5 Reasons Why Auto Expo 2016 Was Worth Visiting

1)   Honda Africa Twin

When I requested she step away from the bike, she seemed a bit annoyed. However it was the Honda Africa Twin that I was here for, not some hired model from Eastern Europe. Then it was my turn to eat humble pie as my attempt to sit on the bike for even a second was politely declined. Turns out only Akshay Kumar had the contract to sit and pose on the most talked about adventure motorcycle of the year.

Ever since the BMW GS series got ridden around by Hollywood stars it seems all other motorcycle designers got a memo that read, “please add an ugly beak below the headlights” Thankfully Honda Africa Twin still resembles the original 1988 show-stopper.

A decade ago I spotted my first Africa Twin in Nubra Valley, Ladakh and it has always been one of my favorites. I am no tech-spec guru so just from an aesthetic point the new Africa Twin is subtle and lean and has spared us the space-ship vibe one gets from the GS-like bikes by Triumph or Benelli that shared the same floor at the Auto Expo 2016.

2)   Triumph Motorcycles

Triumph definitely had the best line up of bikes. But they must have had budget constraints because all the bikes were crammed together in a tiny corner. They even hung two Bonnies on the wall. Add that to the merchandise, too many company employees and couple of bored ‘models’ and you had an unnecessarily cluttered look. Hence the overall layout was too tight to appreciate the new launches, the Bonneville Street Twin and the Bonneville T120. Possibly the most versatile range of bikes in the luxury bike section in India. 

3)   No Bajaj, Harley or Enfield

On my way to the rest room I heard a guy telling his mates “Bhai, Harley, Enfield, Bajaj hai hi nahi!” (Harley, Enfield, Bajaj were not at the Expo) It saves these companies money for sure but it also saves us from swimming through the mad numbers that would come to simply click their own reflection on the chrome. So a big thank you to these big hearted companies for staying away!

4)   Honda NAVI

I returned to Honda and could not get my head around the NAVI. Someone has had lots of fun making this ‘moped-bike-scooter’. All its avatars are funky, intriguingly cool and in no time the rental companies in Goa will be replacing their Activa’s with the 110cc NAVI. They even had this ‘adventure’ looking version! If not the Africa Twin at least I can test-ride this NAVI!

5)   Aniket Das

Last but not least, meet Aniket Das from Bangalore who was displaying his final year project from National Institute of Design, Ahmadabad at the expo. The question he is answering is “How do we make the adventure tourer and rally-raid sport grow in India?"

He started out by building lighter and faster Impulse bikes. Racing and remaking them with invaluable insights from the likes of CS Santosh, Anand Dharmaraj, Bharadwaj Dayala and Vijay Parmar. 

Typically when someone gets interested in doing a rally or adventure touring they hit the price tag and go “Heck! Its 6-14 Lacs!? Forget it!” Only the very dedicated save up or the rich few can afford it. Even then, it’s usually for the brag value and only a select few take it to the extreme.

Aniket believes that it is better to buy 30-40% of the motorcycle along with Virtual Reality Simulator and connect it to your PlayStation. Then as he/she develops their virtual experiences they keep adding the other real parts to the motorcycle. This way one develops their confidence by the time he has the complete motorcycle. When he needs to learn a new trick, he goes back to the simulator instead of taking an expensive risk. 

We must have chatted for barely 15 minutes but I think Aniket Das is onto something. He will probably end up working for the likes of Husqvarna for a while but I think he will be key in changing the future of Motorsport in India. Keep a look out for him and do cheer him on! For more on his work: www.fb.com/XSPEC.MX