There is little that motorcycle enthusiasts don’t do with their bikes. They cruise, they go cross-country, they commute, they stunt and they just ride free of worries.

In most Western nations, bikes are not a necessity for the buyer. Most buyers would have a passion for motorcycles or be attracted to the biker image portrayed in the media. If you bought your bike after seeing Evel Knievel or after the Hollister motorcycle parade on July 4th or even after watching American Choppers on Discovery you don’t know the full potential of two-wheelers yet.

An employed person buying a bike does so as a hobby. A passionate one buys it to customize it and make it an extension of his personality. Once you step out of this privileged world you would see that bikes are not for fun and custom bikes are a novelty not a necessity.

Commuter bikes of the Third World

Countries like China, India, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, etc are great examples of fuel efficiency albeit in hazardous modes of traveling. Here people don’t need a bike as a morale booster. They need it to go from point A to point B and make a buck. So introducing the concept of ‘Commuter bikes’ to all you chopper fans is embarrassing.

The low per capita, income in each household where mostly the man is the only earning member and coupled with high rates of inflation, it is elementary that people in these countries want to cut costs wherever possible. So the people need a cheap form of transport and buses and trains are the best bet. For those who have businesses or odd work-hours, when the public transport is not available, they are often forced to invest in a vehicle of their own.

Cars are increasing in numbers in India and China but are still a luxury. For most, a motorcycle is the first vehicle they own. These bikes are called ‘Commuter Bikes’ because they promise great fuel efficiency and low maintenance costs.

A typical commuter bike is a 99cc motorcycle with a bhp of 10 or less. This when driven under ‘test conditions’ promises 70 to 80 Km per litre. Even after riding on the poor roads in these nations congested cities you can still manage 60 KM per litre output.

Most students, office goers, small businessmen prefer these commuter bikes so as to get to their destination without being dependent on unreliable public transport systems. Most of these bikes have four gears and top speed is 90 KMPH. It is unadvisable to rev any engine to reach that speed, as it would damage such engines and also not provide the fuel efficiency expected.

The Market

The market for low-end bikes is almost monopolized by the Japanese fare. Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha continue to cater to the third world with pansy bikes that would be subject to ridicule if seen alongside their other products such as Honda CBR, Kawasaki Ninja, Suzuki Hayabusa or Yamaha R1. If you think the top-end bikes are the most desired of the lot, think again, or better join a third-world economics class.

Such is the popularity of cheap, mileage driven sales that Honda’s Super Cub which started production in 1958 has crossed a world record (and a first record) of 50 million units produced in February 2006. So even before this model celebrates its 50th anniversary, they sold 50 million Super Cubs. No other make or model of motorcycle can boast such success.

In India, Hero-Honda (Joint venture) and Bajaj (with Kawasaki) have had great success with low-end commuter bikes. Hero-Honda is a market leader with enough mettle to match its partner. In 2003 Hero-Honda was the first two-wheeler company to cross the milestone of 2 million units sold in a single year. Due to restrictions in the joint-venture, Hero group can sell only in India while Honda who has a world market were beaten by Hero-Honda hitting nearly two-and-a-half-times the motorcycle sales of Honda for that year.

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