The Regal Raptor showroom in Hyderabad’s upmarket Jubilee Hills is the first of its kind in the country. The bikes that greet you are a breed apart: huge and rugged, yet delicate. These wheels are for those who seek power and the cruiser experience. The Regal Raptor cruiser range starts from 320cc twin-cylinder, four stroke water cooled going all the way to 1600cc both air/water cooled, twin and four-cylinder four-stroke engines. FAB Motors, a Hyderabad-based company, has introduced the Cruiser 350, Bobber 350 and Daytona 350 all powered by 320 cc engines.

These bikes are made in Shanghai by the parent company, Lifeng Group Co and have been brought in as completely built units. MG Shariq, Managing Director of FAB, says the company has teamed up with Regal Raptor to offer these cruisers with three more models planned during the year.

Numbers game

According to him, the three bikes have been aggressively priced (ex-showroom) at ₹2.96 lakh, ₹3.32 lakh and ₹3.33 lakh which is far lower than what superbikes are available at above ₹4.5 lakh.

“We are also looking at setting up 18 dealers within a year and are in talks with the Telangana government for land to set up an assembly line. This will mean an initial investment of ₹300 crore which will be ramped up to ₹1,000 crore,” he adds. FAB is entering the arena at a time when the market for superbikes is still small. Big names such as Harley-Davidson, Indian and Benelli are already around with BMW tipped to follow with its bike range. Shariq says the company is looking at a market which is above what Royal Enfield offers and below other players. Eventually, the key lies in striking the balance between costs and a strong retail network

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