Original Source: Riding Comfort – The Importance of Riding Posture… from BikeAdvice.in

If ever a motorcyclist remarks that he thinks it is less tiring to cover a long journey by his bike than by train, he finds almost invariably that there is disbelief. Never the less, there are thousands of hard riders including me, who confirm this. Bikes are extremely comfortable if the riding position is correct and one sits one’s mount properly. But many a biker buys himself a machine and then accomodates himself to the riding position. The chances are that he is by no means the stock size which the standard position suits so taking this factor in to account before choosing your machine will save you a lot of trouble and ensure riding pleasure.

The riding position is the major factor that determines your riding comfort. Provided it is possible to ride poised, resting and not sitting on the seat, one tends to rise on the rests when the machione hits the bump and the shock is absorbed in the natural spring in one’s legs and thighs. In consequence, no solid shock is transmitted to the body; and I tell you its this solid shock that causes aches and pains and general tiredness.

Some riders endeavour to arrange their position so that their weight is distributed between the handlebar, the footrests and the seat. Its better to have the arms carrying next to no weight, the hands merely resting lightly on the bar. In other words one should arrange the riding position such that one is balanced upon the footrests and the arms act neither as struts nor as tie-rods. A position which seems ideal for comfort does not always provide the best possible control, but at the same time ease of control and comfort are closely allied. So, find a balance based on your experience with your machine and create a body and soul relationship with your bike.

Also, keep your clutch and twist grip cables well lubricated. At the same time, keeping proper tyre pressure and properly adjusted shock absorbers add to the comfort of biking.

- Vivek Kumar

Original Source: [Infographic] 20 Things to Check when Planning a Long Motorcycle Trip from BikeAdvice.in

Thanks to www.PPCGB.com

Original Source: Hero MotoCorp ties up with AVL from BikeAdvice.in

Hero Motocorp. India’s largest two wheeler manufacturing company has joined hand with AVL of Austria for engine technologies according to news reported by Economic times. AVL of Autsria is the world’s largest privately owned and independent company for the development of powertrain systems with internal combustion engines as well as instrumentation and test systems. It is to be noted that KTM the manufacturer of Duke 200 motorcycle, is also belong to same nation.

After separating from Honda Motor Corporation of Japan from last year, Hero Motocorp is in process of developing its own R&D. Hero Motocorp has license to use Honda Motor Corporation technology till the year 2014. However, Hero Motocorp. wants to develop its own R&D facility before this time period. The tie up with AVL is an attempt to further accelerate the process of developing its own R&D.

Pawan Munjal, MD & CEO Hero MotoCorp said “We have tied up with AVL to develop our in-house capabilities in engine technologies. A team from our R&D division is already in Austria. Our team is also working in close coordination with AVL ITC (India Technical center) based in Gurgaon. The team is working on a few options across motorcycles and scooters,”

He also added “We would be developing engines of all sizes to make new products and also refurbish the existing product lines. Gradually we will develop our own full-scale R&D facility to make products for global market on our own. The multiple technology and engineering would leapfrog to the next level even as we internally enhance our R&D to make products for trans-continental markets.”

It is to be noted that the company is also seriously working on commercializing the concept hybrid scooter “Leap” which was showcased in Auto Expo 2012 in Delhi. Beside this the company has recently announced its tie up with Eric Buell Racing and also considering buying Ducati. This is not enough, the company will also start export in first quarter of financial year 2012-13 and it is also going to announce its fourth plant in Gujarat. The company is also in process of developing its own R&D at its Dharuhera and Gurgaon plants with more than 300 engineers working day and night to develop the same.

It seems that Hero Motocorp has up its sleeve to show Honda Motor Corporation what it can do in terms of R&D, new product development and exploring new territories. It is interesting to see the product which will be developed by Hero Motocorp.’s R&D team.

- Mahavir Kothari

Original Source: Highway Riding Tips by Sharat Aryan from BikeAdvice.in

Hi everyone. Well, you all may be wondering why I am writing up all these (Though I know I am a very bad writer) instead of shooting it somewhere and posting the photos over here. But off late I have been travelling a lot on highways and I have witnessed a lot of accidents right in front of my eyes. So just wanted to share a few riding techniques which I use while I open the throttle of my red beast.

First of all, let me put down a list of necessary things that you need to carry along with you or check-up right before hitting the highways.

