Maybe I am just too naïve or completely out of touch with realities, but at times I just don’t get Indian Biking Fraternity, and past few days have been no different.
On one hand, a home brewed motorcycle manufacturer launched a single cylinder 535cc motorcycle with 29 horses and terrible styling for couple of lakhs and the biking fraternity seems to be going gaga over it and on the other hand, a European manufacturer launched an imported twin cylinder, 865cc motorcycle with 68 thoroughbreds and lovely classic styling, at a price which is actually one lakh rupee less than what it is priced at in its home country (£6,549 x 102.257 = Rs. 669,682.03), and yet according to Indian Bikers, it is overpriced and not worth it!
Royal Enfield Continental GT
Triumph Bonneville
Maybe they are calculating the cost of each horse and arriving at this conclusion (2.05 lakh / 29 = Rs. 7,068.65 per horse vs. 5.7 lakh / 68 = Rs. 8,382.35 per horse) or maybe they were hoping to get a 68hp motorcycle for similar or slightly higher cost than a 28hp one or maybe RE is just better at marketing to Indians than Triumph. Whatever the reason might be, I somehow, just don’t get it.
I mean I know a motorcycle costing couple of lakhs is going to be comparatively more affordable than a motorcycle costing nearly thrice that amount, and there is no taking away from that fact that Royal Enfield will likely end up selling more Continental GTs in India than all Triumph models combined, and in a way, it might just be the best motorcycle RE has produced till date.
But at the end of the day, a Triumph is a Triumph and there is no taking away from the fact that they are actually pricing their motorcycles cheaper in India than in UK, despite our atrociously high import duty regime and fairly low volume market for imported motorcycles. And yet, they are being condemned for pricing their models way too high and are being dismissed purely on the basis of relative affordability.
It is at times like these, I really feel Indian biking enthusiasts and consumers are extremely unreasonable, and one of the reasons why so few manufacturers (be it automotive or electronic) aren’t interested in introducing their latest and greatest offerings in India.
24 Comments
Yogesh, I realised that any further reading was futile after I read the words ‘terrible styling’. I’m sorry but you have no clue as to what you’re talking about.
Styling is subjective and in my view, Continental GT looks terrible.
I would go with Yogesh, even I didnt like the styling… well anyways thats something which is a personal. So there is nothing to argue, we cant simply force someone to like or dislike…
That’s actually a very Naive post, rather misleading to macro economics of per HP which sounds indeed funny. First there is no comparison between the 2 and secondly, please keep your subjective styling preferences to yourself if you’re trying to push this blog on social sites… RE does have some influence on it’s style but they’ve still pulled it off quite well (and that’s not my subjective opinion and neither I’m a RE fan), Let’s give credo to who deserves. Triumph any day is better and for a difference class altogether, I’m not sure why was this post even written!
Well if you read the blogpost closely, you will see I am not trying to justify one or the other based on economics and neither am I committing the sin of comparing a 865cc Triumph with a 535cc Enfield! I am just wondering why so many people find GT’s price as drool stuff and Bonneville as outrageously priced.
As far as this post is concerned, this is written on my personal blog and posted on my personal social media accounts, so that those who are interested in hearing my POV can read it, which is why you will see my opinion here about styling, performance, value and rest of the things, rather than some robotic technical comparison.
Bullet(RE) waalon se jyada bhaav Bullet ki service karne waalon ke badhe huye hain.
P.S. I own a Royal Enfield Thunderbird, 100km.
It’s true that Indian biking community is unreasonable. We have sort of scaled down versions of sports bikes in the shape of R15, CBR 250R, Duke 200, Ninja 250 and now Pulsar 390. But given the road conditions and other factors we should have ‘Indian’ incarnations of the likes of BMW R1200 GS in more number. That simply isn’t happening!
Nilanjan, there are plenty of roads in Delhi and NCR, which can do justice to liter class motorcycles and same is true for almost all metros in India. At the end of the day, just because your bike or car can do 300, does not means that is what you would do the entire time.
Having said that, I do feel there is a lot of scope for Impulse with 200 or 250cc engine, though many wouldn’t likely want that.
Really nice bikes. What would be a starting cost of Bullet?
Just over one lakh for the basic model.
No debate. No viewpoint as such. I am a biker and I’ve enamored riding and traveling to be specific. Which bike? hardly matters…..
I own a RE Classic and I am happy! Happy, if i get a triumph as well.
Well said 🙂
Brothers pls don get offended by the post, its Yogesh’s personel view. So keep riding whatever u ride and be safe 🙂 happy thumping 🙂
Ride safe Gaurav.
very well put Yogesh! I also agree that looks are subjective, & purely personal!!
