Split In Dal Imminent Over Alliance With Bjp

With the Bullet, it's always a question of timing. You can kick and kick and the bike will simply refuse to start. But tweak the platinum point with a screwdriver and one gentle nudge on the kick-start is enough for the air to be filled with that trademark full-throated roar. All it needs is a timing adjustment.

The bike is much like the company that makes it. It's taken the Rs 135-crore Royal Enfield Motors (REM) nine years and much tweaking of plans to finally start putting out more models from its one-horse stable. For a start, three new bikes in eight weeks. And with that it hopes to throw off that pseudo-rustic image. Bullet is no longer "meri jaan" but "It's my life". Or something like that.

 

"This is a sign of the new era," says an REM executive pointing to the new campaign that's replaced the "Bullet meri jaan, manzilon ka nishan" advertisement set in a rural locale with mustachioed men on all-black Bullets. "The new ad shows two models sporting an urban look on the latest bike," explains the executive.

Beginning with the Lightning 500, launched last month, REM's new bikes come with a new logo. The design has changed from "classic" to Harley Davidson cruiser with chopper styling. The next offering, the Lightning 535, slated for next month, will also sport the same overall design. (The Machismo A-350, launched this month, though harks back to the classic Bullet shape.)

By the beginning of the next fiscal the company would have increased its product portfolio from three (two 350cc and one 500cc) to 10 (and perhaps a 250cc model as well). The new bikes will sport new engines courtesy AVL of Austria. Other collaborators include Swiss bike tuner Fritz W Egli, UK's Criterion Engineers for a new five-speed transmission and DB Design, also of the UK.

Design has become so important that it is only the body, say REM sources, which is delaying the launch of the 624cc bike, set now for next year. The company is trying to shed the doodhwala (milkman) image: "Times have changed. We recognise the fact that the urban youth, who emphasise on look and styling, is a big market," explains P K Purang REM's managing director.

But some analysts like automobile consultant Veeresh Malik don't see any change in the bikes. Others are not impressed with the new strategy. "More than launches and increasing capacity, the company needs to concentrate on after-sales service and improving the quality of the products that will help them change the image," reasons an automobile analyst at a credit-rating agency. Purang says action has already been initiated on this front. "While we increased our dealer network by about 25 per cent, we also dropped 15-16 per cent of our dealers who were not willing to change." As for quality, Purang says this will be helped by new production techniques and the new Jaipur plant.

One of the problems associated with quick launches and upgrades is confused buyers and dealers. Purang thinks otherwise. "We have trained the dealers to deal with the new launches and totally revamped our network." The credit-rating agency analyst agrees, "The Bullet caters to a niche segment and the buyer is well versed with what he is buying. The bikes have different engine capacities and prices will also vary." The analyst points out that by launching different bikes the company has also spread its risk.

But she has a word of caution on new launches which cater to a niche within a niche. "At the hefty price tags that the new bikes come with, it will be difficult for them to find buyers and this will affect volumes and