• Carry all the necessary documents – The DL, Vehicle documents, Insurance papers, emission test certificates, etc.
• Carry enough water along with you and a lot of tissues (to wipe the helmet visors and more for other purposes.)
• Carry a basic tool kit and a puncher repair kit if you are riding a tubeless tyre bike.
• Keep the emergency contact numbers handy, just in case.
• Check up the bike’s engine oil, breaks, break oils, tyre pressure and all the electricals, including tail lamps, break lights, indicators along with the headlights.
• Just give a little more attention for carrying a plane visor instead of a tinted one, to get a better road and surrounding detail.
• Make sure you fuel up enough before hitting the next pit.
• Mirrors are as important as your eyes while hitting the highways.
• So you think you are ready for the ride?

Not really..! Here comes the most important thing, Riding Gear. Never ride without a proper riding gear, and make sure you keep yourself warm and ready to accept a shower by proper gear. Well so once you do all these you are almost ready for the most exciting time, Riding Bikes.

Here are few tips which I use and suggest you all to consider it.

• Maintain enough distance in between other vehicles, specially the lord of the roads, The Trucks, Lorries and Buses. Respect them and never mess with them. Trust me, messing up with them is as good as digging your own graves.
• Look deep before overtaking. Look what is ahead of the vehicle which you are overtaking and intimate the rider or driver before doing it.
• Don’t forget to use your colourful and stylish indicators while shifting the lanes. Use it whenever necessary and don’t forget to switch it off once the act is complete.
• Find shelters..! Well yeah, u read it right. Find shelters behind a car or a heavier vehicle than yours who match you’re riding speed and stay behind them (Maintain enough distance so that you don’t bump into his rear, when he brakes!).
• Keep an eye on the tail lamps of the vehicles going ahead of you. You will realise it earlier where there are road humps, pot holes or whatever it is. And also make sure, the bigger brother of yours, whose shelter you are seeking, has a tail lamp which works perfectly.
• While riding in night, accept the fact your head lights are not as efficient as your bike’s engine is and try and follow a car or a bus or a suv, which ever you feel comfortable with your speed. Keep a track of his path and follow it, whenever you see his break lights flashing, slow down. Might save your head sometimes.)
• Use low beams as much as possible, but don’t be afraid to use the high beams when necessary to have the complete view of the road during night times.
• Sometimes your horn may not be audible enough for the vehicles travelling ahead of you. Use the head light flickering to indicated them that you want to over-take them. Never do it, without intimating them.
• In a single road highways, when a heavy vehicles approach, you might have lost your vision. So mark the corners of the road in your mind, shift to low beam, have a clear mind set of the track you are going to take and look there and not into the headlight of the vehicle approaching you.
• When you have a biking partner, make the best out of it, during the night rides. Share head lights. When you are in high-beam, ask the other to shift for low-beam, or vice-versa, so you have the complete vision of the road.
• Never ever overtake when there is a gap in the divider. A friend of mine tried it and was too late to realise, he had to get back to his track and bumped into the divider. (Luckily no damage to the rider, but a slight hurt to his ride came as a lesson for him.)
• Never attack the corners at high speed. Sharing my personal experience, I was doing a high speed test of a Pulsar 220 with a pillion and had to attack the corner at 145kmph when I was sure, there were no vehicles ahead of me in the road. But in the half way, realised there was an old, drunk pedestrian crossing the road. I just had almost zero time to react or even break. Thank god, I managed to pull it behind him and passed by.
• When you enter the village premises, slow down. You have no idea from where people just block your way.
• Do not break hard, or accelerate hard, while you are cornering.
• Do look into mirrors before shifting lanes. And might help you to view a hot gal driving down a BMW, which you just over took, if you are lucky enough.)
• When you realise there is a road hump and you are too late to break, do not panic. Just stay relaxed, stand up, and keep the handle bars loose and straight. Every bike’s tyre is designed in such a way that it just adjusts to the best position.
• Don’t ever panic, stay calm, and stay cool. That’s the best approach in any situation.
• Never push your machine to the maximum it can handle. Ride it in a speed which gives you the best comfort. It won’t strain you much and helps to ride longer.
• The below guideline is purely for those who ride in groups.
• Assign yourselves the position you ride in.
• Have experienced riders as leaders and sweepers.
• Stay in group and follow design and ride in the same.
• Never over take the leader and don’t fall behind the sweeper.
• Leaders use the riding signs and lead the group well.

Hand Signals for use in Trips

- Sharat Aryan

Original Source: How To Plan Financially For Your Next Bike – Expert Advice from BikeAdvice.in

This is a guest post from Raag Vamdatt – An expert in the field of finance. He blogs at RaagVamdatt.com.

You have been eyeing that dream bike of yours for years. In fact, you have been dreaming about owning it since you were in college. And now that you have started earning, you are itching to finally lay your hands on it! The questions is – how do you get together the money to buy it?

Take a loan or save for your bike?

This is the very first thing you need to answer while considering a bike purchase.

