Aurelia Butler

Image – Biker Babu Bike hunterHero Splendor and HF Deluxe remained top-selling models in both domestic and exports
The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has been extremely disastrous not just healthwise but also financially since businesses across the country came to a standstill once again very much similar to last year around the same time. The auto industry of the country too had to bear the brunt last month when sales plummeted drastically.
Domestic- Splendor, HF Deluxe Lead sales figures
Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler company, witnessed a decline in MoM sales by 37.04 percent in April 2021. The manufacturer was able to sell a total of 3,42,704 units of two-wheelers which is 2,01,836 units less than what was sold the previous month in March.
The list was spearheaded by the brand’s most popular product- Splendor which recorded a sales volume of 1,93,598 units last month as opposed to 2,80,090 units retailed in March this year. This resulted in a decline in MoM sales by 30.88 percent.
It was followed by another entry-level motorcycle HF Deluxe which registered a sales volume of 71,294 units in April. A decline in figure by 73,511 units translated to a negative MoM growth of 50.66 percent.
Hero Domestic Sales Breakup April 2021
Others too register MoM decline
Glamour took third place with 23,627 units in April 2021 as compared to 32,371 units sold the previous month, thus registering an MoM decline of 27.01 percent. Hero’s most popular scooter Pleasure registered sales of 18,298 units last month which was 10,218 units less than the previous month. It recorded degrowth of 35.83 percent. It was followed by Passion at the fifth spot with 17,748 units sold in April. In March, the figures for the 110cc motorcycle stood at 30,464, therefore, recording an MoM decline of 41.74 percent.
Destini (9,121 units), Maestro Edge (4,680 units), Xtreme 160R (2,293 units) and Xpulse 200 (2,045 units) formed the rest of the range for Hero’s domestic portfolio. All two-wheelers recorded negative MoM growths of 35.05 percent, 41.54 percent, 40.29 percent and 17.71 percent.
Exports
Things weren’t too pleasing for overseas markets as exports were hit badly due to disruption in production. A total of 29,671 two-wheelers were shipped to foreign markets in April this year by Hero MotoCorp.
Hero Exports Breakup April 2021
In comparison to March 2021, these numbers were less by 2,946 units which resulted in a MoM decline of 9.03 percent. HF Deluxe spearheaded the exports for April with 8,716 units dispatched to overseas markets. With 375 units less than March 2021, it translated to degrowth of 4.12 percent.
HF Deluxe was followed by Splendor which registered exports of 5,194 units in April against 7,106 units dispatched in March. This resulted in a negative MoM growth of 26.91 percent. All models, barring Xpulse 200 and Glamour, recorded a decline in exports. Hero shipped 3,026 units and 3,012 units of both motorcycles, therefore, registering positive MoM growths of 27.41 percent and 219.75 percent. More

Kawasaki Ninja copycat Finja 500Xinshiji Finja 500 is powered by a 500cc parallel-twin motor with a power output of 200 bhp
Chinese automakers are very infamous around the world for blatantly ripping off automotive designs of notable international models. In the past, we have come across Chinese cars and two-wheelers which have shared more than an uncanny resemblance to their overseas counterparts.
Another recent example is Xinshiji Finja 500 which looks like a Chinese version of the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. The litre-class superbike from the Japanese manufacturer was given an update last year which saw some cosmetic change and a rise in output. From the looks of it, the designers have done a good job in mimicking the flagship Kawasaki at least in style.
Finja 500 Design
Almost each and every angle one looks from is reminiscent of the Ninja ZX-10R. Even the paint job and decals wear a familiar look to the signature design from Team Green. Finja 500 is built on a twin-spar frame and carries a design that is hard to ignore.
Some of the highlights include a muscular fuel tank, a raised windscreen, split headlamps, an LED DRL housed in the air intake vent, a stepped-up seat, upswept exhaust and mirror-mounted turn indicators.
Kawasaki Ninja copycat Finja 500
Specs & Features on offer
However, we can assure you that Finja 500 only mimics the Kawasaki superbike in its looks and not performance. Unlike the 998cc behemoth pumping out around 200 bhp in Ninja ZX-10R, Finja 500 is powered by a 500cc, parallel-twin engine that kicks out a more modest output of 49.3 bhp.
Kawasaki Ninja copycat Finja 500
Hardware on the faired motorcycle consists of a Showa’s Balance Free Fork at front and a mono-shock unit at rear. Braking is taken care of by disc brakes on both front and rear ends although it is not known if ABS is present or not.
In terms of features, Finja 500 is equipped with an LED headlight, a digital instrument console and a sleek tail taillamp. The motorcycle rides on designer blacked-out wheels. However, the best thing about this bike is its price. At around an equivalent price of INR 1.46 lakh, Finja 500 would be one of the cheapest middleweight sportbikes in the world.
Kawasaki Ninja copycat Finja 500
Ninja ZX-10R Performance
Getting back to Ninja ZX-10R, it is powered by a 998cc oil-cooled DOHC engine which is capable of churning out 200 bhp at 13,500rpm and 115 Nm of peak torque at 11,200rpm. This unit comes paired with a six-speed gearbox with a quick shifter. It can attain a top speed of 300kmph while it can sprint 0-100kmpg in just under 3 seconds making it one of the fastest production bikes on the road currently. More

