The sub-Rs 1 lakh motorcycle segment in India is arguably in its best ever phase simply because of the number of options that are available for the probable buyer. There are some wonderful value for money commuters, boldly styled street-nakeds and even full-faired motorcycles that promise to give you a proper performance. But when you have so many options to choose from, deciding on the one that’s right for you can take a lot of time and energy.

We have put together a list of the top motorcycles that fall under the price tag of sub-Rs 1 lakh and promise great value for money. These motorcycles are also targeted at a wide range of audience and being unable to choose a favourite, the list is in no particular order.

TVS Apache RTR 200 4V

1.       
TVS Motor Company’s Apache line-up has been built with the sole purpose of delivering performance at a budget. But given that there is an ever-increasing love for 200cc motorcycles in India, they came out with their most powerful motorcycle right now – Apache RTR 200 4V. We tested it out comprehensively during our review and found out that not only is it their best Apache yet, it is a great package overall.

It is available in several variants and starts at a price tag of Rs 89,200. As you go higher in the variant chain, you will get options like Pirelli Diablo Rosso II Tyres and dual-channel ABS. Inclusive of which, the bike will cost you around Rs 1 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi) and we recommend going for these add-ons as they not only improve the performance of the bike but also makes it safer under extreme scenarios.

2. Suzuki Gixxer

 
Suzuki Motorcycles is the maker of the likes of legendary motorcycles like the Hayabusa and the GSX-R1000, and from its stable, comes the Gixxer. That’s quite a lot of expectations to live up to and the Suzuki Gixxer does that and more. Powered by a 155cc engine, the Gixxer delivers enough grunt and power to make your everyday commute pleasant and that’s not it, the bike has strong built quality and an impressive fit-finish throughout. To top it all, it has a very competitive starting price at almost Rs 78,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi)

There’s also the Suzuki Gixxer SF if you are one of those that preferred full-faired motorcycles over street nakeds and both of these models recently received the blessing of fuel-injection and rear disc brake variants. Something that we highly recommend going for.

3. Bajaj Avenger

 
There’s always been a very selective segment of buyers in India who have preferred the comfort of a cruiser right from the days of the Yamaha Enticer. Currently, if you want to lay your hands on a cruiser then there’s nothing better than the Bajaj Avenger. The bike has received a mid-life update recently and feels a lot more refined to ride than before and is arguably one of the most comfortable offerings in the sub-Rs 1 lakh segment and that ranks quite high in terms of preferred characteristic of a motorcycle for a lot of buyers. There’s no surprise then, that Bajaj has been getting good sales numbers from the Avenger.

Available at a base price of almost Rs 77,000, the Avenger comes with a 150cc engine at its heart. There’s also the bright chrome-filled ‘Cruiser 220’ and the handsome ‘Street 220’ variants available for almost Rs 87,000 that come with a bigger, more powerful 220cc engine.

4. Honda CB Hornet 160R

 
The Honda CB Hornet 160R is the second street-naked motorcycle to make it to our list and there’s a very good reason behind it – looks. Now, if you are spending this kind of money, you would want your motorcycle to look good and right now, there’s isn’t any better-looking street-naked motorcycle in this price segment. It is powered by a 162cc engine that delivers 15.5 horsepower and 14.8 Nm of torque which makes the bike feel quite punchy during those quick overtakes.

It has a starting price of Rs 80,000 and the one with the ‘Combi-Brake System’ or CBS will cost around Rs 85,000 (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi). What CBS does is that it applies both the brakes in a definitive ratio for efficient braking even when you are using just the front brakes or the rear brakes, making it safer than the base variant as the chances of locking up a tyre under intense braking is lesser and the brake force is distributed. We recommend going for the CBS variant.

5. Bajaj V

 When Bajaj announced the concept of V, which is, taking the metal that was used in the legendary INS Vikrant and using it to make a motorcycle, the company had definitely caught everyone’s attention. But they went on to sell 1 lakh of these motorcycles in just four months, and that says a lot about the product itself. There’s no denying that the Bajaj Pulsar is undoubtedly their most popular offering in the Indian market but what V did, was to give potential Bajaj customers another option to look at and stand apart from the massive number of Pulsars on the road.

