Kozhikode: Gone are the days when buying motorbikes ranging between Rs 70,000 to Rs one Lakh was a big deal among city folks, especially college going students. These days, youngsters are eyeing expensive imported and powerful bikes like Harley Davidson and Kawasaki Ninja, the cost of which range between Rs 8 lakh to Rs 15 Lakh.
As per the official data of the Motor Vehicle Department, the year 2016, witnessed a boom in the registration of expensive motorbikes costing above '1.5 Lakh. Nearly 2500 expensive motor bikes were registered by Kozhikode regional transport office alone, while in 2014, 1603 motorbikes,a majority of them Royal Enfield Bullets, were registered.
“It was a year back, two luxury motorbike showrooms started functioning in Kozhikode city, which has indirectly resulted in the change of trend of bike users”, said Regional Transport Officer CJ Paulson. Bikers who once considered Pular, Yamaha FZ- S and Karisma as a style statement, have switched over to Bullets and Harley Davidsons. 2015 witnessed a total of 2383 expensive bikes being registered, he added. In the last two weeks, 6 Harley Davidson bikes of Rs 15
Lakh each and three Kawasaki Ninja costing Rs 15.44 lakh were registered. The surprising factor is that a majority of expensive bikes registered are by youngsters especially college students. The Bullet has turned out to be a common bike in the city these days, he said. In July more than 550 bullets from the city limit alone were registered.
“With rising affluence, motorcycle riding is catching on in a big way as a leisure and adventure activity in the State where road networks have improved vastly in the past decade”, said Vishnudath Kuniyil, motorbike racer from the city. Harley-Davidson entered India in 2008 and has aggressively marketed its low-end motorcycles, which is the major reason why people passionate over bikes do not think twice before shelling out a huge amount to own their favourite set of wheels, he added.
