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Over the years, Royal Enfield India has been organizing its annual ‘Tour of Nepal’ ride, which has, over time, become a vital platform for Royal Enfield enthusiasts and riders to reunite and experience pure motorcycling bonhomie over a period of two weeks.

This year, a group of 29 Enfielders from India crossed the border into Nepal to experience this adrenaline-fueled excite­ment. Given the nature of the tour, a dedi­cated support staff and a follow-up vehicle were on hand at all times for the riders. All riders were required to wear full safety riding gears and bring well-maintained Royal Enfields to make this experience a journey of a lifetime.

The trip, which is only open to Royal Enfield owners, was not a competitive event but a chance to unwind with fel­low riders. An unforgettable motorcy­cling experience across a variety of ter­rains, from the mighty Himalayas to the lush Tarai plains, gave riders a chance to experience Nepal’s natural beauty.

The Royal Enfield Tour of Nepal 2018, covering a distance of 2,430 km, started on April 15 from Lucknow. It then passed through Dhangadi, Bardiya, Lumbini, Kodari, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Kalopani, Muktinath, Tatopani and back to Pokhara before ending in Lucknow on April 28. All in all, the tour was a perfect match-up between the rider, the machine and the terrain.

The new XUV500 is now avail­able in the Indian market with a bold new design, plush, luxurious interiors and higher power and torque. It offers a more pleasurable ride through an enhanced suspension, and comes with a quieter cabin. The new XUV500 now comes with a new wider grille with chrome inserts, fog lamps with a refresh­ing new chrome bezel, an all-new, stylish tailgate with spit tail-lamps and a new spoiler, and new LED DRLs. Similarly, the interiors are now more luxurious and premium. Powering the new XUV is a more powerful mHawk engine that makes 155 bhp of power and 360 Nm of torque. New technology offer­ings include the industry-first smart watch connectivity and several other aspirational hi-tech features. Safety features include 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP with Rollover mitigation, hill hold and hill descent control and disc brakes on all wheels. In addition, the XUV500 also offers the first-in-class safety feature of Emergency Calling.

 2018 Suzuki Ertiga unveiled

Although the Suzuki Ertiga has been an important car for Maruti Suzuki since its launch in 2012, it has failed to gather enough excitement in the Nepalese market. However, the 2018 model of the seven seater MPV looks certainly better than its predecessor. The new Ertiga looks more upmarket and pre­mium and it is underpinned by the Suzuki’s new Heartect platform featured in the new Baleno and Swift hatchbacks. The 2018 model gets a host of features including 15-inch alloy wheels, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, tilt adjustable steering with wooden ornament (GX), and new instrument console design. It also gets a start stop button; reverse parking sensors and camera, key less entry and ven­tilated (or cooled) bottle/cup holders. Safety features on the new Ertiga includes high rigid under body, Dual SRS Airbags, Electronic Stability Programme, ABS, Electronic Brake-Force Distribution and ISOFIX seats

So, what is it?

The Enfield Rendezvous & Poker Run is a non-competitive annual motorcycle riding event aimed at bringing together Royal Enfield and other classic vintage motorcycle riders for a ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Riders have to pick a card in each pit stop to make a complete Poker hand at the final destination, and the best hand wins an award.

In addition, there are also other specific awards, and the check points offer free food, drinks and lucky spots prizes. The event was started in 2009 by Rabi Thapa (CEO of Sacred Summits Pvt. Ltd) in asso­ciation with an Australian friend, Stewart Mclean, in memory of their riding friend, late Binod Chhetri, who was an adventurer and a die-hard fan of the Royal Enfield motor­cycles. Over the years, the event has gained in popularity and become a ‘must attend’ where Enfielders come together once a year to share their camaraderie.

As happened last year, the 10th edition of the celebration ride kicked off at Khula Manch, Kathmandu, with both national and interna­tional participants. The presence of over 150 Royal Enfield motorcycles parked alongside each other was definitely a sight to behold.

After a short briefing by the orga­nizers in the presence of MP Gagan Thapa, the event was officially flagged off. Thereafter, the partic­ipants thundered across the city towards Naubise, getting a lot of attention. After cruising down the windy Naubise road, they arrived at the first pit-stop at a highway restau­rant near Naubise.

