India ready to make its move on the Motorcycle Industry 

Always amazes me how steady those hands are that paint the lines on the fuel tanks. Amazing job 👍

Speaking as a retired American, I would absolutely buy another India-made bike. Down here in Nicaragua, small cc motos are a way of life, and my Yamaha FZS has been a joy to own and ride. It is now 6 years old and still going strong.

imo India will be a major force, but by their own rules. They already have the upper hand in the sub-500cc market, so no need to spread capex and labour thin to compete with the west in manufacturing the larger capacity machines. “Stick to what you know best and fish where the fish are”. Good info and video 👍

nice proffesional presentation dude....thanks for not putting music or stupid clips in it...... everyone hates that these days, hats off

Royal emfield are actually really nice machines. I hired some RE's for a day out with friends and was really impressed with the INT 650. Would happily own one

China is not following the playbook of Japan. The two countries could not be more different culturally. Japan is a nation of perfectionists and engineers, driven by an almost obsessive devotion to honor and quality. China is a land of cheap traders and counterfieters, whose only claim to fame is their complete lack of scruples when it comes to undercutting the competition on price.

I’m glad someone is talking about this. India is going to beat out china in manufacturing in the next ten years. A large portion of the Chinese workforce will age out soon with no youth to replace them. The brutal one child policy is reaping what it has sown. Also India has been improving quality and has really captured the true spirit of riding.

Economic growth in India will incentivise manufacturers to move product upscale. If living standards rise as quickly as anticipated, India's motorcycle buyers will demand higher quality when they go to purchase their next bike. This will benefit bike lovers worldwide.

Interesting to see kove in the dakar rally. Im old enough to remember peoples bias against Japanese bikes in the 70's. India is the new china is the new japan! (Bike production)

RE North American HQ is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA blocks from the Harley Davidson HQ. Maybe RE is sending a not so subtle message.

4:30 this is where you hit the nail on the head. My dad was born in 1925. After the war he said that the opinion of "Japanese made" was 'the stuff is garbage'. You can even see that in the movie "Back to the Future" where the 1950's "Doc" says 'no wonder the microchip failed, it was made in Japan'. Japan is now recognised as a tier 1 producer of quality products. Equally, India is seen as poor quality, but evidence is there that within 20 years (which is the blink of an eye... look back 20 years) they can become tier 1 as well. Additionally, textiles from the sub-continent aren't considered poor quality. Bangladeshi, Indian and Sri Lankan cloth is pretty good stuff. So, clearly it's "where they are put their effort" which dictates the quality of Indian manufacture.

Royal Enfield is doing it now. I own 2. What I don't need is a 1800 CC bike for 30,000 dollars.

I got sick of waiting for KTM to release a proper dirt oriented 390 adventure. This 450 seems like what I've been looking for.

As an Indian the new Himalayan 452 is amazing. I have booked mine and should be getting it delivered by end of March. I was also hoping for KTM to tease the updated 390 ADV and I was stoked when I saw the leaked images. But as before, KTM for whatever reason wants to short change the Indian market. A recent slew of images showed the new KTM 390 adv with 19 inch fronts rather than the 21 in the international market.

The bigger reason is not just man power or work force but most importantly the emotion of people towards motorcycles. It is this emotion that all the brand has to respect and hence, they make such decent performing bikes. If you see the advertisement of any bike of hero, Bajaj, RE you will see how they connect with people. It hardly flaunts the power figures. This is the same reason now they also doing good for western markets because they are trying to build community first especially RE I don't know till which point they will do so and like big four start bleeding the community by selling overexpensive bikes.

Just waiting to see how the Himalayan 450 performs long term, by then ill be able to actually afford one 😂

Chances are my next bike will be either a Royal Enfield Classic Signal 350, or the Shotgun 650. Both good looking bikes with great appeal. 😎

Additional information: Bajaj owns almost 50% stake in KTM TVS owns Norton and also contract manufactures low capacity BMW Mahindra owns BSA Baby Aprilias are being made in India

Wisconsin had so many small engine manufacturers, but they could only make them so clean. I read something from 'The Economist' that said India would probably have an edge over China in creativity. I'm trying to imagine how that would play out in the motorcycle industry.

I'm putting my money on India, functional, rugged & built for purpose (Himalayan 450) without 100 screws to get the fairings off. I watched someone strip down a CFMoto 800mt lost track of the steps to get fairings off, even before getting to the tank just to check/change plugs. While I love the idea of a smooth running 450 twin, it will be just too much trouble for me as a maintainer. So I laid down my cash on one. Even though it is on the heavy side. At my age, why not take a risk.

Great analysis brother! In my opinion, today's 600cc are equivalent to 2000s 1000cc bikes in outcome, soon just like 4 wheeler even 2 wheelers will be made with smaller engines and 500 to 700 cc would be the centre of attraction.