Thanks Ashit
Finally finally found another Triumph lover. There should never be a comparison between the Bonnie and the Bullet since Bonnie or the Thruxton’s real competitor the RE “Interceptor” is long dead. To be very honest if you keep the price comparison away I’d still fall for a Triumph anyday. Never been a RE fan mostly because it lacks the attention to the very trivial but very small things…they say devil is in the detail. Well having said that once Sid Lal took over the reigns RE has seen a sea change in the quality of products coming out it’s stable. A paradigm shift indeed. Loved the Classic 500 and now the GT535. Those are the only two RE’s that are currently breathing on this planet that I like. Cant agree with you on the styling of the RE Racer. I think I was flabbergasted at the liberal use of clothes and chrome. Must have been seriously hard for RE to let go…I must admit I like it. Now, on the other hand the Bonnie was born around the same time as the Bullet (or for that matter the Thruxton it’s younger sister) have matured over the years like a rare vintage wine. Attention to minutest of detail is the Britisher’s bad habit. Detail so subtle that wont even catch your eyes but as a whole the motorcycle just looks like one of Michelangelo’s creations. Moreover, the Bonnie comes with 2 seats :-P. Bonnie it is for me (if I could afford it)…well that until the Interceptor 750 rises back from the Dead!!!
I don’t like the styling of Thruxton either and absolutely hate the styling of Scrambler :p.
As far as RE is concerned, I loved the styling of their Lightening 535 and prefer Std and Electra in their current lineup.
HAHA! Yogesh sir , I have been a great admirer of your photos and trips..but i often fail to understand your disliking for RE. Yes! I have read you post on why you think RE is over hyped and therefore not like it.
I like to ride solo sir and that is why maybe i do not interact with the biking fraternity much, (for me riding is more like meditation then networking) so the views are more of personal as in what I feel if I compare the two.
No doubt Triumph is priced a lakh less then its home country, but 7 lakhs + is still a big number for an average Indian will shell out for a bike. Plus if you add maintenance and Spare parts charges they would be more then the EMIs I would pay for my RE or maybe even a small car (just a wild guess ). Plus on the road trips I have never seen someone riding a Triumph/Harley because ( Nor even I would like to take it even if I somehow get one ) of the reliability factor. I will easily find a mechanic for RE in the remotest of the hamlet I stop for a night halt. Plus the spares are readily available, everywhere. Since for a long time I have never seen them advertising in TV or prints. Reliability,affordability and maintenance is where RE scores over rest. Therefore, ts the customers who become brands ambassador for it.
Rishi, I do not dislike Royal Enfield Motorcycles. Just that, in current form I wouldn’t really put my money down to buy one, unless RE comes out with 500cc Electra with a large tank and some additional improvements.
It is true I do not like individuals who like to talk down other individuals, just because they bought something readily available in a showroom.
As far as reliability factor and finding spares and mechanics in remote areas goes, nothing beats 150 to 180cc motorcycles from Hero Moto and Bajaj Auto; minimum mechanical issues and parts easily available all over the country with the engine being as complex as a modern day 350cc Enfield.
As far as touring imported motorcycles goes, there are plenty of Indians who do that and there are plenty of foreigners who travel across India on their own motorcycles as well. Normally these motorcycles are good enough to not cause an issue in the middle of the road and powerful enough to not cause any strain on the engine, even while climbing steepest roads.
Quick points:
Reliability is *not* having a mechanic that can fix your bike when it breaks down every 100km. Reliability is having a bike that doesn’t break down. Decades of Enfields may have changed this definition in India, but it’s time we started having higher standards for our machinery. Don’t get me wrong, the Enfield is the most fun motorcycle I’ve ever ridden, but I don’t need to pretend it’s reliable to say that it’s fun.
The problem with the Indian biking fraternity is that most people here are riding out of necessity, and not out of passion. You’re comparing India with the US or the UK, and that’s not an accurate comparison. In the US, no one rides because they couldn’t afford a car. A second car is much cheaper than a bike. My US car was certainly much cheaper than my current US bike. Riders buy bikes because they’re passionate about riding. Whether it’s a kid on a crotch rocket because he thinks it’ll impress girls or a 60 year old on a Harley who only rides to the bar on a weekend, no one *has* to ride a bike. India is the opposite. Most riders here are riding because bikes are cheap and they can’t afford a car; the unspoken assumption (from friends, wives (or husbands), kids, parents, coworkers, bosses, everyone) is that you’ll buy a car as soon as you can afford one.
Do you know how many times people have asked me why I’d spend 1.5L on a bike when I could have bought a second hand car for that price? And I get that question across the economic spectrum of Indians, from random construction workers in Ladakh to an extremely upper middle class factory-owner in Bengal.
Triumph is marketing to the very, very few people who will spend car money on a bike in India. It’s a microscopic market. Enfield is marketing to the current crowd of bikers who have money, already have a family car (or two), and might move into the enthusiast market if the bike’s a *little* pricier than a bike used to be. Still car territory, but just barely. Very different mindsets in those two markets.
I own an ’83 cast iron 350, an R1150 RT with 100,000+ miles on an unopened engine, and a Duke 200. My next vehicle here will likely be a custom jeep build. The Duke ruined a large part of my last big road trip in India (3 months of motorcycle camping, Calcutta – Kargil – Bangalore – Calcutta). Indian bikes simply aren’t reliable enough in this price range for me to be happy doing big miles here.
Dave while you are right to a certain degree. There are plenty of people these days who ride motorcycle out of choice, rather than economical necessity. Especially when they are spending more than the cheapest car in India.
The Continental GT is essentially a lightning 535 with a skirt on it for which they bump up the price by another 100k and we get excited over it! #facepaln
lol