Why I prefer cash & carry sale ?

I am a person of strong conviction and I want the people who buy ATV from me to be 100 % satisfied getting value for their money and not 95 %. That can happen only with pre delivery inspection and one to one talk. My hearing problem prevents long telephonic discussion. That is one of the main reason I want people to take delivery from my farm.

I am not a businessman. For two full years and till my faithful Blue ATV clocked more than 250 hours – I was not willing to sell the spare ATV to anybody as I wanted to be certain about the quality. Only after that I was ready to sell but by then initial euphoria had died down. I am not making too much effort to sell.

I keep getting mail from interested people in distant places. Negotiating the packing and forwarding ATVs is too much of burden for me right now. So I am giving this explanation here instead of individual replies.

Sending to a faraway person involves numerous tasks. First I have to get packing material and fabricate a box. Then have to pay VAT, maybe Rupees 5000 @ 12.5 % of 40 K at commercial tax office and get the receipt to facilitate smooth transport. Then I have to take it to lorry office for booking. All this will cost some money. With my rock-bottom price, I don't want to add expenses. Being partially handicapped, I cannot move around easily. All these work as well as expenses will be absent while giving on cash and carry basis.

Right now I have three surplus pieces and some visitors are expected soon to have a look. If there is a sale, it will certainly be mentioned here. The first machine to go out will be cheapest and I expect little more for latter pieces.

My farm location can be seen from following links : http://osm.org/go/yyYtmAM-- openstreet link & http://ow.ly/4LKBs leads to wikimapia

More info on surplus ATVs offered

I am getting numerous mail from faraway states regarding ATV. Some people are keen to have more than one piece. So here are more details on different ATVs.

BLUE – ONE - I have extensively used this both in farm and in seashore- Not for sale.

BLUE - TWO - only unpacked. Never poured fuel into fuel tank.

RED- Started once but have not used.  SOLD

GREEN - only unpacked. Never poured fuel into fuel tank

YELLOW - have removed carburetor and connecting hose. Can be made ready by getting components from market. Fuel never poured into the tank.

They will need 12 V 9 Ah battery worth 1200 INR. Otherwise should be ok. Any herohonda mechanic should be able to get it ready. Electric components like plug, CD units are same as herohonda.

I have so far not agreed to the offers that require packing and dispatch as I prefer cash and carry deal. They are CHEAP and good value for money.

Surplus ATV for SALE

I have three unused ATVs in my godown. I had to get five as my Chinese manufacturer, supplier at last moment said, minimum order quantity was five and I wanted one very urgently. The available colours are red, blue and green.

Right now I am not using ATV much due to further downturn in farm activities. My anti global warming beliefs also plays a role in this.

I am now moving around in a electric assist tricycle. My trike is unique that can accept energy inputs both from pedals and battery. You can see more on this in my blog. http://e-triking-india.blogspot.com/

So the ATVs are available for sale at my COST PRICE, on as is where is basis. Sorry  All SOLD   My place is 45 km from Mangalore which is in West Coast of India. http://ow.ly/4LKBs

ATVs are designed for offroad use with no differential. So they are not suitable for tarmac and are not registered by RTO.

This is very unique opportunity. Rush before they are sold out.

A T V Prices need not be so expensive

A month back, on 7th  December 2009 -  kannada daily Vijay karnataka carried a news story on ATVs.  Like most stories in this newspaper, this has attractive sensational packaging but hollow inside when it comes to hard facts. There is considerable misinformation in the story.

ATV is unfortunately having  a bad start in India. This is a versatile machine that can be put to use in numerous ways but this continues to be plaything   limited to rich and famous here. The very small market coupled with fat margins are hindering the market growth.  

I made a honest effort to popularize this. Unfortunately reaching people from remote location is difficult thing. The above story mentions the cost as INR 120 K but it should be never more than 90 to 100K for this machine. Having imported & using past two years, I know what I am talking about. I am sure this can be made available @ 60 percent of the mentioned cost as I mentioned in a earlier blog post and  I have two surplus pieces in stock now. 

There are  committed  dealers in different parts of India who do import and sell the similar machines below or at INR 100 K but rich continue to patronize the dealers who wants to keep the prices HIGH.