Taking a loan means:

• You get your bike instantly
• You pay a lot of money in interest
• You pay a monthly EMI, which reduces your ability to spend on other things and save for the future
• Even if there are financial issues like job loss, you have to keep paying the EMIs

Compared to this, saving for your bike means:

• You do not pay interest – instead, you earn interest on your savings
• If there are financial issues or change in priorities, you can always divert the saved money elsewhere
• You do not get your bike right away

Considering these factors, it makes a lot of financial sense to save for the bike instead of buying it through an auto loan.

How to save for your bike?

So how do you save for your bike? And how much should you be keeping aside every month?

That depends on many factors – let’s discuss each briefly.

Price of the bike: This is a no brainer – the costlier the bike you want to buy, the more you have to save every month! However, it also depends on when you want to buy the bike, which is the next factor.

Time till the purchase: The further away the purchase, the lesser you have to save each month. This is also simple – if the bike purchase is a longer time away, you have to keep aside a smaller amount every month, because you get more time to save for your bike. Also, you gain from the compounding effect.

So if you can postpone the purchase for more number of years, you can buy your dream bike by saving a lesser amount every month. Or, you can buy a better bike by saving the same amount!

Rate of return on investment: When you are saving for your bike, you would be investing this money somewhere till you actually buy it. It can be anywhere – your savings account, a fixed deposit, a recurring deposit, mutual funds, shares, anywhere.

The rate of return you earn on this investment has an impact on how much you need to save every month. The higher the return from your investment, the lower is the per-month saving you need.

Example

Let’s put all this together by looking at an example.

Let’s assume the following:

• You want to purchase a bike that costs Rs. 1 Lakh
• You are willing to wait for 3 years
• You plan to invest in bank FDs that give a rate of return of 8% per year

In this case, you would need to invest about Rs. 2,500 per month (the calculation follows).

Now let’s tweak each of the three assumptions – one at a time – to see what impact it has on your monthly saving needed.

• If the cost of the bike is Rs. 2 Lakhs instead of Rs. 1 Lakh (other things remaining the same), the monthly saving needed is Rs. 5,000
• If you can wait for 5 years instead of 3 (other things remaining the same), the monthly saving needed is Rs. 1,350
• If you invest your monthly savings at a rate of return of 11% instead of 8% (other things remaining the same), the monthly saving needed is about Rs. 2,400

How much do you need to save?

So how much exactly do you need to keep aside every month in order to purchase your dream bike?

We can use a function in MS Excel to find this value. The function is called “Future Value”, or FV. It goes like this:

FV(A,B,C)

Here,

• FV = The amount you want to spend on the bike
• A = Rate of return from your investment
• B = Number of years for which you would make the investment
• C = Amount needed to be invested every year

Type the following in an MS Excel cell (replace A and B with the actual values, and for C, put a value that is half the cost of the bike):

=FV(A,B,C)

You would get an amount in the MS Excel cell as a result of this formula. Now, edit this formula and change the value of C till you get the price of the bike as the result of this formula.

This value of C is the amount needed to be invested every year. Divide it by 12, and you get the amount you need to save every month for your bike!

Tips on where to save

Where should you save your money every month? It depends on the time for which you want to save.

• If you are saving for 2 years or less, you should stick with fixed income. You can open a recurring deposit for this time period, so that you can invest a fixed amount every month.
• If you are saving for 3 years or more, you can invest in the stock market through a good diversified equity mutual fund. You can do this by starting a systematic investment plan (SIP) for this time period. You should start selling the MF units and put that money in a bank FD 1 year before the bike purchase.

Raag Vamdatt is a financial planner and is an MBA in Finance from NMIMS, Mumbai University. At Financial Planning Demystified – RaagVamdatt.com, he writes extensively about saving, investments, income tax, insurance, loans, etc. He also offers personal finance products and services that help you manage your finances better and save income tax.

Original Source: Know Your 2 Wheeler Insurance Policy from BikeAdvice.in

A two wheeler insurance policy plays an important role when your vehicle is damaged or stolen. Hence, it is important to know the basic terms of an Insurance policy. It helps while taking and renewing policy and passing the claim of vehicle. Let us have a look to some important points of a two wheeler insurance policy and its act.

The insurance policy premium is decided as per the guideline given in the India Motor Tariff Act 2002 which is in accordance with the provisions of part II B of the Insurance Act 1938. There are basically two types of insurance policy comes under this act.

• Liability Only Policy: This covers Third Party Liability for bodily injury and/ or death and Property Damage. Personal Accident Cover for Owner-Driver is also included.
• Package Policy: This covers loss or damage to the vehicle insured in addition to above.

