CBF – Honda’s new 125!

The 125cc segment is fast changing. The idea now is to give these bikes a distinct identity rather than positioning them as more expensive, less fuel efficient and a bit more powerful wannabe 100cc bikes.
125s are now taking on a sporty image. The Flame was the first to jump in. However, its power figures were a let down.
Bajaj was next to jump in with the XCD Sprint, and has given some respectability to the concept of sporty 125s by making significant changes to the XCD engine. There’s now a 4-valve head in place instead on a 2-valve cover as on the older bike and the power rating is up too - 12.5bhp.
Honda is next. The company had announced launching a sporty 125 to appeal to the younger crowd sometime last year, and the CBF concept shown at the expo is a teaser of what we can expect.
Unlike, what most others are saying, I don’t think the CBF is a concept based on the Unicorn; it is in fact based on the Shine. And the obvious give away are the twin shock absorbers at the rear.
I know what you might say, Honda can always make that change on the Unicorn platform. Sure, it can. But it won’t!
You see, when every one around said monoshock wasn’t the way forward, Honda shouted that it was. It can’t possibly go back on that, after all it’s a question of its standing, not just in the industry, but among buyers as well.
Speaking of cycle parts, I think Honda has done a superb job on the concept, especially on the Racing version, putting on thin USDs on the front along with a large petal disc, besides an aluminium subframe, gas charged dampers and an underseat exhaust at the rear. Superb. The Sports version meanwhile, which is much more a production reality, though not as sexy as Racing, is still decent with the stepped seat and an aggressive rear mud guard.
But what about the CBF Sports’ drivetrain, will it use the Shine’s engine in a higher state of tune with a 5-speed box to go along with its focused looks?
I would love it if the company did. But going by what Honda has achieved with the Aviator, sticking to the same drivetrain with upgrades made just to styling and a few cycle parts against the Activa, I am inclined towards believing, it will retain the Shine engine, and in the same state of tune.
I would however, love Honda to prove me wrong, when the bike goes on sale later this year. And it might, if it takes cue from the Bajaj’s Sprint.

Honda Aviator – the new Honda Activa!

Honda put out quite a presentation at the launch of its new 100cc scooter, the Aviator, saying its market research indicated a decently large market for male centric scooters. Scooters that working men, men who own the Honda Civic, dressed in suits, would want to buy. And therefore, the scooter needed to draw design cues from the car and look modern and upmarket. From the company’s point of view it’s fine, talking about this new male customer.
But the thing is, if you talk about male centric scooters, one has to pack in aggressive styling, extra go, and a male ego satisfying attitude. The Kinetic Blaze is a good example of such a scooter. The Aviator however, is not.
I think it would have been best if Honda would have come out with the truth and said, “Now look, the Activa has been around for donkey’s years, and even though it’s still selling quite splendidly, we ought to look at the future. And so for those who swear by the Activa’s mechanicals but want a more modern, but not too overstated a scooter, here’s the Aviator. Cheers.”
I would have appreciated that.
I mean come on, which Civic owner is going to leave his car parked in the garage while he faces and fights pollution that threatens to spoil his beauty parlour caressed and toned skin? It’s absurd, I know!
Another line of thought, influenced by the Honda guys of course, is that there’s potential to create a niche, a niche that Suzuki has tried to cater to with the 125cc Access – understated styling, and a higher capacity scooter with more zip and load carrying capability. In short, an alternative for the old Chetak and present Eterno customer.
Sounds good. But with the Aviator, it doesn’t make too much sense, particularly with the Activa drivetrain still driving the Aviator.

