Topic Approved.

A real nice and logical topic, this. I believe it has also got something do with the media. Television, movies, et al has really upped the ante when it comes to owning a big bike. Many do not know anything else (any other big and perhaps better bikes) exists other than the so called "Dhoom" bikes!

Perhaps, it has also got something to with "bragging", "showing-off" and all that! I would never personally know, but given a chance, heck, I would personally love to own a 1000cc superbike as compared to any other type of machine (hyper-tourer, street bike, etc.) but it would surely be not out of curiousity. Whenever I plan to get a big bike, I plan to take it to places. That's guaranteed!

Another important pointer which decides in favor of these Superbikes is manufacturer(s) deciding to sell these, here. As of now, only YAMAHA offers its litre class bike (the R1) and the MT-01 here, although they sure have better bikes (for India), like the Fazer et al.

Anyways, I would agree to the title of this thread when you say that we are, perhaps, obsessed with Superbikes.

I am very much interested in taking my bike to the twisties when time permits!

Ghats of Mutha near Pune is such place.And many more SBKable highways do exist..
Now when i reach a stage when my P220 seems too slow for my skills, i will definitely buy a bigger bike! And moreover a sportsbike!

Honda FireBlade her i come!

But this is a very good topic!
cheers!

Hmmm...though I have never been to foreign land, but i feel people there would be almost equally obsessed with superbikes as we are. However, things are very differnt in India and the primary reasons that i can think of for a sportbike's popularity are::

- They definitely stand out in the crowd with its comparatively bigger size, full fairings, fat tyres and yes, build quality!
- The sound
- They are insanely fast!!!

Now...let me be very clear here that its not that other types of motorcycles like cruisers, naked streetfighters won't stand out in the crowd, but the reality here is that people in India are more aware of the sportbikes (thanks to Dhoom!). And as for the sound, the scream of an inline is hard to resist BUT the big-good v-twins sound equally good on the other end!!! And the speed, well what to say about it...they ARE insanely fast! But let's get real here, without tracks, nobody in the world would ever get to use their full power ever!!! same for the 600s supersports!

I am not trying to be deliberately different here, but yes, given a choice I would definitely go for MT01 than the R1.

Rightly said Dhairya. Anyone who has ridden a sbk is 'guilty'. The damn things just get into your system and refuse to vacate.

Yes, we need those 3 things and that precisely is what is missing. You have twisties up in the hills, at times with good traction, but the traffic sense of other road users becomes a major hindrance to fun on them. You can't really ride them faster hare than the ZMA's and Pulsars without compromising those safety margins. The big ones hate mid-course corrections and that might be needed any moment if the pace is upped.

Having recently ridden downhill on bad surfaced roads (on the way back from Narkanda), the One was the worst pain of my riding life there. Hard suspension, forward weight bias, supersensitive throttle and the engine heat at low speeds make such a ride more of a struggle than actual fun.

A non-sport 600 or a dual sport would actually be great. I wouldn't lay my money on a supersports for going places in this country (but then we all have a right to self-contradict, don't we?)

The 'bragging' or more factually, the 'I'll show you' part is so very easy to get into on these bikes. You feel invincible and 'oh! so superior' controlling so much power on the road. Even a ride at 60 kph on these bikes gives something to write home about. And then the aura of owning such purpose-fit, technically state-of-the-art aesthetics will invariably make one cross over to obsession.

I am no one to comment on behalf of the entire community. But I would like to share my experience here-

Superbikes are easier to maintain,buy and sell here because of popularity. You will find it easier to find R1s headlight assembly,framesliders here compared to GS's tires.
If you want to resell, you will not get good deals on any practicle bikes.

That means if you want to ride a true motorcycle you need to buy one of the popular models so that it is easier to maintain.

But I would not call it a wastage. Even if it is ,scene is not similar across India also. I know many people in Bangalore and Chennai who do regular track days.They buy superbikes only for tracks.

