Royal Enfield's New Plan in India

Royal Enfield, the brand that is synonymous with true biking spirit in India and in many parts across the globe had a few unsatisfied customers owing to a few quality issues. The company has decided to get rid of all and get back on the track.

The decision of setting up of a new plant in Oraggadam in Chennai was a great news as it was an immediate solution to drastically reduce the abnormal waiting period owing to a spur in demand of Royal Enfield bikes.

In an interview, Dr. Venki Padmanabhan, the Chief Executive Officer, Royal Enfield said that most of the quality issues are resolved by now. He added that Royal Enfield has started importing the batteries from Italy, which brings cost advantage to the company besides addressing all the quality issues.

The company is also planning to add 3 or 4 dealerships every month for the next three years to the existing chain of 180 presently. This ensures a minimum of additional 110 dealerships which in turn would result in additional demand and sales as well.

2010 is an important year for the company as it had sold around 2500 units abroad and the Bullet bikes was also ranked among top 10 motorcycles in terms of sales in the United Kingdom in the 125 to 500 cc displacement range.

By the year 2012, the company says that the exports would contribute around 6 per cent to its annual sales and would mark its presence in around 40 nations across the globe from the 29 now.

“We are now figuring out the right brand and value positioning needed to appeal to the vastly untapped developing country markets that, owing to our success in India, we are well prepared to handle”, he added.

The company is also following the footstep of Harley Davidson, the brand that is synonymous with cruiser bikes across the world. The reason is the fact that Royal Enfield is all set for brand extension by coming up with a wide range of riding gear which includes jackets, glasses, boots, rain coats, chains and a lot more too. All these products will bear the Royal Enfield logo on them thereby emerging as a brand in apparel and accessory segment too.

Royal Enfield is very sure to come back as a great brand of motorcycles capable of quenching the biker’s thirst in every man. What have you gotta say about the RE brand and about its foray into the new segment of apparels and accessories?

Fuel Efficient Driving and Tips to Save Fuel

By following some common sense rules of the road, anyone can increase their driving efficiency. Fuel efficient driving is not just good for the environment it is also good for your car. The following tips will also help to reduce fuel consumptions, thereby saving you money on Gas/Petrol, and also contribute to a better running vehicle.

Here are some tips for eco friendly driving.

• Obey the posted speed limits. Gas/Petrol mileage improves by more than ten percent when a driver cruises at 55 miles per hour (60-8- Km/h) rather than speeding above 65 mph(104 km/h). Use cruise control to keep your speed limit under control.
• Avoid fast starts and hard braking. Aggressive driving is unsafe and can increase unwanted emissions. Studies have shown that the number of emissions increase more than travel time decreases when drivers are heavy on the Gas/Petrol and brake pedals.
• Always keep tires full of air. Under-inflated tires can cause fuel consumption to increase by more than five percent. Check tire pressure at least once very thirty days. The Energy Information Administration, estimates that properly inflated tires could save approximately 800,000 barrels of oil a day in United States alone.
• Don’t idle. Except when you are in traffic, turn off the car if you will be sitting idle for more than thirty seconds. Sitting still with the car running contributes to unnecessary greenhouse Gas/Petrol. Even in the winter, it is unnecessary to warm up a car for more than thirty seconds. Older cars, however, may require more time to warm up. Be sure your car is warmed up sufficiently so that it won’t stall. But avoid warming it up longer than necessary.
• Drive in the highest gear possible. Driving in too low of a gear can waste fuel.
• Service your car regularly. A poorly running engine can use as much as fifty percent more fuel than a well-tuned engine and will emit more emissions. Clean air filters and oil will help a car run more efficiently.
• Avoid drag by rolling up the windows when driving on the highway and by removing unnecessary weight from the car. Don’t keep unneeded heavy objects in the trunk. Remove bicycle racks and ski racks when they are not in use and never tow a trailer if it is empty.
• Try not to use the car’s air conditioner. The air conditioner can increase fuel use by up to ten percent. Crack the windows and or use the ventilation flow to cool the car. When you park the car, do so in a shady spot. This will keep the inside temperatures down and negate the need for the air conditioner when you get back in to drive.
• Plan your trips and combine errands. Try to do your banking, dry cleaning and shopping in the same location to avoid driving too many miles. Map your routes in advance to find the most efficient way to get to and from your destination. Finally, try to avoid driving during peak traffic hours.
• Drive less. The most fuel efficient driving is not driving at all. Walk, ride a bike or take public transportation whenever possible.

