VIJAY PARMAR
Vijay comments on the awkward state of motorcycle culture in India
Personally, I wouldn’t risk the family jewels on such a contraption!
IT’S 2024, AND THE MOTORCYCLE scenario is beginning to look a bit skewed, especially in the alternate fuel and electric avatars. The latest offering being tested by Bajaj and spied on recently, is a heavily disguised CNG machine that looks like a baby ‘dugong’! For those hearing this term for the first time, a dugong, also known as a sea cow, is a bulbous creature that can only survive because of the buoyancy provided by sea water. On this small volume motorcycle, the tank looks like an oversized tumour, and to add to that, a highly pressurised one. Personally, I wouldn’t risk the family jewels on such a contraption! More than half the country has not even heard of CNG, let alone seen a station that can refuel this new-fangled idea involving an ‘old fuel’. So where does Bajaj plan to sell this and what sales figures are even expected?
The government, seeing that the dream of every household owning at least one EV is now rapidly fading, has decided to slash the prices of these machines to compare with their petrol counterparts. Once again, the manufacturers are in shock. Obviously, the diktats cannot be ignored and pricing calculations where it appeared profitable to produce these machines at the higher prices, are now thrown completely out of whack! To drop the price of an electric scooter by 20 per cent is obviously not good business.
H-D claimed that an excited public had booked 25,000 units when the X440 was launched with much fanfare. Until October 2023, only 1000 vehicles were delivered, and it is unlikely that by February 2024 the sales of this model would have crossed the 2000-mark. My point is, that when you market a motorcycle on the internet, and have booking amounts not exceeding `5,000, you get a false result. The same story has happened with Triumph and their 400cc offerings. Most of the online bookings are merely investments, in case a model goes through the roof and attracts a premium. If not, just demand a refund! Now that Hero has launched another assault on the senses, and misspelled its moniker as ‘Mavrick’, the lid is firmly on the X440 and presumably we shall attend its impending funeral in the next few months!
H-D, however, claims it’s going to boost production! Killing the foreign brand, and its premium handshake seems to be the order of the day. RE killed the 411 suddenly. Most rental companies had no idea that the launch of the Himalayan 452 would in fact see the demise of the tardy 411. The individuals that owned this icon of a ‘low power to weight ratio, metal mud plugger’, had no idea whatsoever that their dubious ride was soon to fall prey to the Tamil guillotine! Now RE, finding that sales of the 452 are not matching the projected estimates for the Indian market, is trying to boost sales cleverly – by buying back on an exchange offer older Himalayan motorcycles, giving a price reduction based on the condition of the relics being offered, adjusting this assessed value, and selling new Himalayans to the ‘loyal’ customers looking to upgrade. Interesting, in that the ‘Himalayan’ loyalists remain true to the brand and don’t drift toward the KTM Adventure being promised by 2025! RE even planned an upgrade mela in Manali to seduce as many rental moguls as possible, into this exchange programme.
In other news the Nimmo-Padum-Darcha road opened recently. Not yet for civilian or military traffic, but a celebration of the first cut that joined the traces approaching from both the Nimmo and the Padum end. This news is epic and will give the axis from Padum to Nimmo another flavour. The road will now run down the infamous Zanskar gorge for the entire run from Padum, via Yolchung and Chilling, to Nimmo, cutting down the distance significantly but more importantly tracing an all- weather route that will allow travel throughout the year from Zanskar to Leh! It has taken over three decades to achieve this, and we must thank the devious designs of China for accelerating the completion of this axis. The people of Zanskar are delirious with joy at the news but have not yet realised that by this event coming of age the loss of their traditional winter traditions and unique culture is nigh. Combing the high pastures to recover yaks caught by heavy snowfall and escaping from the white prison by walking the ‘Chadar’ until Nimmo, will all be a thing of the past. Zanskaris will drive down to Leh and then catch flights out to Delhi staying in the balmy weather of an Indian hinterland winter until spring beckons. Even the Chadar trek will lose its reputation of true adventure. If at the slightest sign of adverse weather and resultant ice melt one can climb up to a running road and call for a cab it does begin to lose the draw that a true adventure event brings.
The flip side of course is that motorcyclists can choose routes according to their ability. The more proficient will take the high road over the Lingshed, Singge la and Sirsir la, the less brave, the route via Yolchung and the two high passes to Lamayuru, and the least brave the route via Chilling and Nimmo. Choices, choices. Whichever route one takes, the stunning vistas and the amazing roads will always bear testimony to the efforts of the BRO who have delivered something spectacular for generations to enjoy!