Factors Affecting Insurance Policy Premium

These are the following factors which affect a rating of two wheeler insurance policy.

Insured’s Declared Value (IDV): It is the value of the vehicle for which is insured under the two wheeler insurance policy. It remains fix for the tenure of the insurance policy. IDV is fixed on the basis of manufacturer’s listed selling price. There is also IDV for side car accessories etc., the selling price of which is fixed in similar fashion if it is not listed with the manufacturer’s selling price. IDV is calculated after appropriate depreciation applied as applicable. Here is the table of depreciation.

After five years the IDV depends on mutual understanding between buyer and insurance company.

CC (Cubic Capacity) of two wheeler engine

As the CC of two wheeler engine increases the rate of premium also increases. There are three kind of classification, according to India Motor Tariff which are not exceeding 150cc, Exceeding 150cc but not 350CC and 350CC and above. Further the minimum value insured for each category are Rs. 5,000, Rs.6,000 and Rs. 7,000 respectively.

Geography

India Motor Tariff has divided geography in two parts for India, Zone A and Zone B. Zone A includes cities such as Ahmedabad, Banglore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkatta, Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi while Zone B includes rest of India. The premium rating is higher in case of Zone A compared to Zone B.

Age of the vehicle

Premium rating increases with the age of vehicle. In short, there is higher rate of premium as the age of vehicle increases.

There are certain other things also which we should know are:

Geographical area: Normally an insurance policy covers only territory of India. However, you can increase the geographic extension to neighboring country as well which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives. An extra amount of Rs. 500 in case of package policy and Rs.100 in case of other than package policy is applicable for extension of geographical area. It is to be noted that insurance cover does not apply when such vehicle is in transit by the way of air or sea for the purpose of ferrying in these geographical area.

Extension of policy term: An extension of policy term is not possible beyond the twelve months except the condition where further extension of less than twelve month is taken with the purpose of arriving at a particular renewal date or for any other reasons convenient to the insured, by payment of extra premium calculated on pro-rata basis, provided such policies are renewed with the same insurer immediately after the expiry of such an extension.

NCB (No Claim Bonus): A policy holder is eligible for NCB when there is no claim made during the tenure of policy. It should be noted that NCB applies to own damage section only. The following table shows the rate of NCB for each year where claim is not made.

Transfer of Ownership

When there is transfer of ownership of a two wheeler, the insurance policy should also be transferred in the name of transferee. The transferee shall apply within fourteen days from the date of transfer in writing under recorded delivery to the insurer who has insured the vehicle, with the details of the registration of the vehicle, the date of transfer of the vehicle, the previous owner of the vehicle and the number and date of the insurance policy so that the insurer may make the necessary changes in his record and issue fresh Certificate of Insurance.

Change of Vehicle: A vehicle insured under a policy can be substituted by another vehicle of the same class for the balance period of the policy subject to adjustment of premium, if any, on pro-rata basis from the date of substitution.

Third Party Property Damage (TPPD) Cover: The third party damage is limited to Rs. 1 lac in case of two wheeler insurance policy. However, the insured can at the inception of the policy, opt to restrict to the TPPD cover to the statutory limit of Rs. 6000/- as provided in the M. V. Act.

Insurance policy: The two wheeler insurance policy, which we take or get from our dealer, is a package policy. The insurance policy of a two wheeler is basically divided into two parts. First Part cover Insured Name, address and phone number, Policy Number, Date of Issuance, policy term, Geographical area.

Second part cover Insured Motor Vehicle details and premium collection such as Reg. details, year of mfg, make of the vehicle, cc, coverage, IDV, Engine No, Chassis No, and seating Capacity.

Further, IDV is bifurcated for the vehicle price, side car price and other accessories price. Further you will see the policy divided into two parts A. own damage and b. Third party premium for the purpose of Premium calculation. The premium is calculated as mentioned above under the own damage and Third Party Premium section. Own damage section is for the vehicle and accessories part. It will also show the discounts as applicable such as NCB, Anti Theft device, Automobile Association, Handicap etc. Third party section shows insurance premium amount for third party coverage.

Claim Processing

It is the most important part for a two wheeler insurance policy. If your vehicle is damaged due to accident or any other reasons such as specified in India Motor Act, you should first inform the insurance policy company. You have to also inform the finance company if there is any pending amount of two wheeler loan. Generally if you have taken an insurance policy from the dealer, the dealer will do all the necessary formalities for claim processing. In such case you can inform the dealer instead of insurance policy Company about the damage in the vehicle. Most of the insurance companies now offer cash less claim processing facility which is very helpful in case of damage of vehicle.

