The five people got into history books on last Friday when they were honored for their contribution in the motorcycle field for various reasons. They were honored during the 2011 AMA Visa Card from Capital One Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which took place in the United States.

The names of them are as follows: Phil Schilling, who is a magazine editor, the pioneer in the field of motorcycling Norbert Schickel, Stu Peters the motocross promoter, roadracing champion Doug Polen and industry leader Fred Fox. These five legends were included in the Hall of Fame Class of 2011.

Perry King, who is an actor, played the host of the glittering ceremony. Kenny Roberts and Roger DeCoster were also honored during the induction ceremony.  Both of them are icons in the world champion racing. It was one of its kinds of ceremony that had a crowd to its full capacity.

Jeff Heininger, who is the chairman of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, expressed his gratitude to the crowd that was present there in big numbers. It was due to them that money could be raised to support the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

Phil Schilling

Phil Schilling was a teacher before devoting himself in the world of motorbike. Actually, it was Cook Neilson another Hall of Famer who suggested Phil Schilling be the managing editor of a magazine called Cycle Magazine. It was a well-accepted periodical that started in the 1970s.

Norbert Schickel

Norbert Schickel is known for his creative work in the designing and building of autos in the United States of America. Norbert Schickel went on to found the highly successful Schickel Motor Co. Norbert Schickel was responsible for designing many bikes during the boom of the industry in the US from around 1905 to 1915. The designs by Norbert Schickel were not only innovative but it also gave him the tag of an innovative designer.

Stu Peters

Stu Peters is easily the one and only motorcycle promoters since the olden times of the sport industry. The Continental Motosport Club is a company owned by Peters’ company. The company has been into promoting various kinds of motocross races for more than four decades now. Since then Stu Peters and his company has been an important part of the American motocross.

Doug Polen

Doug Polen has donned the titles of national and world road racing from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. Doug Polen was one man show when it came to motorcycle road racing in the US and other important locations. He had won 45 out of the 51 events held under the Suzuki Championship Series tag in the year 1991.

Fred Fox

Fred Fox is the founder of Parts Unlimited that is one of the largest businesses in the world that deals in spare parts and accessories. The company has more than one thousand members of staff. Mr. Fox spoke very kindly about the industry and said that the industry has given a lot to him. He did not forget to acknowledge the hard work put in by the employees.

Two wheeler sales in India declined by about one lakh units in the last month. It is a very surprising turn of events. When on one hand four wheeler sales declined due to high cost of fuels and interest rates there were reports of increase in the demand for two wheelers. However, overall figures state that there yet a decline in the sales.

The two wheeler sales that looked pretty promising since the end of the last financial year, took a major hit during the last month. In spite of people preferring to go to two wheelers instead of the costly four wheelers, the sales did not grow as expected. The festive season could not help the sales to raise either.

In September 2011, there were sales of 1.4 million units. However, the sales dipped in bit in October 2011 settling for 1.3 million units. The dip in the sales is credited for the lack of interest shown by the rural customers in India. That is one prime reason for the plunge in sales.

The high interest and fuel rates could not deter the common customers from going to the showroom. However, overall, there was hardly any enthusiasm this season. However, according to experts, they will have to wait for the next month to study the trend of the customers. It will only then be possible to gauge the thinking line of the consumers.

It is being estimated that the government is to blame for this. They are cutting down on the rural schemes and that is not allowing the people from the lower income class to go buy the two wheeler of their dreams. That is the key culprit in the low sales. If this turns out to be true and the government reverts its decision policies, the sales should see a growth in the company days again.

The government of New Delhi has made it compulsory for women to wear helmets – one of the most important security gears while driving. Women were exempted from wearing helmet until now. However now, even the women folk will have to bear in mind that they are driving with the protective gear on head before venturing out.

However, what we are talking about may be surprising. As a matter of fact, women riding as pillion should be seated with the helmet. One source from the government has been quoted as saying that mishaps do not quite make any difference between a man and a woman. And that is why safety should come first for everyone.

