Punjab motorbike sales up

Motorbike dealers in the city have reasons to smile. Demand for motorbikes in Punjab has increased manifold.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt Ltd claim an increase in sales by 130 per cent over the past five years, from 1.2 million bikes a year in 2001 to 3 million annually now.

Local dealers of Honda claim to have captured 21 per cent of the market share with its models the Honda Unicorn and the recently launched the Honda Shine.

Motorcycle manufacturers are now luring customers by adding features with an assurance of good mileage, excellent pick-up, a powerful disc-brake system, tuff-tube tyres for minimising punctures, comfortable riding positions, fuel tank knee grip, self-start models, multi-reflector halogen bulbs, and Teflon-coating finish to reduce scratches on the bike's body.

Companies seem to be popularising their latest models--Hero Honda has its Super Splendor, Bajaj its Discover, and Honda Motorcycle its Shine.

The 125-CC Shine with a quantum core engine Super Splendor comes at Rs 44,600 to give a mileage of 70 km per litre locally and 75 km on highways.

N S Anand, dealer of the company, said he had sold 125 bikes since its launch about one and a half months ago. He said sales of the Passion, priced at Rs 41,613, were more. He is selling nearly 300 units of the Honda Passion a month.

Anil Verma, assistant senior manager with Hero Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt Ltd, is optimistic about the Honda Shine, a 125-cc motorcycle empowered with a 10.3 bhp engine and improved pick-up and mileage, disc brakes, three step spring loaded hydraulic shockers, tuff-up tube and primary kick that would allow an engine in any gear to start.

The companies are also offering high-range bikes. Hero Honda's Karizma, priced at Rs 71,012, is said to be a 223-cc bike with a ground blurring speed of 125 km per hour.

There also is a segment of low-end bikes, which are largely old basic models sans use of any latest technologies.

While LML has its CRD Super Deluxe coming at Rs 36,000 with a mileage of 101 km per litre, its 109.1 cc Freedom Prima comes for Rs 40,000.

Hero Honda has two models of lower range. The 100 cc CD Dawn comes at Rs 30,900 while the CD Deluxe with the same engine capacity is priced at Rs 33,900.