India's Superbike revolution: Youngsters buying Harleys and Royal Enfields fuel growth story

Superbikes, by definition: motorcycles of 500cc and above displacement, don’t come cheap yet this category of motorbikes ruled by the likes of Royal Enfield and Harley Davidson has been growing by 40-50 percent on year and the sales of these high-end motorcycles are showing no signs of slowing down thanks to high disposable income and the penchant of young people wanting to ride new and pricey models.

According to a report in Times of India , the superbike market will more than double in the next five years to hit over 20,000 units by 2020 from the current 9500 units.

Apart from Harley and Royal Enfield which command 60-65 percent of the superbike market, newer entrants like Ducati and Benelli are betting big on India too, while Japanese biggies Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki are also introducing new superbike models in the Indian market.

Earlier this month, Suzuki said it is aiming for over 40 percent increase in sales of its superbikes, which includes the likes of Hayabusa and GSX-R, to 400 units this fiscal with plans to launch new global models of above 800 cc bikes like S1000 and S100F. Suzuki plans to launch ‘a few’ more superbikes in the country simultaneously with global launches, including the S1000 and S1000F that are expected to hit markets sometime in June.

In March, DSK Motowheels under their partnership with the well-known Italian biking legend – Benelli, launched five Italian superbikes. The Benelli TNT 300 is priced at Rs 2.83 lakh; 600i, Rs 5.15 lakh; 600 GT, Rs 5.62 lakh; 899, Rs 9.48 lakh; and TNTR 1130, Rs 11.81 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom, Mumbai.

Rival Ducati, too, re-entered Indian shores the same month to provide a premium ownership experience to motorcycle enthusiasts in India. On offer is the Ducati Diavel, Hypermotard, Monster and Panigale models. The new Scrambler, which is a spartan on-off road style motorcycle will join the ranks shortly.

Meanwhile, Harley Davidson has over 8000 units running on Indian roads ever since it launched in India in 2010. The company plans on expanding its presence in Tier-I cities and foraying into newer Tier-II cities to meet the demand for leisure motorcycling in the country. Harley-Davidson offers a range of 13 models from each of its seven global platforms — Street, Sportster, Dyna, Softail, V-Rod, Touring, and CVO. The line-up starts with the Street 750, priced at 4.32 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and goes up to the CVO which retails at Rs. 49.23 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Market leader Royal Enfield whose motorcycles are known to be made like a gun and go like a bullet, registered a 42 percent jump in total sales in March at 33,679 units against 23,693 units in the year-ago period.

Clearly these companies are banking on the aspirational young Indians, for whom a motorcycle is more than simply the cheapest form of motorised transport. These bike brands have also now set up clubs to organize rides and a forum for biking enthusiasts to exchange notes and their favourite cross-country biking tales. Not just Enfield but Harley Davidson, Triumph, Honda and Suzuki all have their own forum for biking enthusiasts, and marketers are increasingly looking at these opportunities to build communities in India.

But in India, which is the world’s largest motorcycle market after China, infrastructure development and better roads will be the key to the success of these motorcycles.