Top 10 two-wheeler highlights of 2021

A look back at some of the biggest events and hottest new launches from 2021.

1) Royal Rumble

It’s been an important year for the big four Indian manufacturers, who have all had impressive new launches. Perhaps, the most significant of this year is Royal Enfield, which rolled out its hugely important 2021 Classic 350. It shares roughly the same silhouette as its predecessor (something that’s been deliberately and painstakingly done), but we’re happy to report that it’s a distinct improvement over the bike it replaces, on almost all counts. 

Also Read: 2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350 review, road test

2) A fresh pulse for Pulsar

With the launch of the fresh 250cc twins, Bajaj injected fresh life into the Pulsar line-up that was becoming increasingly stale. And while the motorcycles may not pack in the wow factor that some Pulsars have shown in the past, they still are very likeable and worthy flag-bearers for the Pulsar brand.

Also Read: Bajaj Pulsar N250, F250 review, test ride

3) KTM’s race-y revisions

Arguably the most neglected of all KTM’s model line-ups in India, the race-y RC range finally received its first real fresh lease of life in 2021. The update includes a comprehensively revised chassis and a radical new look to match, among other things. The Austrian brand launched the 2022 RC 125 and RC 200 in India this year, the latter of which we’ve ridden and you can check out our first impressions here. The range-topping RC 390 is expected to hit our market in January 2022.

4) Hero’s innovation

Hero has made its fair share of technological strides this year, rolling out its very first 4-valve motorcycle in the form of the Xpulse 200 4V. We had a chance to try this new and improved off-roader, and you can check out our impressions here. Of course, the commuter segment is Hero’s bread and butter, so it would be impossible for the company to ignore it. And here too, its Glamour Xtec has introduced features like Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation for the very first time in the 125cc segment.

5) Thoughtfulness from TVS

TVS has made strides with its product portfolio, with a pair of impressive new offerings, as well as valuable improvements to existing models. Its flagship motorcycle, the Apache RR 310, now offers a neat customisation program with handy additions that can be made to the bike at a very reasonable cost. But the real stars of the show have been the fun new Raider 125 and the superbly sensible Jupiter 125.

6) Yamaha’s bold move

Though it is relatively younger than our motorcycle market, the Indian scooter market is still very much evolving. 2021 has really seen some fresh shapes, sizes and approaches when it comes to scooters. Most impressive of the lot has been the Yamaha Aerox 155, which claims to be a 155cc sports scooter and lives up to that tag rather well. The alien-to-India step-through form factor helps it stand out, but the real star of the show is the YZF-R15 derived liquid-cooled engine. To find out just how it feels to ride, head here.

7) The promise of revolution

In the rapidly evolving world of electric scooters, the disruptive Ola S1 Pro e-scooter is aiming to move the goalposts with class-leading acceleration, a 181km claimed range figure, and novel features like cruise control. But 2022 will be the real test of how well this revolutionary new machine lives up to the hype created around it. You can check out our first impressions here.

8) Slow sales recovery

The remarkably strong bounceback shown by the two-wheeler market in the aftermath of the first wave has proven difficult to sustain, with sales figures in 2021 showing a slight year-on-year increase, but still a far cry from pre-pandemic levels. 2021 hasn’t been without its own challenges, with the second wave (albeit briefer than the first), and, perhaps more significantly, the global semiconductor shortage proving to be obstacles in the path of sales success. The good news here is that the ongoing sales slump is attributable largely to a lack of supply, rather than a lack of demand, so once the supply chain sorts itself out, it should pave the path for a bounceback.

9) An electrifying market

Despite all this year’s hardships, one pocket of the two-wheeler market that has flourished is electric two-wheelers. For the very first time, E2Ws have sold more than 1,00,000 units in a calendar year in India, and they even did it with a month to spare. As of November, the 1,16,669 units sold translated into a massive 355 percent year-on-year increase. And while a large portion of this is e-scooters from Hero Electric and Okinawa that aren’t strictly indigenously developed, the locally birthed Ather scooters, TVS iQube and Bajaj Chetak have also seen a sharp uptick in sales figures, indicating that our market is slowly warming up to these zero-emissions machines.

10) India Bike Week returns

After a COVID-induced hiatus, India’s biggest biking festival made a comeback with a new location, but the same old action-packed atmosphere. Held at Aamby Valley City in Maharashtra this time around, the 2021 edition saw the launch of the Harley-Davidson Sportster S and the Honda H’ness CB350 Anniversary Edition, as well as the unveiling of the upcoming BS6-compliant Honda CB300R. Kawasaki also took to the stage to showcase its recently launched Z650RS neo-retro motorcycle.