Getting ATV ready to ride

Recently a friend suggested we bring out another ATV following  day. I replied   That is simply  impossible. I need a week to get  that machine ready. In perfect situation, we can open the packing and get ATV ready in four hours. I need much longer time because of my location and circumstances.

My farm workers are regularly irregular in turning up for job. They need to come to get the box out to the yard.

First the packing has to be opened and put all the four tyres on. The machine has to be lifted sufficiently to install the tires. Here is a small hitch. The tyres tends to loose air during storage and tubeless tyres get disengaged from Rim. It is not possible to pump air with hand pump under such circumstances. Large quantity has to be pumped quickly to seal the gap and we can easily do that with compressor. Nearest Petrol pump is ten km away. Recommended air pressure is just Ten pounds.

Handle bar is to be lifted into strait position and four bolts tightened. There is small chance the brake fluid drained on transit from the container on the handlebar. We have to ensure sufficient brake fluid.

The battery has to connected after making sure it is fully charged.

Next comes the critical tuning part. There is no clutch lever and the clutch is indirectly controlled by engine speed. So perfect tuning is a must with  smooth engine humming at idle speed. My local mechanic has to be free enough to come and do the job.

Standard tools that came with ATV are not sufficient. The front wheels need a box or barrel spanner of Size 12. Plug spanner that came from China is very delicate and do not last long. Naturally to put together the tools I use takes some time.

Surplus ATV available for sale

I did not know beforehand the quality of the machines I purchased from China and so was prepared for the worst. Web search enables us window shopping. In spite of all precautions and cross checking of facts, we know full details only after getting hold of them.

I bought extra machines partly because company refused to dispatch single piece and also to enable effortless cannibalization for spare parts.

I am using my blue ATV past twenty four months. The quality happens to be good and I am confident of using this for my routine activities for next couple of years. I do not foresee the need of all these extra pieces.

So I offer that warehoused Brand new surplus ATV for sale. The technical details are available in the post – specifications.

  http://atvindia.blogspot.com/2008/09/specification-if-my-atv.html

As  mentioned in earlier post, I   was  not  very  keen  to  sell ATV  as  it  distracts  me  from  my  farm activities  and I  have  no  sales force nor can provide service  support.

This is a very rare opportunity to interested people to get an ATV, tried and tested quality for an very attractive price, much cheaper than offered by dealers.

Interested may get in touch with me by mailing to bhat59@gmail.com
 

Why 110 cc machines are better for Indian beginner

ATV is an exotic machine in India. With very little exposure this is not properly understood by most people.    I am keen on pushing for generic no brand product that should be locally available for 80 K or 100 K   whereas  many traders want to push fancy ATVs costing 250 K and above.  They are  more   interested to keep high entry barrier and retain it as a  status symbol   premium product within the reach of only rich and famous.
 
You never know if your ATV interest is passing fad or genuine love. So there is little point in spending too much of hard-earned money only to realize this is not for me. Introduction of generic product is essential to lower entry barrier. So people can  get  out  with little loss.  
 
I was prepared to sell surplus ATVs profitably meaning with no loss @ 60 K then meaning two years back and   I don’t have precise picture of situation today.  Suave smooth talking Bangalore trader quoted 120 K for the identical piece then.  

It should be around  80 K  or   100 K   today because of Dollar revaluation [USD was 42 then and 48 now ] inflation and lowering export support by China government.  It  is  better  than  200 K  fancy  pieces  offered  by  some  dealers. 

It is always better start with more Basic model, like starting  to   ride   two wheeler with Luna or TVS 50 and then move to 100cc to 150cc Bikes. This model has lot in common with Hero Street motorcycle that was in our  market earlier.

Semi Automatic available  with 110 cc  means engine braking available going downhill. CVT transmission  normally  coming  as  standard  with  bigger  ATVs  offer    no such advantage. Novice rider with too much power at thumb tip is dangerous.

This 110cc  ATV can be carried around in Maruti Omni with backseat removed and ATV handle bar lowered - taking it to workshop or to distant sand beach is pretty easy.  I  have  done  it  few  times.   Bigger 150 cc machines will need more exclusive carrier. You have to load it to a tempo.

