ICONIC & TRENDSETTING MOTORCYCLES LAUNCHED AHEAD OF ITS TIME

Across all two-wheeler manufacturers, models have been launched & discontinued. While some sustained the success on time, others didn't. But some proved to be way ahead of its time. With the advancement in technology, two-wheelers have become a lot more refined, efficient and easy to maintain. But even with these new age machines making way for themselves, some old timers will always stay close to our hearts. We make a list of Such motorcycles.

Yamaha RD350: 

Although it was in production for a very short time, Yamaha RD350 stands at the top on the list of motorcycles that were way ahead of its time. Reason is during a time when the country was commuting on two-wheelers like the Bajaj Chetak & the Kinetic Luna, Yamaha had introduced the RD350 with a 347cc air-cooled two-stroke parallel twin unit. All the 30.5HP@6750RPM [india] & 39HP@7500RPM [japan] of power & 32.3NM@6500RPM [india] & 37.2NM@7000RPM [japan] of torque was sent to rear wheels by a 6 speed gearbox. Relatively low kerb weight of 155Kg helped it achieve a top speed of 170kmph.

Kinetic Blaze: 

Scooters have always been point A to point B solution & that is exactly why not many manufacturers experiment with them. Kinetic did take the different route though & introduced the Italiano Blaze in 2006. It came with a 165.12cc single cylinder unit that made 11.6PS@7500RPM of power & 12Nm@5000RPM of torque. Despite Blaze’s supermoto styling & a power packed engine, it had very few takers. The tall pillion seat of the moto scooter & poor fuel efficiency wasn’t quite to the liking of most buyers. The initial sales for the Blaze were pretty decent but it couldn’t quite hold on to the numbers over time. Though blaze was a bit heavy for a scooter at 136kg, it had a top speed of 105kmph.

 Hero Honda Karizma:

Launched in the early 2000s, the Hero Honda Karizma was among the first affordable performance motorcycles in the country. In fact it was also among the first quarter-faired offering. Not only it did touch the right note with regards to styling, the smooth delivery of 17HP@7000RPM of power& 18.3NM@6000RPM of torque from the 223cc single cylinder engine made it an ideal bike even for someone new to the world of two wheels. The 150kg Karizma was more like a catalyst that started the performance bike craze in India. From performance, good riding dynamics to decent enough efficiency, the Karizma offered more for your buck than one could ask for. But this bike was outperformed in all areas by Bajaj Pulsar 220F, the fastest indian once. Period!

YAMAHA YZF-R15:

With the R15, Yamaha began its second innings successfully in 2008 & took affordable performance motorcycles to an all new level. This bike makes onto this list for more reasons. To start with, the kind of performance-handling combination it had on offer is almost close to some of the middle-weight superbike offerings. Then it has a long list of features like Deltabox frame, grippy soft compound tubeless tyres, front & rear disc brakes,

 linked type motocross suspension & finally, the superbly designed full fairing with twin headlights. If that wasn’t enough, the liquid cooled single cylinder 149.8cc engine, produced 17HP@8500RPM of power & 15NM@7500RPM of torque. This was transferred to the rear wheels by a 6 speed gearbox. Light kerb weight of 131kg, helped to achieve a top speed of 130kmph. 

Hero Splendor iSmart: 

 Commuter motorcycles are bred with single purpose in mind – efficiency. Manufacturers spend a load of money on R&D to beat the competition with regards to efficiency & to earn the bragging rights of the most fuel efficient bike in the country. In a bid to do just that, Hero recently introduced the start/stop technology in the Splendor iSmart, thanks to which the engine switches off when idling thereby saving fuel. Now this technology is already seen on a lot of cars but Hero is the first manufacturer to bring it on two-wheelers in India. 

HONDA ACTIVA:

At a time when all the two-wheeler manufacturers were closing down their scooter operations, Honda made their foray into the Indian market with a scooter. Many industry gurus felt that Honda was committing a big blunder by entering the almost dead Indian scooter segment but how wrong were they. 15 years down the line, the Honda Activa not only dominates our scooter market but it also became the highest selling two-wheeler in India on a few occasions thereby cementing its place in the Indian two-wheeler history. The main reason for the success of the Honda Activa was its simplicity and ease of use which made it hugely popular among the fairer sex. Honda has also been constantly tweaking the powerplant and with the HET technology it claims the Activa returns 60kmpl to a litre of fuel which is phenomenal for an automatic scooter. The new additions to the Activa family (Activa-i and the Activa 125) mean that it isn’t going to give up its crown soon. 

