The Royal Enfield Bullet Classic will be launched in two variants
a) 500cc Bullet Classic – This will be an EFi model. It’ll be priced between Rs 1.3 – 1.5 Lakhs. It’ll be available in only one color i.e green.
b) 300cc Bullet Classic – This would be a carbureted model. It’ll be priced between Rs 80-90 Thousand. It’ll be available in three colors – Red/Black/Silver.
Both the bikes have independent seats. (I’m not quite sure as to what that means, take a look at the picture to understand) and are sans kickstart i.e they’ll only have self-starting option.
Specs of the 500cc Bullet =
Engine Type: Single Cylinder, 4 stroke, air cooled OHV
Capacity: 499cc
Fuel System: Electronic Fuel Injection
Ignition: Digital Electronic ignition
Starting: Electric start
Maximum Power: 20.3KW (27.2bhp) @ 5250rpm
Maximum Torque: 41.3Nm @ 4000rpm
Clutch: Wet multiplate (7 plates)
Gear Box: Constant mesh 5 speed
Battery: 12v, 14 AH
Headlamp: 12V, 60/55W
Suspension (front): Telescopic, hydraulic dampers
Suspension (rear): swingarm with gas filled shock absorbers
Brakes (front): Disc brake single 280mm disc with 2 piston caliper
Brakes (rear): Drum brake (152mm)
Overall Length: 2160mm
Overall Width: 800mm
Overall Height: 1050mm
Wheel Base: 1370mm
Fuel Tank Capacity: 14.5 liters
Weight: 187 kg (kerb)
Launch date - Acc to some sources the bike will be launched on Nov 4. The launch date in Chandigarh is Nov 10.
In March 2009, Ajay Shah (a Mumbai-based brokerage house employee), wanted to buy his first car. At that point in time, the car dealers in the vicinity were sparing no effort in luring him with freebies such as Music Systems apart from Cash discounts. But then the slowdown came & Mr Shah postponed his car plans.
Fast Forward to today – with a sense of optimism prevailing, Shah has zeroed in on a Maruti Ritz. When he went to the same dealer a few days ago, he was in for a surprise. That waiting period for Ritz was going to be atleast 45 days!
This is not an isolated case. These days most of the car manufacturers tell their prospective customers beforehand that they would have to wait for 20-45 days before they can give them the delivery of the car.
Various Cars and their waiting periods are given below (with special ref. to Mumbai)
Hyundai i10, i20 and Verna – 20-30 Days
Maruti Swift Dzire – 3-4 Months
Maruti Ritz (Petrol) – 2 Months
Maruti WagonR & Swift (Petrol) – 30-45 Days
Chevrolet Cruze – 20 days
Chevrolet Aveo – One month Month
Fiat Linea (Emotion Variant) – One Month
Similar is the case with 2 wheelers. Activa - the best selling scooter from Honda is not available before January!
Yamaha YZF-R15 is visually one of the sportiest bikes in India. But still, there are some things about the R15 which people don’t like. In order to address these issues, Yamaha is expected to launch a New R15 with the following features
Split Seats
LED Lamps
Fatter Rear Tyre
Cosmetic Rear-lift up
The question that is being asked is that will this be showcased at the Delhi Auto Expo Next Year? Well, we’ll have to wait and watch..
With clients like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Bipasha Basu, German luxury car maker Audi has a vital target market in Mumbai-based film stars and is looking at a 50 per cent growth in India this year.
"Quite a few Bollywood stars have picked up Audi cars in India. Whether it is Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan or Katrina Kaif - each of them has one Audi parked in their garage," Martin Birkner, marketing head of Audi in India, said.
"I won't say they make a major market for us, but they certainly are an important market for Audi, at least in Mumbai."
According to Birkner, Salman is the latest to buy the car - he bought an Audi A8, while Neil Nitin Mukesh owns Q7, a recently launched SUV by Audi. A Q7 can cost anything from Rs 63 laks to Rs 76 lakhs. An Audi A8 ranges from Rs 71 lakhs to Rs 1 crore in India.
