THE 8th AUTO EXPO 2006 Article by Dilip Bam

Suzuki Zeus

The 8th Auto Expo this year appeared quite toned down, at least from the two-wheeler angle. While the total number of participants seemed quite less than in earlier years, even the hype was much less. Among two-wheeler majors, FOUR majors who did not participate were, Kinetic, LML, Enfield and Honda (HMSI). The reason according to one 2-W manufacturer was that cost of participating was too high, and the crowd is mostly local Delhi crowd, so participation is not cost effective. According to the same source, it makes more sense for Indian manufacturers to participate in small local expos, which cost much less. ITPO, which organizes the Expo, may kindly take note of this. While increasing the entry ticket price may keep the general crowd out, there were no educated officials at the booths outside the gates (at least at gate No.7 on 12 Jan @ 16:00 hrs) to regulate entry of out-of-town journos like me, and the guards manning the gates were regulating entry as they pleased / understood / whatever. Yet school and college kids were aplenty inside on day one, which was supposed to be reserved for journos, VIPs and business visitors. Entry ticket was Rs.300/-, which I am sure not many school kids can afford. How these kids got in on day one is anybody’s guess.

Bajaj Pulsar

Getting to the point, Bajaj Auto was in the lead with FOUR new bikes. Top attraction was the Bajaj Pulsar DTS-Fi, which is Digital Twin Spark with Fuel injection. It is claimed that DTS-Fi makes the engine one of the most efficient production engines ever, which will deliver higher performance, improved drivability, lower emissions, improved fuel economy and extended life. While all these claims would mostly be true, the claim of extended life may be doubtful in view of the Cheetah—Tortoise syndrome. In any case, only time can clear that doubt. Looks wise, it has a Pulsar-ish look at the rear and middle, with front fairing like in HH Karizma. Rear view mirrors are mounted on the fairing, not on the handlebar. Other goodies are widest tyres, largest diameter front forks, disc brakes both front and rear, digital instrumentation and projector headlight with tail light lighted by light emitting diode. Mag-alloy wheels, self start, ExhausTEC, and canister-reservoir, gas filled rear shocks are standard.

Bajaj Sonic

Next in line is the Bajaj Sonic DTSi which claims sleek European styling, DTSi with ExhausTEC, SnS suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels and front disc brake. Bajaj terms it as a light sports bike, which is faster and more nimble than any other vehicle in its category.

In small wheels, there were two new models, the Blade DTSi and Kristal DTSi. The Blade is the more macho looking of the two, designed to attract the young MALE who wants a two-wheeler without the hassle of changing gears. It sports twin SnS suspension, 12-inch alloy wheels, front disc brake and front fuelling system so that one does not have to get off the seat when filling petrol. The Kristal is very feminine looking with similar goodies, which consist of DTSi with ExhausTEC, SnS suspension, 22 litres of storage space and front fuelling system. When these bikes will be available in Bajaj showrooms is not known.

TVS Apache

The major attraction at the TVS stall was the 150 cc APACHE (named after a fierce Red-Indian tribe of USA), which is powered by an iESurge engine for quick pickup and iDi lean burn for lean, clean and mean combustion. It has black alloy wheels, front disc, 5-speed gearbox and canister gas shockers at rear. This bike will be available from February. Also at the stall were two concept bikes, showcasing TVS’s technical prowess. One was the PREDATOR, a 500 cc, 4-stroke, twin-cylinder bike producing 46 bhp of power and 45 Nm of torque, with a 130/90 x 15 rear tyre and a 1490 mm wheelbase. The other was the astounding looking bike named ISOTOPE 200, of which specifications were not available (see photo). These concept bikes will NOT be available anytime soon.

Suzuki is entering India with a 4-stroke, 125 cc bike, which was officially launched at the expo. Available in two variants, the high-end variant is called ZEUS, (named after the king of Greek Gods, equivalent of our own Indra Devta) and comes with front disc and headlight fairing. The low-end version is called HEAT, and comes with front drum brake and no headlight fairing. Both versions come with a five-speed gearbox.

Apart from these real time bikes, there were a lot of dream bikes at the Yamaha and Suzuki stalls. There were big bikes & big scooters, but nothing coming to India in the near future.

Bajaj Blade

Bajaj Kristal