Bullet Classic in Military Green

I am often so surprised by such instances. This one's available in the international market but not in India. Why? And btw, how much effort does it take to make the same available here?

Going by observations of the ways in which people modify their Bullets, military green is one of the most preferred colors. Wonder if the marketing guys at RE have their eyes open?

This one's ravishing. Supreme impact. Bring it on!

Bajaj's new superbike - CHETAK

:) I know the title is tempting enough to go through this post.

As I see, Bajaj thrives on springing surprises. And surprises which almost get the entire biking fraternity sit up, notice and acknowledge the efforts. So, here's another strategic surprise that Bajaj can throw for the enthusiastic Indian bikers:

Launch a superbike called CHETAK!

I sense that the time has come for a bike to carry the age-old name. Yes, it was fuddy-duddy scooter once upon a time. But think about the word, its connotations, the myths and the history, the way it sounds when it is spoken. Quite rich, quite emphatic, very Indian but very apt for something grand! A superbike is just the right machine for the name.

If still not convinced, rattle it out with the likes of Fazer, Ninja, Hayabusa, Chetak, Ducati, etc. Repeat these names in your mind twice or thrice and you'll get the drift of what I wanna convey.

Indeed, the Bajaj's understanding and legal arrangements with its partners like KTM and Kawasaki need to be factored in. If there's space for Bajaj, then this is the thing to do. Imagine CHETAK 1OOO! Or, CHETAK 500! :) Doesn't take a lot of time to sink in, does it?

Suzuki might sue you

If you post pics of its about-to-be-launched 125cc bike Slingshot. Yes, that's the grapevine. And therefore, all the blogs and forums have removed the pics and articles.

But hasn't that happened with quite a few products? Stealth pics and all. I can remember it happened with Karizma ZMR. Guess it also happened with Twister. But we didn't hear any 'suing' news there.

The thing is when these Slingshot pics were posted, almost all the bloggers and their readers gave a unanimous thumbs down to the bike. Guess this is what got the company worried. And since they got worried, they threaten to take legal action.

Some important points:

1. If opinion makers are really not enthused, it doesn't change a thing. They aren't now. They won't be, later too.
2. You stop them from writing/expressing, for sure they are not gonna turn around and write positive about your product later.
3. After the launch, they might launch a sterner attack on the product. Get ready for the killing.

What Suzuki loses?

An opportunity. Yes, an opportunity to listen to the folks who have the power to influence opinions in a big way. An opportunity to involve the enthusiasts in the making of the bike. An opportunity which can turn Suzuki into an enthusiast's brand in a short span of time.

What we learn?

I am pretty sure that with hundreds of crores of money riding such automobile products, there must be a lot of marketing research happening before, while and after developing the product. Looking at this product in particular, am pretty sure that Suzuki is getting it all wrong. Or may be their researchers are getting it all wrong. It results in nothing but sheer waste of resources and sheer disappointment among consumers waiting to lap up products in a growing market like India.

Time for a Naked 150cc

Bajaj has another first to its name. A 150cc for pure commuting. My guess is Discover 150 will change market in ways which we can't fully comprehend.

Great! If you observe all bikes these days, especially >100cc bikes, they all come with fairing and swooping design elements from the head-light to the tail-light. It's time to get the classic naked look back. Something like...

Pic Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeevan_balwant/3489794605/

Now of course, this picture shows RD350. But if you find a design like this mated with a 150cc-200cc engine, wouldn't you be tempted? Is any brand listening?

To Siddhartha From Siddharth

Dear Sir,

You are doing your best to thrill the patrons of your legendary motorcycles. Appreciate that. But you know what, your 'doing your best' is still traumatic for many of the fans. Are you even aware of that? Are you listening? We can only hope so.

You know how many (if not all) RE owners feel about RE motorcycles. They feel like a doting mother who knows very well that her child is an incorrigibly gone case but still loves him and feels hopelessly proud (even if there's no reason to) coz there's no other option.

Should you want to dig deeper and know a little more, urge to go to this link.

Not-so-royal experience @ Royal Enfield

Just came back from the Royal Enfield Bandra showroom. Went there to collect my refund cheque against cancellation of my booking made way back on 23rd Dec '09 for a Classic 350.

The showroom manager's smiling. His assistant's also smiling. Proudly (might say arrogantly too) announcing that the booking for 350 has been stalled for the moment and that the waiting period for a new booking is 8 months!!!

Downright pathetic. The guys have gone mad.

First, it's no happy moment that a customer is canceling his purchase no matter the high demand.

Second, it's no laughing matter that the waiting period is 8 months; it just tells us that you (the brand) don't care much about the customers.

Third, Classic 350 and the new engine converted quite a few non-Bulleteers into going for a Bullet. But that's just half the job done. If your service still sucks (like it did earlier), the same guys might turn their backs to you pretty soon.

Fourth, the company can't hold money like this and ask the person who made the booking to come and collect the money from the showroom. The least they could do is respect the customer, respect his time and the faith he put in you, apologize for inconvenience and try to make up in some form.

Sure there's only one Royal Enfield. And scarcity often leads to a favorable impression of the brand but guess they are stretching the loyalists much too far and far too often.

I can go on and on about my disappointment but the folks at Royal Enfield might not listen. Royal Arrogance or Royal Lapses sounds better.

Fastest Indian status for the P220 might be shortlived

If this piece of information is anything to go by, then Bajaj is gonna have a headache selling Pulsars. It says:

Next month, Yamaha Motor will launch an upgraded model of Fazer that, sources familiar with the developments said, would be able to do 150 km an hour. The company’s R15, currently on sale, can attain a top speed of 140 km/hour without the performance-boosting kit, and sources said the new Fazer would easily cross that. (read more here)

So if fast is what you are looking for, postpone your purchases.