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The latest, Machismo 500, the bike with the pulling power of a tractor, was launched on Friday.

RS 1.05 LAKH BIKE: Mr Anupam Thareja (seated on the bike), Director, Royal Enfield; and Mr Shaji Koshy, Divisional General Manager- Marketing, at the launch of `Machismo 500' in Chennai on Friday. — Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai May 18

Which bike manufacturer in India would include in a feature-list of its bike a comparison with a tractor? No prizes for guessing — Royal Enfield.

The latest, Machismo 500, the bike with the pulling power of a tractor, according to Royal Enfield officials, was launched on Friday.

But then, when have the usual rules of the game — fuel efficiency, smooth lines, flashy looks — applied to a machine from Royal Enfield starting from the Bullet, a model that has been around for over half a century.

The Machismo 500 is true to form. The four-stroke bike with a lean-burn engine and five-speed gearbox with left footgear shift will cost the buyer Rs 1.05 lakh.

50-year-old legend

But compare it with a tractor or an earthmover? Who cares? Definitely, not the Royal Enfield customer.

And, there are over 33,000 of them buying a new Royal Enfield every year and 5,000 more are willing to wait a few months after coughing up the full payment. All of them sold on the half-century of legend, tradition and the `bullet beat' of a brand dating back to the World War era.

According to Mr Anupam Thareja, Director, Royal Enfield, its production facility at Tiruvottriyur in North Chennai is churning out the bikes to full capacity of about 34,000 and the company hopes to increase capacity to about 40,000 during the year.

Aspire for...

Royal Enfield will sell just about five hundred Machismo 500s a year, making it a "machine to aspire for," Mr Thareja said. Royal Enfield has picked for itself a niche — it promotes not motorcycles but a motorcycling experience. The Machismo 500 is a niche within that niche.

It will be an exclusive club with the buyers getting the `royal' Enfield treatment at any of its brand stores and select dealerships where the bike will be available, he said. This bike is exported to the Europe and Australia, he added.

Royal Enfield, a division of Eicher Motors, has turned a profit last year. However, Mr Thareja declined to share the details of the turnaround. The company hopes to launch a motorcycle with a new engine later this year, he said.

Royal Enfield has five other two-wheelers in the domestic market — Bullet 350, Bullet Electra 5S, Bullet Machismo and Thunderbird.

More Stories on : New Products & Services | Announcements | Two/Three Wheelers

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