Whoever would have thought that we would have motorcycle marques like Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki bringing their finest machines into the country for us to savour. By 'us', I mean the moneyed few who can afford their offerings, and quite certainly, I really can't. But why am I including myself in that elite group, you must wonder. Well, Bajaj has brought in the Kawasaki Ninja 250R into the country, that's why.
Although still priced pretty steep at about 3 lakh odd rupees in Mumbai, it has made the idea of owning a true-blooded sports bike, albeit a small one, possible to people like me. Paying off a loan on 3 lakhs is far easier than mortgaging all my worldly possessions for a superbike who's true potential can never be used on our public roads.
Indian motorcyclists now have the chance to taste the sweetness of machines such as the Ninja, and that in itself will stir up slumbering motorcycle companies in the country to step up and address this new but emerging market with offerings of their own. Competition is healthy and that translates into good news for us bikers, for the probability of us getting the cream of the machines sold abroad is greater now than ever before.
I cherish a dream of walking past motorcycle showrooms with good speced motorcycles pilled high till the roof. The day when I'm out on the highway on my Triumph Bonnie, only to see a couple of lads blaze past me on their Dukes and MVs. From the looks of things, that day is not too far away, I'm hoping!
