Weird Names From The Indian Two-wheeler Space: Part 2

Two-wheelers evoke emotion, and hence need equally memorable names. But as you may have heard in school, there’s a fine line between ‘clever’ and ‘oversmart.’ So here’s part two on the topic of weird names:

Kinetic AX Campus Chill

Pune-based Kinetic launched the Kinetic Honda DX in 1988 to wrest the market away from the ageing geared scooters (Bajaj Chetak, and the like). And to their credit, the Japan-engineered automatic engine (with auto-start) and full-size dimensions swiftly made the DX a family favourite.

But as time passed, it only received a minor cosmetic update to the cluster (on the ZX Zoom), and finally in 2003 – on the verge of discontinuation – came the AX Campus Chill. Aimed at the college crowd (hence the name), it sported a tubular steel grabrail (instead of a frame holding the spare wheel) and a platform-type pillion footrest integrated onto the body (instead of the protective frame). Nothing else was changed; prompting most college-goers to ‘chill’ with their parents’ DX or ZX models instead.

Suzuki Heat

Suzuki has something for everyone, whether they like cars (Swift), family scooters (Access 125) or even hyper-tourers (Hayabusa). But it has long suffered in the small-capacity motorcycle space, with forgettable offerings like the ‘Heat’. 

Now we’re not against random naming conventions per se. But the name of a bike should have some bearing on the bike’s character. ‘Heat’ evokes feelings of excitement, or passion. This bike, however, was a 125cc commuter conceived to undercut the Hero Super Splendor. And with its spartan design and understated looks, Suzuki loyalist or not, very few people ‘warmed up’ to it.

Bajaj Byk

The winning formula of the Hero Splendor has attracted many rivals. One among them was the Bajaj Byk. Yes, a Bajaj bike called ‘bike’: that’s how it’s pronounced. 

But an oversimplified name aside, the Bajaj Byk offered decent mileage and was relatively comfortable. And yet, the lack of refinement and lacklustre build quality kept people away. Would the Bajaj bike have fared better if it was named after a synonym of ‘splendor’, like grandeur, luxury or opulence? We’ll never know…

Cake

Speaking of opulence, there’s nothing that hits the spot more than cake, perhaps why they’re a staple everywhere from birthdays, marriages, anniversaries, and even farewells! Besides, calling your EV brand Cake is a welcome change from the usual ‘electricity’ themed names. So full marks there. The offerings from the e-bike brand are quite high-tech too. Watch this video to know more:

Yadea

This is more of an inside joke that’ll hit home if you’re in Maharashtra, or are a Bollywood buff. Thing is, the word for ‘crazy’ in Marathi is “yeda,” which becomes “yedya” colloquially. Now, we realise that Yadea, being a Chinese brand, would have had no idea of the implications its name may have. But then again, a little bit of market research would have gone a long way.

So which of these names made you laugh out loud? And would you “ride a cake” or “charge up your yedya”? We’d love to know!