A heavy breakfast later, the rid­ers continued towards Mugling, where they sat down for a scrump­tious Thakali lunch, courtesy Yeti Airlines. After cooling off, the con­voy moved towards Pokhara. The next and final stop was at Akela Highway Restaurant, before the final stop at Pokhara. Soon, dark­ness fell, and the headlights of the Royal Enfield bullet train lit up the streets of Pokhara. On entering the city, they were welcomed at Hotel Pokhara Grande.

A nice buffet accompanied by energizing live music was set up inside the hotel’s premises. It didn’t look like the day’s ride had taken a toll on any of the participants as they partied late into the night and wel­comed the New Year 2075 in style.

The next day, participants could either relax for the day or join the charity ride to Kalikasthan Pokhara. Later in the evening, they were seen eagerly competing for various awards. The morning-breakfast the next day would officially complete the 10th edition of the amazing Poker Run. And it definitely did not disappoint this year either. We’ll be eagerly waiting for the next one.

There’s an army of new cars and motorcycles heading to show­rooms over the next Nepali year, with everything from hot hatches to urban crossovers and compact SUVs to some other eager­ly-awaited brands. Now, when there are so many options, it can be difficult to pin down the best ones for yourself. But we can at least give you the informa­tion you need to narrow down your options. Read on to find out which new wheels are set to roll in 2075 and which ones you want to keep an eye on.

 Renault Captur

Renault, one of the fastest growing automobile brands in Nepal, is launch­ing the Renault Captur in the Nepali market soon. The Captur crossover rep­resents Renault’s new design DNA. It looks unique with its bold expressive design, premium and class-leading fea­tures, and advanced technologies. The Captur is the widest and longest offer­ing in its category, with best-in-class ground clearance of 210mm. This is well matched by an elevated driving position that offers wraparound panoramic visi­bility. The crossover comes loaded with more than 50 premium features as standard offerings from the starting variant onwards.

 All-new Suzuki Swift

Since its launch in 2005, Suzuki Swift has been one of the most favorite hatchbacks in the Nepali market. The all-new Suzuki Swift, the third generation of the block­buster brand, now comes with a new exciting design, enhanced performance and advanced safety features.

The new Swift gets sleek and expres­sive LED projector headlamps with a distinct design signature element on LED DRL and rear position lamp. On the inside, it gets a sporty, high-quality, and comfortable cabin space for pas­sengers. Built on Suzuki’s innovative fifth-generation HEARTECT platform, the all-new Swift has a superior power-to-weight ratio with an improved accelera­tion. The 1.2L VVT engine is now tuned for superior performance, coupled with highly balanced suspensions for better ride and comfort.

 Ford Freestyle

The all-new product from Ford com­bines SUV-like design, benchmark per­formance, innovative technologies and outstanding fuel efficiency—for greater choice to consumers. Nepal will be among the first in the globe where the all-new Freestyle will go on sale in the second quarter of 2018.

The Freestyle uses design elements common to more expensive mini-SUVs. It will come paired with Ford’s all-new, three-cylinder 1.2L TiVCT petrol engine and a 1.5L TDCi diesel engine. Freestyle will deliver sportier performance and will feature a uniquely tuned suspension with increased track-width, high ground clearance, traction control, ABS with EBD, and uniquely tuned power assisted steering. On safety, it will offer up to six airbags.

Apache RR310

 TVS’ new flagship motorcycle is the com­pany’s first-foray into the super-premium category. Inspired by 35 years of TVS Racing, TVS Apache RR 310 combines superior performance and riding dynamics with a fully faired sporty design.

The TVS Apache RR 310 gets a 312cc, single-cylinder, 4-stroke, liq­uid-cooled engine and is mated to a 6-speed super-slick gear box. The motorcycle boasts of a top speed of 160 kmph, and acceleration from 0-to-60 kmph in just 2.9 seconds, thanks to an advanced aerody­namics package that promises the lowest coefficient of drag in this segment. It is equipped with a vertical spee­do-cum-tachometer with 18 racing tell-tale diag­nostics, first-in-class bi-LED twin projector head lamps for maximum reach and visibility and Michelin Street Sport tires, and is the first sub-500cc motorcycle to use these. Both Anti-Lock Brak­ing System (ABS) and Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) system, will be available as standard on the TVS Apache RR 310.

