India’s Most Iconic Bikes

When I was little, my older cousins on their motorcycles inspired awe and admiration. Later as an adult I enjoyed breaking taboos as a woman riding a bike. So bikes do as a rule interest me. Though there is a huge variety in the kind of bikes available today, there were some motorcycles that are considered iconic:

The Royal Enfield Bullet

Some of us will remember this ad (I remember every note) which used to air back in the day. You can tell by the poor quality of the film how much back. So the Bullet has always been iconic, with its distinctive looks and even more distinctive sound.

The new Bullet has a 500 CC engine, better fuel economy and even has other colour options but still retains its cachet and can still be heard before it’s seen. Apart from the Bullet, Royal Enfield’s Electra, Classic, Continental and Thunderbird have their own following.

Yamaha RD350

It was known rather grandly, as Rajdoot 350 and was plugged as India’s first ‘sports bike’. Though production of the bike was stopped in 1991 because of reasons such as high maintenance cost, emission and poor fuel economy, the bike still has something of a cult following.

Jawa 250

The Jawa was another bike that collectors cherish today though it was first launched in India in the 70s. There is so much nostalgia around this bike that Mahindra acquired the brand licence for India in 2016. In 2018 the first Jawa dealership in Pune held an auction fundraiser where just 13 bikes raised Rs. 1.5 crores for children of armed forces martyrs.

Yezdi roadking

I remember my much older cousin had this bike – he also had his own band - way cool.  This was supposed to be the tough bike. With the 250 cc engine and lighter frame, it became a common sight in races and so on. This bike still has a huge following and there is a possibility of reviving the brand again sometime soon.

Yamaha RX100

The 350 remained out of reach for most people and the RX 100 was seen as an affordable option that was a powerful but also agile vehicle. It was also very reliable and unlike other bikes around at the time, it was far less prone to breakdowns.

Hero Honda CBZ

This bike changed the motorcycle space in India forever. The stodgy image of the uncle going to office on his scooter gave way to the stylish young professional on his commute astride something a lot sexier. People still remember the Hero Honda CD100 slogan fill it shut it forget it which put fuel economy front and centre as a basis for buying motorcycles.

Kinetic Honda

This was a new creature on Indian roads. Parents thought it to be safer than the daredevil motorcycles and kids thought it was sexy enough to be seen on. it was certainly a far cry from the sensible Bajaj scooters that populated the roads till then. No need for tilting and kick-starting the scooter, this one came with a button start in bright and attractive colours! Now, this is not an iconic Indian bike in the sense that others above are, but it was iconic for that generation of Indian road users.

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