Once the flagship of the Indian Navy, the INS Vikrant has seen its fair share of transformations. The ship started its life as the Hercules, an aircraft carrier for the Royal Navy in 1943, its construction necessitated by the exigencies of the second World War. But as the war ended in 1945, her construction was suspended by a cash strapped UK.
In 1957, the unfinished Hercules was sold to India, towed to Belfast, Ireland and finished with the technology needed to operationalise it as an aircraft carrier. It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1961 and was given the name Vikrant, meaning courageous. After decades of distinguished service, which included a pivotal role in the blockade of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the Indo-Pak war of 1971, she was decommissioned in 1997.
From 1997 to 2012, she was docked in Mumbai, serving as a naval museum. The iron-clad giant was finally towed away to be scrapped in 2014. The journey of most ships would have ended here, but if two-wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto are to be believed, they are using the steel from the scrapped giant to make a motorcycle they are calling V.
The promotional video released by Bajaj (see above) traces the history of the INS Vikrant before laying out the connection. The teaser video does not reveal much about the nature of the bike on offer, but it looks like the V150, a premium commuter bike with a 150cc engine. The silhouette suggests a motorcycle with a sturdy build and a design that seems to borrow from both the scrambler and cafe racer families.
It is also clear that the bike will come in with dual rear shock absorbers and a 10 spoke alloy wheel. In all probability, the V will fill the gap between Bajaj’s Discover (commuter) and Pulsar (performance) brands. Bajaj currently holds 19% market share in the motorcycle segment and hopes to bump up to to 23% by the end of FY 16.
By releasing the teaser on the Republic Day, that too while playing up the Vikrant connection, Bajaj has achieved an emotional connect with potential customers. Now all eyes will be on the launch of the actual product on Feb 1, 2016.
I am no naval engineer, but the steel that is used to build an aircraft carrier needs to be tough, heavy. At a time when most other motorcycle makers are going to extraordinary lengths to shave off that extra pound of weight, one can only wonder if heavy steel is the ideal construction material. But then maybe the good folks at Bajaj have a trick up their sleeve. At any rate, we just hope that the bike on offer is a shade more manoeuvrable than its 20,000 ton naval namesake.
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