THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Road rage has become a common phenomenon on city roads. More and more youths are losing their lives as they indulge in this dangerous pastime. The police are at the receiving end for the failure in strict enforcement of laws to curb the menace. The police are tired of constantly devising new plans to deal with the issue as their every attempt to impart awareness among the speed bikers has fallen flat. But one thing is certain. There is no way the authorities can separate speed from roads. The fact is evident from the brisk sale of premium motorcycles, regardless of the brands, among the city youth. The motorcycle companies seem to have realised the fact that nothing can alter the craving of the youth for the speed that thrills. Bajaj, the leading Indian motorcycle brand, has even opened an exclusive showroom, named Bajaj Pro Biking, in the city which features only premium bikes, finding the capital city to be a big market for them. Bikes below a displacement of 220 cc do not have a place in this showroom. Their flagship product being the Pulsar 220F, which is also nicknamed the Fastest Indian bike, offering a maximum speed of 144 km/hour. Also available in the showroom is the international model Kawasaki Ninja 250R with a top speed of 196 km/hour at a whopping onroad price of ` 3 lakh. ‘’Already our Pulsar models are being sold like hot cakes. But the Ninja has become the top favourite among the riders since its launch early this year,’’ says a sales executive of Bajaj Pro Biking showroom, according to whom, over fifty pieces of the bike have already been sold within months, regardless of the hefty price tag it comes with. The Pro Biking showroom is the only one of its kind in the entire State. The choice of their selection of the city, shunning the state’s own metro city Kochi, is a testimony to the rage for speed among the city youth. Now, the showroom is awaiting the arrival of another advanced model, Ninja 650 R, that has already been unveiled in the country. The other brands are also not far behind. Japanese brand Honda too has launched its own premium bike in the form of Honda CBR 250, which too has succeeded in wooing the adrenaline junkies, despite an ex-showroom price of ` 1.6 lakh. According to a showroom executive of Hilton Yamaha, it was the launch of its premium models Yamaha FZ and R15 which enabled them to rise from the lull the company had been forced into after the winding up of their evergreen model RX 100. ‘’Even though equipped with an engine of lower displacement of 150 cc, the FZ and R15 are capable of giving other high power bikes a run for their money,’’ he says. Not to be left out are other Indian brands like Hero Honda (Karizma 225 cc) and TVS (Apache 180 RTR) who also churn out their own premium bikes out of their factories in order to meet the needs of high-flying bikers. Meanwhile, as all the motorcycle brands are laughing their way to the bank with the flourishing sale of their premium models, the same thing has become a matter of concern for the authorities, especially the police. ‘’Most of the two-wheeler riders caught on our surveillance cameras breaching the speed limits rode premium bikes,’’ says Raju, Assistant Commissioner, Traffic (South).
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