Among actresses, Bipasha pampered herself with the luxury vehicle, he said.
The company currently offers a bouquet of seven cars, including sedans, SUVs, coupe and sports cars. It is considering launching more models in the coming years.
To promote the brand, Audi India has been partnering with Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) for the last four seasons.
This year they are displaying Q7 and sports car Audi R8, which is one of the most popular models, at the ongoing fashion and luxury event being held at Pragati Maidan here. A toy car, which costs Rs 11 lakh, is also catching people's fancy.
Birkner, who has come from Mumbai to attend the event, said WIFW provides an ideal platform for them to meet "right and influential" people who can become potential buyers.
"Such events provide a perfect platform to meet people who are interested in premium cars. So we get a chance to build the right contacts here," he said.
Earlier this month, Audi organised an amateur golf tournament called Quattro Cup. This was the second tournament sponsored by the company and the finals were held in Hyderabad and the winners will be taken to Sydney in December.
Honda has launched the next generation of the Aviator scooter with a 110cc engine in India. The new aviator has a host of other new features to attract buyers. Previously, the aviator had a 102cc engine. The scooter has been launched in two variants - Aviator Standard, Aviator Deluxe priced at Rs 42160 and Rs 47160 Respectively.
Features At-a-Glance
15% more fuel-efficient than the previous Aviator
max power output of 8bhp @ 7500 rpm
Comb Braking System – Applies both the front & rear brakes when the left brake lever is pressed
This story has been imported from BikeAdvice as it is.
Fusion is something that not always generates good results, I am Vidit Kalra, a student of Delhi University. I have always loved the sound of great exhausts, Its the Yamaha R1 that got me into this love. The fact was that couldn’t afford an R1 for now. But I never let go of the hope that I would own a unique machine someday and guess what, Here I am. I’ve customized my 2007 Pulsar 200 with an R15 fairing to make it look like no other.
The new 150 and 180 Pulsars have, in my opinion, taken away the uniqueness of the looks of the 200. I decided that it was about time that I made some drastic changes. I had a concept in mind that my bike should look unique and different. I did not want it to look like an R15, I simply wanted the new look which combines the best bits of the Pulsar’s with the best bits of the R.
And so I started. I installed a custom front and rear mudguard along with a custom number plate mount. Also installed a clip on handle bar and the obvious front fairing from the R15. I have to admit that it was not an easy job from day one. I had to spent about 8 to 10 hours a day for about 3 weeks at the workshop while the bike was being transformed to get the results just the way I wanted. The final cost of the whole operation came upto 35,000. My machine has run about 20,000 KM till date and I usually travel about 100Km’s a day to and from the college. After the entire modification the mileage has remained the same at about 40Km/L
I have felt a lot of changes when on the saddle, the most significant one being the increase in weight; I have also felt a decrease in pickup. The people at Castrol bike zone felt that it was purely psychological. I also managed to achieve a top speed of 121 after the modifications.
I truly love the new look with the awesome paint combination of black and wild green. It used to be red in the beginning but not anymore. The new colour combination reminds me of a dark forest filled with wild grass, which I think is truly awesome. BikeAdvice asked what my dream bike is, well, I had only one answer, my custom Pulsar….
VW’s new Sedan based on the Polo hatchback was recently caught testing and this one can be expected in India as well. Acc to sources, the car is expected to be launched in 2010 end and some say it’ll be showcased at next year’s Delhi auto-expo.
The spotted test mule has many visual similarities with the hatchback version. The main attraction of this sedan is said to be the price. Sources say that it’ll be priced at a price range upwards of Rs 4 lakhs.
Lets see how this Polo Based Sedan news shapes up in future. We’ll keep our eyes on it. Stay tuned.
This job was probly the most emotional one I've ever done - for ethical reasons, I wont say why here. The Wings, halo, and writing were there before hand (done by a guy up north) and Jodel's father wanted to add his image to it...We also added some shading to it around the name and on the wings...