 Jeep Compass

The eagerly-anticipated Made-in-India Jeep Compass will also be rolled out in Nepal this year. Packed with 50+ safety and security features, 30+ premium fea­tures and 20+ pioneering technologies, the Compass will be available with a 2.0-liter Multijet Turbo-diesel and 1.4-liter Multi-Air petrol engine. The diesel model will be offered with 6-speed manual transmission and the petrol model will be offered with a 6-speed as well as a 7-speed automatic transmission.

We expect the Compass to be available in three premium trims—Sport, Longi­tude and Limited (top of the line), and in ten variants.

 Nissan Kicks

Nissan Kicks, the Japanese automaker’s global product, is rumored for launch in the growing Indian and Nepali car markets this year. The compact SUV is based on the Nissan’s “V” platform that also underpins the Micra hatchback and the Sunny sedan. The Japanese automaker is expected to trim the length of the car to achieve sub-4 meter length for the Indian market. Although the Brazil­ian spec model is powered by a 1.6-liter flex-fuel (pet­rol/ethanol) engine, the India-spec model is likely to be powered by a 1.5-liter diesel engine.

 Toyota Rush

The Toyota Rush compact SUV, which is already available in the Indonesian market, will likely be launched in Nepal this year. In Indonesia, the seven-seater mid-size Toyota SUV is powered by a 1.5-liter petrol engine that makes 104PS of maximum power and 136Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties are handled by either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed automatic.

Features include LED head lamps and tail lamps, electric ORVMs with LED turn indicators, 16-inch alloy wheels, shark-fin antenna and a rear spoiler. It has a ground clearance of 220mm.

Ben Reid-Howells and Prashant Kumar embarked on their Vasudhaiva Ride in December 2016. Inspired by the Sanskrit phrase Vasudhaiva Kutum­bakam (“the whole world is one family”), their travels will take them from India to Scotland in a two-year series of collaborative proj­ects with artists, individuals, and organizations. The goal is to show what people, especially commu­nities, are capable of doing when they come together. The biker duo wants to create, share and con­nect the stories of these people and places while working towards peace, sustainable living and community wellbeing. Ben and Prashant rely heavily on the idea of jugaad (“to make do with what you have”). Having decided on their old (un)reliable Enfields as their primary mode of transport, it’s a concept they will carry with them throughout their journey.

“If we had unlimited time on our hands, we’d much rather travel on horses,” jokes Prashant. “We would have preferred an option that didn’t emit any carbon. The bikes were the next best alternative.”

To raise funds, they used their skills as musicians and Prashant pro­duced art installations for various pubs and bars across Pune using his upcycling skills.

Their endeavors have now brought them to Nepal, where their next project finds them in Kagati Village in Nuwakot. In collabora­tion with HCI (Himalayan Climate Initiative), Ben and Prashant, who specialize in education and upcy­cling respectively, have put their skills together to build a playground for the children of the village. But there was no money. Luckily, the Kagati Village is located next to a waste dump and that, for Ben and Prashant, was all they needed.

They used the waste to create playground attractions for chil­dren for a fraction of the initial estimated cost. By doing so they want to embed the idea of waste products as raw materials. This could in turn have a huge impact on sustainable development.

Ben and Prashant’s collabora­tion with HCI nudges things along the same positive direction. Countries like Nepal that have been hit hard by climate change and climate justice, the social impact of climate change, have a chance to leap-frog straight to clean development instead of dirty development. They as such can set an example for the rest of the world.

“This is possible because of the natural resources available in the country and people’s changing mindset, which is very important,” explains Ben.

Apart from their efforts in Kagati Village, Prashant did a one-day workshop with a group of 60 women in Kathmandu where he taught live­lihood skills and guided the partici­pants in learning ways to create stuff to make their ends meet. This will be an ongoing program for working woman and poor communities.

Ben, meanwhile, runs teaching programs that focus on the impor­tance of sustainable development and how people can build houses that clean their own water, make their own food, and source its own renewable energy.

