India’s Favorite Motorcycles In Different Segments

India is a very diverse and vast country with different cultures spread throughout. Regardless of the diversity, one of the common factors of each household would be a Hero motorcycle, and India is in the top four largest 2-wheeler markets in the world.

India became the world’s largest 2-wheeler market back in 2017, with more than 37 million motorcycles & scooters on the road. More than 48,000 2-wheelers are sold in India daily. Although the pandemic also hit this industry, recovery is predicted in the following years. The recovery has begun, but it will take a little time to reach new milestones and get back to the previous sales trend.

India’s motorcycle market is ruled by the entry-level bikes of Hero, which is the second-largest 2-wheeler manufacturer in the world. This rank held by Hero is due to their significant sales in the Indian market. Except for the bikes from Hero & scooters from Honda, Indians love 2-wheelers from every segment. There is an undeniable craze for the Royal Enfield, which is only growing day by day with its new variants. 

 KTM entered the premium sports bike segment in 2012 with the Duke 200, which received immense love, and they kept adding other bikes to the line-up with time and delivered performance. KTM has made some room due to its collaboration with Bajaj. Although one might say that they are a little bit expensive, the performance package comes along; over the years, we have built KTM communities around the nation. On the other hand, companies like TVS have kept their customers pleased with their Apache for a while, just like Bajaj kept up Pulsar.

Now let’s take a look at the bikes we see the most:

Daily Commuters

Without a doubt, Hero has the most significant bite here, just like Maruti Suzuki does with the passenger vehicles. Here are the most favourite Hero bikes:

• Hero Splendor

It is one of the most affordable & BS-VI compliant motorcycles in India. Available in three variants: Splendor i-smart, Splendor Plus & Super Splendor. It has been the backbone of Hero Motor Corp.

It is powered by a single-cylinder 113cc engine making 9.1hp. It also offers Hero’s i3 start-stop technology and 240mm disc brakes making it the best-selling motorcycle in India.

• Hero HF-deluxe

This motorcycle has been second best, just behind the Splendor. It runs on a single-cylinder 100c fuel-injected engine making about 8hp. Hero also claims slightly better fuel efficiency and acceleration in the updated version.

• Hero Passion

Passion is similar to its sibling, Splendor iSmart. It runs on the same engine and technology, making 9 hp, and has been one of the long-standing products that people passionately drive.

• Hero Glamour

Glamour sits a little above the entry-level sibling with another single-cylinder 124cc engine making about 11hp. It has been falling behind a bit due to competition such as the Bajaj Pulsar.

We all have a Honda Activa at our homes, but Honda owns a bit of the motorcycle market too

• Honda CB Shine

The Honda product competing with the 125cc variant of the Pulsar has been among the people’s favourite. It runs on an air-cooled single-cylinder 124.7cc engine with BS-VI upgrades making about 11hp.

The electronic fuel injection ensures crisp throttle revs with a smooth ride making it almost a perfect daily commuter.

• Honda Unicorn
  One of Honda’s first BS-VI compliant motorcycles and got similar styling to its sibling CB shine. But in terms of power, it runs on a single-cylinder 162cc engine making about 13hp.
  
• Bajaj Platina

  

  Hero owns most of the commuter sector, but Platina has been trying to make a room. The significant efforts by Bajaj have surely got it in the top 10 most selling motorcycles.

  It runs on a single-cylinder 102cc engine making about 8hp but has exceptional stability & ride quality. In addition to that, Bajaj added an electric start along with disc brakes and added up to the available variants.

Indian Sports Bike

Bajaj has been keeping up with their Sporty Pulsar and the Platina for the people:

• Bajaj Pulsar

Pulsar has been a sporty loved of the people since 2001. All nine variants are currently running well with their sporty packages, owning about 20% of the 180-200cc motorcycle market with exceptional performance & power.

Bajaj has kept this icon well and expanded the variants extensively with proper updates in terms of technology & power.

TVS has always been known for the Apache series and the Jupiter

• TVS Apache

Apache has been the flagship product of TVS with a hearty engine & an overall premium sporty package with enhanced performance. It has a short wide range starting from 160cc and going up to 200: Apache RTR 160, RTR 180, RTR 160 4V, and RTR 200 4V.

Premium Motorcycles

• Royal Enfield 650 Twins

  

  Royal Enfield launched the 650 twins: Continental GT 650 & Interceptor 650, in 2018 in India. Starting at ₹2.65 (ex-showroom) lakhs, these twins are mighty with a legendary appeal. Post pandemic recovery Royal Enfield sold about 20,000 of these in a year.

• TVS Apache RR 310

  

  Apache RR 310 sits on the top of the TVS’s Apache series being the most powerful & sporty and starting at ₹2.40 (ex-showroom), lakhs seated in the top 5 with about 4,000 in a year.

• Kawasaki Ninja 300

  

  Out of the Kawasaki line-up, this has been the most selling one in India. It is starting at ₹2.98 (ex-showroom), selling about 1,000 in a year. This segment has been affected the most due to the pandemic.

Cruisers

Lastly, we have the legendary icon from Royal Enfield. This company has been in India since 1955, and the 350cc Bullet is still running!

• Royal Enfield Classic 350

We all have heard that “old is gold,” and this motorcycle is a practical living example of proving the same with its extensive journey. Royal Enfield has built up a vast community & earned immense love from the fans, and they also deserve the credit for developing the biking culture in India.

The Classic 350 has been running for a while and has always been appreciated by the people. The latest BS-VI updates and a fuel injection system churning about 20hp make it the most popular motorcycle.