Many two-wheeler companies are gearing up to make ABS a standard feature on their products, looking at the way demand for safety is increasing in India.
The government is passing new safety norms that will make features like ABS standard on most motorcycles. Manufacturers themselves too have started incorporating safety features in their products. As of now, very few locally made two-wheelers come with ABS fitted and Bosch is one of the leading companies that produces and supplies ABS systems to companies. In case of four-wheelers, Bosch manufactures these systems locally but in the case of two-wheelers, since the demand is low, ABS kits are imported directly from Japan.
Companies like Bajaj and TVS have started offering ABS in their newer products and customers have also reacted positively to this. Bosch is currently having discussions with a lot of manufacturers that intend to make ABS standard so that the company can decide whether they need to commence local production of ABS kits or not. The TVS Apache is the cheapest bike in India to come with ABS. Most other mass-market bikes don’t get this feature and it is mostly offered on bikes that are positioned in the higher end of the spectrum, such as performance bikes.
Royal Enfield is also coming up with a lot of new products and two new platforms. The company is mulling over the idea of offering ABS and they will announce things once everything is made final. It is good to see that buyers are finally realising the importance of such safety features which cost a little but can be very helpful in dicey riding situations. The market has been positively reacting to these practices and demand for ABS-fitted bikes is increasing slowly but steadily.