People with superbikes in North India will be able to utilize them in a couple of years after F1 track is ready here.

why do people buy superbikes when a a good naked 600 can do the job and when no roads exist???

same reason as to why people buy an SUV like the scorpio when a honda city will suffice..4x4 not needed on highways..
the answer is something in us pulls us towards them..
it is a uegr nay, a craving to be one with te machine..maybe snobbish but the same ppl who own sbks dont bring them out at daytime to showoff..
it is not iIF we CAN use them..but just that WE CAN when the time comes..

dhoom has played an important role in popularising SBKs in india and bcause of that people call hayabusa ---dhoom bike anyways SBK's are not meant for indian roads and weather ...and yeah they are hell lotta popular ...they give you a different identity in a crowd of pulsar and splendors and yeah they are and can easily sold because of their popularity and yeah it can be damaged by our beloved bloody people who dont anything and will try to kiss you bike with their bloody a**es and some peolple will scratch your bike and some people may even steal your bike and yeah the traffic condition is worse in the whole world ..no one cares to follow the traffic rules..and when i see this then my bllod starts boiling and thats why i hit some people with my cycle at high speeds or spit at them or give them slangs and run away mostly women ..and rather than that i cannot do nothing ...i wish these thing were inscribed in our religious books ..it would have been better..
HOW CAN YOU ride a 600cc bike on a road where people and vehicles are coming from 8-9 directions?

and yeah we're obsessed with sbk's because they symbolise:
power,money,speed,style,passion for biking,makes you an icon[sort of ]

Wow, what a role model for all of us
Are you on drugs?

The only way to enjoy bidirectional twisties in India is if you've got a death wish. At best, if you miss your line you are heading into oncoming traffic. At worst, if the idiot decides to overtake on a blind curve he is heading into you.

nope but i rely on water and food

What I feel is that in India their is a serious lack of options, we have no bike in from 250cc to 1000cc except form RE which also kinda affects the thought process.

I think this should answer the question.

Being humans we all grow up with desires and dreams. Desires that are sometimes way too ambitious for our own good. Its the general "want" that we have in all of us.
In kindergarten we "wanted" to have the same cool Johnny Bravo tiffin box that the other kids had. We "wanted" to be dropped to school in the same Maruti Esteem like the rich-kid who was brought to school in his dad's car.
In the 6th grade we all "wanted" to have the largest collection of game-cartridges/dvds than the next door neighbour's kid.
And we all "wanted" to go out with the hottest girl in college.
Even when we're all grown-up we still tend to have such cravings. Albeit, to a lesser extent thanks to wisdom & logical reasoning that comes with age.

Superbikes are no different. More-so in a developing nation like ours; which is fast getting 'westernised'; where our hearts ache with envy when we see them blokes on those huge babies. The movie-inspired generation's desires today are only fuelled more by cinematic seductions.

At the end of the day man IS a social animal and tends to have desires that can give him/her a respectable social status. Be that through expensive homes/iphones or in this case Superbikes.

I dont know what a superbike feels like; have yet to ride one. But I have a hunch you(^) are correct. But that can only be confirmed by people who own one.

Superbike popularity on this forum and 'Hydrabusa' fanatics on the road are two different breeds. The former crave for more power while the latter are lame-ass Bollywood wannabe-posuers who just want to look like their gods. So, I guess if we are obsessed with them, it has to do with the insane amount of power.

The obsession also starts with them being accessible to only a section of the crowd. The forbidden fruit is the one most sought after. Them being indulgently beautiful doesnt help matters either, nor does the fact that they are outrageously powerful and fast.

u must be in mba first semister or passed out of mba. reading ur post reminded me of those concepts hahaha.very true

i have hardly met any true bikers in my life. most of them use bikes for commuting. anoter lot use it to impress girls and what better way than a sbk. most of these bikers are found 90% of the time at cafes or coffee day's and similar places and 10% on the roads most likely roads leading to those coffee shops.

even here in saudi people buy it and drive it for the show or to impress chiks. i havent met a single guy who will tour or just drive to feel the wind. its all about power and show.
movies have poplularised the bikes to such an extent i see notebooks of school children with dhoom stickers or sbks drawn on the front and back covers.

plus as a nation we are developing faster than anyone. its not the time when one had to wait 6 months to order a chetak. we are living in a very modern india which is comparable to mahy cities in the world. it comes with the whole package of developing. mercs and bmws and ferraris and more more cars for the masses and yes superbikes too are finding their way to the public.

how maNY PEOPLE drive their own merc and bmw. anyone has will know what i am talking about. its an experiance in itself. but they sit in the back while some village guy is driving their super expensive car. its all down to show.