Wishing a very Happy Diwali to all the readers of Gedi Junction. God Bless Everyone and Fulfill all your dreams, hopes and aspirations. If anyone from you has bought a new vehicle this festive season, do share your stories and photos with us gedijunction[at]gmail[dot]com We'll be glad to feature you on Gedi Junction.
Chrysler’s Jeep Cherokee may soon be hitting the Indian roads, though it is just a speculation at this point in time. The stake of Fiat in its partnership with Chrysler is expected to rise from 20% to 51% very soon. So, there is a good possibility of many Chrysler models coming to India. It is said that the jeep will be produced at Fiat’s Ranjangaon facility near Pune.
Some of the other well-known Chrysler brands are Avenger, Caliber, Challenger and Viper, and it retails the Dakota and Sprinter in the truck segment.
Remember Premier Auto Limited (PAL) ? It is the same company that used to sell the Premier Padmini in India till some years back. (See Picture)
After nine years, the company owned by the Doshis, is all set to make a comeback into the Indian Automotive scene by launching a mini SUV called the Rio by this year end. For this, PAL has tied up with a lesser known Chinese Auto Company - Zotye International which will be supplying Premier with the vehicle kits. Premier will then assemble the CKD version of the car at its Chinchwad facility in Pune.
The Rio (or Terra) is actually a first generation Toyota Daihatsu Terios which was produced between 1997 to 2005. But now it will be sold under the Premier Rio name.
Specifications The baby SUV is expected to come with a four cylinder, 1.5 Litre Diesel Engine, mated to a five-speed manual transmission with a power production of about 65bhp. It'll be having Rear Wheel Drive. The base model of the SUV will cost about Rs 5 lakhs, which makes it about 30% cheaper than the current cheapest SUV in India - the Mahindra Scorpio. The higher end version of the car with safety features such as the ABS and Airbags will come at a speculated price of about 7 lakh rupees.
Premier Auto hopes to sell 1000 units of the car initially. The company will be selling the car from its existing 30 dealerships accross the country, which will be expanded to 50 dealerships by year end.
Prior to receiving my tatatau by Su'a Suluape Petelo, I was fortunate to sit and talk with him about his practice, and also participate in an exchange of knowledge. The following were things that he conveyed during conversations in 2002 and 2003 about the traditional Samoan Malofie.
Malofie is the true Samoan terminology for a traditional Samoan tatau. It was never called a pe'a until recent times; around the 1800s anthropologists and other researchers began to ask questions about it and according to Suluape, it was then that men wearing the pe'a started referring to it as a pe'a. In actuality, the pe'a is a very small pattern that is tattooed on the lower part of the back, right about the tailbone area. Pe'a patterns symbolize the fruit bat of Samoa. He wasn't sure how this word became the predominant word for Malofie. There was also the notion that a man with a completed Malofie resembled a pe'a with it's wings closed - the head being the male genitals. To this day, pe'a remains the common term associated with a traditional Samoan tattoo.
Pekadoes not translate as easy into Tongan as pe'a does in Samoan. Because Samoans have been using the word pe'a to refer to their tattoo(s), it is generally accepted and non-offensive. However, to refer to something or someone as peka in Tongan can be misconstrued as derogatory, and hence, may cause much offense to Tongans. The indigenous Tongan word for tattoos and tattooing is Tatatau.
Tattooing tools are truly sacred and are passed on to an apprentice by the tufuga when the tufuga deems it appropriate. The apprentice must serve the tufuga at every moment and absorb everything that is spoken by the tufuga before he is deemed worthy to receive his own tools. This includes understanding the stories that accompany the tattooing, the specific construction of the tattoo, and how to each session is devised according to longstanding traditions. This also includes understanding the techniques of using the Au and Sausau (the traditional tattoo comb tool and tapping stick - called Hau and Hahau/Sausau in Tongan) and the science of stretching the skin when tattooing - toho kili or fusi kili.
