OFF THE ROAD

SANJEEV GIRI
KATHMANDU, SEP 08

For those who feel the adrenalin kick to hit off the road, dirt bikes are the most reliable companions to overcome the dustiest and the dodgiest trails. Given the geographic setting we are in and road conditions that seem ideal for motocross, it is plausible that dirt bikes have an increasing number of takers despite their being expensive compared to other bikes with the same displacement.

According to Prem N. Lama, senior manager of Annapurna Lifan Company, which assembles Anna Lifan dirt bikes in Nepal under a joint venture with the Lifan Group of China, more youngsters are attracted to dirt bikes due to their build and performance. “Once you get used to riding a dirt bike, you find it inconvenient to switch over to a cruiser,” he said. “Most of our customers are dedicated dirt bike riders.”

Anna Lifan has two models—Cool Boy (150 cc) and Gipsy (200 cc)—in the market equipped with advanced technologies like counter balance shaft engines which, according to Lama, prevent the bikes from going off balance around sharp turns.

“We have tried to integrate new and advanced technologies in these dirt bikes,” he added. “And though we often invite customer diffidence due to our alliance with a Chinese company, the perception is changing fast. We sell between 200 and 300 bikes each year.”

International Motors sells between 1,800 and 2,000 Hartford dirt bikes each year through its more than eight dealers across the country. It has two models—VR 150H and VR 200H—in the market priced at Rs. 2,71,00 and Rs. 3,24,000 respectively.

“Earlier, most of our customers constituted teenagers; but even older people are opting for dirt bikes these days,” said Jitendra Shrestha, marketing officer of the company. “Hartford produces not more than 10,000 dirt bikes each year, and we import almost 2,000 of them in Nepal. Most of our customers work in construction companies and hydro projects in far-flung areas where dirt bikes are the most convenient means of transport. Our bikes have reached even Mustang and Solukhumbu.

Suzuki also has a dirt bike—DR 200SE—in the market which its dealer for Nepal, Deepshree Motors, imports as per demand from customers. Even though it is priced at Rs. 5,24,888, the model is in high demand in the market, said the dealer.