Aurelia Butler

New Royal Enfield Classic. Image – SuriThe Royal Enfield 350cc bikes – Classic, Meteor, Bullet and Electra commanded domestic sales list for March 2021
Royal Enfield domestic sales increased 90.05 percent, exports noted an 84.83 percent increase. Total domestic sales stood at 60,807 units, up from 31,996 units sold in March 2020 while exports increased from 3,184 units shipped in March 2020 to 5,885 units exported in the past month.
RE Domestic Sales
In domestic markets, the Chennai based automaker noted higher demand for its 350cc bikes that include the Classic, Meteor, Bullet and Electra. Each of these posted high growth particularly so in the case of the Bullet 350. At the top of the charts was the Classic 350 with a 52.12 percent share.
Sales in March 21 stood at 31,694 units, up 30.41 percent over 24,304 units sold in March 20. Such is the attention that the automaker pays to the Classic 350 that it has planned a major mechanical overhaul with its new update slated for launch in the coming weeks.
RE Meteor 350 is offered in three variants – Fireball, Stellar and Supernova, was at No. 2 in terms of domestic sales. March 21 sales stood at 10,596 units. The Meteor 350 was launched in India last year and hence cannot be compared in terms of YoY sales.
RE Domestic Sales Breakup – March 2021
Noting the highest percentage increase was the RE Bullet 350 with 286.64 percent increase in domestic sales to 9,693 units, up from 2,507 units sold in March 20 while the bike currently commands a 15.94 percent share in the company lineup.
Another offering in the 350cc segment, the Electra 350 also noted higher domestic sales last month. Sales which had stood at 3,160 units in March 20 increased 55.51 percent to 4,914 units in March 21. Lower down the domestic sales list was the Himalayan at No. 5 and 650 Twins at No.6. Both these models experienced sales growth to the extent of 121.73 percent and 167.72 percent respectively.
Royal Enfield Exports
The two models that were most in demand in global markets were the Himalayan and 650 Twins. Himalayan exports surged 249.72 percent to 1,857 units in March 21 up from 531 units exported in March 20. However, comparing exports with that of March 20 is not a fit yardstick, considering that was the month that the Pandemic struck, causing much upheaval in terms of production, sales and exports.
RE Exports Breakup – March 2021
Demand for the 650 Twins in global markets increased but only marginally by 6.01 percent to 1,764 units in March 21, up from 1,664 units exported in March 20. The company commenced exports of the Meteor 350 of which 890 units were shipped while the Classic 500 noted a 22.52 percent increase in exports to 691 units.
The Classic 350 featured 5th on the list of exports with 679 units exported in the past month up 87.57 percent over 362 units exported in March 20. The company now plans the new-gen Royal Enfield Classic 350 which will go on sale in the coming months. It will receive a new chassis, revised engine and better handling facilities as compared to its outgoing counterpart. De-growth was reported in the case of the Electra 350 and Bullet 500 of which only 3 and 1 units were exported respectively. More

2021 Yamaha R15Yamaha had recently updated its colour palette for YZF R15 in India which included a new metallic red colour option
Yamaha YZF R15 has got yet another new colour option in its arsenal in the form of a new silver and neon paint scheme. Unfortunately, this shade has been available in the Malaysian market only as of now. The new silver colour adds a touch of premium-ness to the entry-level faired sports bike.
New Silver/Neon Paint Scheme
The silver paint on body panels is nicely complemented by flashy fluorescent yellow rims on the alloy wheels which give it a neon treatment and a funky look. Strips of yellow are also seen on its centre panels along with the tail section. The front suspension forks are embellished in golden colour providing a nice contrast to the overall sportiness.
Contrast provided by the blacked-out panels, underbelly and exhaust muffler further accentuate the bike’s sporty appeal. Silver paint with a dark grey scheme on the fuel tank spine, front fender, tail cowl and lower headlamp cowl gives the bike a feeling of masculinity.
The dark grey finish is also prevalent on the body graphics. A carbon fibre weave texture is given to the exhaust cover. Apart from this new paint scheme on offer there has been no other update on the faired motorcycle.
2021 Yamaha R15 New Colour
Styling
In terms of styling, YZF R15 continues to feature a twin-pod LED headlight giving the motorcycle a very aggressive front face. Other design highlights include split-style seats, a full-fairing design inspired by Yamaha’s flagship YZF R1 and a forward-leaning committed riding posture thanks to clip-on handlebars, rear-set footpegs and a muscular fuel tank design.
The international-spec R15 is slightly different in terms of specifications when compared to its Indian counterpart. Unlike the international model sold in Malaysia and other markets, the India-spec model comes with conventional telescopic forks at front instead of USD forks.
The rear suspension gets the same mono-shock. Braking duties are carried out by a 282mm disc with twin-piston calipers at front and a single-piston caliper with 220mm disc at rear.
2021 Yamaha R15 New Colour
Engine Specs
Powering the entry-level superbike is a 155cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, four-valve SOHC motor that pushes an output of 18.6 PS of power and 14.1 Nm of peak torque. This engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox with a slipper/assist clutch preventing rear-wheel lock-up during aggressive downshifts. Further, the engine is equipped with modern features such as VVA (Variable Valve Actuation) and electronic fuel injection.
In India, Yamaha offers YZF R15 in Rs. 1,51,700, Rs. 1,50,600 and Rs. 1,52,700 in their respective colour schemes namely Racing Blue, Thunder Grey and Dark Knight. The Japanese bikemaker recently introduced a new colour scheme called Metallic Red a couple of weeks ago at a price of Rs 1,52,100 (all price are ex-showroom, India) More