The Vasudahiva Ride might not change the way the world thinks right away, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. The duo’s stint here in Nepal is only a small part of their big project. You can follow their work and progress through their website and social media. For anyone interested in helping, you can get in touch with the two when they return to Kath­mandu on April 27.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Vasud­haivaride/

Website: www.vasudhaivaride.com/

Instagram: @vasudhaivaride

Small cars are compara­tively affordable and for­giving of rookie drivers, making them the best choice when choosing one’s very first four-wheeler. Suzuki have dominated this segment for long. Right from the Maruti 800, to the Alto, A-Star, Ritz, and now the Celerio, their prowess in the small car seg­ment is unprecedented. Fur­ther, Suzuki has always insisted that an overlapping product range is better than losing a sale to a competitor; and this mentality has made life diffi­cult for other brands. Celerio has been a popular offering from Suzuki in Nepal since 2014. Now, the Celerio also comes as Celerio X—a crossover that will lock horns with the likes of the Mahindra KUV100 and the Renault Kwid. Read on to find out how it fares in our test drive.

Exterior

The dimensions remain pretty much the same, with a slight increment in height and length. The tried and tested formula of adding cosmetic changes to make a simple hatchback look more utilitar­ian has been implemented in the Celerio X as well. The new all-black grille with honeycomb maze pattern and a black hous­ing for the fog lamps make a sort of ‘X’ in the front. Other crossover elements come in the form of black cladding around the wheel arches and across the doors. Although built to look like a crossover, the ground clearance remains the same at 165mm.

Overall, in terms of the aesthetics, it is a significant upgrade. The dual tone exte­riors, new bumpers, six spoke alloys, and the claddings do a great job of giving the Celerio X character. But it has to be said, we definitely dig the paprika orange color over the caffeine brown that we test drove.

Interiors

It’s an all black affair inside the cabin with white accents and patterned seats with orange highlights. There is adequate storage space for your bottles and knick-knacks and the instrument console is pretty straightforward. You get Bluetooth connectivity and the speakers do a pretty decent job for a vehicle in this segment.

The seats are super comfort­able, and cabin space for rear seat passengers are surpris­ingly good. We were able to get three large, well-fed adults in the back seat without much of a fuss.

Performance

The 998 cc petrol three-cyl­inder engine generates 67 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 90 Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm. Regard­less, you will be pleasantly surprised at how the Celerio X performs on flat tarmac. Give it some gas and it happily surges forward. It might not make for a blistering starts and it won’t be winning many drag races; but with its light weight, peppy engine and easy maneuverabil­ity, it has the daily city runs in the bag. It does begin to strug­gle when you point it up a mod­erately steep incline and load it to full capacity, but there is only so much that you can ask from a 998cc engine. Even on the highways, the Celerio X performs to satisfaction as long as you push the rev happy engine. A warning: this is not its strongest suit.

City driving, though, is a joy with the Celerio X. It makes easy work of heavy traffic thanks to its nimble handling and radius of 4.7 meters. Mak­ing U-turns and parking is also hassle free. The Celerio X draws very little criticism when it comes to traversing in the urban jungles of Kathmandu.

The verdict

Keep in mind the segment that the Celerio X caters to and you’ll find that it scores high in almost every aspect. The aesthetic upgrades have enhanced the simple Celerio, and it should do a good job of attracting younger drivers. Cabin space and comfort are surprisingly good for the seg­ment, and the same goes for the features and styling.

When it comes to perfor­mance, it does what it’s sup­posed to. The rev-happy engine will get you around town eas­ily. If need be, it will soldier through the highways as well. For city dwellers, the Celerio X is a very desirable package.

However, the AMT version would have been the cherry on top, had CG Moto Corp decided to bring it into Nepal. Taking away the hassle of changing gears would make this car pretty close to perfect, whether it’s lazily trudging in bumper-to-bumper traffic or scurrying through the city roads.

