A new set of hot wheels for John Abraham

John Abraham's fetish for bikes is legendary. Adding to the two superbikes in his garage, Bollywood's hottest hunk has a new war horse straight from the land of warrior Rajputs.

The actor had commissioned a bike from Jaipur-based Rajputana Customs, which according to the makers is "one of its kind in the world."
John Abraham with his new Rajputana Customs bike at his garage




"The bike we have built for John is an extension of his personality and taste. For instance, the bike is subtle, simplistic, and a complete stand-out much like John's calm and uncomplicated demeanour but amazing presence," Vijay Singh, co-owner of the Rajputana Customs, told MiD DAY.



He said the bike draws inspiration from the American 'Board Track Racer' of the 1910's where motorcycle races were conducted on oval race courses which were about 3-km long and the surface composed of wooden planks.



Singh said they treated John's bike with extra care as he is well versed with motorcycle design and they discussed the specifications with the Bollywood star in detail.

"We have made sure that John's bike is highly stylized in all aspects such as frame geometry and engine design," he said.

John is known as a true connoisseur of bikes and knows machines inside out. "It was a true pleasure to sit down with him and go over aspects of his custom machine," Singh added.

"The whole bike took 50 days to make and finish. Every thing on the bike has been made by hand...the chassis, single side-drum brakes, rims, spokes, girder-fork front suspension, gas tank, handle bars, seat, fenders, internal throttle assembly, even heads of the screws were shaved to make them sit flush and achieve an unmatched finish," he said.
Apart from his new toy, John also owns a Suzuki Hayabusa and Yamaha R1. Singh did not disclose the cost of the bike. Repeated calls to John Abraham were not returned.

United Colours Of Enfield and Kinetic

Royal Enfield Motorcycles is inundated with orders but is simply unable to meet the demand for motorcycles.
The Chennai-based company produces 4,500 bikes on average every month, while the market demand exceeds this by at least 2,000 units.
“It is a difficult situation and we are looking at a variety of options to get over this problem,” Mr R. L. Ravichandran, Chief Executive Officer, told Business Line. One of the chief problems lies with the paint shop, which is not large enough to cope with the orders.
“In fact, our bigger problem is meeting the demand for the Classic model, which uses a unique paint and painting process. The in-house capacity is just not able to satisfy the demand. We have a six-month waiting period as of now,” he said.
Help in Pune
Royal Enfield has partially overcome this problem by reaching out to the Kinetic group. Pune-based Kinetic, which recently sold its two-wheeler business to Mahindra & Mahindra, has spare capacity at its Ahmednagar paint shop which Royal Enfield is now using to paint key motorcycle components including front and rear metal fenders, cover tubes, toolbox and ornamental covers for its Classic model.
The company, however, needs a long-term solution. Its plant is located not in one of Chennai's bustling auto hubs of Maraimalainagar or Sriperumbudur, which are home to the likes of Ford and Hyundai, but in Tiruvottiyur, one of the oldest parts of the city.
Mr Ravichandran said the company is working at ways to overcome the present supply crunch.
“There is only so much this plant can take, but it is not as if we can just start producing motorcycles overnight in a new facility,” he added.
Coming full circle
Amidst this anxiety, there is also cause for cheer at Royal Enfield. Quite unlike the big-ticket manufacturers like Hero Honda, Bajaj Auto or TVS Motor, this company is a niche player with a focus on high-end leisure cruiser bikes.
When Mr Ravichandran took over as CEO five years ago, things were not in the best of shape. The company was rather wobbly with a fragile bottomline, a limited array of products, and with more stocks than demand.
“Since then, things have gradually got back on track with the domestic and global business looking more buoyant, thanks to a focused business strategy on new models and engine, stricter quality standards, well-tuned brand initiatives and a vibrant team,” he said.
And the biggest turnaround of all is the waiting period for bikes which ranges from eight weeks to six months. “Customers have been calling non-stop to check when they can own one. We are pulling out all stops but this is still not enough,” Mr Ravichandran said.

