History of Two Wheelers

motorcycles have made their debut around the 1950s; this section looks at the two wheelers which have over the years caught the imagination of country. It was in the year 1954 that the Indian government ordered for total number of 800 motorcycles to man the Pakistani borders. In came the Bullets which were initially launched in England as a 350cc bike and it was upgraded to 500cc a year or so later. These bikes have remained unaltered, barring some cosmetic changes which have undergone over the years. Thus one can say without much of a doubt that the 1955 Bullet was one of the initial hits of the Indian two-wheeler industry and till today it continues to be a darling of the motorcycle enthusiasts.

Enfield Bullet had a close competition with another sturdy bike named Rajdoot; as the bike was strong enough to handle the rough Indian roads. The company had roped in Indian He-man Dharmendra for the promotion of the bike. With more than 1.6 million vehicles on the road the Rajdoot motorcycle was one of the initial hits of the earlier years of two-wheeler history in the country.

When heavy motorcycles were the order of the day, a relatively lighter bike had caught on the imagination of the Indian two wheeler user. Ind- Suzukia bike launched by the then TVS Suzukigroup was an instant hit; however the bike could not sustain it's initial success due to the high import content in the vehicle and less of localization.

In scooters Bajaj Chetak has been hugely responsible for adding momentum to the transport system of the country, till today it remains one of the most successful brands to have come out of the Bajaj stable.

The scooter is named after the horse of legendary Rana Pratap Singh. These sets of two wheels have become a part of the Indian milieu and are often considered a representative of the Indian middle class aspiration. Very few two-wheelers have been able to emulate the success, which Bajaj Chetak has achieved over the years.

Similarly LML Motors enjoyed a reasonable success with the launch of LML Select which came with new age technology and improved performance.

Today newer models of two-wheeler are entering the market everyday, slowly pushing these names down the memory lane. However names like Chetak, Rajdoot and Bullet will always find a mention in the history of two-wheelers in the country.