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Boys and their bikes

Bike lovers and manufacturers have shifted gear. It's no longer just about mileage and maintenance. It's also about style and that definite macho image

HEY DUDE! John Abraham, the biker with a certain appeal

Anybody remembers the falsetto male voice crooning `Hamara Bajaj' as a scooter made its way through the rain, a pillion rider holding an Indian flag aloft? Yes, it is a distant memory, incongruous with the company's `definitely male' image today. Bajaj turned its fortunes around with the Pulsar and its well-directed ad campaign, and today, the two-wheeler is no longer just a good-mileage-low-maintenance option for middle-income owners.

Today, the bike roars. It rears up in a wheelie. It's stylish. It's powerful.

If the Pulsar set a precedent as far as the macho image is concerned, other companies have been quick to follow suit, notably Honda's Unicorn and TVS' Apache, both 150 cc bikes with style and power. Both these bikes made their foray into the market over the last year, and once again, there was no talk of mileage and stability.

For the macho image

Instead, it's about "urban youngsters with some money," according to Prasad Narasimhan, vice-president, Marketing, TVS Motor Company. He said, "Bajaj with Pulsar has taken a very macho cut, with (slogans like) `Definitely Male' and `Fear the Black', but we take the urban youngster in the context of his social life — so our ads concentrate on guys with their friends, usually a large gang. Pulsar is more of a loner." He went on to explain that one of the biggest preoccupations in the youngster's mind is being cool, having good friends and being popular. "A typical Apache owner would wake up at 8, go to college late, bunk class and so on," laughed Narasimhan.

Even the self-professed cynics are not impervious to this sort of image. "Ultimately, you want the bike that's most fun," said Mark Paul, a 24-year-old marketing executive. "I study trends in marketing for a living, but when you see an athletic, contemporary man pull a wheelie in front of a gaping crowd, you can't help feeling good about it."

Yamaha's launch of the 125 cc Gladiator this month has followed a similar tack. With John Abraham in all his good looks mounting a Yamaha in front of a plethora of screaming girls, the company is once again catering to the young male. More specifically, with his preoccupation with style, performance, and of course, impressing girls in his peer group, said Rajiv Pruthi, general manager, Sales and Marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Ltd. "It's true that Pulsar has created a new benchmark as far as style and performance are concerned." He added that it's also about young people wanting something different from run-of-the-mill.

Shivi Gupta, a 21-year-old, agreed. "When I had to buy a bike, I went in for something sporty, something with power and style — eventually I chose the Pulsar, because it has all these things. Also, at the time, it was the only bike that had alloy wheels."

So, is it about being different? "Definitely, it's about having the most unique bike, it's about establishing a reputation," said Shivi.

Style matters

Sridhar Krishnan, a 23-year-old literature graduate, currently working in an IT company, went in for a Honda Unicorn. "I think the Unicorn is right up there with Pulsar and Apache in terms of style — and it's more about the young achiever, the young executive," he said. "I really think it suits my image. The other two bikes are more for college students who wear jeans and tees, whereas you can ride a Unicorn in a full-sleeved shirt and a tie and it still doesn't look bad."

Of course, there may be a more down-to-earth reason for the demographic shift in the two-wheeler riding population. Yamaha's study shows that around 30 per cent of its customers are below the age of 24, and by 2011, 56 per cent of the country's population would be in their twenties and thirties.

And with youngsters earning five figure salaries at BPOs and IT companies, it makes sense that it has become more affordable for this age group.

For proof, take a look at the parking area of any BPO company — you'll find it clogged with the kind of bikes that you would instinctively run your fingers over, marvelling at the style, and wondering what kind of power they might generate.

ABHINAV RAMNARAYAN

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