The Hindu Business Line : Those mean machines are here

If you've been looking to break the 200 kmph speed barrier on two wheels, your dream may come alive at last. With the roads improving and set to get much better with the Government's recent emphasis on infrastructure, many leading bike manufacturers have announced the availability of their top-of-the-line products in India.

Take, for example, what the nine-time Grand Prix winner Valentino Rossi rode – the Yamaha R1, which is being sold in India since December, 2007. Those speed freaks who have been ogling similar machines in glossy magazines now have a shot at calling these mean machines their own – provided they can cough up the cash.

Incidentally, Yamaha, which has a sobered down version of the R1 - called the R15 in the country, was also one of the first of the major bike manufacturers to sell its premier line. The 1000 cc R1 superbike and the 1,700 cc sports bike MT01 have been available through Yamaha dealers since December 2007. Priced at Rs 12.5 lakh, it has sold about 150 units of both the bikes till date.

“We have been out of stock for the last three months for both the R1 and the MT01. We have received around 10 orders for the V-MAX, but deliveries are expected to start by January,” says Pankaj Dubey, National Business Head, India Yamaha Motors Ltd.

The 1700 cc V-MAX was launched in August this year, priced at Rs 20 lakh.

Says Vaishali Jajoo, senior analyst at Angel Broking, “The growing economy has increased the market for luxury products, as people with larger disposable incomes can now afford them. Even CEOs' salaries have grown fatter over the last few years.”

In the last two years, all major bike makers including Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki, have launched their premium range in the country. Companies claim that apart from rising consumer awareness about global products, this is part of an ongoing attempt to present a complete product portfolio to customers. It also helps in creating a brand image.

Also, the removal of local homologation rules for bikes above 800 cc capacity by the Government in the middle of 2008 was a big help. “We can now bring in these bikes without modifying them to the local conditions. That results in savings in terms of both time and costs of modification to suit local conditions,” says Mr Atul Gupta, Vice-President (Sales and Marketing), Suzuki Motorcycle India.

Suzuki entered the segment with the Rs 12.5 lakh- Hayabusa and Intruder in November last year. According to Gupta, it has sold 105 units to date.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) puts the size of the market for premium bikes to about 500 units a year. “There is a market, but it is developing slowly. It should increase to about 1,000 units per year by 2015,” says Sugato Sen, Director, SIAM.

He added that a boost in auto sales in the premium category generally comes when per capita income rises above $1,000. For India, this point should come around 2014, he says.

However, Angel's Jajoo believes that the sudden growth of this segment is more about the companies' brand image than anything else. “It is not about the volume at the moment, but the brand image coming in. There's also the aspect of a first-mover advantage,” she says.

Among other major bike makers, Honda has the CBR1000RR and the CB1000R in India. These are available for Rs 12 lakh and Rs 9.5 lakh respectively. “Besides the relaxation in the homologation rules, infrastructure development has meant that people now have good roads to drive these machines. Moreover, awareness about bikes is also increasing in India,” says a Honda official.

Kawasaki, in partnership with Bajaj Auto, has also launched the Ninja 250R in the country. At 250 cc, the bike is a sobered down version of its much more powerful namesakes sold abroad. At Rs 3 lakh, it is more affordable, but doesn't quite qualify to be in the superbike range in terms of power and engine capacity. Pricing, however, seems expensive as compared to bikes of similar engine capacity available locally, such as Bajaj's own Pulsar 220, which, at around Rs 90,000, is about a third of the price of the Ninja 250R. Probably brand Kawasaki Ninja, superior technology and performance command a premium.

Bajaj currently retails the Ninja through its 27 Probiking showrooms in the country. The bike which is assembled at Bajaj's Chakan plant near Pune, has sold about 127 units already. The company also has plans to introduce Austria-based KTM's bikes in India. These will have capacities of above 690 cc.

Not to be left behind, niche manufacturers such as Harley-Davidson and Ducati have also entered the country. Priced well above most mid-size cars, these companies remain bullish about motorcycling as a passion and culture that they feel is growing in India.

Fiat-owned specialised bike manufacturer Ducati set up its first shop in India last week. “We are waiting for the sales and support network to be in place before we start retailing these niche bikes” says Ashish Chordia, Chairman and CEO, Precision Motor India. Precision Motor is the authorised Indian dealer for Ducati.

With bikes priced between Rs 9.6 lakh and Rs 43.37 lakh, Ducati aims to open another showroom in Delhi this year, followed by Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata in 2010.

One of the oldest bike manufacturers in the world, US-based bikemaker Harley-Davidson aims to announce its range and pricing for India at the Auto Expo in January.

“Harley is a culture and a cult. We will take a lead in that. We will be launching our dealerships initially in five cities and have already got about 80 applications for it,” says Sanjay Tripathi, Director (Marketing), Harley-Davidson India.

It will also start the Harley Owners Group in the country. More commonly known as H.O.G. world over, the owners' association would organise cross country adventure rides.

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