Indian Chief 1930 Motorcycles, page #13

Moto blog

Speed trippy

FED up of your commute? Check out Indian motorcycle journo Aneesh Shivanekar's average morning, filmed as he rode his KTM Duke 200 between the Mumbai suburbs of Andheri and Bandra (a distance of about 7 miles, or half his one-way journey). And no, he's not Jesse Mach; this GoPro footage is sped up 8x.

Indian Motorcycles at the 2013 International Motorcycle Shows in New York City

Indian Motorcycles is continuing its rebirth under new owners Polaris Industries with a big showcase at the New York City stop of the International Motorcycle Shows, Jan. 18-20 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

2014 Bajaj Pulsar 375 – The Fully-Faired Indian Version of the KTM 390 Duke Spied

Indian website Powerdrift has uncovered photographs of what it claims to be a Bajaj Pulsar 375, a faired sportbike based on the KTM 390 Duke. A Bajaj-branded version of the 390 Duke should be no surprise. The Indian company, after all, owns a 47% stake in Austrian-based KTM, and it released its own version of the 200 Duke in the 2012 Bajaj Pulsar 200NS.

Piaggio Slashes Vespa LX125 Prices in India to Bolster Slow Sales

Piaggio launched its Vespa scooter brand at last January’s Indian Auto Expo to much fanfare but sales have fallen short of expectations. The Vespa LX125 launched in Indian showrooms in April as the first new Vespa scooter offered in the country in 13 years, but Piaggio has only sold about 25,000 units. That might seem like a lot, and would be, for the U.S.

Hero MotoCorp Reports Sales of 541,615 Motorcycles and Scooters in December 2012

Whenever we publish stories about the motorcycle industry in India, we still get comments from readers surprised at how big a role that nation’s market plays, and perhaps more poignantly, how small it makes the U.S. market look. The latest sales numbers from Hero MotoCorp, India’s market leader, should further highlight the importance of India’s motorcycle market.

Listen to the New Polaris-Era Indian Motorcycle Engine – Video

Polaris Industries offered the first preview of the next generation of Indian Motorcycle, releasing an audio clip of the new engine that will power an all-new model. Indian is offering a a line of 2013 Chief models but all of them are continuations of  models offered by Indian’s owners. The new Polaris-era Indians are still a year away, but Polaris decided to start promoting the brand and teasing the new models ahead of a 2014 re-launch.

Polaris Industries Acquires KLIM

Polaris Industries has acquired motorcycle and snowmobile gear manufacturer KLIM. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The KLIM brand will continue operating as a standalone business alongside Polaris’ existing apparel labels.

Actual Motorcycle or My Little Pony Character?

1 of 6Next Last A little while ago, we published a review of a motorcycle Honda produces for the Indian market called the Unicorn Dazzler. Yes, that’s the actual name of a production motorcycle designed by Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, a Honda subsidiary. In his review of the 150cc motorcycle, Rajeev Gaikwad said the Honda Unicorn Dazzler was “a handsome commuter with an enthusiastic and proven engine” though it was underwhelming in terms of performance and handling as the higher-priced successor to the regular Honda Unicorn also sold in India.

Bonhams To Sell Garelli Grand Prix Collection At No Reserve

Mark your calendars for February 5 and 6, 2013, as those are the dates when Bonhams — one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine arts and antiques — will put for sale two motorcycle collections which include some incredibly rare and historic machines. The Grand Palais in Paris, France will play host to the auction, which includes the entire Garelli Grand Prix collection as its headliner. Founded in 1919, many famous Italian racers got their starts on Garelli motorcycles.

McQueen’s Husky on the Auction Block

Thirty-two years after his death, Steve McQueen still reigns as the coolest movie star to ever ride a motorcycle. One of his preferred brands was Husqvarna (another, seen here, was Triumph) and to the delight of motorcycle enthusiasts and McQueen fans alike, one of his bikes will soon be in the hands of a new owner. This 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross owned and ridden by Steve McQueen will be up for auction on January 10th, at Bally’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, by Bonhams. The motorcycle comes with an exhaustive quantity of documents supporting its provenance and authenticity.