BAJAJ PULSAR 220:

The Bajaj Pulsar had made an impact on the Indian two-wheeler scene by delivering a good performance motorcycle at an affordable price tag. However the Indian two-wheeler scene was revolutionised the day the Bajaj Pulsar 220 was launched in our two-wheeler market. If the Hero Karizma was a gentle breeze, the Bajaj Pulsar 220 was a hurricane. The Bajaj Pulsar 20 DTS-Fi made its debut in 2005 making it the first Indian motorcycle to be equipped with fuel injection, oil-cooler, projector headlamps, clip-on handle bar, dual disc brakes and tubeless tyres. In the form of the Bajaj Pulsar 220, Indian consumers finally had a performance motorcycle with all the bells and whistles while being priced so competitively that even college going students could afford it. Bajaj later chucked the fuel injection in favour of carburettors; this move not only hiked the power output but also made the bike even more affordable. It’s been almost 10 years since its launch and the Bajaj Pulsar 220 remains as invincible as ever and truly among the most historic motorcycles to grace the Indian tarmac.

YAMAHA RX 100:

When compiling a list of most iconic two-wheelers of India, it’s hard to leave this one out. In production for 12 years, from 1985-1996, the RX100 was easily the most sought after bikes in its time and is even today. And that mainly for the fact that it had something for everyone. The long seat and overall riding posture made it absolutely comfortable much to the liking of the commuter junta. And then the 98cc 2-stroke single-cylinder air-cooled making 11 horses of power and yet weight just 103kg made it quite a performer. The raw power and the light weight made it a favourite for a lot of racers too. 

BAJAJ CHETAK:

Before automatic scooters took over the Indian scooter market, the Bajaj Chetak was the ride for millions of families across the country. Named after the legendary horse of the Indian warrior Rana Pratap Singh, the Chetak was in production from 1972-2009, and during this time it was the epitome of reliability. And that is exactly why it had the nation going crazy over it and in its heyday demanded a waiting period of more than a year. The Bajaj Chetak first came with a 2-stroke 145.45cc unit that made 7.6PS and 10.8Nm. The Chakan-based two-wheeler manufacturer then graduated the Chetak to a 4-stroke unit. Bajaj Auto stopped production of the Chetak in 2006 and it went off sale in 2009. It is also known as the officer's choice & Hamara Bajaj.

BAJAJ SUNNY:

While the Bajaj Chetak was already hitting the high note on the sales charts, the Sunny was the scooter that kick-started the transition to automatic offerings. It was India’s first automatic scooter offering. With an efficiency of 50 kilometres to a litre of fuel, the Sunny was targeted towards teenagers eligible to get a license at 18 years of age. Much unlike the geared scooters, the Sunny weighed just 63 kg and was easy to manage. Production of the Sunny commenced in March 1989. Bajaj then launched an upgraded 60cc version in the Sunny Zip. It had a top speed of 50Kmph & maximum payload of 120KG.

KINETIC LUNA:

The Luna was one of the most popular mopeds in India aside from the Hero Puch. It came into production in 1972 and it continues to be on sale even today, priced between 13 to 18 thousand rupees. Rugged built, strong chassis and low cost maintenance brought it success especially in the rural markets. Moreover, the 60cc offering could be switched over to peddling in case it ran out of fuel.

KINETIC HONDA:

Produced as a joint venture between Kinetic and Honda, this automatic scooter offering was another product that changed the Indian two-wheeler market as it was the first electric start scooter in the country. Aside from the Sunny, this was another product that marked the shift to automatic scooter in the Indian Scenario. It has won the best scooter award in 1995 & holds the record of travelling to the highest motorable road, khardungla.

HERO HONDA CD100:

A product of the Hero Honda joint venture, this offering changed the way of commuting in India. Launched in 1985, when Bajaj was still playing around in the scooter market, Hero Honda set new standards with the reliable, comfortable and extremely efficient CD100. In 1991, Hero Honda launched an updated CD100SS version which too was a massive hit in India. 

ROYAL ENFIELD TAURUS:

When Royal Enfield introduced the Taurus, it became the only bike maker to mass produce a diesel powered motorcycle. It was produced for a short duration from 1999-2002 before it was called off due to stringent emission regulations. Although the Taurus didn’t really boast of a phenomenal performance thanks to a heavy diesel engine, it held its bragging rights with regards to efficiency. 

HERO PUCH:

Hero Motors Hero Puch was one of the highly sold two wheeler in India, it was the first choice of young boy’s. It had three variant Automatic, Hero Puch Shakti and Hero Puch 3G (Three Gear). This vehicle was light weight, sleek with good looking features and was able to deliver mileage near about 50 -55 Km / liter with 2-stroke engine. Some guys still owned and used the first gift of parents or have a memory of it.

BAJAJ M80:

Bajaj m80, was among the best selling step-thru category two wheelers in India during the mid-1980s. The bike of Indian villages was technologically advanced and strong bike in the intervening years. After the few changes the M80 Major 4S was launched, The company has also launched saffire the 92cc, 4-stroke engine two-wheeler, an upgraded version of Bajaj M-80.

YEZDI ROADKING:

The Indian motorcycle company was launched motorcycles in 1960 under the brand name Jawa and later Yezdi. The most popular model was the Yezdi Roadking and Jawa was known for its active racing. These two bikes were the biggest hit in India during that era, still we can located somewhere these vintage bikes.