This decision has good reasons to bring it in force. The accident figures show that there are many women who are succumbing to deaths (than men) for a simple yet important reason for not wearing a helmet. Wearing a helmet alone could have saved all those lives. Keeping all that in mind, the government has taken stringent steps even for pillion rider, especially women.

The Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Mr. Satyendra Garg said that as a pillion driver, they have nowhere to hold on to in case of a slip, a mishap or a sudden dash. Even when brakes have to be applied accidentally and suddenly, there is a possibility of a collision and threat to life. It is not only due to the negligence of the rider that the pillion riders have to face threats.

If the pillion falls accidentally, there is a good chance that he may get run over by a speed heavy vehicle from behind. It is indeed inexplicable as to why there was no compulsion on the women to wear helmets. However, now with the law becoming stricter let us hope the fairer sex has got its dues.

They say old is gold. And the adage gets more value when it comes to a 117 year old Roper motorcycle. This is a steam powered motorcycle on auction at present. It is expected that the motorcycle might fetch a whopping amount that would be enough to set a new world record. These auctions are handled by Auctions America and will be conducted in Las Vegas.

Sylvester Roper hailing from Roxbury is said to have built this motorcycle. The bike can easily be said to be the world’s oldest example of a bike that had been manufactured by Harley-Davidson, Indian and Orient. The auction will be held from January 12 to 14 in the next year. It will showcase a collection of around 400 such motorcycles.

The looks of this bike are based on the model of a Columbia bicycle and can easily be recognized by the trained eye in the business. The design of the bike features the engine on the right side of the motorcycle. Apart from that there is a boiler that is rectangular in shape. It also comes with a burner and a grate. The position of the water tank was right above the boiler.

The controls for the rider were located at the handlebars which made it easy to operate them. And yes, it was a perfect motorcycle even in those days. Even if it was designed on the lines of the Columbia bicycle, there were no pedals in the motorcycle. That gave it a complete look and appearance.

In around May 1986, the speed of the vehicle was recorded. It was found out that the vehicle could travel at least 40 mph. The speed of the motorcycle was recorded on the Dorchester Road in Boston.

After Sylvester Roper passed away two years after building it, the vehicle was sold off by one of the heirs. It was then the property of the Long Island museum. However, there were many more other museums that the vehicle was a part of. The present owner had got it in 1996. However, in the auctions, it will be seen in its unique stove black colors.

The oldest bike maker in India has come up with yet another year of their riding madness. The ninth edition of Rider Mania has been announced for the year 2011 by Royal Enfield. The programme will be a three day event from 18th to 20th November. The announcement was made recently.

It is an annual event organized by the Royal Enfield. All the interested bikers make their way to The Hill Top, Vagator, Goa. There are literally hundreds and thousands of bike lovers who find their way to Goa. The popularity of the event has been growing day by day.

The duration of the Rider Mania brings together bikers who share their stories with other bikers. They have a lot of things in common like, their exciting stories, their bikes, adventures and of course, the love for biking. These bikers even get a chance to showcase their motorcycle skills.

To bring more excitement to the Rider Mania, the RE team has come up with undersized but interesting events. Some of these include “Carry your Royal Enfield” “Dirt Track Racing”, “Slow Race”, “Trials” and even “Arm Wrestling”. And yes, there is much more to watch out for.

Out of that “much more” there will also be a photography contest conducted directly by the Royal Enfield team. To give a boost to the Royal Enfield bikes, they have another contest on hands. This one is about the custom bike competition. You have to make a custom Royal Enfield bike. There will be judges to give their opinion upon and to select the best custom made Royal Enfield bike.

If you are getting excited about the entry to the Rider Mania, then hold on. The registration has yet not started. However, you can get more information as and when the company comes out with it here on bikespace.in.