Total Loss/ Constructive Total Loss (TL/ CTL): A vehicle will be considered to be a CTL, where the aggregate cost of retrieval and / or repair of the vehicle subject to terms and conditions of the policy exceeds 75% of the IDV. In such cases the company will give you the IDV amount deducting the depreciation of parts as shown below. The following rates of depreciation shall apply for replacement of parts for partial loss claims in respect of all categories of vehicles / accessories.

Rate of depreciation for all other parts including wooden parts is to be as per the following schedule

Theft /Stolen Vehicle: In case if your vehicle is stolen. The first thing you need to do is, registering FIR (First Information Report) in the police station and inform your insurance company. Then you need to give the copy of FIR to insurance company for claim processing. If your vehicle is not found for a specific period the insurance company will process your claim. You may have to transfer ownership to your insurance company using your title certificate.

Please take care of following additional points for your two wheeler insurance policy.

Do not forget to renew your policy on time to avoid extra hassle. No claim will be processed for the period when the vehicle is not covered.

Make sure that all the details on insurance policy are correct. Incorrect information may cause trouble in claim processing.

If you are renewing your insurance policy after the term of insurance policy make sure your vehicle is in good condition while inspection. Any note in inspection may affect claim processing.

If your vehicle is damaged make sure to explain how it was damaged and the damage to the vehicle is due to accident only.

Make sure to claim No Claim Bonus if you have not raised any claim during the tenure of policy.

- Mahavir Kothari

Original Source: Indian Bike Sales Figures for February 2012 from BikeAdvice.in

Hero MotoCorp India’s no. 1 two wheeler company has posted growth of 10.89% in the month of February 2012 compared to February 2011.  The company has sold 5,23,465 units of two wheeler in the month of February 2012 compared to 4,72,055 units of two wheeler sold in the month of February 2011. On the month on month basis the sale is up by 0.61%. The company has sold 5,20,272 units in the month of January 2012. Hero Motocorp has sold 57,06,905 units during April 2011 to February 2012 period up 16.79% compared to 48,86,592 units sold in the same period last year.

Mr. Anil Dua, Senior Vice-President (Marketing & Sales), Hero MotoCorp said, “Our multi-pronged initiatives continue to yield results. We have been consistently clocking over five lakh units in sales. And our performance in the first two months – January and February – has maintained that trend in both dispatch and retail sales. Our ‘Billion Voices’ campaign, focusing on customer-generated content, has evoked huge interest, with our fans uploading their videos from all across the country.

“Our two recent launches under the new ‘Hero’ brand name have stuck the right chord with the customers. The 150cc on-road off-road bike ‘Impulse’ is steadily adding to our volumes. Meanwhile, we have also launched ‘Maestro’ – our new scooter targeted at young males. Our current scooter Pleasure – specifically targeted at women customers - has helped expand the scooter market, and is already clocking over 38,000 units on an average every month. Now with the launch of ‘Maestro’, we are confident of further increasing our presence in the gearless scooter market,” Mr. Dua added.

The first eleven months sales figure suggests that the company will over achieve its 6 million units target. The company has recently tied up Eric Buell Racing and also intends to buy minority stake in company. It is also in race of buying Ducati. The company is also looking for establishing fourth plant which will become operational by second half of financial year 2012-13. Beside this the company is looking to expand its present capacity of 6.15 million units to 7.0 million units.

Bajaj Auto

Country’s second largest two wheeler maker, Bajaj Auto has reported growth of 5.34 % in the month of February 2012. The company has sold 3,01,961 units of motorcycle in the month of February 2012 compared to 2,86,657 units in the month of February 2011. The company exported 1,22,727 units in the month of February 2012 up by 19.81% compared to 1,02,433 units in the month of February 2011.

On the month on month basis sales is up by 2.56%. The company sold 2,94,432 units in the month of January 2012. The company’s total sales stood at 3,43,777 units in the month of February 2012 up 5.17% compared to 3,26,874 units in the month of February 2011. The company has sold 35,33,557 units of motorcycle during the period of April 2011 to February 2012 up 13.52% compared to 31,12,651 units sold in the same period last year.

The February month sales figure suggested that the company has flat sales for domestic market this month also. There is also concern that the company will not achieve its 4.6 million unit target which was revised to 4.5 million units and now further revised to 4.4 million units. However, the company is very hopeful for the financial year 2012-13 since it is going to launch new promising product in next fiscal. One is next generation Pulsar200 NS and another is a commuter motorcycle.