Loving my KTM390 adv, a few years ago I would never have considered an indian built bike. The 390 is a hoot in the twisties and so light on the rough stuff. My other bike is a 2020 Africa Twin, I've been surprised at how enjoyable the 390 has been. I don't think this will be my last Indian bike. I cannot see myself buying a Chinese bike primarily as I find their politics alarming.

I was in India last month. There’s huge improvement on motorcycles market and everything for that matter. It’s huge economy, there’s huge opportunity for any company that has good products. Even KTM with mediocre product quality/reliability is doing good in India.

Apart from royal enfield, I think the ones to watch would be TVS and Hero. Both companies have aspirations for the international market, but it might be years before any of it actually materializes

Indian motorcycle companies have largely won in Africa, bajaj and tvs are dominating in africa and are winning in south america as well. South east asia is largely still japanese since they have strong brand following and are not forgiving to outsiders and Europe is still an early market for Indian companies. TVS HERO and Bajaj and ev startups like OLA, Ather should enter europe in a big way and I am sure they will make huge impact.

Excellent deep view,thanks a lot and I totally agree with you.I spent some years working in India and China too,in 2050 the strongest economy will be India ,tradition and culture is pushing India further. Waiting for my RE 452 ,I've got already the 411 and I am one of those that recognizing Chris Birtch as a legend,I remain with feet on the ground 😂 being 6.2 that's easy on the RE🎉😂👍

Great article. Keep it up.

Interesting times ahead. 😊

Another great analysis of the industry. I also agree with the viewer that said thanks for not having a loud, hyper, flashing pictures and music louder than your voice.

The first batch of CF Moto MT 450 is already sold out before it hits our shores

Indian bikes are huge in south america, Bajaj, Royal Enfield, Hero and TVS can be found everywhere, in my country Bajaj is fighting the sales leadership with Honda by offering bikes more powerful and with more features at a lower price, I have a Dominar 400 and it's been great til now.

Royal Enfield bikes are good... i had classic 350 for almost 2 years and its so reliable and comfortable ❤

Enjoyed that, very well presented thanks.

Just watched this….insightful and perceptive ✔️

A really good look. Thank you.

Absolutely Yes, I will buy one.

until this video, i didnt really think about the fact that im most interested in a CF moto450 or the Triumph 400. one china, one india. makes me think a bit more about things.

Just shortly before the new RE Himi was introduced, I decided to downgrade from a Norden 901, in favor of something lighter and got myself a Husky 701 which I am "adventurizing" right now. If I had known the new Himi back then, I might very well have considered it, even that its not that much lighter. It is a HUGE step... no leap forwards for RE! A chinese bike? Well, buying a bike is also about aftermarket support and here RE has a clear advantage, even that there are only two (well estabished) dealerships here which I know of.

Dude you are a very smart guy. Know about everything perfectly. I am from India that's why I am saying this. I can confirm to every single point you said.

Fantastic content! Thanks

I really enjoy your videos and know that you must enjoy being a new Daddy. Keep up the good work.

Chronicles of solid, still the best motorcycle review platform out there

That was excellent.

This was the sort of intelligent and informed analysis and commentary I've come to expect from this channel. Thanks. If an Indian motorcycle company wants to expand internationally and offer higher profit margin products, the major motorcycle manufacturers have left them an engraved invitation by refusing for decades to sell us the ADV bike we *really* want. If Bajaj or TVS wanted to leverage the quality lessons learned from manufacturing for KTM and BMW and make THE bike for the western world, make a reliable 450 cc or 500 cc single cylinder engine, and build a lightweight bike around it that is good for off road and on road use. It doesn't need the light weight, geometry and suspension of a dirt bike, but don't add plastics to make a street bike look more like an ADV bike. Design it for both, similar to the Himalayan but not as heavy. The goal is a bike that's lightweight to perform well off road, but with the 50 HP for comfortable highway cruising when needed. Give it a 5 gallon fuel tank and a large rear rack. Bonus points for an aluminum bash plate and some engine protection bars. Buy a Bosch ABS system if you aren't up for designing your own. Keep it simple, but the minimal equipment needs to be of high quality. No cheap Chinese switch gear. Learn to use aluminum instead of steel when it can save a few pounds. We'll pay for that weight savings. Have an importer/dealer in each country and ship direct to the consumer. Sell the parts needed to support the bikes. You do not need (or want) the overhead of a dealership network.

Happy New Year! I think you are spot on. China has always been at the bottom of the list for products. Many people in North America live in a throwaway culture. For them cheap is the only answer. I grew up in the construction industry where good tools and be materials last a lifetime. The buy-once cry-once philosophy has served me well. I still use tools my father and grandfather passed down as well as my own tools that have lasted 30+ years.