Ola Electric ScooterThe upcoming Ola e-scooter is based on Etergo App Scooter and will be manufactured at the company’s swanking new facility currently in construction in Tamil Nadu
Ola Electric, the electric arm of the largest mobility service provider in India, has announced its plans to launch a wide network of high-speed charging stations. This development comes just ahead of the debut of Ola’s first electric scooter in a few months’ time.
The Bangalore-based ride-hailing firm has further revealed that it will offer a comprehensive set of charging options to its EV customers. This includes a home-charger that will be made available with the upcoming electric two-wheeler along with a widely deployed network of high-speed Ola Hyperchargers.
Ola Electric Scooter
Details Of Hypercharger Network
Ola Hypercharger Network will boast of the widest and densest electric two-wheeler charging network in the world. For starters, Ola will be setting up over 5,000 charging points across 100 cities in India in the first year itself. The infrastructure will eventually be ramped up to more than 1 lakh charging points across 400 cities. The company also claims that it will be the fastest electric two-wheeler charging network in the country.
Ola says that using one of these many charging points, the upcoming e-scooter could be charged 0-50 percent in just 18 minutes. This would be good enough for a 75km range. The firm, however, has not yet revealed an exact timeline by when it will be able to install the complete Hypercharger Network across the country. But it did reveal that these Hyperchargers will be deployed in city centers and dense business districts as standalone towers.
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Units of this vast charging network would also be found in popular public locations such as malls, office complexes, IT parks, cafes and more. The Hyberchargers Network will be built by Ola in association with its partners. On the other hand, the home charged bundled with the upcoming Ola e-scooter will require no installation and can be used by simply plugging it into a regular wall socket for overnight charging.
Ola Electric Scooter
Speaking on this development, Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO, Ola, said, “Electric is the future of mobility and we are reimagining the entire user experience of owning an electric vehicle. Our plans to build a comprehensive charging network is a key piece of this.”
Ola Electric Scooter
Ola will be launching its first electric two-wheeler in partnership with its Netherlands-based firm Etergo BV which it acquired in May last year. The electric scooter will be based on Etergo App Scooter and will be manufactured at Ola Electric’s manufacturing facility which is currently being built in Tamil Nadu.
Ola Electric Scooter charging network
The upcoming e-scooter is expected to be priced very aggressively in comparison to its rivals such as Atgher 450X, Bajaj Chetak Electric and others. We expect it to be priced around Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom) at the time of its launch. More