TVS Motors

TVS Motors has posted de growth of 2.43% in the month of February 2012. The company has sold 1,68,996 units in the month of February 2012 compared to 1,73,200 units sold in the month of February 2011. Total sales stood at 1,72,061 units in the month of February 2012 down by 3.02% compared to 1,77,412 units sold in the same period last year. On the month on basis the company has reported sales decline of 1.24%. The company has sold 1,71,112 units of two wheeler in the month of January 2012.  Cumulative two wheelers sales for the period of April 2011 to February 2012 stood at 19,78,101 units of two wheelers up by 8.69% compared to 18,20,027 units of two wheeler sold in the same period last year.

Domestic sales stood at 1,52,796 units in the month of February 2012 up by  0.84% compared to 1,51,526 units sold in the month of February 2011. Export stood at 17,960 units in the month of February 2012 down by 25.28% compared to 24,036 units sold in February 2011. The company sold 36,693 units of scooter in the month of February 2012 down by 9.03% compared to 40,335 units of scooter sold in the month of February 2011.  Motorcycle sales stood at 63,019 units in the month of February 2012 down by 11.81% compared to 71,462 units sold in the month of February 2011. Moped sales stood at 69,284 units in the month of February 2012.

TVS Motors motorcycle sale is stagnating now. The company is pushing well on moped front. The company is also bullish on export front and exploring new opportunities to expand its export market. However, past two months has reported dip in export sales. The company has set goal of selling 2.4 million units in this financial year which it will miss considering only 1 months left to achieve the same.

HMSI

India’s largest scooter manufacturing company Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Ltd reported growth of 41.30% in the month of February 2012. The company reported sales of 2,06,043 units in the month of February 2012 compared to 1,45,819 units in the February 2011. On month on month basis the company’s sales is up by 8.81%. The company sold 1,89,353 units in the month of January 2012.

Motorcycle sales stood at 83,061 units in the month of February 2012 up by 26.06% compared to February 2011 where it sold 65,890 units. The company reported 53.86% jump in sales of Scooter. The company sold 1,22,982 units of scooter in the month of February 2012 compared to 79,929 units in the month of February 2011. The company sold 18,87,564 units during the period April 2011 to February 2012 up by  25.05 % compared to 15,09,446 units sold during the same period last year.

HMSI is now at number three position for consecutive fourth month which suggest that it will now begin to chase number two position. Scooter number for HMSI has grown at the rate of 40-70% from couple of months which suggests continuous capacity expansion. The higher growth rate is also attributed to continuous strong performance in scooter segment. Cumulative sales has achieved landmark figure of 9 million in the month of January.  The company has started building its third plant in Narsapur Industrial area, 52 Km away from Banglore, Karnatak to expand it’s capacity to 4 million units by mid 2013. The company launched new Honda CBR250R which it showcased at Auto Expo Delhi.

Yamaha India

Yamaha India has reported sales growth of 23.03% in the month of February 2012 compared to February 2011 on the back of strong demand in export market. Total sales stood at 40,655 units in the month of February 2012 compared to 33,046 units last year in the same period. The company reported month on month basis sales jump of 1.79%. The company sold 39,940 units in the January 2012. Domestic sales stood at 27,050 units up by 15.68% compared to 22,384 units in the month of February 2012. Export stood at 13,605 units in the month of February 2012 up by 40.81% compared to 9,662 units in the month of February 2011. The company sold 4,43,005 units during April 2011 to February 2012 period up by 31.72% compared to 3,36,332 units during the same period last year.

Speaking on the results, Mr. Roy Kurian, National Business Head, India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd., said, “We are very pleased with the sales growth that we’ve witnessed in the past month on account of our strong product portfolio and high customer confidence in us. Our accolade models such as the YZF-R15, FZ series and SZ series have been very well accepted. We are also planning to implement our Best 3S (Sales, Service & Spares) set up in tier-2 & tier-3 cities and increase sub-dealers in the rural areas as well to further boost our sales.”

The company has recently launched version 2.0 of its flagship motorcycle YZF-R15. The company is aiming to sell 5,00,000 units in this financial year with 3,50,000 units of domestic sales and 1,50,000 units of export. The company is also planning to launch scooter in this year. The company is also expanding its capacity to 10 lakh units in anticipation of better demand in upcoming years. The company also unveiled its scooter concept Ray at Auto Expo 2012.

Suzuki Motorcycles

Suzuki Motorcycle India reported growth of 29.85% in the month of February 2012 compared to February 2011. The company’s total sales stood at 37,336 units in the month of February 2012 compared to 28,754 units in the month of February 2011. The company reported growth of 6.37% compared to the month of January 2012. The company sold 35,099 units in the month of January 2012. The company sold 3,05,735 units during the period of April 2011 to February 2012 compared to 2,54,795 units sold during April 2010 to February 2011.