India already is. Honda et al cannot ignore them. I am considering buying a new Himalayan but choice? Crf/t7/690 etc and of course price does make a difference. thanks for the insight. Happy New Year. William.

Simple and clear that point

I wish India would consider selling TVS motorcycles and Scooters in the USA. They are really good quality. BMW contracted with them to build the BMW 310R motorcycle, and it gets wonderful reviews. The gentleman whose channel is bikes and beards did a review of it a couple of years ago and he really liked it.

Good stuff. I think the last point is key from a business aspect. For export, more money on R&D, to sell a more expensive bike to a relatively (compared to local sales) small group of riders… I’d wonder if it makes much sense economically. Then again, China is doing it. 🤔. Don’t know the answer, but selling “us” bikes that they also can sell in India, makes a lot of sense to me

Hero Motorcorp sell the motorcycles with the best warranty in South Africa that I know of. The impression I get is that their quality may actually surpass that of Honda. I wish they will start building larger capacity bikes.

The future isn't big capacity motorcycles. The future is in smaller lighter motorcycles anyway, so India is already ahead of the game.

I currently have a 22 KLR and a 24 Transalp in the garage. The TA is a fantastic motorcycle, but I really prefer the low tech simplicity of the KLR, just no the top heavy geometry and paint shaker vibrations. If the RE Himalayan can do what the KLR does with less vibes and the same low COG a the 411, I'll sell both my current bikes and just go full in with RE. For the market, I think you hit the nail on the head with demographics. In the short term, China may pull ahead, but I think India is the long term replacement for Japan.

India is awakening !!

Interesting, insightful and well researched. A lifetime of bikes, and now with two REs alongside a Suzuki, I think the Indians have a strong chance against China - of alongside China. It's well to talk of the other traditional manufacturers fighting and of price wars, but as you say early on, many of them already have deals with one or both India and China.It's a global market and these two will be the biggest 'factories'. Not to forget the other Asian locations - Honda with the CB500X made in Thailand, and Triumph or course.

Good report Cos.

As you have said they have to meet the challenges, set fourth.

Excellent presentation Solid!

India will definitely become a motorcycle powerhouse. The success of Royal Enfield is staggering 👍

Your so right! I have a Kawasaki z 400 2022 and even though it is faster than the royal Enfield I can't carry anything with it. For a around town ( laundry, groceries and passenger) im upgrading to a 350 super meteor. Cheap on gass and insurance. And most of all dealership closer to me. VERY IMPORTANT?!

From India, good stuff mate. It's all about quality, guess that's why RE is heading to Baja & then Dakar

Not ready. India is fully involved now.

India already kinda catching up in Africa and Europe. And saw Honda India trying the vintage look to go against Royal Enfield. Hero and Bajaj is also doing good for years outside of India. Specially in Europe and Africa and started in Australia and America.

I from india and prices of bikes here are now skyrocket and economic is very bad here

Proud himalayan owner here!!

Indian bikes such as Hero motocops , bajaj , and tvs has separate market in india and africa. That is low cc affordable bike. Eg. Bajaj palatina a 100cc bike that give mileage upto 75kmpl thats huge. People who look for mileage goes for it. Now they started colabarating with european brands to make premium motor cycles. In five year indian brands make affordable premium motor cycle.

I own a 2019 royal enfield continental gt 650 and have had zero issues with it , awesome bike .

If India made a readable motorcycle similar to Ducati V twin that handles. I'd think about buying one.

You should also check Bajaj-Pulsar and TVS-Apache bikes Apache 310 is BMW 310 TVS manufactures for BMW

very good points and yes India does have a chance to be a major player in the west but they haven't arrived. KTM and BMW are the gold standards of quality but are becoming unaffordable to most riders whose budget are now decreasing for nice to have items like motorcycles. This storyline is consistent with the shift in location from China to India of cell phones and ICs. The other factor is the increasing political animosity between China and the west

ALL OF AFRICA LOVE ❤️ INDIA MADE MOTORCYCLES.THESE MODELS ARE SOLID AND VERY LITTLE MAINTENANCE.ALL AFRICA LOVE INDIAN BIKES.

Good story Solid. Well researched. For what it’s worth I have no problem buying a Chinese bike. They make half of what I consume anyway, so what difference will another thing make. They are also starting to make decent bikes and that’s the bottom line for me. I have been riding Japanese bikes my entire life and not long before I started we were at war with each other. If they make good bikes cheaper than the others I’m happy to buy one. At worst it might force the others to pull their fingers out. See you on the trails😎

Personally I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the CF Moto 450MT.

I quite simply will not buy a Chinese-manufactured motor vehicle and I'm a Brit so I feel an affinity with India for historical, curry and cricket-related reasons. The only thing stopping me buying an RE is the continued wait for their 650 scrambler.

