Your regular going to college or office to-and-fro, which till recently, was a boring experience like a daily chore has got a total make-over as leading bike manufacturers have launched trendy bikes like KTMs, Pulsar AS 200 & 150, Gixxer and CB Hornet to give you power, style and mileage on your daily run…
Photo Credits: WHEELS - LEAD
Gone are the days when people used to buy a 100cc or an 110cc bike for commuting, as modern day enthusiasts prefer stylish and sporty bikes for their daily drives. People are buying bike like the KTM for going to college, office, to the market and wherever else their daily routine takes them.
Other brands have also upped the ante, as Suzuki launched Gixxer and Honda launched the CB Hornet, clearly sensing that people no longer like sedate look and under-powered engines for commuting as they are craving for style and performance in their commuter bikes. Bajaj had helped start the move towards more powerful bikes than the 100cc ones available, when they launched the Pulsar series over a decade ago. Rahul Naik, managing director of Sitara Bajaj, a dealer of Bajaj, KTM and Kawasaki Ninja, said, “Earlier, the transition happened from 100cc bikes to 150cc bikes, as people started preferring bigger bikes for commuting, which have muscular looks and powerful engine. Right now, the transition is happening from 150cc to 200cc”
Naik said that today people even prefer a sporty bike like KTM RC 390 for commuting. KTM RC 390 is priced around Rs 2 lakhs, has full-fairing and an aggressive riding position. This price and these features, until recently, were meant exclusively for racing. Bajaj has a bike called CT 100B, an entry level commuter bike, which is priced at Rs 32,000. This shows that today commuter bikes are available for anywhere from Rs 32,000 to Rs 2 lakhs. Other brands are not taking competition lying down. Evencio Quadros, chairman and managing director, Quadros Motors, an authorized dealer of Suzuki, said, “Suzuki designed Gixxer, which is a 155cc bike, on its 1000 cc variant, which means technologically it’s a very superior product”
Kenrick Fernandes, a resident of Margao, who has recently bought a Suzuki Gixxer, said, “I use this bike for both racing and commuting. The balance on Gixxer is superb and it’s very safe in cornering, as in you can bend down easily. Even its mileage is better than competition.” In nutshell, Gixxer is giving Fernandes best of both the worlds – he can race on it, he can commute on it and with a good mileage too! And, that, in short, is the appeal of modern day stylish commuter bikes.
Similarly, Honda has launched CB Hornet 160 R in December 2015. Vinay Kunkolienkar from Goa Rajee, an authorised dealer of Honda said, “CB Hornet’s pan-India launch happened in Goa itself. The bike is aimed at executives for their daily commuting.” Much like other stylish commuter bikes, CB Hornet has sporty looks and is powered by a 163cc engine.
Rahul Naik added, “That’s the key trend that sports bike have entered the executive segment, which means people want style and sportiness on their daily drives. In the Pulsar AS 200 and 150, Bajaj has given bikes to people, which are in adventure sports segment. The riding position is upright and a bit sporty too, which means the bike can be taken for adventure trips. Besides, the AS series has projector headlamp and elevated windshield, which makes it good for adventure riding.
This shows another key insight that commuter, sports and adventure are no longer water-tight categories as bike-makers often combine the features of all of these to woo the customers. For instance, in case of Gixxer, focus was also on having an upright sitting posture as Quadros added, “This is because Gixxer is for bike-lovers of all ages.” The trend actually started with Bajaj launching Pulsar more than a decade back in sports segment. The bike was preferred by people wanting to race on its 150 cc or 180 cc variant. Over the years, Bajaj launched Pulsar with bigger engine displacement; a trend which also paralleled people preferring the original 150 cc and 180 cc for commuting as bigger bikes were meant for racing.
And, today, many brands have joined the party by launching bikes, which are sporty and have power; all in all giving bikers a thrill on their daily rides with good mileage to match.
