Re: Discussion on Cruiser scene in India

Topic Approved. No need to move it, its in the right place.

I don't think Honda is no.1 in terms of 2 Wheeler sales. That would be Hero Motocorp for now.


My personal thoughts on the topic are:- Honda's structure is like of a big company, like an elephant. They make reliable products but they charge the premium for that. And they would love enough profit margins. And they might get lazy at times, taking years to upgrade just their premium 150cc bike, leave alone launching new ones.

You see how Samsung Galaxy S7 sells for Rs. 54000 while equally powerful Xiaomi Mi5 sells for Rs. 25000 only? Well, the difference is of the brand, its values, precisely the difference between Honda and say for example, DSK Benelli.
All the 4 companies mentioned above make quality products. However, some are self-understood premium brands...

Its no wonder that no name companies are now coming up with premium products and selling them anyways, with service too, while Japanese giants (with the exception of Kawasaki) are mostly sitting idle..

Coming to Cruisers, Royal Enfield sell mostly everything they produce, because they have a fan following, a retro feeling, acceptable price, good resale possibility+value and also, amazing low end torque resulting in a very good test ride impressions on people...
Most of these feelings are not associated with other brands currently. Indians do love cruisers, some definitely do, there's no turning back on this statement. The Avengers, which are more like true cruisers with their riding position than RE, enjoy respectable sales anyhow.


Despite all the shortcomings I highlighted, for Honda there's no decent cruiser choice that's worth the efforts. They can make a lot of products which will sell better than their cruisers do...

If they go about making a 150cc-250cc cruiser, they will only compete against already dominant RE and Avengers.
If they go about importing their range of cruisers via CBU, then how many buyers will they get over, say, Harley Davidson or Suzuki Intruder M1800?

Honda is not known for great or best selling cruisers, even if they sell a few abroad.. I understand their decision.

They have a better chance of making a CBR1000RR motoGP replica and selling it, then a cruiser at half its price. This CBU market is anyways a more informed one.

Re: Discussion on Cruiser scene in India


No. The first thing that hits me is Harley. Then comes Avenger. If RE is the first thing that hits you when the word cruiser is uttered, you need to re-educated in motorcycling.

Lol no. Honda started getting serious about the Indian market in 2010, after the split, after launching the CBR250R. So to say that they have been going for more than a decade is utter fallacy, unless you have been riding on an activa.

The reason RE sells is because of the annoying DUG DUG sound.

Also please explain how you call Honda the firangi Maruti?

Honda does not have a chassis in which they can put a decent enough an engine, and still price it competitively.
Okay. Lets talk about it. What engine would you want to be put in the cruiser? The CBR250R's engine? The 150 wont cut it, torque waaaayyyy too high up. The hornet engine? People would laugh at the 150cc cruiser, and why would anyone buy it over a similarly priced Avenger 220.

The cost of developing a new chassis, and to be enough margins to recover the expenditure, would meanthat they would have to price this thing at 3 lakhs. (assuming they use the 250 engine). Now why would anyone buy this? I wouldnt. I'd rather hand over my money to the yanks, 4.8 lakhs, and ride with my 54 BHP.


Again. Lol No. Where are you even getting these stats from?



My analysis is that this is the fanciful whining of some MBA student who wants to make a project, and thinks he knows all, without even knowing a thing about the auto industry.

Re: Discussion on Cruiser scene in India

Very true. I totally agree with you. As for Honda they are only surviving this market of India on the basis of activa. Today you remove this product from there pipe line and you will see they go way beyond and a suzuki in the rating of the market of India.

Cruiser well I would say bajaj avanger they have done a real peace of work on this new bike. It is a vfm in terms of money, ridding, and cruiser of course.

Harley is good no doubt but you should have real deep pockets for this machine. I am not picking up the other segments. But yes royal enfield do have there set of line ups which as said sell with no time with a waiting period of more than 4 to 5 months to get one hands on there bike. But for this machine you have to make a positive data in your mind that she is not a bike to kept and forget. You have to really gear yourself to the core to keep the bike running. Yes there is maintainance which bike does not have but it is a little bit more. Well I am soon myself going to purchase this bike hopefully by next year currently I am ridding an avanger 150cc which is giving me a sweet smile everyday I sit on it.
And I hope I get the same on re. Which I known it won't until and unless the service is done in time.

All the bikes are good in today's market it is we who keep them and how we keep them matters nothing else.
I think I have shared my thought of mind here.

Ps: honda bike sales are very less in comparison to others. They are only surviving on there beloved activa range.
I look into the sales graph of every month pan India so I know. Where they stand and how they are in the market of India.

Re: Discussion on Cruiser scene in India

If RE are not cruisers then what are they particularly TB 500/350 ?
The only reason RE is bought because of the ANNOYING dug dug sound.
DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GETTING YOUR FACTS FROM.The reason people buy RE is because of the awesome low end torque, upright comfortable seating position and AWESOME THUMP(DUG DUG).

RIDE HARD RIDE SAFE

Re: Discussion on Cruiser scene in India

Well to answer the OP, Honda want to be in the Value-Segment of this Market, because this market is Value-Focused-Bottom of the Pyramid types when it comes to Bikes. Kindly do not assume this market as niche basis on 'xbhp' or tbhp or other motorcycling forums since the members on these forums comprise hardly single digit percentage of this country's bike industry. (there's good point for your Project ). And this bottom end of the pyramid is where the profits are generated from volumes game (another point), though even here its charging a handsome premium over others - That's their model for this country.

As for the point of Enfields being cruiser or not OR why do people really buy them is dependent on individual's perceptions. (I see many times Activa users' feel they own a Honda GP bike & that's how they ride it too :P.) . But atleast they and a majority of people perceive it to be a comfortable-non-sports/performance oriented bike, which is not very heavy on the pocket - hence can be beaten about a bit carelessly (than say a Harley), Not very heavy on regular maintenance or spares (money wise) and finally atleast gives a "heavy-bigbike impression". I speak from my own example. I wanted a decent "retro-classic" bike more so a Cafe... surely a Thruxton or Bonnie would've been more than perfect, but neither was I looking for outright 1000cc jump from my earlier 150cc and nor was I looking at spending big money, so when it came to affordability question I went with the next best thing in my Range which ticked most boxes - Continental GT. For most this is a simple game of choice by attrition and in a way those who grew up in my age group (1980's) grew seeing the Enfields and that pleasurable sound (barring those idiots who have no sense of nuances of what is aural orgasm -v- rape ) so somewhere that sub-conscious attraction also kicks in.