Honda gears up once again to promote racing

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI), the 100% owned 2-wheeler subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company, Japan, is all set to conduct five rounds of ‘Honda One Make Race’ in Chennai this year. The round one will be held from June 4-6 has already revived heart-warming enthusiasm among the participant and others alike. Once again, it has brought the racing enthusiasts together to make them experience the adventure, thrill and sporting spirit of the event.

Honda had successfully participated in all the five rounds in the ‘Rolon – FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing Championship event series held in Coimbatore and Chennai last year. The “One Make Race” event series last year saw the participation of about 350 riders. We had awarded the CBF Stunner class champion with a New CBF Stunner Bike and Trophy apart from the cash awards and trophy in each round to the winners.
Popularly known as the ‘Honda One Make Race,’ the activity is aimed at providing ‘Fun Riding Experience’ to all participants as well as spectators in a safe and controlled environment.
Honda keeps on enhancing its product lineup to meet the diversified needs of the Indian 2wheeler customers, with last year’s full model change of the Activa 110cc scooter, one of the company’s best-selling products, and by introducing the CB Twister 110cc motorcycle in February 2010 in the 100-110cc market segment, which accounts for approximately 50% of total motorcycle market. Recently HMSI also launched the new CB Unicorn Dazzler, the 150cc bike, a great combination of style & performance for the young customers. The decision to build the second motorcycle production plant was made to better accommodate a further increase in demand in India.
Honda One Make Race is mainly focuses in two categories – CBR150 & CBF Stunner, this year Honda is adding up one more new category with its recently launched 110cc Mass model CB Twister. Now there will be three kinds of races; CB Twister for Novice class, CBF Stunner for Intermediate class and CBR150 (import from Thailand) for expert class.
Honda is Technical sponsor of Sidvin- FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2010. This year we will be awarding the winners in each round of Honda One Make championship and Race (1st – Rs 7500, 2nd – Rs 5000, 3rd – Rs 2500). We will also be awarding the championship prize at the end of 5 rounds for CBF Stunner Class and CBR 150 class (1st Prize: Bike + Cup, 2nd Prize: Rs20000 + Trophy, 3rd Prize: Rs10000 +Trophy)
In addition to the racing sports, participants will have a chance to improve their riding skills through various fun & Safety riding activities, which will further enable them to implement these skills in their day-to-day riding. Many biking enthusiasts and Auto journalists will also participate in the Honda ‘One Make Race’.
Honda promoted Safe biking and Gymkhana activities. These activities gave the visitors an opportunity to get tips on safe riding from the Safety Riding Instructor. Honda also spread its belief that fun-biking can also be safe.
Safety issue is very close to Honda’s heart. HMSI has taken several initiatives to generate awareness and knowledge about safety. A large number of students, corporate entities and other institutions have been trained for Safe riding and safety education. HMSI has also installed Safety Riding Trainers at its dealerships in order to cultivate a healthy road sense among the riders. HMSI believes in educating young kids about traffic sense and safe riding through fun riding experience using CRF50 bike designed especially for kids. HMSI has also taken initiative to provide special riding education to ladies for them to ride safely on their scooters.
Honda had launched its international premium bikes – CB1000R & CBR1000RR Fireblade - in the Indian market last year in order to popularize the fun-biking culture. The bikes have generated good response amongst the Indian biking enthusiasts. We will be taking more steps in this direction. This year we will be introducing our latest International bike VFR1200 to Indian Market.
A lot of fun activities at the racing events ensured that all those present at the track had a gala time apart from experiencing the adventure of the racing event. Even the kids enjoyed learning safety riding with the CRF-50 model which has been specially designed to give them an experience and education on two-wheeler & road safety.

Excerpts from Company officials-

“We will continue our efforts in promoting the fun biking culture in India in controlled & safe manner. As a responsible member of society Honda always believes in nurturing the youngsters with safe fun biking with our nationwide spread of Gymkhana activities. ” – said Mr. N.K Rattan, Operation Head, Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd.in his presentation.

