Mahindra is one of the world's automotive giants, widespread in India and Southeast Asia but almost absent in the European and American market. The steady growth of the company capital has convinced the leaders to invest in new projects for mobility, and what better way in India for small motorcycles for urban commuting?
It's called Mojo, and is the first experiment by Mahindra two-wheeler. The efforts of Indian designers and engineers was great and compared to the national standard, we must admit that this little naked is more polished and rewarding in line. Obviously Europeans have the same charm of a died grasshopper, but contextualizing the project cannot but be struck by the beautiful mixed frame tubes / plates and tail like Monster, under which peeps a swing truss top.
The front end brings to mind the Morini Corsaro 1200 version, but anorexic, while the tank, simple in form, remains low to follow the line of the frame, downhill towards the rear wheel. The engine range will go from a "depressed" single cylinder 125 4tempi up to 300cc, able to develop 26CV at 8,500 g / min .
To appreciate also the chassis with little saddle upside down front, rear mono and single disc brake system with 320mm front and 220 behind. Mahindra is proud of its product and thunders in its press release: We are sure to reposition all standards of design Indian motorcycle industry. They are just beginning, but seem promising.
From where comes the idea of this article? Simple, from the entrance of Mahindra World 125GP in which we told you about yesterday. Many will be curious to know who is Mahindra, what it produces, from where she jumped out ... and we try to make an overview on the company.
Let's start by saying that the ' India , like China, is one of those countries where We are investing a lot, and the help is very low cost of labor. Well Mahindra is India, more precisely, it is located at Pithampur, near Indore in Madhya Pradesh, in the middle of the state.
Mahindra & Mahindra was born when Mr. KC Mahindra visit the US as president of the India Supply Mission. There she met Barney Roos, inventor of the "general purpose vehicle", better known as the Jeep. And 'there that has a brainstorm: using a vehicle used in war (the Jeep fact), perfect for the bumpy roads in India. On October 2, 1945, Mahindra & Mohammed (the last was another partner), begins production as franchise for assembling Jeeps from Willys, USA. Shortly after, India became an independent nation and Mahindra & Mohammed became Mahindra & Mahindra .
Since then, 'company grew, in 2008 there was the passage (acquisition of corporate assets) at Kinetic Motor Company Ltd. (KMCL) and started the production of motorcycles and scooters. On 30 September 2010 coming two bikes Stallio and Mojo, but exploit an Italian design, specifically at its headquarters in Bologna, Bologna called Mahindra. The next step, as mentioned, the entry for 2011 in the 125GP class and later in Moto3. Let's see how these two small bikes are made, and remember that in India, are guaranteed four years or 40,000 Km in spite of the manufacturers that sell in Europe and offer 2 years!.
The Stallio is the first motorcycle produced by Mahindra. It 'a small naked and very reminiscent of the famous "tuboni" we had in Italy in the' 80s. The design is attractive, but certainly since the end of the market and the audience being addressed is certainly ... unsettling. The engine is a 110 cc air-cooled and produces approximately 7 hp at 7,500 r / min. and a torque of 8.0 Nm at 5500 rev / min .. The gearbox has four gears and the ignition is in pedal that is electric. For the chassis, the chassis is a double tubular steel. The Stallio is "braking" by two drum brakes 130 mm. Five colors: red, yellow, black, green and blue.
Mojo is the latest addition to Mahindra. It 's always a naked, but higher than the Stallio. As for the aesthetics well, that is, you do not notice anything of Triumph and Moto Morini? Or maybe the side view is Moto Guzzi Griso (look at the frame and the shell). However the effort is commendable, to be a low-cost product. Two colors, black and red. The engine is a 300 cc, DOHC 4-valve that produces an output of 26 hp at 8,500 r / min and maximum torque of 24 Nm at 7000 rev / min. The transmission is a six-speed, and feed the Mojo thinks electronic injection (EFI) developed by Ducati Energia.
The fork is a Paioli while the rear is a monoshock mounted horizontally. I see a disc brake 320 mm front and Daisy, "held" by a radial caliper (even the rear is a single disc). Completing the picture of the cycling sport radial tire Pirelli wheels from 17 ". On the sites Indians then, speak of Paioli and Pirelli as it were gold. And it is for them! Of course we are used to hearing this kind of names. In India then they put much emphasis on the fact that design is Italian. But you know as the singer Madonna said: "Italians, do it better." In confirmation of this, the first promotional video on the Indian motorcycle was shot in Autodromo Vallelunga.
Lately we are increasingly talking of contamination between the worlds of cars and motorcycles. Until a few years ago, in fact, these two worlds were traveling on parallel tracks and spaced well apart, it seems that today no longer the case : the giants of the automotive industry have realized that the world of cycling can be very profitable . So as to justify full-bodied investments in research and development for new products and for urban mobility and beyond.
Moto small, maybe, but intended to mobility in countries where mass motorization is under heavy development . Let's talk about all the Southeast Asian countries and then to India, China, Brazil. Markets that together are worth tens of millions of pieces. So it seems that the scenario of future mobility on wheels is going to change even more radically. When only Honda, Suzuki and BMW, Peugeot and (in small part) KTM producing both car and motorcycle races, but assured that in the future the brands to six wheels will increase for sure.
Meanwhile breaks the ice the Indian Mahindra, name that in Italy we tie in products "utility" and off road, all strictly four wheel. Here is a small brand, but Mahindra is actually a multinational 7.1 billion dollars, one of the top 10 companies in the world, which employs one million people.
The Indian group is leader in the field of off-road vehicles, agricultural tractors and information technology , and has a growing and significant presence in those financial services, aerospace, after-market, holidays and logistics. So we talk about a real industrial giant that it moves does it in.
After joining tiptoe into the two-wheeler segment last year by the acquiring Kinetic based in Pune always India and starting to produce a scooter, the Mahindra has taken a further step towards the bike with the Mojo 300 stylish roadster for the domestic market . Has an engine 300cc 4-stroke 26 HP in India is a motorcycle luxury over there traveling on the 110 cc average and costs 175,000 rupees equivalent of 2,900 €.
But apart from the new Mojo 300, the real news is represented by the Mahindra brand's debut in the World GP. Important because it is the debut of a Indian brand in the World Championship, an important signal that points out the so-called third world is actually the only one where, at certain levels, there is money. Mahindra obviously starts from the bottom, from the 125, the better to sponsor its own brand of motorcycle that small, but the news is still important and underlines the interest of India for MotoGP (it also speaks of building a Indian new circuit which will host a stage of the championship).
The Mahindra project still the heart and soul behind the Indian GP 125 is, in fact, Engines Engineering, Emilia-based company that designs since 1979 motorcycles and scooters of all types and collaborates with many Italian brands (by Malaguti Ducati). In 2008 and 2009 a motion of Engines Engineering has raced with the brand of Chinese Loncin and now back on track with the brand Mahindra. Another brand of car that falls in love with motorcycles. Next.
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