It is powered by a 149.5 cc engine that delivers 12 horsepower and 13 Nm of torque and is available at Rs 62,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi). It is the second Bajaj in our list of top 5 motorcycles in under Rs 1 lakh in India and that’s because the products from the company are backed by a large number of dealerships and service networks along with the ease of access to spare parts, which clearly works towards the advantage of the BajajV.

At the end of the day, all these motorcycles are really good at what they were intended to be. What it comes to down to is what kind of a riding experience that you are looking for and what your usage of the motorcycle is going to be. Do you agree with our list or have any suggestion? Make sure you put them in the comment section below.

Source : Top 5 Bikes to Buy in Less Than Rs 1 Lakh in India; Your Worthy First 'Premium' 

ET Intelligence Group: Bajaj Auto BSE 0.33 %, India's third-largest motorcycle maker, is likely to outperform market leader Hero MotoCorp in the medium term, because its shares are cheaper to own and the company looks set to post improved sales and a stable margin.

In a post-earnings conference, the company's management said it is planning to launch three bikes in the second half: one from the Pulsar family , a new variant of the recently-launched V and a premium segment bike -VS 400, which will compete with Royal Enfield.The management is hoping to sell 7,000-8,000 units of the VS400 every month. The new launches are likely to augment overall volumes in the second half of the fiscal year, helping it sell more units than in the first six months ended on September 30 -it sold nearly 11 lakh bikes in the first half. The company's market share has gained 3.6 percentage points to 18.8% in the past seven quarters, driven by the combined volumes of the CT100, Avenger and V-15.Interestingly, none of these new bikes was a big success individually. Bajaj Auto is set to post higher volume growth at a time when its peers are likely to see sluggish performance due to elevated inventory in the first half. The street is pricing in domestic volume growth of 12-13% for the current fiscal year for Bajaj.

Bajaj Auto's margin is expected to remain stable in the medium term. In the September quarter, its operating margin was 21.4% and the management sounded confident of maintaining it at around 21%. A pickup in the volumes of three-wheelers, which offer better profitability than motorcycles, is expected to insulate the margin from any impact from lower twowheeler exports. Three-wheeler volumes are expected to grow 5% in FY17, and Bajaj Auto is expected to outperform the segment growth after its recent entry into the cargo segment. The company has increased prices by `500 on bikes and `1,000 on three-wheelers in mid-July . This will help offset any pressure from commodity price increase.

Bajaj Auto is trading at 16 times its FY18 projected earnings after adjusting for the stake in KTM.This is marginally higher than its long-term average price-multiple, but most of its peers are trading at 20-50% premium to their longterm average PE. The valuation of Bajaj has been depressed owing to sliding volumes in the export markets which are primarily oil dependent countries. The market is factoring a 9-10% decline in volume growth in Bajaj's motorcycle exports. This shows headwinds from the export market are already priced-in.

Source : Why Bajaj Auto could be a better bet than Hero

When the Honda Navi was launched at the 2016 Auto Expo, it ended up being the focus of everyone’s attention. Well apart from the attractive pricing it was unlike any other two-wheeler on sale in the country. Within two months of deliveries commencing, the Navi crossed the milestone of 10,000 units sold. And it continues to sell like hot cakes.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has announced that the Navi has crossed the 50,000 units sold milestone. The Navi has achieved this feat within six month of deliveries commencing. Commenting on its success, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, senior vice president, sales and marketing, HMSI said, “With Navi Honda has been successful in creating a new segment in the Indian two-wheeler industry.”

The Honda Navi is powered by a 110cc single-cylinder engine which makes 7.83PS and 8.96Nm of torque. It is available in Street, Adventure and Off-road trims. With prices starting from Rs 42,824 (ex-Mumbai) it is one of the most affordable two-wheelers in India. In terms of dimensions, it measures 1,805mm in length, 748mm in width and has 1,286mm wheelbase. It gets a 156mm ground clearance and is lighter than the Activa by 7kgs.

Speaking of the Honda Activa, we have compared it with the Honda Navi and found the latter to be light and agile but with a different weight distribution. Heck, we have even compared the Navi to the Honda Grom.

Source : Honda Navi crosses 50,000 units in sales in India
 

Anyone looking for an electric bike will be spoiled for choice this fall with a host of models on the market from various manufacturers. Here are a few things to look out for when shopping for an e-bike.

