screen is taller, those clip-ons are higher and it’s built for comfort as well as speed. The supercharger that is mostly hidden behind the bodywork is designed for economy as well as power. And although the SX makes a claimed 200 PS, its throttle…

FINALLY, INDIAN MOTORCYCLE HAVE realised the potential — or rather the growing number — of ‘Bobber’ motorcycles in the country and this has resulted into the firm introducing the Scout Bobber, a new variant of the highly versatile Indian Scout. The Bobber promises to turn heads and make a bold style statement, but will it be able to step into the shoes of its elder sibling, the Scout? We spent a day with this black beauty to fathom its potential. First of all, the Bobber is not that different from the standard Scout. It is based on the same platform as the standard bike and much of the wizardry remains the same. Of course, it has gone completely black now. The front, side, and rear are all draped in the…

I REMEMBER MY FIRST acquaintance with Moto Guzzi’s V50 Monza so clearly that it might have happened yesterday, instead of more than 35 years ago. It was the summer of 1982 and I was riding a Laverda Jota — which, at the time, was still just about the fastest superbike on the road. On a curving main road I caught sight of another bike up ahead, and gunned the big triple harder with a view to catching up and blasting past as quickly as possible. Well, I caught up with the other bike, all right, but it took longer than I’d expected — and I soon realised that this fellow was going fast enough that I wouldn’t just be able to blast past and disappear. For several kilometres I followed,…

Bike India (BI): The CSS journey began in India in 2010 and you were an integral part of making that happen. Now, after the ninth edition, how do you feel? Siddharth Trivellore (ST): The school has come a long way from 2010. Back then, we never really had any support from sponsors other than TVS, who have been with us from day one, supplying student bikes. That put a lot of pressure on us from a financial standpoint as the cost of running the school was very high. The idea was never to make any money from running the school; all only wanted the expenses to be taken care of and to break even. Today we have quite a few sponsors on board to help subsidize some of the costs…

IT WAS QUITE A SEASON OPENER for Ducati as their Italian rider, Marco Melandri, went on to win both the races over the weekend at Phillip Island. Here is how it all unfolded. RACE ONE The first event of the 2018 World Superbike Championship (WSBK) at Phillip Island in Australia was an exciting one as Marco Melandri put on a great show for the fans. Melandri started the race from the third row but, on the very first lap, managed to zip past as many as six riders to complete the lap in P3. Ahead of Melandri was the Kawasaki duo of Tom Sykes, who was leading, and Jonathan Rea, who was running in P2. For the first 14 laps, the top three positions stayed unchanged. On lap 15, however,…

MV AGUSTA HAVE BEEN CREATING quite a buzz in the premium motorcycle segment with jaw-dropping beauties on two wheels from 800 to 1,078 cc. However, there’s more to Cagiva than what meets the eye. Giovanni Castiglioni founded Cagiva in 1950 as a manufacturer of small components. Motorcycles arrived in 1978. Now, 40 years later, it seems that second coming may just be round the corner. While speaking to Bike India, Castiglioni mentioned that they are looking at resurrecting the Italian brand. Cagiva, whose name comes from the first two letters of “Castiglioni, Giovanni, and Varese”, were the winners of several motocross, Dakar and Grand Prix accolades in the 1980s and ’90s. The 125-cc class in motocross witnessed consecutive championships in 1985 and ’86 with Pekka Vehkonen and David Strijbos each…

DIRT SACK’S NEW SADDLE BAG If you are into the touring way of life, then investing in high-quality saddle bags is imperative. The Long Ranger Pro is the latest product from famed motorcycle luggage makers Dirt Sack. This saddle bag is created to suit cruiser style bikes and offers 50 litres of luggage capacity. The dry bag inserts are 100 per cent waterproof and come with reinforced walls and base that help them retain their shape even when empty. Other features include reinforced seams, quick-release buckles, multi-point restrainers with nylon webbings, and 3M high-visibility tapes, among other things. The bag also comes with external rain-covers and has the following dimensions: length – 16 inches, width – eight inches, height – 11.5 inches, seat to roll on top height – 23…

BAJAJ BROUGHT THE CRUISER form to India with the original, low-slung 175-cc Eliminator/Avenger 17 years ago; a bike that successfully carved a niche for itself while growing in capacity to 180, 200 and, finally, 220 cc. In late 2015, the company introduced a 150-cc entry-level variant of the Avenger, powered by the engine from the Pulsar 150, making their attractive cruiser accessible to an even wider audience and increasing the Avenger brand’s market reach. Now, two and a half years later, the smaller Avenger has come of age, with capacity growing to 178.6 cc courtesy the DTS-i engine from the Pulsar 180, and that’s the bike you see splashed across these pages. At first glance, there isn’t much to visually differentiate this motorcycle from its 150-cc predecessor. The most obvious…

TRIUMPH HAVE CARVED a successful space for themselves in the mid-sized adventure-touring space with the Tiger 800 — a bike that, with its comfortable ergos, forgiving suspension and flexible three-cylinder engine, seemed like the perfect tool for those looking to cover long distances on our unpredictable Indian highways. Since its introduction to the Indian market in 2014, the Tiger 800 has been the go-to machine for motorcyclists looking for big-bike power in a sturdy, touring-inclined package and, with no competition in this niche, sales have flourished. Last year saw the introduction of two new players in the segment: Ducati’s Multistrada 950 and Honda’s Africa Twin. These bikes offer better equipment levels, including comprehensive electronics packages, full TFT displays and off-road-specific riding modes, making the Tiger suddenly feel dated. The more…