Image – RyT 2 KNOwBajaj Auto’s overall domestic sales declined 30.12 percent to 1,21,829 units, while exports increased 44.09 percent to 2,06,008 units in April 2021
Bajaj Auto has registered domestic sales of 1,21,828 units in April 2021. This was a 30.12 percent decline as against 1,74,334 units sold in March 21. Exports on the other hand surged to 2,06,008 units, up 44.09 percent over 1,42,971 units sold in March 21, marking the past month of the company’s second highest exports.
Bajaj Domestic Sales April 21
It may be seen from the attached table that leading the domestic sales charts in top 5 positions were the Pulsar, Platina, CT100, Avenger and Dominar. The recently launched Bajaj Chetak trailed at the bottom but with the highest percentage MoM sales growth.
Pulsar, holding a 38.19 percent share in the company lineup, saw its sales dip 22.25 percent to 66,586 units in April 21 as against 85,639 units sold in March 21. The Pulsar range consists of the 125, 150, 160, 180, 200 and the 220F and is favoured for its value for money, outstanding performance and low maintenance cos.
At No. 2 was the Bajaj Platina which also suffered de-growth in terms of domestic sales. March 21 sales which stood at 69,025 units dipped to 35,467 units, suffering the maximum de-growth as against any other model in the company lineup. Along with the Pulsar, the Platina was among the top five best-selling motorcycles in April 2021.
Bajaj Domestic Sales Breakup April 2021
Next in line was the Bajaj CT posting a growth in domestic sales of 12.41 percent to 15,619 units in the past month, up from 13,895 units sold in March 21. It was followed by the Avenger and Dominar, both of which suffered de-growth of 35.90 percent and 35.73 percent respectively.
Domestic sales of the Bajaj Chetak surged 466.67 percent to 510 units in the past month. This was as compared to 90 units sold in March 21, thus outselling its only competitor TVS iQube by a significant margin as only 307 units of the iQube were sold in April 2021. When assessing engine wise sales in April 21, it was only the 75-110cc Bajaj CT that noted some positive response while all others suffered de-growth.
Bajaj Exports April 21
Every model in the Bajaj Auto lineup posted increased demand in global markets except for the Avenger. The Bajaj Boxer took the lead with 1,20,460 units sold in April 21, up 43.77 percent over 83,788 units sold in March 21. The Boxer commands a 58.47 share.
Bajaj Exports Breakup April 2021
At No. 2 was the Pulsar with sales of 42,537 units in the past month, up 61.01 percent over 26,256 units sold in March 21. Of these total sales, Pulsar offerings in the 151-200cc segment commanded the most attention with sales of 21,703 units while the Pulsar 125, 150 and 250 made up the remaining exports.
While exports of the Bajaj CT (28.19 percent), Discover (25.30 percent) and Platina (53.28 percent) increased substantially MoM, it was the Bajaj Dominar that noted the most percentage increase in April 21 by 158.51 percent to 3,221 units, up from 1,246 units sold in March 21. Exports of the Avenger dipped 65.16 percent to 438 units in the past month as against 1,257 units exported in March 21. More

Royal Enfield MeteorRiding high on its growing popularity, Royal Enfield will launch multiple products in coming years
In response to media queries, Eicher Motors Ltd. managing director Siddhartha Lal said that Royal Enfield motorcycles are just as good as products offered by Japanese and German manufacturers. Lal was apparently referring to the latest Royal Enfield motorcycles such as Meteor 350 and 650 Twins (Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650).
High precision manufacturing process
Lal’s claim has already been proven in a laboratory test. Earlier this year in March, FortNine had carried out a test to measure the impurities present in motorcycles of various brands. The objective was to measure the preciseness of manufacturing process. The better the manufacturing process, the lesser impurities will be there in the engine.
Royal Enfield had topped the test in less than 5 micrometres category. It was at par with BMW and had performed better than other manufacturers such as Honda, KTM, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Triumph, Suzuki and Harley Davidson. In less than 15 micrometres test, Royal Enfield was placed second.
Lal said that the company has extremely rigorous processes in place, which ensures world class quality. He said the company does not take any shortcuts when it comes to development and testing of its motorcycles. These are the reasons that explain why Royal Enfield is ahead of German and Japanese manufacturers in several international markets.
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After-sales service commitment
Customers buying Royal Enfield motorcycles can be assured of dedicated after-sales services. The company had recently launched a global recall program, in which around 2.37 lakh motorcycles were impacted. These were sold in the domestic market as well as global locations such as Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia.
The recall was announced after the company found the possibility of defective ignition coils in specific batches. It was applicable to motorcycles manufactured and sold during the period from December 2020 to April 2021. The affected motorcycles included Classic, Meteor and Bullet range. It is expected that only around 10% of the motorcycles covered under the recall program would actually require replacement of the faulty coil.
Covid impact
Just like other manufacturers, Royal Enfield sales have been impacted by Covid related disruptions. FY21 sales were 5.73 lakh units, which is YoY de-growth of 13%. Most of these sales came from the company’s 350cc motorcycles. Around 24k units were contributed by Himalayan and 650 twins.
Lal pointed out that Royal Enfield sales have been consistently improving in recent years. Regular improvements have been made in design and product quality, which has boosted sales. Apart from its bestselling 350cc motorcycles, Royal Enfield also leads in 500cc-800cc motorcycle segment. Of the 11,523 units sold in FY21, the 650 twins contributed 10,256 units.
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