If we are seriously talking about recession and the great economic slowdown, we better take our words back. The reason is in recession 3000 bikes and 1000 cars do not get sold on one single day. We are talking about the auspicious time of Dussehra. It was certainly an auspicious time for the dealers.

Dealers in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat have sold a hefty number of vehicles in the run up to the lucky day of Dussehra. The dealers have expressed their opinion about the humongous sales and the economic slowdown. Many of them are of the view that the recession did not make any negative impact on the sales.

One of the Mercedes dealers in the city said that he has as many as 18 Mercedes cars booked for delivery. He had booked 13 cars on the last Dussehra. Things are improving for the dealers, he felt. Volkswagen registered sales growth worth 32.33 per cent. Polo played a major role in the sales. There was a rise between 55 per cent and 60 per cent.

According to the figures available, the tendency to buy luxury cars is on the increase. Compared to the last year, this year many people are giving priority to luxury cars. These are certainly not the signs of any sort of recession or economic meltdown.

The CEO and MD of Parsoli Motors said that, as far as the luxury cars are concerned, the BMW is at the top. There will be about 20 BMW cars for sales on Dussehra alone. Last year, there were about 11 BMW cars. Another dealer was of the opinion that the non-availability of Swift Diesel was quite frustrating for some customers. They wanted the car on the Dussehra day only. The Bajaj dealer also pointed out that there is about 50 per cent rise in the sales of Bajaj two wheelers since last year.

The month of September has been profitable for auto companies. The rising prices had no effect on the sales as there was rise for the two wheeler manufacturing firms. The reason for the good news was the festive season. The customers played down the high prices and went on to buy their favorite models.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI), Suzuki Motorcycle, TVS Motors and Yamaha Motors were some of the prominent companies to have registered promising sales for September 2011. All these companies had lower sales for the same month last year.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI) sold 1, 78,462 units in the last month. HMSI had sold 1, 23,831 units in the same month last year. This is an increase of 54,631 units for the same period. As far as the sales of scooters are concerned, there were sales of 65,323 units last year. This year, the sales rocketed by 64 per cent and stood a healthy at 1, 07,444 units.

The motorcycle sales also grew for the company. Last September, the company had sold 58,508 units. This September, the sales were of 71,018 units. That shows a growth of 21 per cent.

For Yamaha Motors, there was 35 per cent growth in the domestic market. In September 2010, Yamaha sold 24,133 units while this year, the sales were 32,637 units – a growth of 8504 units.

Suzuki Motorcycle had also a satisfactory month with an increase of 29 per cent. This year the sales stood at 29,094 units as against the 22,545 units last September, showing a net increase by 6,549 units.

TVS Motors, India’s third biggest two wheeler manufacturer, recorded a growth of 16 per cent. Last September they had sales of 1, 65,418 units. In this year, the sales rose to 1, 92,027 units. This is an increase by 26,609 units. The scooter sales went up for the company by 30 per cent while the bike sales saw an increase by 12 per cent.

43,086 units were sold in last September while in this year the sales were recorded at 55,879 units. As for the bikes, the sales grew from 81,381 units to 90,848 units.

Why only we, but people have always talked about the bright side of any bike. There are bike lovers who defy the speed limits to get the thrill of the drive. Bikes are being made to go faster and faster. The more the speed the bike can give, the more popular it is, and everyone agrees with this fact.

However, it is a machine after all. This machine acted nasty for the former Indian cricket team captain Mohammad Azharuddin’s family. In a ghastly incident on last Sunday, Ayazuddin, Mohammad Azharuddin’s son met with an accident on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The unfortunate budding cricketer succumbed to his injuries today – Friday September 16.

It was the Suzuki GSX-R1000 superbike which Mohammad Azharuddin had gifted to his 19 year old son on the auspicious occasion of Eid, not even three weeks ago. Ayazuddin along with his 16 year old cousin, Ajmal-ur Rahman went on a drive on Sunday morning. The place was the Outer Ringroad in Hyderabad.

