From commuters to cruisers: India's changing motorcycle landscape

I feel the change is for the good. Now we have a whole range of vehicles that can cater to varying needs and desires. Right from a small economy commuter to the super bikes of the world.

BHPian BlackStrat recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

You are in the year 2000 and are in the market for a two-wheeler which is capable of transporting you to the office and back and running a few daily errands. Sit back and think about the options you had back then.

You had the likes of the Hero Honda CBZ, Bajaj Boxer, Bajaj Chetak, Royal Enfield Bullet 350, Kinetic Honda, Hero Honda Splendor (relevant even today) and a few names I might have missed out but the eager audience of team BHP might know. The Pulsar was a few months away, and so was the Karizma. Honda was some time away from revolutionising the gearless market space and some manufacturers were not even born around the turn of the century. You knew that you had to choose from a specific set of vehicles and there were no 2 ways about it. Unlike today, there was limited to zero knowledge of the ride quality of these bikes and Indians as a consumer segment were happy with whatever they were handed out. There were no YouTube channels that belted out first-ride reviews even before the bike was launched in India. Heck, YouTube itself was some distance away from its birth. Life was simple, limited means led to limited choices and no regrets which led to a simple life (baring the Royal Enfield owners). While the machines were not as reliable as they are today, we were happy back then with the technology being doled out by the OEMs.

Let’s skip a few years, 24 to be precise and see where we are today. The Indian consumer today has more choices from a single OEM than he/she had cumulatively back then. Today, Bajaj Auto with its partnership with Triumph and KTM produces as many models as one may be able to count on their fingers, hands and feet included. The Duke itself has 4 variants with different engine configurations. Let’s not even get started on the army of Pulsars. Once you catch a breath counting the pulsars then we can come to the Huskys and the Triumphs. We all know what Royal Enfield has done since Mr Lal took over in the mid to late 2000s. Hero, which frankly, till recently was predominantly into daily commuters and fuel-efficient bike segment, barring the Karizma, has metamorphosized into this beast which has an almost all-encompassing range from an EV to an off-roader as well as the cruiser. Let’s not forget the Harley Davidson angle here too. What Bajaj can do, I can match (if not do better). We are no longer the land of “Kitna Deti Hai?” and we have also moved on from the “kitneme padega ye bike?” phase. Today, the consumer wants premium products at a decent cost. While BMW and TVS certainly need to think about their pricing strategy, most of the OEMs are killing it here. Think about it, a Triumph at sub 3 lakh rupees, a Harley Davidson at almost the same cost. A 400cc Pulsar at less than 2 lakhs and let’s not even get to the pricing of the Hero machines.

You must be wondering why am I stating all these facts when EICMA is on. Well, it is for that same reason I am writing this piece. Back in the 2000’s we as consumers were limited to daily commuters, barring the rich who could afford to import bikes, the normal Indian had his dream set on a Splendor. The Pulsar and Karizma did move the goal post but that came at a later date and not before the CBZ blazed a trail for them. As a motorcycle enthusiast, the choices back then were largely limited.

Today though, the scenario has completely changed. Within the last 3 weeks, we’ve had as many as 4 bike launches from Hero, 3 launches from Eicher Motors, 1 each by KTM, Aprilia and BMW. That’s 10 models already and many more will be launched/showcased by the time this article hits your timeline.

This brings me to the title of this article. Back in the early 2000s, due to limited dissemination of information and limited choice, we were happy with whatever we bought. Not that all the machines were perfect, but we learned to live with the flaws treating them as the characteristics of the machine rather than drawbacks. Oil leaking on a Royal Enfield was treated as a sign of the bike marking its territory. Suspension being stiff on a few bikes was treated as a thing to master rather than despise. The epic brakes of the pulsar were treated as a thing to be taken care of rather than being scared of. The jumpy nature of a Honda Unicorn was treated as an exciting bit rather than being typecast as a throttle-happy machine. I can go on and on but one gets the drift. You buy something, you stay with it till the RTO mandate does you apart.

Today though, a KTM is treated badly due to its alliance with a certain type of rider. The multitude of reviews and videos have taken away the charm of owning and nurturing a machine. Today, we want the best irrespective of our nature and characteristics. Today, the clutch action has to be perfect from the first gear shift, the seat has to be perfectly supportive of your bottom from the first time you sit on it. The braking has to be impeccable from the get-go. The engine has to be a specific way from the first km. The consumer of today is way more confused as compared to the one who bought a bike out of compulsion back in the 2000s. Today we second guess our second guesses and think about our purchases as soon as it hits the road. Back then we had bikes but today we have ADVs, Cruisers, Roadsters, Choppers, Street naked, Fully faired track bikes and the lot. Times have changed for sure and so has technology, but think about it, has it helped us choose better or has it spoiled us for choice or rather confused us with a plethora of choices?

Here's what BHPian Jaggu had to say on the matter:

I feel the change is for the good. Now we have a whole range of vehicles that can cater to varying needs and desires. Right from a small economy commuter to the super bikes of the world. Right from a daily wager to a CXO, he/she has the choice to get what he /she wants. Isn't this brilliant? The best part in this world is that now even a daily wager can become a CXO with the amount of opportunities out there.  So all this is for the better till someone decides to ban internal combustion engines i.e ...

Here's what BHPian davelok had to say on the matter:

To paraphrase the old adage, nobody gets fired for buying a Splendor.

The choices thin out as you move up the premium chain. I still can't find the perfect bike, even though I got the Speed 400, which is quite capable. Sometimes I wish the Super Splendor was really what the name suggests...

Here's what BHPian argee had to say on the matter:

Cognitive overload & Decision fatigue occurs when there're abundance & more choices to make. Same goes with cars of today as well. Add to that younger generation undergoes FOMO as well

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.