Once given the tools, the apprentice is bestowed the Suluape title, and is required to perform a certain number of tattoos and remain in the service of the tufuga as an au koso (stretcher). He is also to understand how to conduct preparations for the ceremonial blessing or sama. Once the apprentice has completed a set number of tattoos and is able to construct and care for his own tools, he will then be bestowed the title of Su'a. Once a Su'a, he is then able to carry on tattooing and will begin carrying out the sacred sama ritual with each individuals he completes. This is overseen by the tufuga for a time until the apprentice is found able to fully carry out the tufuga tatau traditions solely. With the advent of Westernized individualism and a culture of instant gratification, there have been some Samoan and other Pacific Island individuals who have attempted to bypass the above tradition and construct their own tools and tattoo without a cultural license to practice. Many of these tattooists are untrained, untitled, and unaware of the damage they may be causing to individuals who are attempting to reconnect with their culture.
There are individuals out there walking around with traditional tattoos that are crooked, poorly constructed, and strange looking with incorrect design placement. Furthermore, many of these tattooed individuals did not undergo proper preparations before the tattoo, nor did a receive a proper blessing after.
If you come across a traditional tattoo artist, it is important to find out who their teacher was, how long they apprenticed for and where did they get the tools from. This might offend the tattooist so sometimes relying on gut instincts is probably the best defense against these self-proclaimed tufuga.
Each person tattooed by a student of the Su'a Suluape clan also recieves the traditional family signature which occurs as the final marks on the body. These markings are very distinct to the this clan and anyone tattooed by the Su'a Suluape clan will recognize this mark when seen on another person. This is another way to ensure the tattooist autheticity. From my last conversation wtih Su'a Suluape Petelo, he had only bestowed the Suluape title on 5 individuals, and the Su'a Suluape title on 3 individuals. This is important considering the amount of "traditional" tattoo artists that are growing in numbers in America, New Zealand, Samoa, and Australia.
What's the Big Deal? Many have asked this as well. I hear comments like "we don't live in Samoa so why do we need to go through all that tradition crap?" In order to preserve the true integrity of wearing a traditional tattoo, you must respect the traditions that have held it together for hundreds of years. Naturally, the malofie has evolved from pre-western days as a result of each tattoo family; however, many modern day tattooists (both Islanders and non-Islanders) have taken it upon themselves to 'revolutionize' this sacred practice, turning it into a fad and popularity contest for the artist's own selfish recognition. This was never the intent of wearing a traditional tattoo. As Suluape tattooed individuals, he would remind them of their duty to take care of their family, being responsible to cultural tradtions, and knowing that you represent more than just yourself by wearing the malofie.
Many people have written me criticisms and accusations that I'm making up everything on the site. Please read the "Historical Observations" page which cites pretty much anything that was written about Tongan tattoos within the last 500 years. And if you still don't believe it, go look up those sources yourself and make your own conclusions. It's a little hard to dispute accounts written hundreds of years ago by observers who had no reason to make up stories about what they saw.
Here are some facts about the tatatau:
Tatatau is made up of two Tongan words, Ta (to strike) and Tatau (similar, repeated); literally 'to strike repeatedly' such as a tufunga tatatau would do with the hau as he 'tapped' the tattoo onto a person. The word tatau has different meanings in other Pacific Island languages, and may differ greatly from the Tongan meaning. However, tatau is a word that used in everyday Tongan speech to refer to something that is the same or similar, e.g., 'Ai pe ke sipinga tatau - Just make the patterns the same. In its poetic or aesthetic form, ta also refers to time or a status of time, and tatau can invoke a sense of complete symmetry or both sides being equal inside and out. In this thought, tatatau could also be interpreted as the state of complete balance in all things.
Tufungawas a person skilled in a particular Tongan craft or material profession. Tufunga also referred to material arts manufactured mostly by men as opposed to nimamea'a which were fine arts mostly made by women. These professions could be hereditary or non hereditary. In Tongan, the word Tufunga does not take on the same intensity as it does in other islands like Samoa (Tufuga), Aotearoa (Tohunga), Marquesas (Tohu'a) or Hawai'i (Kahuna). The word tufunga simply designates a professional, societal role. For instance, there were:
Tufunga Toutai ika - skilled Tongan fishermen;
Tufunga Ta Maka - makers of stone vaults for the burial of chiefs;
Tufunga Fo'u Vaka - canoe builders;
Tufunga Ta Tatau - traditional tattooists, and so on.
