Exotic brands throw open many exciting options

Until two years ago, the most chosen high end motorcycles by the youngsters and businessmen in the State were the commuter class two wheelers with high capacity engines and sporty look. Premium cruiser and sports motorcycles in AP were quite unknown.

To tap the business potential in the region, towards the end of 2016 exotic super-bike brands Triumph of the UK and Benelli of Italy opened shops in the city to cater to new territory. Another exotic brand that joined them at the same time was USA’s UM Motorcycles known for their cruiser motorcycles with showrooms in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

These exotic brands in addition to the existing brands threw open many exciting options for the youth and other enthusiasts craving to own premium motorcycles here.

At present, the premium ones costing anything between ₹4 lakh and ₹22 lakh are making noise on the roads of not just bigger cities of Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam but also in small cities and towns like Bhimavaram, Nellore and Proddatur.

Harley Davidson was the biggest entrant that set shop in the city in August. It’s dealer Sunrise Harley Davidson sold five motorcycles to locals even before the official launch.

“We have buyers from all over the State and the demand for sports and classic models of our motorcycle brand is high. Since launch in September 2016, we have sold 102 motorcycles which is higher than the two-year target set at the time of launch,” P. Suresh Kumar, General Manager of Triumph’s dealer Martial Motorcycles in city told The Hindu. Triumph’s basic model costs about ₹9.5 lakh on the road here.

Benelli’s outlet in the city too is making good business selling more than 80 motorcycles in the past one and half years. “Most of the buyers are youngsters and businessmen from the city, Vizag, towns near Rajamahendravaram and others,” says sales manager Nagasai.

“Styling matters for many. Not just students but middle aged businessmen who could shed a few bucks more than what they do for the commuter class vehicles are owning cruisers of late. Selling over 370 vehicles through our showrooms in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam so far, we are now going to open another one in Guntur,” said A. Ravi Kiran, sales and service manager at Amaravati UM.