Director at Jyoti Group of Companies and Chairman of Syakar Trading Company, the authorized distributor of Honda bikes and cars in Nepal, Saurabh Jyoti is an avid rider and motorcycle enthusiast. His love for motorcycles becomes evident when you see his garage. The ‘Honda Africa Twin’, ‘CBR Fireblade’, ‘CB1100’, the ‘Ducati Diavel’, ‘Suzuki Hayabusa’, and the ‘Harley Davidson 883 Iron’ are a few of the motorcycles he has in his collection. This year marks 50 years of Honda in Nepal, making it the oldest distributor of the Japanese manufacturers in the world, second only to Vietnam. A considerable feat for a company in the Nepali auto industry, Syakar Trading Company has also held a dominant position in the motorcycling scene of Nepal.

Here are excerpts from our conversation with the man behind the reigns: Saurabh Jyoti, regarding the motorcycling culture in Nepal and a look back at Honda’s milestone products.

Tell us a little about the motorcycling cul­ture in Nepal.

If you look at how far we’ve come from when the first motorcycles came to Nepal, the development is staggering. It has been 50 years since Honda entered the Nepali market and we’ve grown with the motorcycling cul­ture that millions of people have adopted.

This evolution has to do with the fact that Nepal does not have a proper mass transport. Sadly, we don’t have the right planning. In this situation, motorcycles serve the purpose for the public.

Motorcycles are the means of mobility by which the economy runs. It is the fastest way of affordably getting from point A to point B. The word affordable has to be used loosely because of the ridiculous duty levied on vehicles. The quicker the government realizes that motorcycles are a necessity, and not a luxury, the easier it is going to be for the public.

Further, our country is blessed with good weather and destinations. Over the years the eagerness of people to explore our beautiful country has created a new demand for bigger capacity motorcycles.

In your opinion, which are the best places to go on motorcycle road trips?

I have always loved a quick ride to Pokhara and back. It is fun, easy, and Pokhara is a great place to end a long ride. Going to Jomsom is also always fun too.

Lo Manthang and Rara are on my wish list of places to ride to. I had a Lhasa ride planned, but I ended up with this leg injury. I even had the Africa Twin ready with the pannier bags and everything. The bike is more than ready to go. I’m not.

Tell our readers about this initiative of Honda, the Safety Riding School.

Motorcycling in Nepal is challenging. The roads are obstacles in themselves. Then, there is the lack of traffic sense. You have to be careful about other people on the road because not everyone abides by traffic rules. There are many who don’t even abide by com­mon sense. So, safety should be high on your priority when you’re riding your motorcycle. This is why we started the Syakar Safety Riding Training Center.

The riding center has helped riders become more responsible. It has also played a major role in reforming the government’s motorcy­cle riding license test, improving the primitive foundation to a more advanced method of testing a rider’s skills.

What goals do you have for Honda in 2018?

2018 is going to be challenging as the mar­ket isn’t increasing as expected. But we will continue to retain our position as the market leader.

We are proud to celebrate Honda’s 50 years in Nepal, which very few companies can boast of. We may be the second oldest distributor of Honda globally, second only to Vietnam. Cel­ebrations will continue throughout the year.

The Honda CG, XL and XR, Dio and Shine played significant roles for Honda motor­cycles in Nepal. Tell us your opinion on these motorcycles.

The first product from Honda motorcycles to be imported into Nepal was the CT-90. After that the CG 125 came in and it became one of the most loved and reliable motorcycles. It became a benchmark for the motorcycling industry in terms of reliability, quality, and ease of use.

Then we moved on to the “can go anywhere” XL 125 and 185. It was known to be one of the most durable motorcycles back then, and they are still around decades after commanding a very high demand.

Getting to the Dio, well, it was a game changer. In Nepal, out of a population of almost 30 million, 50.49 percent are women. At that time, there wasn’t a good mode of mobility for women. Without women, how can we have prosperity and inclusive growth? While the Dio was a unisex vehicle, it became the symbol of freedom and mobility and helped empower women.

The Shine was the go to machine for the working class. It upgraded things from the 100cc segment to 125cc, enough for Nepal’s roads. Reliable, great mileage and a work steed, the Honda Shine became the premium offering for the average Nepali person.

What can we expect in your garage?

I just got the 2015, 25th anniversary edition of the CBR Fireblade in matte black. It should be here soon.