Honda to launch CBR250R in India

onda has officially unveiled the new CBR250R in Thailand and stated in it's official press release that that it will sell the CBR250R in India too..!!

Wow..!! Its probably one of of the most significant launches for a bike enthusiast in India. More than what I expected from Honda. After getting a glimpse of the new CBR150R, I was hoping that Honda should launch the CBR 150R in India. But in fact Honda has surprised and launched a CBR250R instead..!!

And to top it off, the CBR250R will be manufactured in India. Which means that we can probably expect a competitive pricing.

Long Stroke and Short Stroke Engines

I have always been a fan of the various automotive magazines available in the country as they have always fulfilled my desire of quenching my thirst in the automotive industry during the times when the internet was still a novelty for many.

I remember buying a magazine every month to satisfy my urge of knowing more and more about automobiles and I also loved reading reviews about the latest bikes being launched.

There were always some or the other terms that were mentioned but I never understood what it actually meant. And one such term was over square engine and its similar terms like under square engine. I never knew what it really meant, but I assumed it must be something related to the engine.

So, here I am, trying to write down what exactly these terms mean and by what way it benefits the rider. The engine size or capacity is generally the amount of the space the combustion chamber displaces and is measured in cc’s as we all are familiar with 220cc, 150cc engines mounted in various bikes.

The engine capacity is measured as Bore x Stroke. Here, Bore is the diameter of the cylindrical block and Stroke is the depth of the cylindrical block, as shown in the image.

TVS Motor reports 123 percent rise in net profit

TVS Motor Company, India's third largest two-wheeler maker, on Thursday has stated that its second-quarter net profit more than doubled on higher sales and lower costs. The company reported a 123 per cent rise in September quarter net profit at Rs 54.8 crore, compared to Rs 24.5 crore in the same period last year. Revenue grew to Rs 1,616 crore from Rs 1,130 crore. "The product mix was better and the fixed costs as a percentage was lower," said H S Goindi, president, marketing. Higher motorbike and three-wheeler volumes in the quarter drove sales and profits, he added.
Goindi also said TVS Motor had taken a price hike of up to 1.5 per cent on various models in September and would take a call on another price hike during the current quarter. Net sales rose to about 15.9 billion rupees from 11.15 billion rupees.
According to an analyst it was because of the higher volume the topline was expected to be that high who also added that an improved product mix also helped operating margins. It was mentioned that TVS' EBITDA margins came in at 6.7 per cent for the quarter compared with 5.5 per cent a year ago.
Total two-wheeler sales grew 32 per cent in the second quarter to 517,000 units. Motorcycle sales jumped over 35 per cent to 210,000 units. Two-wheeler exports rose 67 per cent to 59,000 units. Three-wheeler sales for the quarter rose to 9,826 units from 3,259 units a year ago, TVS Motor said in a statement.
TVS, along with larger peers Hero Honda and Bajaj Auto has seen rising sales this year as the rapidly expanding economy continued to pull buyers.
Two-wheeler sales have grown 25.86 per cent between April-Sept, data with industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) showed. TVS Motor shares ended up 1.55 per cent at 75.25 rupees in a firm Mumbai market.

New 150 cc Hero Honda Achiever "Soft" launched

How many Hero Honda Achiever's have you seen so far? To answer that myself, I'll have to admit "hardly any". Although the bike has a decent engine for a 150 cc commuter, the reason behind its absence from our roads is not too difficult to fathom. Just ask yourself the question, "Why do I buy the Hero Honda Achiever? What is its U.S.P?"

Honestly, when the Achiever was launched in 2005, it had no U.S.P that could attract customers towards it. The Achiever looked very much similar to the unsuccessful 135 cc, Hero Honda Ambition. Its ad tag "Some Fly Higher" was equally fuzzy.

Hero Honda did try to refresh the Achiever in 2007 by putting black colored alloy wheels as standard and some "new stickers". But even then the Achiever remained an elusive model on the roads. By now with hardly any new Achiever's to be seen on our roads, I had started to think that the Achiever has been eventually discontinued.

Royal Enfield Rider Mania goes Goa this Year

Good news for all the Bulleteer’s as Royal Enfield is pleased to announce its Annual Biker Fest happening in Goa in the Month of November 2010. Where all the Bull owner’s join together & participate in the activities organized by Royal Enfield. For three days starting November 19th 2010, hundreds of Royal Enfield Riders from all over the country will converge at The HillTop, Vagator in Goa for the Royal Enfield Rider Mania 2010. This is The Biker Fest representing a family reunion of Royal Enfield Riders who follow their heart and get together to celebrate “The Thump that Binds” them together.

 The event in its eighth edition is the one where you meet passionate likeminded Royal Enfield fans (fanatics) and bond as a single unit, swap ride stories, discuss motorcycles, and pit against each other in competitive events like Dirt Track Racing, Trials, Slow Race, Arm Wrestling and the unique ‘Carry your Royal Enfield’ event.

Yamaha SZ Bike Tour Comes From Four Corners of India To Kochi

20 selected bikers riding Yamaha bikes from the four corners of India, riding across various places, covering more than 12,000 kms across 17 states and 67 cities in 32 days have reached Kochi to rock the huge funfare and festivals. Renowned singer Benny Dayal along with some other fun activities put together welcomed the riders and marked the culmination of the tour. All this is taking place as part of the Yamaha SZ Tour – the bike which is designed to tour long distances.

Ideal combination of Power, Comfort & Style, SZ has been designed with a strong focus on quality and performance. It has been designed and engineered down to the finest details for maximum comfort of the rider. Powering the new SZ is an all-new 4-Stroke air-cooled, SOHC single cylinder with 153cc engine that has been tuned for optimum performance i.e. Extra Power in the low to mid-speed range thereby ensuring a stress-free ride on Indian roads. There is a large capacity 14L fuel tank which gives the ability to go Extra Mile. The long cushioned seat ensures comfortable riding position enabling a straighter back and Extra Comfort while commuting long distances.

New Metallic Orange color (that changes shades in the sunlight) for the Pulsar 180 & 220

Bajaj Auto has without doubt been the most conservative with the color options for its bikes. When other manufacturer's demand premium of around 2-3K's just for some color options, Bajaj has just provided 4 staple colors (Black, Blue, Red & Silver) for its Pulsar range for the last 4-5 years.

Bajaj has now decided to provide a new Dual Tone "Metallic Orange" color option for it's Pulsar 180 and Pulsar 220 range of models.
The "Metallic Orange" is not merely a Limited Edition color but will be available as one of the color options to choose from (apart from the earlier 4 colors). The engine and the technical specifications remain the same. There will be a additional Rs. 500 charged over the ex-showroom prices of these models for the "Metallic Orange" color.