Premium Superbikes are increasingly tramping around in the Indian Motorcycling scene. The sales figures have nearly doubled from 9,000 in 2011-12 to nearly 16,000 in 2012-13, says the data release from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
Leading the pack is Royal Enfield, which is providing finishing touches to the launch of its fastest ever bike, the 535cc Continental GT aka Café Racer. Close on the heels of the Royal Enfield is South Korea’s Hyosung. Along with its ally DSK Motowheels, it has sold about 1,200 units in the last six months.
Surprisingly, a lion’s share of the sale was gobbled up by towns in north-eastern states like Meghalaya, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. American giant Harley Davidson is not far behind, having ensured a sale of 1300 units in the period 2012-13 as compared to 500 in 2011-12.
According to trade analysts, this has been fuelled by the shift of a significant portion of the population from the higher-middle class to the rich bracket. The disposable income has increased, and lots of proud owners of such bikes are biking aficionados aged between 18-40 years. The analysts feel that though this segment is puny in comparison with the small motorcycle market, but nevertheless it is showing signs of going skywards.
Interestingly, a major factor which could hamper the booming of this segment is the absence of local support for servicing and maintenance of these high-tech machines. The CKD Route (Completed Knocked-Down) is the preferred modus-operandi for almost all luxury bikes, with the bikes being assembled from the imported CKD kits. Hence it’s only a handful of people, if any, who are well-versed in the servicing of these bikes.
– Bishakh
Source: Economic Times