Will post a review soon…

Bajaj’s new XCD, the Sprint

The recently unveiled XCD based Sprint is a classic example of Bajaj’s product strategy; the company’s way of thinking, and execution.
You see, Bajaj thinks cycles ahead; so when it launches a product, let’s say like the XCD 125 it already has the next two or three iterations of the product ready, which ideally would surface every two years.
Now, you might argue that most manufacturers think on the same lines, and you are right about that, they do, but where Bajaj races ahead, is in having production ready iterations already sitting pretty on the shelf when the first product makes its debut, while the others, mostly, have it on paper.
The advantage – if the first iteration loses steam earlier than planned, or worse fails altogether, the company is in the position to support the earlier product and bring in an updated, more appealing one without losing time and sales.
We have already seen the same in the 100cc segment – Bajaj launched the CT 100, soon after introduced a fairing version, and then brought out the Platina when the CT began losing ground. The end result – it not only arrested falling sales in the segment, it in fact, increased Bajaj’s share in the pie!
The Sprint therefore, is here to lend support to the XCD, which according to sales reports is hovering around the 40,000-45,000 unit mark on a month-on-month basis, falling significantly short of the 75,000 unit mark Bajaj had in mind.
The Sprint though has more significance than being a mere support aid for the XCD and Bajaj’s 125cc campaign - it is squarely aimed at blowing out TVS’s Flame. This sportier, more powerful version of Bajaj’s attempt to show the 100c customer a better life, is also a pre-emptive move to Honda’s sporty 125 due this year. Honda’s CBF concept displayed at the Expo is actually a teaser to the product.
Meanwhile, Bajaj XCD 125 DTS-i Sprint, as the bike is christened, promises a lot.
At first, it sets aside XCD’s short comings in the styling department thanks to a new, better executed front fairing and a new tank attachment. But more importantly, the new tail piece design, and particularly the revised tail lamp now lend the XCD a wide ranging appeal. The bike in fact, outdoes the Flame in terms of appeal!
It also promises to take care of the older fuel efficiency conscious engine’s reservations towards performance, thanks to a potent engine (at least on paper) – the bore x stroke config remains unchanged of course, but Bajaj has slapped on a 4-valve head and along with other internal tweaks (which I don’t know of, at the moment), the unit now makes 12.5bhp.
But for those who did not like the Sprint too much, don’t fret, there’s already another iteration waiting at the factory gates…

Brands: why bike makers need to build them, and break them… Part II

Let’s take a look at Hero Honda (HH) now…

The company is the number one motorcycle maker in the world, and that, I must clarify, is in terms of bikes sold, and not for the variety of product mix, or cutting edge technology or the like. But it’s still a huge achievement, nonetheless.
However, the successes behind this success story aren’t very many.
There’s been the Splendor-Passion combo, the success of which I need not elaborate on at all. The CD too has been a hugely successful brand for HH. But beyond these, there’s little that HH can tom tom about.
But before we get on further, just for a moment imagine, the enormity of the triumph these brands have had, to single handedly be responsible for the company’s accomplishment. Unbelievable!

Equally unbelievable are the number of flops the company has had to live with.
HH tried to do something different in the middle ages so to speak with its entry level platform. It introduced a restyled CD 100 as the Joy. The bike of course bombed. HH then tried the same with the Dawn nameplate, she too failed.
Finally, some sense prevailed and HH re-introduced (yet again), the CD/ Splendor platform as the CD Dawn and CD Deluxe. The two met with better fortunes than the earlier two. Was it the CD brand then? I can’t think of anything else, really, cause the bikes, and their styling weren’t too different in the first place.
Hero Honda must be of the same opinion as well, otherwise how to do you explain the range of Splendors – there’s the regular Splendor+, then came along the 125cc Super Splendor, and now the Splendor NXG has chugged in promising a Splendorful life.

