Yezdi Adventure is one motorcycle in the complete line-up that had the best opportunity considering the big inclination towards ADV models in India…
Let me take you back to the first ever spotting of the Classic Legend’s ADV test mule that later on became the Yezdi Adventure, upon launch. My first reaction was – is Yezdi making a Himalayan? It was and still is an absolute copy of Royal Enfield’s concept.
The Adventure was launched when Royal Enfield used to sell the 410 Himalayan – which was a controversial but very effective motorcycle. The Adventure failed to create any sort of a mark in the market – despite it having a more powerful engine than the popular Himalayan 410, and probably more features.
Now Royal Enfield has completely exited that segment and the Himalayan that is sold in the current times is the much more powerful and feature loaded version that comes with the bigger 450cc engine – and at a price tag much higher than before.
Which leaves the playground virtually empty around that Rs 2 Lakh mark and considering the massive hype around functional ADVs this should automatically be a cakewalk for the Yezdi Adventure to jump right in and be the automatic (read only) choice. And needless to say that Rs 2 Lakh price bracket could easily be called as one of the most important ones – as it allows for reasonably powerful motorcycles at affordable prices. Yes, as I have iterated before, though Himalayan 450 seems to be a really nice product, Royal Enfield’s exit from this 2 Lakh segment isn’t a nice strategy!
However, the Adventure is still not sinking in and though Classic Legends does not share individual sales of its motorcycles, we can clearly see that it isn’t selling much (the overall Classic Legends portfolio isn’t going up either despite 6 different models and two iconic brands).
Going through online views and after having a word with some owners, it is clear that quality is still an issue with the Adventure. Aside that service and spare parts has been an Achilles Heel that Classic Legends has not been able to sort despite being in the market for a fairly long time now.
But these are not reasons big enough to really halt Adventure’s innings in the market completely specially with it being the only player in the hot segment right now. The major issue I see here is the design – which is an exact copy of the Himalayan!
You can make motorcycles inspired from your competitor, you can take features from them but you simply can not directly copy your established competitor! Lifestyle motorcycles are aspirations for bikers, apart from being their partners in crime; and nobody wants to be seen riding a copycat.
So, in my opinion, the stark design similarity with the Himalayan 410 is the prime reason why the Yezdi Adventure isn’t working – and may not even work with the latest update which was introduced couple of days back, at entry prices lesser than before.
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That again takes me back to the management issues that have been plaguing the company. If they can not make an iota of business with two-three iconic brands, and with plenty of goof-ups, with as many as six different motorcycles – all targeting separate set of audience – there needs to be an introspection – Plenty is wrong with the decision makers!
What do you have to say – Why isn’t the Yezdi Adventure flying off the shelves now that it literally has no competition and is in the greenest zone of the most sought after motorcycle segment in India?