Model

It's important to pick a model that's designed for the kind of use you have in mind. For more comfort when riding around town, look for a city e-bike with an upright position, and high, close handlebars. This lets the rider see far ahead while keeping their arms relaxed.

In recent years, more versatile models have landed on the market, based on the design of hybrid bikes. Here, the rider's position is more inclined, combining pleasure with practicality for commuters. These two kinds of electronic bikes usually come with practical accessories such as a luggage rack or a built-in antitheft device, and they are ideal for day-to-day use.

Some brands also make models suitable for all kinds of use and leisure activities. These tend to be lighter, with the slim wheels of a mountain bike, and they don't come with any accessories. They're aimed at sporty users and thrill-seeking riders.

Battery

Another key point when choosing an electric bike is the battery. An e-bike battery can be recharged in a few hours from a regular mains socket, and weighs an average 3kg. Some batteries can be removed, making the bike easier to transport.

There are three main types of battery. Lead-based batteries are the cheapest option, but they're heavy and sensitive to changes in climatic conditions. Nickel-cadmium batteries are lighter but have battery memory issues, so performance can suffer if they aren't completely depleted prior to charging. Lithium batteries stand out as the best choice, but they're the most expensive.

All three kinds come in various models, offering varying levels of power and range. A 36 volts/400 amp-hour battery offers sufficient electric assistance for several hours' riding.

Motor

The location of the bike's driving force, its motor, is also worth considering. Before the 2010s, e-bike motors were usually located on the wheels, making them cheaper and easier to install. When riding, the feeling is a bit like having someone pushing your back. The difference in power between two pedal strokes isn't really that noticeable, and it doesn't really matter if the motor is on the front or back wheel, especially for city riding. However, riders have noticed a lack of grip on unstable, rougher terrain when the motor is on the front wheel.

An e-bike with a pedal-based hub motor feels more like riding a regular bicycle. Certain recent models take the concept further with a system of sensors measuring speed, pressure and rotation to help the motor adapt to the cyclist's needs.

Assistance

E-bikes fall into two categories. Some come with an electric motor that responds to just one factor: whether or not the rider is pedaling. The level of assistance is therefore constant and can be adjusted via a control module. These modules can be fixed or removable, with LEDs or digital displays, allowing the cyclist to change the level of help they get from the electric motor.

A more advanced system used in higher-end models offers "proportional" assistance, monitoring the rider's pedaling and adding a certain amount of assistance. This is determined by several sensors, which evaluate the pressure exerted on the pedals and the level of difficulty the user faces. This makes for improved responsiveness from the motor and lower power use.

Gears

Cyclists also expect speed and adaptability from a bike's gear transmission. For a sporty feel and no loss in output, some electric bikes use derailleur systems for changing gears.

Models designed for city riding tend to use a gear hub system. Linked to the pedal motor, this gear system requires the user to stop pedaling to change gear, which can take some getting used to. But this practical solution protects the chain and avoids problems with derailment or chain jumping.

Source :  Five things to consider when choosing an e-bike

NEW DELHI: German car manufacturer, Volkswagen today announced its monthly sales performance for October 2016. The carmaker sold 5534 units as compared to 3255 units sold in the corresponding month of the previous year.

Michael Mayer, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India said, We welcomed the festive cheer with the launch of Volkswagen’s made-for-India and made-in-India Ameo Diesel, expanding our product portfolio to a wider audience. With our recent launches, we are well on course to give customers even more reasons to visit the Volkswagen showrooms. We are confident in continuing to improve our performance in sales and service, in the coming months along with exciting new products on the anvil.”

"Ameo Diesel, expanding our product portfolio to a wider audience. With our recent launches, we are well on course to give customers even more reasons to visit the Volkswagen showrooms. We are confident in continuing to improve our performance in sales and service, in the coming months along with exciting new products on the anvil.” he added

Volkswagen attributes the increase in sales to a larger bouquet of product portfolio that the brand is now offering to the Indian audience combined with the growing demand this festive season.

The company recently announced Volksfest 2016, with special festive offers that garnered a tremendous response and welcomed several new customers to the Volkswagen family. The company continues to strengthen its product offering in the Indian car market across categories providing consumers a wider choice to experience the brands robust build quality, safety features and fun driving experience.

Source :  Volkswagen India sales up by 70 percent in October 2016