Here are some tips to avoid scratches on your bike...

1. Whenever you are to park your bike in a tight parking lot, make
sure you always park it on its main (centre) stand and not on its
side stand. This is because, when you park with the side stand,
your bike is easily prone to be touched by the neighbouring bike
when the person takes his/her bike out thereby getting scratched.

2. Apply a coat of Teflon periodically so as to avoid the minor
scratches (atleast).

3. Whenever possible, try avoiding very busy parking areas. When you
are not busy, park it in some free area a little far away and walk
the mile. (Good for health too..!!)

4. When the number of scratches is more, making the bike look really
bad, there is nothing to panic. There are so many spray painters in
almost all the cities. Try discussing with them on re-painting on
that particular area alone. Out of my personal experience I tell
you, it works out really well.

5. You also have spray paint in small cans at very affordable prices
(mostly, it doesn't exceed 300 bucks). If the scratched area is
very small, this would prove to be an apt solution. But, be very
careful in using them. The problem with these paints is that they
don't get adhered onto the body as you spray it. It usually clots
downward, thereby creating a mark all along the body. So, use them
on surfaces where clotting would be minimum.

6. There are more chances of your bike getting scratched during
service. Might sound odd, but true. Careless handling and lack of
space results in getting your bike scratched. So, tell them about
this issue and give it for service.

7. In traffic signals, do not try to push yourself into every single
gap. This is where most scratches happen. If it's true that you
love your bike a lot, don't attempt to do it.

8. Riders having an R15, Fazer, Karizma, Pulsar 220 and other such
bikes with side fairings need to drive carefully because it is this
part that projects outside the body. Especially, when you get down
from some other bikes and get on to this. This is when you don't
get the feel of extra projections.

9. Do not wipe your bikes with clothes other than soft ones. These
days, you get separate soft cloth to wipe bikes. Hardly, costs you
a hundred bucks. Worth the penny.

10. Last but not the least, Clean your bike regularly. Wipe it
immediately when you find come bird-droppings. This may lead to
scratches if not wiped off.

Hope you found these tips useful. Stay tuned for more such tips...

Precautions to Ride a Brand New Bike

 I have always followed the following on buying each of my new
two-wheelers and was quite gratified to see the results generally
far exceeding the manufacturer's claimed efficeincies.

1. Ride smooth and Do not allow the Speedo to cross 40kmph for the
first 2000km (however boring it may be!).

2. Take one or two long rides of say 100/150km or more, involving a
few high gradients.

3. Always drive in the appropriate Gear so as not to strain the
engine.

4. Shift Gears smoothly and accelerate in moderation (not sharp &
sudden).

5. Do not disturb Carburettor setting (by setting for a lean
mixture) even if you don't get the expected mileage at this stage
of the bike's life.

6. DO NOT ever lend the bike to any one else during the
running-in-period. Tell gently & excuse yourself. If unavoidable,
drive yourself taking him pillion.

7. Avoid pillion riding to the extent possible.

‘Bye Bye Hero Honda! Welcome Hero Moto’.

Following the split by Munjal’s Hero Group from Japan’s leading two-wheeler manufacturer Honda in the recent past, we get to know regarding this name change. Hero Group has applied for this name ‘Hero Moto’ to the Registrar of Companies (ROC) to check for the availability of this name. It seems that the company is awaiting for the reply from ROC. But, even if the name is available and Hero Group gets it registered and patented by the Hero Group, expect the name change to take place not before two months atleast. The reason for this delay is that the company has to get the stakeholder’s nod before proceeding further on this issue.

But, one interesting fact here is that the brands of bikes and scooters would be continued in the market with their own names. For instance, Karizma ZMR would be called Hero Moto Karizma ZMR and the CBZ Xtreme would be called Hero Moto CBZ Xtreme. This sounds like a move after a lot of thoughts on it.

And now guess the amount which the Hero group has allocated for its total re-branding exercise.  It’s a mind whooping 200 and odd crores of Rupees. Also, this huge amount of money is going to play a very crucial role in the company’s export market strategy. The company has identified new markets in Latin America and a few other African nations as well. There are also plans to enter these markets in this financial year itself. Probably, the company may enter new markets with its new name – Hero Moto. Expect a write up from us in some two months on the topic ‘Bye Bye Hero Honda! Welcome Hero Moto’.

These are some of the safety tips which I have gained through mine or someone else's experiences. You may already know some of them but it is good to get refreshed...