However, excluding the entry-level and what we largely term as the executive segment, HH has had little success. The CBZ eventually failed, so did the Ambition, the Achiever, and so on and so forth.
The company finally brought back the CBZ nameplate with the X-treme, and it was a good move, no doubt, given that the name still kindles the right flame in a biking enthusiast’s heart.
But, I have two questions here. First, why couldn’t Hero Honda, such a heavily marketing driven company, introduce the CBZ brand earlier? And second, when it did, why couldn’t they do a better job on the styling front, especially when the complete Indian motorcycle dynamics had moved towards better styled machines?
The answer to the first question, I believe, is that it was a huge goof up on the company’s part. Instead of understanding the brand and the value it commanded, HH set about breaking it with new launches like the Achiever, when that was the last thing it needed.
As for the second, we all know Hero Honda banks on Honda for the products they get. Maybe it’s a case of Honda and Hero Honda being on different wavelengths, and with the former calling the shots, HH’s understanding of the market needs - styling, features, performance etc etc, in Honda’s view, can be ignored (put politely, of course). Or maybe HH has little clue about what is actually needed.
I personally believe it’s the former.

Getting back to the CBZ, since the X-treme’s launch the bike has done pretty well, selling around 12,000-15,000 every month. It’s a fabulous achievement considering the bike’s styling isn’t very, how should I put it, palatable. The thought process at Hero Honda would then have been, “What if the bike were actually a great looker, imagine the numbers we’d manage then!”
Enter the Hunk. Employing the same mechanicals as the X, from the engine to the cycle parts, she boasts of tastier, more contemporary and racy styling.
But why Hunk? Why not something like CBZ 150 R or better still, the new CBZ X-treme. Picture the recall the bike would have had, if she too had the CBZ nameplate. Maybe HH understands the consumers better, and feels it will sell more bikes by having two different brands, I don’t know.
What I do know - in the long term, a company does need to build successful brands. Otherwise, it will have to start everything from a scratch - from defining the brand’s values, to its target audience, to its deliverables. The end result - a lot more money will be spent every time a new bike is launched.

Something HH has become used to, I guess.

125s: the saga continues…

Back in 2003 there was a spurt of 125s that hit the Indian market. There was the LML Freedom Prima, Yamaha Fazer, TVS Victor 125, Bajaj Discover etc etc.
The logic of bike makers behind the same, I guess, would have been – that’s how it works the world over – 100s, then the 125s, then the 150s and so on and so forth - and the same should hold true for India as well. But what they over estimated was our need to upgrade.
“If I want a fast bike (in relative terms of course), I’d buy a 150. And if its fuel efficiency I want, I’d rather stick with the 100s.”
The end result – the 125s never took off. Fast forward to 2007-08 and bike makers are taking keen interest in the 125cc segment all over again. The difference this time round is – unlike in 2003, the 100s are witnessing a slow down in sales, while the 125cc plus segment is growing at double digits. That the difference in the sheer volumes of the two is mammoth, is something bike makers aren’t really talking about. Particularly Bajaj.
Bajaj has just launched the XCD, a bike it hopes will make the 125 the new entry level. And it seems to have played the cards right too – giving the bike brilliant fuel efficiency, and at a price that is anything but expensive. Then there is the features list which should have the style conscious, cash strapped individuals swooning over her.
But not every bike maker thinks on similar lines. Here we have Honda, which will in early 2008 showcase its take on the 125s – a stylish, youth oriented, and most likely better performing motorcycle than the Shine will hit showrooms. The new Honda 125, I am sure will not redefine the entry level, and Honda would not be hoping to do the same either.
Then we have the Flame. TVS’ 125 which should be out before the end of this year. She is a stylish looking motorcycle, and brags of some innovative features as well. And unlike the XCD promises both good low end and top end performance. And with the new CCVT blah blah tech, which uses a three valve head for better swirl at low engine rpm and better filling of the cylinder at high rpm, she should not be very poor on the efficiency front either.
The point of all this? We have two very different lines of thought here. As an enthusiast, I’d like Honda and TVS to succeed. Imagine the two companies packing in 150cc rivaling performance in smaller, less expensive bikes? Won’t that be brilliant. For little else, but the fact, that segments above it will move up on the performance scale too!
I don’t mind Bajaj succeeding either, cause knowing with the Discover 135, it is already trying to do the same. And with a new Discover in the wings, which might also come in 150cc guise, hence replacing the Pulsar 150, enthusiasts have little to worry about.