HOT ON THE HEELS OF their new flagship motorcycle, TVS have now rebooted the other end of the Apache spectrum with the all-new Apache RTR 160 4V. As the “4V” in the name suggests, the entry-level Apache now gets a four-valve head, similar to the SOHC unit first seen on the 200-cc variant introduced two years ago. The new bike also shares more than a passing resemblance with its 200-cc cousin, as both bikes take strong visual cues from the TVS Draken concept that was showcased in 2016. This is the first comprehensive update for a motorcycle that has been around for over a decade and TVS have reworked just about everything on the bike. The headlamp, tank, rear monoshock, blacked-out exhaust and full-digital dash look just like those on…

IT WAS THE SORT of manoeuvre that any rider of a modern superbike would make with barely a thought. When the traffic momentarily cleared, I gave the bike a big handful of throttle, accelerating hard up to about 160 km/h on a long, uphill straight. Then the road curved left, so I braked slightly, changed down a gear and cranked the Suzuki into the turn, gradually feeding in the power to send it shooting smoothly off again. Throughout the bend the bike behaved perfectly, following exactly the course I’d aimed it on, soaking up road bumps effortlessly and remaining totally under control at all times. There’s nothing so special about that, you may say. Except that the Suzuki in question was built in 1978 — when it’s doubtful whether any…

When you want more, there are always several choices. However, what if you’ve already experienced the best and have found what you were looking for? Do you want to get more out of it? Or try to make it a little better, even if ever so slightly. High-performance tyres? Yes, they’re out there. Performance maps? They’re out there, too. As are high-flow air-filters and loud pipes, even forced induction and then some. Getting more performance out of your ride does not need to involve huge amounts of horsepower, or free-flow filters and exhaust pipes, it could be just as much about shaving weight, and improving what is already there. There are many areas that could do with some detail. And when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of…

ONE ADVANTAGE OF ELECTRIC vehicles, on top of the reduction in harmful emissions, is lower noise pollution. But however welcome that might be, in both rural and urban environments, one side-effect is that it also creates the potential for accidents. If pedestrians and cyclists can no longer hear vehicles approaching, they have no warning of impending danger — a risk that is elevated for children, the sight-impaired, and the elderly. It was fascinating to watch two Lightning electric GP bikes try to weave through a crowded paddock with almost zero reaction from the spectators, an issue which subsequently required the fitting of horns. If it’s true that ‘loud pipes save lives’, as many motorcyclists proclaim, you can imagine the consequences of having virtually no noise at all. As a result,…

THE MADRAS MOTOR RACE Track (MMRT) was the venue for the first ride of the YZF-R15 when it was launched in India. Incidentally, 10 years later we were at the same track for the first ride of Version 3.0. Since its introduction, the R15 has been popular among people looking for an accessible option to experience Yamaha’s R series. The motorcycle soon set a benchmark in handling and became the choice of wheels for budding racers. Now the Japanese marque has brought the third iteration of the YZF-R15 to India. A row of spanking new R15s were lined up in the MMRT pit-lane. The motorcycle’s sharp lines and aggressive stance echoed its superbike lineage even at standstill. As I came closer, it became evident that Yamaha had taken a lot…

THE DISCOVER NAME HAS BEEN part of Bajaj’s line-up for well over a decade, and over the years we have seen several variants come and go in capacities ranging from 100 cc to 150 cc. There was the entry-level 100-cc Discover, a few variants of an executive-commuter 125-cc version, and sportier 135- and 150-cc versions. With all of these models running their course with varied levels of success, Bajaj have now decided to wipe the slate clean and refresh the brand with two new motorcycles for 2018: the Discover 110 and the Discover 125. We bring you this first ride report after spending a day with the smaller sibling in the environment it is designed for — Pune’s unforgiving traffic. Although this is an all-new motorcycle, it is easily recognisable…

SCOOTERS IN INDIA are often seen as versatile, convenient, and family-friendly. A jack of all trades that dad can take to the barber’s for a shave, mum can take to the market for a shopping stint, and the kids can take to college. Reliable, dependable, and typically boring even when dressed up in a youthful and urban guise. Aprilia flipped the script with the SR 150, though — a scooter that is flashy, dynamic, and in your face. But, maybe, also a little ahead of its time — from what the Aprilia India team said, the 150 may have been a little too fast, a little too fuel-thirsty, a little too on the nose, according to customer feedback. The SR 125 is the brand’s answer to all these concerns. As…

MY EYES were glued to my phone’s screen, watching “A Twist of the Wrist II” again as the aeroplane I was on flew towards Chennai. In a day I was going to go to school and, perhaps for the first time in my life, I was actually looking forward to it! The California Superbike School (CSS) was set up in 1979 by Richard Lovell and the legendary motorcycle riding coach, Keith Code. The following year witnessed the first-ever CSS training programme. Code was a motorcycle racer back in the day. Later in life, he realized that his true calling lay in coaching other riders. After breaking down the art of cornering into bite-sized chunks, Code began his journey to become a world renowned riding guru. Now, 39 years old, CSS…

Valentino Rossi will most probably decide within the next few months whether to keep racing into 2019, when he will be 40 years old. Much will depend on the results he achieves at the first few races, when he will be trying to erase the memories of his worst-ever MotoGP season, apart from his two years in the Ducati doldrums. An analysis of Rossi’s points-scoring performance during his 18 seasons on 500s and MotoGP bikes provides a fascinating insight into the ups and downs of his career. Calculating his average points haul for each race shows exactly how strong or how weak he was during each championship. His best year was 2003, when he scored an average 22.31 points at each race, an amazing performance considering a victory nets 25…