According to the onlookers’ version, the bike was being driven at a high speed. It was then that Ayazuddin may have lost control over the bike as it skidded off the road due to which it hit the divider. The impact was so great that the helmet also crashed and wounded the duo seriously.

It was the onlookers who called for help and also informed the nearby police station. However, no medical help arrived in time and neither any ambulance. So, the police carried the unconscious boys in their patrol van. However, precious time of about an hour was lost until the two were taken to the hospital.

As soon as the boys reached the hospital, they were taken to the ICU. Ajmal-ur Rahman succumbed to his injuries after about an hour after being taken to the hospital. Ayazuddin was however lucky to have survived the crash immediately. As the time passed, the hopes of his getting well were increasing. However, finally he lost the battle that he fought bravely for about five days.

When the incident took place, Mohammad Azharuddin was in London. He arrived immediately on the same day in Hyderabad. The kid’s mother also arrived from Dubai to see her son. Ayazuddin was seen as a future cricketer in the national Indian cricket team. He had played in the Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17 tournaments.

Let Ayazuddin’s soul rest in peace!

Indian Oil Corporation, which is India’s largest state-owned refiner, has launched the first ever self service petrol bunk in India. This petrol bunk has been launched in New Delhi. This may be a first for India, but this system is already in use in many of the world’s developed nations.

The system initially reduces the need for petrol pump attendants and then diminishes them entirely. As this system is new in Indian environment, there will be attendants to educate the common man about the functioning of the system. They will demonstrate how to handle the fuel nozzle and fill petrol. This system allows the vehicle owners to fill the fuel tanks on their own.

The vehicle owners can either pay the cash or can use credit or debit cards. To use credit or debit cards, there is a terminal placed on the petrol bunk. The major advantage of this new service is the availability of the fuel stations 24 hours a day. The self service petrol bunks will make it easier for vehicles that travel longer distances to refill their fuel tanks.

The second advantage will be getting rid of the dishonest attendants at the fuel pumps. Generally there are two attendants at one service point for filling the fuel – one of them fills the tank while the other collects the bills. These two attendants work in tandem and cheat the innocent customers by billing more and filling lesser petrol.

With the help of the self service petrol bunks, this sort of cheating could be permanently removed. This will be a new beginning in the Indian automobile history. The young and the old, all will become independent and can curb the cheating that is carried out at some petro pumps.

The new system will certainly generate a lot of interest in the days to come.

The Indian bike industry is having field days these days. As compared to the car industry, the two-wheeler industry is registering bigger and bigger sales with each ensuing month. Most of the sales in the two-wheelers industry have been great due to the rise in bike sales. We have reports for the sales of July 2011.

Hero Honda Motors has been at the top of the unit sales of the last month. The company sold 4, 91,306 units for July 2011. In July last year, Hero Honda had sales of 4, 27,686 units. This is an increase of 63,620 units or 15 per cent for this year’s month of July.

Bajaj Auto was also on the list of the companies that registered an increase in their sales. Bajaj had 14 per cent of increase in their sales for the month of July 2011 as compared to the sales of July 2010. Last July Bajaj sold 3, 18,415 units. The sales for this year’s July was recorded at 3, 63,712 units. That is an increase of 45,297 units.

TVS Motors comes third with the same percentage of sales figures as that made by Bajaj Auto. TVS registered sales of 1, 89,962 units. Mahindra Two Wheelers Ltd. (MTWL), the latest prominent name in the two-wheeler Indian market, had a growth of 15 per cent since the last year.

Percentage wise, Suzuki had the most successful year. Last year, there sales stood at 18,533 units. This July it increased to 27,088 units – showing an increase of 8555 units. This increase equals to around 46 per cent of growth. Yamaha and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India are also making their presence felt in the two-wheeler Indian market.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, is especially making good strides and can potentially kick off TVS from the third spot. Though they have recorded growth of only 10 per cent, the promise they are showing is far too great than that of the figures.