4 Unique things about the Indian motorcycle market: Independence Day Special

We’re the largest two-wheeler market in the world. 

If you add up the sales from just the top five manufacturers for the month of June, you’ll arrive at nearly 1.5 million units. That means a two-wheeler was sold every two seconds, nonstop, for the entire month. The Hero Splendor and Honda Activa combined sold nearly 454,000 units. The USA sells 500,000 motorcycles annually. That’s how big our market is. Everyone and their uncle wants a piece of this growing pie, and if you look hard enough, you’ll find everything from Chinese motorcycles that costs less than most modern bicycles to European thoroughbreds that compete on price with an apartment in Mumbai. 

We love our scooters

Nowhere in the world are scooters more popular than in India – step-throughs and mopeds are usually the norm. Even if it is scooters we’re talking about, they’re usually with large rims, like the Aprilia SR150. We don’t care about them being fast – all we want is a lot of luggage space, a really long seat, and the ability to run forever. It seems to be working, too; the Activa has outsold the Splendor regularly and the scooter segment is growing at a staggering rate of 20 per cent. Scooters like the Fascino have single-handedly turned around the fortunes of their parent company, too.

The 150cc segment has mind-boggling variety

Look at the sheer variety of 150cc motorcycles available to us, and you’ll be surprised. The Bajaj Discover 150 was a commuter motorcycle that competed on price with the premium 125cc motorcycles. Today, the Bajaj V15 offers value, a power cruiser-like look and a dollop of patriotism via the INS Vikrant connection. If you want a more traditional 150, the Honda CB Unicorn 150 is the quintessential 150cc commuter. It hasn’t changed much in the decade that it has been around, and that’s because it, in a word, works. For those of a more sporty bent of mind who don’t want to let go of practicality, there’s the CB Hornet 160R and the Suzuki Gixxer SF. These are the 150s on steroids, and they command a premium with good reason; the Honda has that massive rear tyre, CBS and a 160cc displacement, while the Suzuki offers fuel injection, ABS, and a full fairing that makes people believe it is a much larger bike than it really is.

Finally, Yamaha’s YZF-R15 offers a supersport alternative for the 150cc customer. There aren’t many corners cut here – a proper supersport riding position, throttle response that is the pride of the segment and a perimeter ‘Deltabox’ chassis that makes it handle like one of the best. 

Homegrown tech that can keep up with the best

‘Kitna deti hain?’ is a question on the lips of every potential two-wheeler customer. We want to go farther, and we want to get there faster. Peak power figures have climbed while fuel consumption figures have declined. Still, companies like Altius are developing a diesel-powered motorcycle that will take the words ‘tank range’ and ‘torque’ very seriously. At the other end, Torq motorcycle’s T6X is an electric motorcycle that promises to electrify your riding experience in more than one way.