About HMSI
Honda is the world''s largest manufacturer of 2-wheelers. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI), is a 100% owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Company Ltd., Japan. Current HMSI products include Activa, Dio & Aviator in Scooters and CB Unicorn, CB Shine, CBF Stunner, CB Twister & CB Unicorn Dazzler in Motorcycles. All products have been well received in the market and have created new benchmarks in their respective categories. HMSI has also entered the Fun-Bike market last year with the launch of CBR1000RR Fireblade and CB1000R bikes in the Indian market. For more information visit www.honda2wheelersindia.com

Yamaha sales up by 17 % in May

New Delhi, June 1st, 2010: Inching closer towards its 2010 target, India Yamaha Motor has registered 17% growth in sales during May 2010 as compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 25,033 units in May 2010 as against 21,388 units sold in May 2009. In domestic markets, the company sold 17,614 units in May 2010 as compared to 16,952 units in the same month last year. The export figures stood at 7,419 units in May 2010 while 4,436 units were exported in May 2009.

“We have been receiving a tremendous response from Indian and overseas markets across all product segments. We are particularly impressed with the response we are receiving for entry level YBR 110 and refreshed FZ16 & FZ-S deluxe segment bikes and which have helped in increasing our sales numbers. In domestic markets, we will continue with our focus on dealer network expansion to further augment our sales in the coming months”, said Mr. Koji Arai, Director & Chief Sales Officer, India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd.
Yamaha is continuing with its efforts to enhance consumer confidence by taking customer centric initiatives like Yamaha Safe Riding Science, Yamaha Service Camp, Mobile Service Caravan initiatives as also racing events like Yamaha R15 One Make Race Championship.
This year, Yamaha R15 One Make Race Championship is being kick-started in Chennai on 5th & 6th June (Round 1) as part of the “SIDVIN-FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing Championship-2010”. Yamaha has modified the racing format for the Season 2010 by making it an open championship and has invited participation from both Yamaha and Non-Yamaha customers.

Info-Yamaha Motor India

What is Engine knocking?

What is Engine Knocking?

If I ask this question to most of the ones who rides a motorcycle in India, I can bet that the most probable answer would be something like this:

If you are riding at top gear and the bike is at slow speed say around 20 kmph; in such a situation if you suddenly twist the accelerator without shifting down a gear, then instead of a smooth pick up, the engine will start behaving as if it’s gasping for breadth and struggles to move forward. This causes the bike to move in a jerky manner instead of moving forward smoothly.

This is knocking".

I wouldn’t be surprised if the above answer comes not just from a layman but even from many of out so called "desi" bike experts

What has been described above is actually Engine "SNATCHING" and NOT Engine "KNOCKING".
Why does Engine Snatching occur?
Imagine someone is holding your hand casually and loosely. Now if he/she decides to pull your hand suddenly then you will surely experience an unpleasant jerk won’t you? The same phenomenon occurs with the engine, when the slow moving parts inside the engine are subjected to a sudden motion.

What we instinctively do in such a situation is either shift down a gear or let the engine revs rise by slipping the clutch.
If that is Engine Snatching then what is Engine Knocking?
Engine Knocking is actually a Pinging/Metallic sound which can be heard from the engine when the air fuel mixture is not burnt in the optimum manner.
Causes of engine knocking could be: Due to..
•Carbon deposits
•A lean air-fuel mixture
•Low coolant level, or cooling system problem that causes the engine to run hotter than normal


Posted below is a video in which a car engine makes "Knocking" sounds when revved: Click here, if one cannot see the video.

