- Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:19 am
#5723
I'm just back from a 2 week trip to India. This was for work so sadly no riding! We were in Bombay (Mumbai) and Bangalore (Bengaluru) which are both very big cities. The majority of bikes on the roads are small (150cc and 80cc) Hero Hondas, a joint venture made in India. Next most common are little Yamahas, both "sports" style and custom style Intruders, probably the same size. These are all 4 strokes, apart from scooters I saw no 2 stroke motorcycles. After that, Royal Enfields, probably about 2 to 5% of numbers, but given the huge quantity of bikes on the road this is a lot. My observation is that the majority are new Classic styled UCE machines (in the darker more sober colours,) followed by 350 Thunderbirds. I saw just 2 Continental GTs, 2 60/5s and 2 older 4 speed Classics. I talked to an Indian colleague about bikes and he says the Enfield is basically a middle class purchase now and indicates a "discretionary" spending decision, making the bikes more of what we would see as a lifestyle choice. He explained the preference for the Classic style as being due to a pride in the heritage and national pride of many riders. I also saw one of the new RE shops and it is exactly like the ones opened in the UK. All in all I'd say the current RE management have their pitch right for the home market but I'm still unsure about the GT/new twin market at home although international sales obviously matter. For reference, both Bombay and Bangalore are wealthy cities, Bangalore being the HQ of most of the Army Navy and Airforce in the west of the country as well as the IT capital so there is clearly much more disposable income there.
REgards, Mark
REgards, Mark