Bikes That Shaped The Indian Auto Industry

The Yamaha RX100 was first launched in 1985, but its production in India did not begin till the ’90s. In the initial stage, all the bikes coming to India were imported from Japan and the 98.2 cc engine bike instantly struck a chord with the motorcycling community in India.

The Hero Honda partnership launched the CBZ in 1999. It originally came with a 156.8 CC single cylinder engine and was the first and the last bike to come with a Transient Power Fuel Control system. It was in 2005 that the CBZ was discontinued.

Bajaj brought in the Pulsar to take aim at the growing number of bike enthusiasts in the country in 2001. The bike was built by Bajaj, Tokyo R&D, and motorcycle designer Glynn Kerr. The Pulsar range begins with 125 CC & goes all the way up to 250cc.

The Royal Enfield Bullet has the longest unchanged production run of any motorcycle having remained continuously in production since 1948. The Bullet marque is even older and has passed 75 years of continuous production.

The 390 Duke entered the Indian market in 2012 & the Philippines in 2013 while the US market got it in 2015. The 373.2 CC motor has great power & the overall ergonomics of the bike really put it in great stead with young and experienced riders.

The Bajaj Chetak ruled the hearts of many scooter lovers in India for more than 3 decades. Originally based on the Vespa Sprint, the Chetak, was the center of attention for most commuters in India because of its strong value-for-money proposition!

The Activa was first launched in India in 1999 and since then has gone on to become one of the best-selling scooters in India. With more than 3 crore units sold, the Activa is now in its 5th generation & continues to draw the attention of buyers!

The Jawa 250 Type 353 was produced between 1962 & 1973 in India while it was first produced in Czechoslovakia from 1954 to 1962. The 250 CC motorcycle was the first Jawa motorcycle to have rear suspension springs.

Looks can be deceptive & TVS’ XL Superduty is exactly that. Weighing in at 66 kg, the moped is reliable, hassle-free & heavy-duty. It is built to withstand the harshest of conditions & carry the heaviest of loads on two wheels.

The Hero Honda Splendor, as it was called, was launched in 1994 and was the best-selling two-wheeler in India till 2017. A host of improvements have been made to the bike since then and it continues to be the preferred 100 CC commuter bike in India.