Goa to have Harley Davidson outlet in June
Over 3000 bikers from all over the country congregated at Vagatorto participate in the India Bike Week. From the 500 cc Enfield, Ducatis and theubiquitous Harley Davidsons, all the famous brands were present showcasingtheir brands
Karen Davidson , the great granddaughter of the HarleyDavidson founder was present and revealed that her stop in Goa was the first inthe 110 year celebrations that would be held all over the world. Speaking toThe Goan she said “I drove on the roads and it was great experience and yes itwas interesting driving with all these guys who drove in from various parts ofthe country.”
During the course of the event, India’s first V-twin bikewas presented. Conceived and created by Dean Fernandes and Anand Bhalerao fromMumbai, this 700 cc bike based on a 1968 Enfield model has receivedconsiderable interest and the two are now looking to manufacture it on a largescale and are looking for investors to fund their project. Anand hopes tomanufacture and sell the bike for Rs. 3 lakhs. He also revealed that he waswilling to sell the project to interested parties if the price was right.
For companies like Polaris that were participating at theevent it was an opportunity to introduce the quad bike to the market.Manguirish Kunde, Director said that he had made presentations to the forestand tourism department in the state and was hoping for a positive response. Inaddition he was now looking for retail buyers and he expected his ambition tobe boosted by the inauguration of a showroom in Panjim in a couple of months.
For another company Biking Spirit dealing in touringequipment, this event was a perfect opportunity to drive down to Goa andshowcase their products to their core target audience. Rishab K, owner of thecompany said the motor industry in the country was worth Rs. 44,000 crores withthe bike market approximately 5-6 % of that market. His products were ideallypriced taking into consideration that several people purchased bikes on amonthly installment basis and finance was a consideration always.
Love of one’s life and not really finance was the mainconsideration, as Yezdi Irani of Performance Racing explained that the helmetshe retailed started at Rs. 50,000 and could go almost to a lakh rupees. Themarket he said was experiencing interesting growth and he was selling about 20such helmets every month. On the otherhand Torque an organisation based in Bangalore that was involved in enhancingbikes, modifying bikes, the market was developing fast and in his business itwas all about word of mouth. He said “I have guys who come in with Rs 20 lakhbikes and spend Rs. 2 lacs and guys who walk in with Rs. 20 lakhs and spend Rs10 lakhs. It is all about one personal taste. We specialize in bikes over 500cc. it is a great time to be in this business”
For bikers likeSteven Varghese all the way from Mumbai and Sandeep Singh from Chandigarh theopportunity to meet other bikers was the opportunity not to be missed. “Thejourney on the Harley Davidson was an opportunity not to be missed and theprospect of meeting other riders in Goa was heaven”, he said. Perhaps the finalword should go to Dean Fernandes who said that biking in India was just takingoff and his bike was out at the right time and was great that an Indian bikecould stand on an equal footing with the other majors entering the market.