info-2wheelersindia.com

Bajaj Auto hikes prices to offset input costs

Bajaj Auto, the country's second largest motorcycle manufacturer, has increased the prices of all its bikes in a bid to pass on the burden of high input cost to the customers.
The price hike will be in the range of Rs 800 to Rs 1,000. The move comes close on the heels of the market leader Hero Honda’s price rise of its products by upto Rs 1,000 earlier this month.
“The company has sent the letter to the dealers on price hike almost eight to nine days ago,” a n executive of Bajaj Auto said.
The increase in prices would help the Pune-based automaker improve its operating margin which has been under pressure due to cut-throat competition in the motorcycle market amid high commodity prices.
“We have increased prices across all the models including Platina. The increase varies from Rs 800 to Rs 1,000. On selected bikes the hike is Rs 1,000. The revision in price is the result of increasing material price,” Bajaj Auto CEO (two wheeler) S Sridhar told FE confirming the development.
Bajaj Auto sold 2,69,488 units of motorcycles in May led by Pulsar and Discover, registering a growth of 63%. Almost all the bikemakers the last few months seen their sales soaring on the back of robust economy and growing purchasing power of the people in rural India. The industry has seen exponential growth mainly due to low base in the first six months of last financial year.
“The growth will continue as overall economic environment is positive,” an industry watcher said. The two-wheeler manufacturers, however, are expected to see pressure on their margins mounting up due to high input cost. While there has been correction in the commodity prices in the last one-and-half months the prices are still significantly high on year-on-year basis.
“Before the correction about a month back, the input costs were up 20%. Bajaj might have increased prices sensing margin pressure in coming quarter,” auto analyst at brokerage firm Vaishali Jajoo said.
Two-wheeler manufacturers are able to pass on the increase in input cost as demand is on the rise. According to Society of Indian Automobile manufacturers (Siam), domestic sales of two-wheelers increased by 25.43% to 17.92 lakh in April-May this year as against 14.28 lakh in the first two months of the previous fiscal. Production during the same period jumped 31% on increased economic activities.

125 cc Sports

Engine: 125cc


Power: 15bhp (restricted

Power: 30bhp (de-restricted)

Top speed: around 75mph for 15bhp

Top speed: around 95mph for 33bhp

Cost: £3799 (UK)
So, we thought 125cc bikes were boring? Get hold of the Aprilia 125 and de-restrict it, freeing all the 33 horses, and 125cc biking will never be the same again.
The Aprilia RS125 has remained the best fun 125cc bike for ages now. It was first launched way back in '95 and still remains an average teenagers' dream bike. Looks like a biggie, handles like a track bike and the engine can be de-restricted to 30bhp which means it can tease cars on the road as well! It’s a tad expensive to buy and run thanks to pricey two-stroke motorcycle oil, but, if you can afford it, the Aprilia RS125 is worth every penny.

Royal Enfield Electric

Don't 99% of bikers go in for a Royal Enfield for its thump, the sound of the big single motor? Well, James Hammarhead thinks a little differently. How about replacing the 500cc engine with a, well, an electric motor! Gulp!


Called the Volta 102, it is now powered by a 6 KW lithium iron-phosphate battery pack and an EnerTrac hub motor. The fuel tank now houses two 110-volt, 15-amp chargers that take about 4 hours to recharge the bike.
 
Performance? The motor makes around 13.4 hp continuous and about 40 hp peak. The original 500cc engine managed around 18 horses. The weight of the Volta is more or less same as the original bike and hence, no surprises that the bike should hit a top whack of around 100miles or 160km/h. Thank god there is front disc brake to stop the heavy lump of metal.

You can have one for, hold your horses, US$ 18500 or around 8,20,000 Indian rupees. No thank you, I did rather go in for a Japanese missile
 

Triumph Sprint GT

We have always had a soft corner for the Triumph Sprint and with its touring avatar finally out, we have even more reasons to want to ride this bike. Christened the Triumph Sprint GT, the changes made to the GT version are quite a lot. Yes, we know you already noticed the new low slung exhaust which have now replaced the under-seat ones.

 Some one tells us these help pump up more power and torque too! The seating posture is and comfortable, there is bigger wind screen, better headlamps for night riding, standard 31 litre panniers and of course ABS assisted brakes. On the option list, owners can opt for a top box that can hold two full-size helmets and also includes a 12 volt power supply for charging mobiles / electronics on the go.

The Triumph Sprint GT will be available in the US market this Fall as an early release 2011 model and will carry a sticker price of $13,199 or around Rs 5.9 lakh in Indian currency