Hi Solid. Love your videos. ❤ The new Himalayan really interests me. I am currently riding a Suzuki DRZ 400e for adventure riding. As you said, the price is what grabs my attention. The Himalayan is affordable. My only question is reliability. I’m still not sure if it is worth the leap. 😊

Definitely depends on what happens with Royal Enfield BSA has a new bike out also not sure if it’s done in India, the 450 him, with be a massive drop the 650 Shotgun will probably take the next spot, the old Yamaha vstar 650 and a few of the UMD cruisers that have been dropped, the Yamaha bolt I never found out when they stopped bringing them in to Australia. You could potentially have a Royal Enfield in each bike sub category if you wanted considering the price tag

Only learning curve will understanding the culture of new markets…

India must make sure that the quality control is as good as Japanese industry. Especially the quality and consistency of materials.

Good sign for India is that they are not in rush and also not looking for quick buck…in given price segments even Japanese companies are struggling to compete with Indian manufacturers… as Indian bikes and cars at the prices Indians can afford have same reliability as of Japanese products… however outside of India Indian manufacturers have to do research about the culture in new markets…which some companies are already doing it for example mahindra global pickup is getting tested and developed in Australia…

I was disappointed when I found the Australian version of the Harley x500 is made in china, not India. I would by an Indian made bike, but not a Chinese one. Someone can correct me if I am wrong though.

Happy new year bud, I think they already are mate 👍🏻

I think you will find units sold rather than revenue they already are quite a big player.

India is more focused on the affordable markets outside of the home turf, especially in the continent of Africa, and also in Southeast Asia. Sure, Indian quality may not be on par with Triumph, BMW, etc. but the important thing to consider here is that the markets of developing countries can't afford the "luxury" brands either. Enter Indian brands. They are definitely better quality products than that of China. They are a little bit more expensive than the cheap Chinese bikes, and a little more affordable than the Japanese bikes, while providing comparable levels of quality, reliability, and fuel efficiency(might even be higher in fuel efficiency and reliability if you consider the Bajaj Boxer and the Hero Splendor). TVS and Bajaj alone were able to drive out 160 out of the 200 motorcycle companies operating in Africa.

warranty means making customer satisfaction. when you buy this bike make sure that this company can be trusted for that . five years or ten years it is depends on the bike amount if the bike is below 1 lakh get the warranty for five years and if it is above 1 lakh should get warranty for ten years . 1)petrol tank should be change if it gets rusted within the warranty period for free . 2) Wheels should be change if it has bend 3) clutch plates should with stand minimum for 5 years if before five years it fails it should be replaced by company for free 4) self start assembly 5) petrol tab failure it should be replaced newly 6) lights should replaced for free7) battery should at least have five years replacement warranty 8) in case of accident company should claim directly to the insurance for the complete repair according to insurance policy.

I think that India will eventually usurp China in motorcycles. No political impediments. Rapidly improving quality. An example in cars was a road test of Mahindra Pik Up 4x4 with 500 000 kms from Redriven youtube and thumbs up from an Australian outback freight company who run three of them all with serious ks and no major work needed.

Virtually everything on the 452 was built specifically for that model, as an ADV bike.

Based on internal sales I'm not sure they have anything to lose

From 100 cc to 250 cc bikes … I can confidently say that Indian bikes are very very hard to beat…

Not just motorcycles....India is now exporting cars to right hand drive markets like Australia, South Africa, NZ. Mahindra makes a lot of tractors and cars.

Happy New Year CoS 🎉

the other biggies hesitate to collide headon with RE in market and those are soing are loosing money - honda , harley triumph ktm tvs bajaj all beaten badly in the 300-450cc segment with just 10k units sales combined vs the 80k units sold by RE

They brought back the classic Honda CB 125!

One thing about Royal Enfield is that they listen/respond to their customer base, that's huge.

Markets follow the customers. When indian customers start expecting better and better, they are also willing to pay more. So, the manufacturers will up their design and quality game to stay relevant or perish. Hopefully, that turnaround happens sooner than later.

Well, I owned a Chinese bike and it was shockingly awful! I own an Indian bike and it's fantastic.

I should be getting scram 411 but local price was so high. even more expensive than KTM

Maybe a minus or not they all look old school in the modern adventure world.

My 10 year old Indian yamaha has had couple of cables new tyres new chain.. thats it.

Went to a dealership this morning to pre-order a Himalayan.

Mind you once the Indian firms start making bigger Capacity bikes the International Community gates would be flooded for sure! coz they know how to make bikes affordable.

Their tiny 350cc 20 hp engine just does not cut it here in USA. They're beautiful bikes but not practical here. Now I am interested in the new Himalayan, not for sale here yet. So I just bought a used BMW f650 Gs, a single cylinder that makes a little more hp and torque than their 650 twin !