RD Rides

I am impressed. I'm very, very impressed. Fun is not something that we would associate with Royal Enfield motorcycles. Freedom, yes. Adventure, maybe. But fun? Never! Well, not yet that is. Because RE has launched a bombshell of a motorcycle bang in the middle of the 400cc chaos curated by the factories of Bajaj and Hero. Ladies and gentlemen: The Guerrilla 450.  When I rode the Himalayan 450, somehow the motorcycle didn't feel complete. Yes, it handled well, braked well, had good ride quality and all that but it always felt like a sum of parts. That platform never felt like an ADV platform. That's because it wasn't. Now with the Guerrilla and the small tweaks that it brings along, this platform comes to life. This was always a roadster platform and it shines the brightest in the Guerilla iteration. One look at the motorcycle and you cannot help but appreciate the minimalism in design. The LED headlights, the offset speedo console, the flat and wide tank, th...

The Oxford dictionary defines the word "Scramber" as a person who walks over steep, mountainous terrain as a pastime. Back in the early 1900s some British motorcyclists decided to do just that, but on two wheels. For that purpose, they took normal motorcycles and fitted them with bigger suspensions and voila! A whole new genre of motorcycles were born and they were called: the Scramblers! As time went by, motorcycles became increasingly specialised and iterations of the OG Scrambler like the ADVs or the dirt bikes were developed to do what the Scramblers once did. Not too long ago, the legendary British motorcycle brand Triumph launched the Scrambler 1200, resurrecting the iconic design and do it all capabilities of a Scrambler and it became an instant hit amongst adventure seekers and everyday riders alike. Going by the success of the larger Scramblers and the growing demand for affordable, adventure ready motorcycles globally, Triumph dropped another bombshell o...

Long years ago, Royal Enfield made a tryst with destiny and now the time comes when they shall redeem their pledge. Not only on and off road here in India but also at the toughest automotive event in the world: The Dakar Rally!  With that prologue, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the leanest, the meanest and the most capable Royal Enfield ever made: The Himalayan 450! It's an all new, ground up motorcycle and it shares exactly 0 parts with the older Himalayan 411 that it replaces. What Royal Enfield have thrown at this motorcycle will just blow your mind to tiny bits. It gets liquid cooling, 6 gears, ride by wire throttle, riding modes and a colour TFT display that can cast your mobile screen, including Google Maps! So how does all of this translate to the riding experience of the new Himalayan? Should the competition simply pack their bags and leave already? Moreover, should YOU buy the all new Himalayan and should you buy it NOW? Lets start with the all ...

It's one thing to have a girlfriend, another to make her your wife. When I bought my Jimny in August this year, I had had two test drives of around 5 kms each. Now with over 3500 kms on the clock, I know a lot more about her than before. So here it is. Ownership review of my Jimny Alpha MT, in a question - answer format, completely unbiased (I'll try): 1. Is it overpriced? Ans- Let's tackle the elephant in the room first. Price is what you pay, value is what you get. For the capability and the versatility that this car delivers, there's a lot more value attached to the Jimny than the price it commands. With year end discounts currently available, the deal gets even sweeter. It is the cheapest 5 door, 4*4 car available in India by a big, big margin. Can't beat the value proposition.  2. Is it underpowered?  Ans- Fully stock, yes. With a just basic mod like a throttle controller, it's a day and night difference. Possibly to meet the ever increasing emi...

Seldom in history do you find two cars this similar in intent and yet this different in execution. The Mahindra Thar is the personification of badass.  This is how big bad American off-roaders are made. The unmistakable Jeep styling, the tall stance, the bulging wheel arches, the huge 18 inch wheels and two very, very powerful engine options that make the Thar not only badass but extremely capable both on and off-road. The Jimny, on the other hand, is the personification of minimalism. It's a hermit who carries all his essential belongings with him in a small bundle of cloth. Small body, small tyres, small engine and two decade old gearboxes. All of this to ensure the car remains light on its feet and lives up to the "mountain goat" tag that its predecessor in India, the Gypsy had earned for itself.  In fact, so obsessed were Suzuki engineers with weight savings that they decided to even do away with essentials like bottle holders and cubby holes! Is this even a fair comp...

SUV. The car type that every buyer aspires to buy and the category that every manufacturer wants a piece of the pie of today. The result is quite cringeworthy, honestly. Give a car slightly more ground clearance than a typical sedan or hatchback and voila! You've designed an SUV! What hurts more is that these pseudo SUVs are some of the highest selling car models in the country today. Few SUV buyers even know what the S in the name SUV stands for. It stands for "sport". It means going higher, farther and deeper into terrain that few would dare to even enter. It means discovering new places, making new friends, experiencing new cultures and making new memories. More than anything else, it means freedom. Freedom from being limited by the road conditions or the terrain or the weather while choosing where to travel next. Sadly, very few cars available on a budget in India today can provide you with that freedom and the ones that do, are so one dimensional, they feel out of pl...