The Indian biking industry has seen a significant change in the demand for motorcycles with uses ranging from daily commute, joy rides, long trips, etc. Statistics show that the annual growth in the motorcycle market is close to 25% in India. Michelin is a very popular tyre manufacturer and the French company has a strong foothold in the Indian market for car tyres. The company is now looking to expand its business in India and hence Michelin will soon launch radial tyres that will be meant for performance bikes. The tyre manufacturer also wants to extend its portfolio to cater to buyers of lower-end motorcycles.
Michelin has launched two series of radial tyres for bikes – Michelin Pilot Street Radial meant for 250cc-500cc bikes like KTM Duke 390, Honda CBR250R, Kawasaki Ninja 300, etc. and Michelin Pilot Road 2 meant for bikes that are above 500cc in capacity like Kawasaki Ninja 650, Hyosung GT650, Ducati Monster and so on. Michelin Pilot Street Radials are priced between Rs. 4502/- to Rs. 5927/- while the Pilot Road 2 is priced between Rs. 8772/- to Rs. 12,808/-. Presently these tyres will be imported directly from Thailand, however Michelin is setting up a new facility in Chennai to produce these radials.
Since there are more than 10 lakh motorcycle sales in India every month, Michelin wants to take advantage of the growing market by catering to a large amount of customers. Michelin tyres are already available for cars and heavy vehicles like trucks and buses and now the company will cater to the ever-growing motorcycle market too. Michelin India Commercial Director Pradeep Thampy was quoted saying that even though they have a range of tyres for bikes below 150cc, they are extending their portfolio to other bike segments after studying the growth of the market there.