Commenting on the sales growth, SMIPL Vice-President (Sales and Marketing) Atul Gupta said, “We have received a good response from the market for all our products, including the newly launched Swish 125. The growing customer satisfaction has led to positive word-of-mouth in the market.”

As far as a domestic sale is concern Suzuki and Yamaha are fighting for 5^th and 6^th position. Suzuki Motorcycle has grabbed fifth position as far as domestic sale is concern. Suzuki Motorcycle is benefitting from the growth of scooters. It is to be seen when Yamaha will start selling scooter and Suzuki will start exporting.

Mahindra Two wheelers

Two wheeler company Mahindra two wheeler reported de growth of 34.12% in the month of February 2012 compared to February 2011. Total sales stood at 8,355 units in the month of February 2012 compared to 12,682 units in the month of February 2011. Month on Month basis the company’s sales is up by 19.63%. The company sold 6,984 units last month. During the April to February 2012 period the company reported sales of 1,24,757 units down by 17.47% compared to sales of 1,51,164 units in the same month last year.

We are very excited about the enthusiastic initial response that the Duro DZ has been receiving since its national launch last month. Consequently, we are now ramping up supply to meet the increasing demand for Duro DZ. With an amazing range of superior features, and a very attractive launch price, the new Duro DZ is sure to be an instant hit. The launch is supported by an interesting new marketing campaign with actor Kareena Kapoor.” said Mr. Viren Popli, Senior V.P. Strategy and Market Development, Mahindra Two Wheelers.

The cumulative sales for the company have crossed a landmark figure of three lakh units, with both the Rodeo and Duro scooter brands having a franchise of more than one lakh consumers across the country. The company has reported massive de growth this month also in spite of dealer base expansion and promotional activities. This HMSI is clear indication that customers are moving from brand Mahindra. Moreover market leader has increased Activa production which is also taking some unit sales of Mahindra two wheelers. Going forward we will not see good growth figure if situation remains like this. The company is now looking to re launch its motorcycle Stallio for volume growth.

Royal Enfield : Please refer to Royal Enfield reports 42% growth in 2011  post for Royal Enfiled sales peformance.

Summary

The Indian two wheeler industry’s growth finally started showing slow down in the second consecutive month after sluggish January sales.  The February 2012 month has seen sales of more than 1.29 million units up by 11.68% compared to 1.15 million units sold in February 2011. The period April 2011 to February 2012 has witnessed growth of 15.80% over the same period last year. More than 14.0 million units of two wheelers sold during the period of April 2011 to February 2012 compared to 12.10 million units in the same period last year.

Hero Moto Corp the market leader is continuously posting double digit growth with robust sales each month. It has done 5.70 million units sales in the current financial year. Bajaj Auto the second largest manufacturer of two wheelers has sold over 3.53 million units in the current financial year.

TVS Motors has sold more than 1.98 million units whereas HMSI sales stood at 1.89 million units during April 2011 to February 2012 period. Yamaha India, Suzuki Motorcycle and Mahindra two wheelers sold 0.44 million, 0.31 million and 0.12 million units respectively during the period of April 2011 to February 2012. It seems that the industry may grow at double digit but the growth rate will be around 10-12% for the rest of the financial year.

- Mahavir Kothari

Note: Suzuki Motorcycle year till date figures are approximate.

Source: There is no specific source. The above data is collected from various sources like company press release, websites and newspapers.

Original Source: HMSI Eyes Second Spot in Domestic Two Wheeler Sales from BikeAdvice.in

Honda Motors & Scooter (India) Ltd., country’s largest scooter manufacturing company is now aiming to become second largest two wheeler player in the country as far as domestic sales concern. In February the domestic sales of Bajaj Auto stood at 2.04 lakhs units which are just 7,000 units more than compared to HMSI’s domestic sales. Bajaj Auto sold total 3.02 lakhs motorcycles out of which 2.04 lakhs units were sold in domestic market and balance motorcycles were exported. HMSI has already snatched third spot from TVS Motors Company from past few months. However, on the financial year till date sales figure it is still behind of TVS Motors Company.

HMSI is planning to introduce Honda Dream Yuga in the month of May end and with the launch of Dream Yuga it expects that it will have second spot very early. N K Rattan who recently quit from his position of VP for sales, marketing, planning & corporate affairs said “Without a mass motorcycle, we are No. 3; with the launch of the Yuga 110cc in May-end this year, we will be very close to No. 2.” It was reported that the Yuga, which will have a couple of variants, is expected to be priced competitively at Rs 40,000-42,000. Hero MotoCorp dominates the mass segment, which accounts for a fifth of the total two-wheeler market, with the CD Dawn priced at Rs 36,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).

