Show and tell

The best of two-wheelers at the eighth Auto Expo

The eighth Auto Expo saw more than a few two-wheeler manufacturers conspicuous by their absence. Honda, LML, Kinetic and Royal Enfield decided not to come to the show grounds, and that should have been a dampener.

There certainly was a lot of eye-candy at the Expo, starting from the glossy lineup of Yamaha and Suzuki 'reference' models and extending in a colourful streak to the girls helpfully pointing out to the printed spec sheets.

However, the Expo did not disappoint. Here's why.

Bajaj

What they had on display: If the crowds were any indication, Bajaj was the clear leader in spectator traffic, at least in the motorcycle booths. Bajaj had some advanced, even concept-ish motorcycles on display, though none were teasers.

When we'd finished ogling the bigger than Pulsar 180 machine, which sported fuel injection (to called DTS-Fi), projector headlamp, an oil-cooler, rear disc brake, LED taillamps "" each one an India first "" they told us they'd launch it, lock, stock and smoking barrel.

Next to the big Pulsar was the aggressive and wedgy new Pulsar 180, also due for launch within the calendar year. Bajaj showed off a new platform called the Sonic, meant to be a sporty machine for the college kid, which looked very stylish and sported all the right bits.

The scooters were represented by the Wave, the current in-production scooter, the Kristal "" another 2006 launch intended for the college-going girl, and the superb Blade, which aims squarely at the more macho, Italian style of scooters. The Blade sported disc brakes, alloy wheels, fat telescopic forks and looked very, very good.

What they didn't bring: Despite showing off four new machines, Rajiv Bajaj told the media that this was not all that would get launched in 2006! Bajaj did not show, for instance, the executive-class machine they intend to launch very shortly. Or for that matter, the plethora of unobtainable eye-candy from the Kawasaki stable.

What we think: Among the two-wheeler displays, Bajaj's booth was head and shoulders above the rest for looking forward pointedly, and still staying grounded and realistic. The point to note is that Bajaj showed off production-ready technologies that another two-wheeler maker had put on display to gauge audience responses.

Yamaha

What they had on display: Yamaha pulled out all the stops when it came to their pavilion. Practically every model we've drooled over in the past six months made an appearance "" the 50th anniversary R1, the storming new 17,000 rpm R6, the eclectic but potent M1, the Star cruiser line's first bike, the Stratoliner, FZs 1 and 6... they were all there.

And the bike stealing the show from right under their vast arsenal was the famous blue number 46 YZR-M1, which took centrestage. Yamaha and Rossi's landmark achievement was the centre of attraction, just where it belongs.

The India-specific display was restricted to two concepts, both called Gladiator. The idea was to judge Indian responses to their styling. Engine specifications and details were kept hush-hush, although Yamaha's new chief Tomohaka Ishikawa did say that they would be launching something soon, and another product lies just this side of Diwali.

What they didn't bring: While Yamaha is known to be mulling its scooter entry, there wasn't anything serious like the 500cc T-Max, except for the city loungeabout, Maxam. More to the point, we were all expecting a more concrete set of Indian models, not the twin Gladiators.

What we think:The trail of wistful dreams said loud and clear that Yamaha, once more, did not have something that the Indian enthusiast, or for that matter, the commuter could look forward to.

However, Yamaha officials were bullish about the aggressive new face of their company we're about to see. We're polishing our dancing shoes already, the Yamaha party is just around the corner now.

Suzuki

What they had on display: Like Yamaha, Suzuki too were out in a show of force. The booth had a row of bikes as long as your commute and encompassed everything from the de rigeur Hayabusa, the just-debuted Stratosphere six-cylinder concept, the '06 GSX-R1000, the spanking new GSR600, the SV1000S, a couple of scooters and one quad.

Suzuki kept the suspense up by delaying the reveal of their first India-specific models to the second day of the show. Two bikes took centrestage "" the Heat 125, a commuter and the mildly faired Zeus 125X. Though the Zeus looks quite contemporary, the Heat does not break new ground visually.

The Heat's 125cc motor with 8.71 bhp and about 1 kgm of torque is what the segment average is at. So's the indicative price of Rs 37,900 (ex-showroom Delhi). We expect the Zeus' price to be not more than Rs 3,000 over the Heat. Suzuki expects both bikes to be ready for the market by March this year.

What they didn't bring: We were looking for the DR series of motocrossers, which form the middle ground between the racing RMs and the kiddie crossers. A GSV-R from the MotoGP series and John Hopkins to sign autographs would have been nice as well.

What we think: The stall established that Suzuki was a proper big motorcycle manufacturer. Given the Hayabusa's movie-inspired popularity, Suzuki have had it easy in terms of differentiating the brand from the car chaps.

TVS

What they had on display: TVS had about 60-odd Apaches, in all colours of a metallic rainbow and mounted in all sort of ways. Also on the stand were the usual collection of Team TVS Racing's motocrossers, complete with fully kitted out dummies on board.

However, the stunners of the stall were the two concepts, the Predator and the Isotope 200. Strictly non-running concepts, the Predator features some very clean, sinister styling, with a bring-it-here 500cc V-twin motor, while the Isotope was even more welcome, for its minimal but jaw-dropping looks.

The bikes were designed by TVS' new design team, and the Isotope, specifically, was meant to represent a recreational product in a small displacement motorcycle market like ours.

What they didn't bring: Some pizzazz.

What we think: We're just sad that the Predator and the Isotope 200 are both going to remain dreams in sheet metal. TVS is now focusing on a larger displacement machine to back up the premium-segment presence of the Apache.

Hero Honda

What they had on display: At least three copies of every bike they currently make. The Pleasure, the new scooter from Hero Honda, dominated proceedings with a DJ chatting up PYTs.

What they didn't bring: Hero Honda's stall revealed nothing about the game plan going forward. One would guess that the Karizma is the oldest un-updated machine, and that would be the logical step, but that's just guessing.

What we think: Hero Honda killed two birds with one stone by not doing anything spectacular. They needed to let the Pleasure take centrestage and establish a link with the girls, and we believe that will happen. And they also neatly skirted around the issue of whatever it is that they have up their sleeve.

Kanda

What they had on display: Kanda had as many as six machines on display, all equally significant, considering that all were more or less the same, but with engine capacity differences. The Thunder range kicked off at the Auto Expo with the 100cc machine, and the 125 and 150cc versions are due to follow very shortly.

What they didn't bring: Well, nothing that would blow the lid clear off the motorcycle market and worry the established players.

What we think: The motorcycles are unlikely to move any goal-posts on quality, innovation, looks or motor fronts. However, if the pricing falls as planned in the 100cc entry-level market, then it could, by a thin sliver of a chance, be the only 'different' looking entry-level bike there is.

Commercial interests

One of the commercial vehicles Tata Motors showcased was this Globus model that looks like it's got the Volvo B7R market firmly in its sights

A rugged and purposeful MAN truck from Force Motors that looks like it's mocking the current Army favourite, the Ashok Leyland Stallion

That's probably what you're going to see frequently on our highways soon. That's the contemporary-looking Aero, a concept truck from Ashok Leyland

Tatra, the Czech commercial vehicle manufacturer famous for their impressive swinging half-axle trucks, displayed this almost retro-looking tipper-truck based on the Russian Kamaz platform