Honda ActivaHonda Activa continued to command a top most position ahead of TVS Jupiter, Honda Dio and TVS Ntorq despite de-growth
FY21, a year that was riddled with lockdown and economic downturn in view of the COVID-19 pandemic that struck early in March 2020, has resulted in de-growth across the automobile industry. Motorcycle and scooter sales were particularly impacted despite the urgent need for personal mobility in view of social distancing and the fact that public transportation was an on/off affair depending on the rise and fall of COVID positive numbers. Effectively, it has been only 11 months of sales in this financial year with lockdown announced all through April 2020.
Top 10 Scooters FY 2021
Taking into account top 10 scooter sales in India during the period April 2020 to March 2021, it may be seen that overall sales dipped 17.35 percent. Total scooters sold in the said period stood at 38,17,764 units, down from 46,19,432 units sold in FY20 – for the top 10.
It was the Honda Activa that was at No.1 with highest sales in this segment and a 50.81 percent share, but suffered de-growth when compared to sales in FY20. Total Activa scooter sales for FY21 stood at 19,39,640 units, down from 25,91,059 units sold in FY20. The Honda Activa brand consists of the Activa 6G and Activa 125 with both models regularly topping the sales charts.
TVS Jupiter was at No.2 with sale de-growth of 9.24 percent to 5,40,466 units in FY21 down from 5,95467 units sold in FY20. The Jupiter range consists of three variants, Standard, ZX, and Classic powered by a 110 cc engine.
Top 10 Scooters – FY 2021
Honda also had the Dio scooter at No.3. Sales dipped 28.51 percent in FY21 to 3,14,417 units, down from 4,39,799 units sold in FY20. The Dio scooter has been regaled for its sporty appeal and received a major overhauling in its 2020 avatar with added features and better ground clearance.
Hero MotoCorp Pleasure and Destini post Growth
Hero MotoCorp saw its Pleasure and Destini scooters at Nos. 5 and 6 with both these posting growth in FY21 by a significant margin. Pleasure sales increased 31.07 percent to 2,03,594 units, up from 1,55,329 units sold in FY20 while Destini sales were up 26.67 percent to 1,44,332 units in FY21, from 1,13,944 units sold in the same period of the previous year.
Yamaha RayZR and Fascino scooters also scored among the leading 10 scooters sold in India in FY21. While the RayZR posted positive growth of 21.55 percent, sales of Fascino scooter dipped 34.83 percent.
TVS Motor had the Ntorq and Pep+ at Nos. 4 and 10 with both scooters recording de-growth in FY21 over sales in FY20. Hero Maestro was also on this list at No.9 with growth of 1.06 percent to 9,533 units, up from 94,533 units sold in FY20.
As India enters the 2nd wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, constraints in supply-chain coupled with sky-high fuel prices and poor buyer sentiments could continue to be reasons for the poor sales numbers at least for the next couple of months. More

2021 Bajaj Pulsar NS125Pulsar NS125 will primarily target first-time performance riding enthusiasts
Launched recently, Bajaj Pulsar NS125 is available at a starting price of Rs 93,690 (ex-showroom, Delhi). Pulsar NS range includes NS160 and NS200, which are known for their sporty profile and race-ready performance. Addition of NS125 will benefit customers who may be looking for the NS experience at an affordable price point.
Pulsar NS125 ride review and top speed
To let users understand its on-road performance, YouTuber Biker Prakash Choudhary has shared the bike’s test ride experience. Below is the video that details all the features of NS125 and how it works in real world conditions.
2021 Bajaj Pulsar NS125 Top Speed
As is evident in the video, NS125 has fast acceleration. According to the rider, the top speed of the bike could be 110+ kmph. However, during testing he managed to do 107 kmph.
One of the key things noted during the test ride is that the bike does not have any unwanted vibration or sound. Some vibration is natural, but it is not something that may adversely impact the ride experience. Changing gears is pretty smooth and braking performance is also good. Take a look at the detailed review video below.
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The rider feels that Pulsar NS125 would be great for city traffic. It has agility, fast acceleration and low turning radius, all of which will be useful in traffic conditions. The bike has comfortable riding stance, making it suitable for everyday commutes. With its sporty profile and under 1 lakh pricing, NS125 will be appropriate for youngsters.
Improvement suggestions for NS125
The rider mentions that Bajaj has included a side-stand indicator with NS125. However, side stand engine cut-off feature is not available. Another thing that seems to be missing is gear position indicator.
Pulsar NS125 design and specs
The bike borrows multiple design features from its bigger siblings, NS160 and NS200. Some key features include aggressive headlamp cluster, twin pilot lamps, split grab rail, underbelly exhaust and infinity twin-strip LED tail lamps. The instrument console is the same as that of NS160. Four colour options are on offer – Burnt Red, Fiery Orange, Beach Blue and Pewter Grey.
Powering NS125 is the same 124.4cc DTS-i engine that is currently in use with Pulsar 125. It is capable of generating 11.8 ps of max power at 8500 rpm and 10.8 Nm of max torque at 6500 rpm. It is mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
Bajaj Pulsar NS125 has been equipped with segment-first features such as rigid perimeter frame, which ensures high stiffness. The bike has low flex that allows agile handling. Improved stability across varying ride conditions has been achieved with the use of Nitrox monoshock rear suspension. Braking system has CBS, which ensures better safety for riders. More