Bikes form. India that. I. want.

R3DS!X

R3DS!X

Whatever that means
So occasionally I go to different parts of the world in google maps and will look around at restaurants and parks and stuff and I got to thinking about my trip to Thailand and all the neat little bikes they had there and to make a short story long I started thinking about India's motorcycles that we don't get here and if there were any hidden gems.

So to set expectations, India's needs are for cheap transportation so expect small displacement and small price tags.

Here are 3 cool bikes we don't get in no particular order.

1. Hero xPulse 200
xpulse-2005e956425db843.jpg


This widdle dual sport is fuel injected and pumps out 18 tiny widdle horses. Styling will make you look like you go on more adventures that you probably do but it has enough ground clearance to actually take you somewhere. weighing in at 340 with all the fluids this wont fool you into thinking its a dirt bike but it should be a competent adventure bike. Also it has smartphone integration for nav and calls and stuff. pretty cool OH AND IT'S $1500!!!!


2. Bajaj Dominare 400
dominar-400-specs-bs6_720x540.jpg

At about 400 pounds it's a bit on the heavy side for 40hp but that is with all the fluids. This little sporty fighter reminds me a little of the z400 they got in European land. Maybe it's just the green. You get some USD forks compared to the Z and again bluetooth connectivity. Ya know what? It's all yours for the low low price of $2400. Hell i'll take two!

3. TVS Apache RR
20190528041013_2019-Apache-RR-310-front-ac.jpg

Okay this thing is propper cool. If Ducati made this thing for this price (about $3000), yall would be losing your minds. This is so much cool wrapped into this bike. Throttle by wire, EFI, USD forks, KYB shock, Ram air, and a fucking slipper clutch!?!? This thing would be an awesome track machine/canyon carver!
Also in red, and with some heavy squinting it kinda looks a little like a Ducati.



I think you can get all three of these for the price of a new SV650
21-55.jpg



Oh and I would be shamed if I didn't add this cool commercial to this thread:

youtu.be/6rgLwYpFWm8
 
mrzuzzo

mrzuzzo

Well-known member
Besides price I don't really see the appeal.

There are better bikes that all 3 of those sold here in the same categories. What am I missing?
 
D

DesiDucati

Well-known member
I loved my Hero back in India. Their motorcycles are super maneuverable and perfect to learn riding for beginners.
 
GAJ

GAJ

Well-known member
R3DS!X said:
They sell Royal Enfield here.

I was trying to highlight bikes we don't get.
Click to expand...

If Peter Egan parked his other bikes to ride the Royal Enfield all summer I think that's a huge endorsement for how far the Indian motorcycle industry has come.

Plus, who doesn't like to read Peter Egan?
 
R3DS!X

R3DS!X

Whatever that means
mrzuzzo said:
Besides price I don't really see the appeal.

There are better bikes that all 3 of those sold here in the same categories. What am I missing?
Click to expand...

I would say value than price. The build quality is above certain Chinese brands like Tao Tao and they engineer their own bikes instead of straight copies of Honda engines.

The affordability to get something cool is the main draw though. If I could walk into a dealer and get that Hero for $1500 I would do it in a heart beat.
But I can't so I'm stuck making dumb web forum content for people to get pissy about.
 
redtail

redtail

only ones and zeroes
Nice choice, each of those would be great bike and would (most likely since I have no first hand experience) take a flogging and remain reliable for years of riding. India is a demanding market so I can't see anything other than a bullet proof bike being a success.

That Pulsar Mania commercial is pretty good. :thumbup

Having said that, from the title I thought you were headed in a different direction:
picture.php
 
OaklandF4i

OaklandF4i

Darwin's exception
Indian bikes certainly do offer some value, even possibly offering a lifeline to the US market if they became available here. I think 4-600cc multis would be most viable, but the Xpulse is cool as shit for $1.5k. Indian bikes, at least to me, are more palatable than Chinese offerings. :thumbup
 
mrzuzzo

mrzuzzo

Well-known member
Hmmm, I don't know. I always thought Made in India bikes were shit just like the Chinese stuff, but are cheap to fix in India with a shop rate of $2/hr in an alleyway... Since labor here is expensive it doesn't make sense to own something of such bad reliability. Maybe I'm wrong?
 
R3DS!X

R3DS!X

Whatever that means
mrzuzzo said:
Hmmm, I don't know. I always thought Made in India bikes were shit just like the Chinese stuff, but are cheap to fix in India with a shop rate of $2/hr in an alleyway... Since labor here is expensive it doesn't make sense to own something of such bad reliability. Maybe I'm wrong?
Click to expand...

Now a days they are a lot closer to Japanese than Chinese in quality and reliability, But with certain components used to reach a price point.

So for that $1500 bike I would expect it not to break down for no reason but at the same time I also wouldn't expect top shelf suspension and forks.
 
ratsblast

ratsblast

Well-known member
Wonder if an Indian bike would fall apart more or less than my Buell. Hearing about the royal enfield and mini ktm reliability I couldn't imagine wanting a bike from India especially if you have to go outta your way to get one. I don't see many finished products that come outta india, says something.
 
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