Tufunga were the fabric of Tongan society, artisans that created the material Tongan identity through their skills.
1839was the year that King Siaosi Tupou I began devising laws that would eventually outlaw and eradicate traditional Tongan tattooing. After his conversion to Christianity, many traditional practices that were not favored by Christian values were deemed unnecessary, heathenistic, or pagan; even though he himself had been tattooed in the traditional manner. Though the practice of tatatau quickly vanished in Tonga, Tongan chiefs, especially those of the Kanokupolu line, continued to travel to Upolu and Savai'i to get tattooed. Samoa had not abandoned the practice, and Tongan chiefs, because of their status, still felt somewhat exempt by the new laws/codes that now governed regular Tongan society.
Besides traditional tattooing, other cultural practices soon disappeared such as:
Po me'e - celebrations that culminated in open sexual encounters;
Tutu'u nima - the act of cutting off a finger after a ranking individual had passed away;
Tumomosi - burning beauty marks on the body with pieces of rolled ngatu;
Fangatua - social boxing and wrestling tournaments performed by men and women.
The knowledge of these traditions barely exist today as they have either been outlawed for over a hundred years, or the practice simply stopped all together because they had no more signficance to Tongan people.
So how come Samoa was able to keep traditional tattooing alive and Tonga wasn't?
First let’s make it clear that both Tongan and Samoan cultures have lost many of their old traditions, but other traditions remain intact much is as it was in pre-Christian times. It's not so much a matter of which island is more traditional, but rather, what we can learn from each other to rekindle our lost traditions.
After a long period of civil war and infighting amongst ruling chiefs of Tongatapu, Eua, Ha'apai, Vava'u, and Niua were united under one national Monarchy in the 1800's, it became easy to control the infrastructure of Tongan society with laws that were enforced by district high chiefs and lower ranking village chiefs. These chiefs had hereditary ties to the ruling Monarch and were obligated both by rule and by deeply embedded Tongan values of service to the king (mateaki). These island groups were nationalized and established as a country under the name "Tonga". The work of missionaries to convert chiefs continued, subsequently converting the people of the new kingdom to Christianity. With the new reformed central government, Tongans adapted to suit the desires of the new Christian Monarchy and Christian values.
Samoa, on the other hand was never a unified country under one ruling dynasty since the Tui Manu’a reign prior to 900AD. Each village had a high chief that governed the people who lived within the village. Each village adapted to the introduction of Christianity and westernized ideas according to the desires of their chief(s). This made it hard for Christian missionaries to enforce widespread laws across all of Samoa. Each village ultimately shaped the new changes for themselves rather than it be governed by a singular lawmaker.
Ultimately, foreign imperialist powers intervened, and Britain and the US divided Samoa into two separate nations (Western Samoa [now independent Samoa], and American Samoa). Work ensued with various village chiefs to create a westernized, central government for each nation. By this time, Christianity had been adopted as the common religion of each village, but because high chiefs still maintained control, various cultural practices (such as tattooing) remained strong in certain villages, while in other villages they were no longer practiced or had evolved with the new Christian religion. By the 1900's, traditional tattooing was only practiced by several tufuga tatau families in Western Samoa, and became restricted to the sons of village chiefs rather than a rite of passage for every Samoan boy entering into manhood.
As cultures adapted to westernization and modernization, stories, values, and knowledge soon disappears from the framework of that society. This inevitably continues to the present day in the Pacific. It is a gradual process that fades with each generation. If it reaches the point of extinction, it then becomes easy for us to question if it really existed at all?
In 1999 I was fortunate to spend 2 weeks on Rapa Nui. I was amazed at the enormous Moai statues that were carved and spread out across the island's landscape. However, the Rapa Nui people had no recollection of how these were made, why some of them were made, and how they moved these huge megaliths across the island. One of these alter of statues (ahu) was called Tongariki, which an elder explained to me was built by a chief from Tonga. The Rapa Nui also had a written hieroglyphic language called Rongorongo which is no longer understood by its people. Even though the statues and the tablets of rongorongo still physically exist, all knowledge of these two distinct traditions has completely disappeared.
