Perceived Quality & Value Perception in Motorcycles

Every few weeks, there’s a new two-wheeler launch in India in one form or another. It could be a facelifted TVS scooter, or it could be an all-new Aprilia superbike with an eye-watering price tag. India, being the world’s biggest two-wheeler market with such a ridiculously large consumer base, quite literally has a customer for everything—however modest the scooter or however exuberant the superbike. In addition to being the largest market, we’re also the most demanding and expectant market, which is a very good quality for such a diverse pool of potential customers to have. Why? Because if our expectations from manufacturers—and, in turn, their vehicles—keep increasing, one brand will eventually cross the threshold of what we want, and then every other brand is forced to up their game to level the playing field. 

The eventual result? A category of two-wheelers in a particular price bracket goes a few significant notches up in terms of quality, performance, tech, or other vehicle parameters—or multiple of the same if we’re lucky. If we don’t settle for less, we eventually end up with better vehicles. Although this ‘better’ is a variable thing—some improvements are actual quantitative or qualitative jumps, whereas others are either slightly less evident or perceived jumps, which matter more with regard to the apparent value of a bike than what the upgrade is actually achieving. That being said, an upgrade is still an upgrade at the end of the day. This whole dynamic is better explained with examples that have occurred right in front of us in the not-too-distant past.

Let’s start with Yamaha, one of the most respected and loved brands in the world, and especially so in India. However, sometimes they make certain decisions that puzzle even the most experienced minds in the industry. Take the disparity between the entry-level 155cc R15 and the mid-segment 321cc twin-cylinder R3. The R15 has evolved during its time in India, and over the years, in addition to already being a spectacular sports bike, it has become a superb value proposition as well. The top model gets features like a color TFT display, traction control, and chunky USD forks, while the R3, priced at more than twice that of the R15, misses out on a large portion of the R15’s features and even has narrower front forks.

Now, none of this means that these components will perform worse than the R15’s seemingly higher-grade parts or more modern tech in some instances. On the contrary, Yamaha knows exactly how to put together a superb sports bike whose net experience is far greater than the sum of its parts, and R3s have always been great machines to ride. But for a potential customer who walks into a Yamaha showroom looking to browse a couple of sports bikes, it’s not going to look great.

The experience a bike gives you is definitely the most important part of the equation. However, when bikes in the same segment, which cost far less, and even bikes from lower segments offer more equipment and value for money, the math doesn’t add up when it comes to making a purchase decision—especially if it’s two bikes from the same brand with a ₹2.5 lakh price difference between them.

Another example is the Hero Maverick 440. Right up to EICMA ‘24, which concluded just last week, the Maverick ran on right-side-up telescopic front suspension. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this—it’s a tried and tested conventional setup that works well—queries arose because Hero’s own entry-level Xtreme 160R, from a couple of segments below, has fancy golden upside-down forks. Again, does this mean that the Xtreme automatically has better suspension? No. If we compare the way both setups work, then yes, a USD fork is a superior and more stable configuration, but that’s only the beginning of the story. The way the suspension is set up and how it works is much more important than the nature of the part. The relevance of a component lies purely in the functionality it achieves.

But again, it’s the same dilemma—if you walk into a Hero dealership and just look at both suspension setups before even riding either bike, the Maverick is starting on the back foot in the customer’s mind. Right on cue, as if Hero realized this perception error for their most premium product, they showcased the updated Maverick with upside-down forks and a more premium Nardo Grey paint scheme option. The net result? We now have a more premium product.

The Indian two-wheeler customer base expects the best of the best for the price they’re paying. That’s the great thing about us—we don’t settle, and then the segment upgrades. The passion for motorcycling is increasing faster than ever, aspirations are up, purchasing power is up, and every brand is either at the top of their game or getting there. Amazing vehicles lie ahead for us.