1. [Vision] Wear proper eye safety gear at night, so that the Lights

of incoming vehicles don't flash right into your eyes. When buying

shades try buying those through which you can look at the sun

straight for 1 min or so. Wear clear glasses at night at any case,

chances are that a insect might hit you in the eye... Our hand's

natural reflex is to to rub the eye and imagine doing so while

whistling at a speed of 100kms in middle of a highway!

2. [Ghat Roads] Do you switch the engine off or put it in neutral

while descending a hill? This is an absolute no! First reason, in

neutral gear there will be no engine braking - if the slope

increases suddenly then your will not be able to anticipate your

braking and bad things can happen. Second reason, if you approach a

plain surface and if you need to overtake a truck or something, you

will not be able to do so. Generally speaking, you will not be able

to anticipate the behaviour of the vehicle when it is turned off.

So never do it.

3. [Stability] Look out for cow dung, cricket ball sized stones,

rounded pipes or even bundles of cloth. Enough to tip you over in a

flip of eye. Also try avoiding hitting out small animals, they tend

to lock up in the rear tire.

4. [Overtaking] Never overtake from wrong side. If some vehicle

approaching from the opposite derection goes wary, the vehicle you

are overtaking will move to the left naturally which is extremely

risky for you. Also, don't overtake if overtaking lands you on a road

which is joined by another road. Chances are another vehicles may

just cut in at that moment.

5. [Being Human] Always help accident cases, nowadays the law is

quite liberal. So you won't be harassed by anyone. Imagine you or

your near dear ones lying on the road wounded and others just

passing by casually.

6. [Turning] Always use indicators to signal you turning, at least

a few meters from your actual turning point. Sticking out a wide

hand when turning, can be risky in two ways, you can hurt yourself

by a close ongoing vehicle and also you cannot a control a bike

with one hand.

7. [Staying Cool] Some vehicles are driven by mad people. They honk

the horns in a rude manner and flash the high beams wildly. Never

lose your cool in such situations. If you move suddenly, then other

vehicles would not have anticipated your move. Give way to them

slowly. Such drivers are also very attentive and hence staying

where you are will not harm you (except your ears if he is honking

so badly!).

Remember: Expecting that you will not to run into an accident

because you drive safe, is like expecting the lion not to eat you

because you are a vegetarian! India is yet to come up with strict

rules for the roads like US... until then our safety is in our

hands!

Enjoy riding and be safe...

Some Tips to Increase Your Bike's Mileage

Are you interested in increasing the fuel efficiency of your bike?
Yes? Then read on...
The mileage of a bike is a critical factor in the buying decision
and also keeping our running costs low. Many of us think that
mileage is just about the cost of fuel, but it is not.
A bike which gives a good mileage compared to other similar bikes
is a sure indication that the health of the bike is well maintained
and the rider is careful enough to get the bike frequently serviced
and tuned.
My Hero Honda Karizma R gives a mileage of 41 in the city and 49
in highways. My bike is in perfect health.
To keep the engine healthy all you have to do is, let the engine
warm up before you take it to real performance.

Small engines like that of Splendor NXG and Passion Plus have a
horizontal engine, so as soon as the bike is started, the oil flows
easily into the engine. But bikes with a high bore and stroke find
it difficult to circulate the oil throughout the engine as soon as
it is started.


I recommends bikers to put the choke, self start the engine
and leave it for 10-15 seconds so that the oil gets heated up and
the luke warn low density oil finds it easy to circulate through
upto the top of the engine.
Do not leave the choke for too long as it would flood the engine
with fuel. Do not open the throttle until it has run for atleast 5
km distance and the engine comes to a normal operating heat range.
If you gun the engine in cold conditions as soon as you start it,
there would not be enough lubrication in the engine and it leads to
more friction which ultimately damages the piston and the engine
and hence your mileage will be low.
If you go to a gym, your coach will ask you to warm up before you
do some heavy lifting and iron pumping... this is just like that.
Your bike is not much different from your body!
Another good tip worth mentioning is to remove the saree guard if
there is no use for it. I am a student and even after I get married
I do not expect my wife to sit on the high back seat of Karizma. So
I removed the saree guard as soon as I bought it. It reduces dead
weight by a few kgs and would definitely improve the performance of
the engine and increase fuel efficiency.


Some basic fuel efficiency tips that you may already know are...


1. Switch off your engine during signals with long waiting periods.
2. Change your oil according to your manufacturer's
recommendations.
3. Check your tube's pressure every month... higher pressure than the
recommended value would give you more mileage but less friction and
stability. So keep it to the optimum value.


Hope you found it useful!