This is where Tonga is at with the tatatau. Many Tongans and non-Tongans now question whether it really existed despite documented proof and plain old common sense. As we now enter an era of globalization, what traditions will no longer exist in a hundred years? It becomes ever more important to utilize modern mediums such as the internet to promote and perpetuate anything and everything that is Tongan for future generations.
My reasons for creating this blog page is to expand on my website and to answer questions that have come up over the years. I started the Tongan Tatatau website in 2000 and have tried to continually update it. But with the new advances in social networking sites, it's easier now to do daily updates with Blogger than it is to make changes to the website. So please check back frequently for updates.
I've also decided to expand beyond Tongan tattooing to other areas of Tongan cultural history and practices not commonly understood in today's modern society. As always, I welcome your feedback, however, I will not respond to hateful responses and condescending, ethnocentric views from close minded people.
German luxury car maker BMW today launched Z4 Roadster in India. The Sportscar is priced at Rs 59 lakh (ex-showroom).
The two-seater sports-car powered by a 2,979 cc petrol engine is being launched as a part of the company's move to strengthen its position in the Indian luxury car segment.
The company is targeting to sell 30-40 units of the Z4 Roadster in the first year.
The company is currently competing neck-to-neck with rival German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz for the top slot in the Indian luxury-car market. During the first eight months (January- August) of 2009, BMW had sold 2,305 units against 2,026 of Mercedes.
The much awaited pocket Superbike from Bajaj-Kawasaki, the Ninja 250R is finally here at a price tag that may not please many – Rs 2,69,970 i.e Rs 2.69 Lakhs.
Some details from the launch -
Colors Available are only Green & Black
It will be imported as CKD from Thailand and will be assembled at Bajaj’s plant at Chakan (an 11% CKD duty will be imposed on the bike)
Ninja will be available exclusively across 22 PBK (probiking) showrooms across the country, with more to come. It’ll only be serviced at Probiking showrooms, which is quite obvious. First consignment of Ninjas, which contains 50 bikes, have already reached PBK Showrooms.
The booking amount for the Ninja is Rs 40,000
The Bike Produces a Power of 33ps @ 11000 RPM, 22NM @ 8200 RPM
There is also a carburetted version of the Ninja, but it wont be coming to India
Suspension: 37 mm forks, Uni-Trak rear with 5-way preload adjustment.
The brakes at the front & rear are 290 mm & 220 mm discs respectively.
Tyre Size for Front & Rear – 17 inch 110/70, 17 inch 130/70 Respectively
Kerb weight is 172 kg
Expected Mileage is 25-30 kmpl, no Official word on it, though.
Six Speed Gearbox
Bajaj plans to sell 800-1000 Ninjas by the end of this Fiscal.
The fast, the classy Porsche Sportscars which have always been associated with the rich & famous would soon be available at affordable prices (please do not consider economy price, here)
Acc to the Head of Development at Porsche, the priority for the crisis-hit company was to produce a car significantly cheaper (read less expensive) than the current "bottom-of-the-range" Porsche Boxster that costs a mere $67 778 (Rs 30 Lakhs, approx)
Acc to the company, this will be possible primarily due to the company’s recent merger with volkswagon (VW).
Porsche said last month that sales had slumped by 24 percent in the financial year to July 31 but expressed optimism that the worst of the crisis was now a thing of the past.
Mercedes Benz on Saturday opened its new dealership in Jalandhar, Punjab. There are already two other Mercedes Dealerships in Punjab at Ludhiana & Chandigarh. The luxury car maker decided to expand its presence keeping in view the response for the Mercs in Punjab. This year alone, Mercedes sold 600 cars in Punjab.
At the event, Wilfried Aulbur, managing director and chief executive of Mercedes-Benz India said that they were optimistic about Mercedes’ future in India despite stiff competetion from Audi, BMW & Jaguar and that they are hopeful of gaining momentum in coming days.
