Splurging ₹ 8-10 lakh on a motorcycle ‘takes guts’, it is not for everyone, says Shivapada Ray, COO, DSK Motowheels which is introducing the Benelli brand of Italian superbikes into India.

Sure people spend much more on a supercar but for sheer bragging rights it is the two-wheeler that comes out on top. Apparently there are enough buyers in India to draw over a dozen global brands with half a dozen more expected this year, says Ray.

Benelli the Italian super bike brand is being introduced into this market by DSK Motowheels which was among the earliest to bring in big bikes to India with the launch of Hyosung four years ago. At that time Kawasaki and Harley Davidson were the only other players in this segment, he said in a telephone interaction with Auto Focus.

In 2014, over 8,000 bikes priced between ₹ 3 lakh and ₹ 24 lakh have been sold, a less than modest number as compared to the over all two-wheeler market estimated at more than 14 million units. But that would be an unfair comparison.

Take the market for super bikes alone, the growth rate is estimated at over 80 per cent, says Ray. It’s a niche that is growing phenomenally even if on a low base.

The market is not just in major metros but even small cities and towns as buyers with appetites whetted by exposure to global lifestyles are becoming increasingly aspirational. In Bhubaneshwar the company sells over half a dozen Hyosung bikes over ₹ 3 lakh each every month, he says. But the big four metros and Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune account for 80 per cent of sales in this category of bikes.

It is not just the young, but even the middle age professionals in their 40s and 50s and the elderly with adequate disposable income, which was not available during their younger days, are keen to indulge, he says.

Its sheer passion for the experience of the ride that drives sales of super bikes, adds Ray. Backed by the experience of marketing the Hyosung in a nascent market, and which has now cut its teeth on a wide range of aspirational brands, DSK Motowheels believes the Benelli is something that the market is waiting for.

The Italian motorcycle brand is one of just two brands that have the distinction of being over a century-old and still active continuously – Harley Davidson of the US is the other.

DSK Motowheels plans to launch five models ranging in engine sizes from 300cc to 1,130cc.

The bikes will be rolled out in nine cities from the first week of March. Some of these will cause more than a ripple in the market – the 300cc will be first in line, two cylinder bike in its category; a 600cc four cylinder bike will be among the most affordable in the market, he says.

All the showrooms will be 3S facilities offering sales, service and spares. If anything the years of experience dealing with superbike sales has taught the company that customers want the assurance that they will get timely assistance. Benelli owners will get assured roadside assistance free of cost, a bumper-to-bumper insurance and a two-year comprehensive warranty.

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