Premium bikes take the fancy of Indians

28 November 2008

New Delhi: While premium luxury cars take the fancy of the well-heeled and status conscious there is another adventurous, fancy free and young-at-heart Indian who wants to buy a motorbike not because he cannot afford a car but because he wants to experience the thrill and excitement of high speed on the road - on a motorcycle.

Starting with Yamaha India launching its super premium bikes in India in 2007 a number of two-wheeler makers have got into the act and one can expect a whole lot of gorgeous looking mean machines on Indian roads in the near future. 

Japanese mean machines
Japanese bike-makers have begun to see the potential for their performance bikes now and after Yamaha Suzuki Motorcycle India has launched its legendary super premium sports bikes the 1,340 cc Hayabusa and the 1,783 cc cruiser Intruder M1800R in India. The bikes come with a steep price tag of Rs12.5 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). The company has set a modest target of selling around 300-365 units in a year.

Not as stunning in terms of looks, but way more stunning in terms of straight-line performance is the Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa. Even though it has been launched in India very recently, the bike has been breaking drag-strip records (and competitors' hearts) for almost ten years now. The new generation 2008 model is arguably the biggest, baddest and the fastest hypersport production machine in the world (capable of a restricted top speed of 298 km/h), and Suzuki has played smartly to showcase its absolute best in India.

The bikes will be brought in as completely built units from the company's Japan facility, which adds to their price.

The bikes will be available in seven cities across India including in all the metros.