It is to be noted that HMSI’s major sales comes from scooter segment where it is currently selling more than 1.2 lakhs units a month. It’s motorcycle sales is in the range of 70,000-80,000 units which is still far behind compared to Bajaj Auto’s 2 lakh plus units and Hero Motocorp’s  4.5 lakh plus units in domestic market. Further, Bajaj Auto has kept its inventory level low while HMSI and Hero Motocorp has large amount of inventory pending for retail sales. As far as March month concern we may see HMSI nearing sales of Bajaj Auto. However, from the month of April there will be competition between HMSI and Bajaj Auto for the number 2 spot as far as domestic sales is concern.

Bajaj Auto has schedule two new motorcycle launches, next generation Pulsar and all new motorcycle in the month of April and May respectively which will boost its domestic sales. Further, Bajaj Auto may also launch 100cc Boxer in upcoming months which can further boost its sales. It has installed capacity of 4.5 million units for two wheelers if we back out export of million unit motorcycles, it can still produce 3.5 million motorcycles for domestic market whereas, HMSI has only 2.8 million units’ annual capacity including export. Further, it will take time to build the proposed third unit in the state of Karnataka. Hence, there are little chances that HMSI will take number 2 spot for domestic two wheeler sales in the financial year 12-13. From the financial year 12-13 it will be interesting to see who will grab the second spot.

- Mahavir Kothari

Original Source: Wear Helmet – Live Longer from BikeAdvice.in

I’m very much aware on how much you guys like to ride bikes. Well, is it merely like or love? Whatever, it is. You guys are live in our blog and forum for the sole reason of your addiction to riding. Atleast for me, life is all about riding and driving.

Now we’ll have to accept the fact that guys like us are more prone to accidents than the regular commuters. Do you agree with me that we’re an entirely different breed by ourselves?  At the same time, you all must also understand the value of our lives? It is our duty to protect it. There’re people on Earth waiting for us to land back safe in home. It just can be anyone.

Unlike cars, bikes are not equipped with life – saving devices that will act as a boon to the rider at times of mishaps. Helmet is the only saafety gear which we wear at all times (I’m talking about the noble set of bikers who do not ride without their helmets). It becomes mandatory for us to know how a helmet really functions and the way it is comprised of.

For non users of helmet, this video emphasizes the need for using a good quality one. Atleast after seeing this, we request you to start using one. It is also specified in this video on the importance of strapping the helmet tight on the face.

This video is created by Yamaha, as part of its Yamaha Safe Riding Science (YSRS) program. I feel very honoured to share this video in BikeAdvice.  My special thanks to Yamaha for coming up with such a fantastic video.

Regards,
M.Naren.
Author – BikeAdvice.in

Original Source: Two Wheeler Dealers are Facing Highest Level of Inventory in Two Years from BikeAdvice.in

According to news reported by livemint.com, two wheeler dealers across the country facing the situation of heavy inventory pile up due to sluggish demand from past few months. Although, two wheeler companies are dispatching more units and showing positive growth in their monthly sales number, the retail sales is actually in negative from past couple of months, specially for motorcycle segment. Due to the slowdown in demand, dealers have highest level of inventory in the past two years.

The inventory level is so high that some of the dealers do not have space to park the two wheelers. The reason for the stock pile up is because companies are continuously increasing production in spite of slowdown in sales at retail level. For example Hero Motocorp which is continuously dispatching more than 5 lakhs units and Honda Motor scooters & India ltd are continuously increasing capacity in spite of slowdown in sales at retail level. The inventory level is highest among Hero Motocorp and HMSI.  It is to be noted that companies sales account on the basis of vehicle dispatched to dealer, while retail sales is the sales which is made by dealers to customer.

Hero Motocorp and HMSI are reporting double digit growth in their sales number; however Bajaj Auto and TVS Motors are reporting flat sales. This is because Bajaj Auto and TVS Motors are producing as per the retail demand their by keeping inventory level in check. Further, Bajaj Auto produces as per the concept of production to chase demand which is widely acceptable and profitable too. Inventory level of these two manufacturers is low compared to Hero Motocorp and HMSI.

K Srinivas, president, motorcycles, Bajaj Auto, said “Retail sales have been slowing since October but Bajaj has managed to keep inventory in check and has been aligning despatches as per demand. If all the manufacturers had been billing as per actual sales, the sales would have been in the negative terrain during the last two months.”

The retail sale is dampening due to high petrol prices and softening rural demand. Further, last two years industry has shown growth of 18-20% which is expected to come down due to higher base of previous year. It is expected the growth in two wheeler industry may come down to single digit in upcoming days.

- Mahavir Kothari