It is really unfortunate that traders want to push 150 cc and above ATVs to the people who hardly had any riding experience.  Fancy websites with borrowed photographs and search engine pop-up advertising makes them easy to reach large number of people.

Black sheep among ATV dealers.

I am keen that ATVs becomes popular in India and be within reach of those in real need of it. Without having reason to suspect I faithfully entered the information about these ATVs in my blog yesterday. I did notice from their website that these Force ATVs are sold only in non traditional market. They are absent in leading markets like USA, Canada, Australia and England, which are English speaking countries.

After that this interesting posting was bought to my notice yesterday. It appeared to me like in kannada fable Pumpkin stealer touched his shoulder ( to see if there is some growth) Anyway I went thru the matter and pasting the whole matter here colouring  it   purple. My opinion   to the points raised   are at bottom in blue colour.

http://www.adeex.in/used-cars-motos/more-ads/beware-of-fraud-atv-dealers

Don't be fooled by people who claim to be ATV dealers but do not have the proven record of their "sales". With the ever increasing of the popularity of ATV, it is not surprising that everyone is eager to make a profit out of ATV sales. There will be a couple of individuals or organizations that are out to make victims out of Innocent, ignorant first time ATV buyers. So, if you are one of those people who are looking to buy a ATV for the first time, I suggest that you buy a good machine and with warranty and spare part after sale.
When you Buy ATV kindly surf the web-site to know more about ATV.
In India only Chinese ATV are available in the market. These ATVs are sold at a very high price almost 4 times the price of the actual cost. They last only for 3 months.

If you are looking to buy a ATV for the first time,
1. Ask for the company and the manufacturers web-site,
2. Check out with the company web-site and know the price and quality of the ATV.
3. I request you to kindly ask the seller to provide you a document stating that he shall supply spare parts for 5 years. Most of the dealers promise to supply spare parts and when asked they say it is not in stock, we have faced out this model, you have to buy the full unit.
4. Kindly ask for Warranty and full bill for the product.

This party also maybe selling China made machines with Taiwan label. . The company name may not be revealed by some traders as that is part of trade secret. Some dealers are not hiding the source country

Selling ATV is not charity. That is for profit. Sales could be far apart and establishment expenses are not negligible. So there has to be considerable profit.

It is not essential that Chinese machines fall apart in three months. This generalization about China machines makes you feel writer is your well-wisher. I have been using for past two years without serious problems.

I have made clear in my early posting that the ATV manufacture is decentralized in China and there are many companies existing only in website. So this wisdom of website checking is not much meaningful.

The intention of this posting is to make you feel uneasy and jumpy. The gentleman who posted this fails to tell us his track record. There is no indication about his offer. It may be safe to keep away.

Another ATV Supplier in South

It appears like there is another supplier for ATVs in South India 
www.powerwheelsindia.com are located in hilly regions of Tamilanadu at Yercad.  They claims that they source their products from                                                  http://www.newforcemotor.com.tw/.

It looks like they have ATVs  for sale 150 cc  for INR 200 K and 250cc  for INR 250 K. It is not clear to me  if they have a consignment here or just samples.


These CVT driven machines are okay for experienced people but for beginner I feel geared ones are ideal. We don’t start two wheelers with BULLET.


It is nice that our people have more options. It was better if most are from same source and similar design. Then servicing becomes easier. Hope they have good business and satisfied customers over there.

An ATV showroom in Bangalore

I happened to find some photographs of a ATV dealership in Bangalore. They sell Polaris ATVs and some of them are Taiwan made products for American brand.  The photos were placed in forum eighteen month back  in Dec 2007 and there are more photos in the link.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super-cars-imports-india/9293-supercars-imports-bangalore-85.html

It appears like smallest 50 cc model used to cost 1.5 lakhs and they have models that cost 10 lakhs too.  With CVT they consume  more fuel.  Quality could be good but how often it will be ridden  after paying so much  is still a question mark.

Two more players  as I know  are active in Bangalore market selling cheaper Taiwan and  China made ATVs.

ATV - Indian Scenerio

The ATV market in India is still in infancy. The market is scattered over vast countryside and the quantity is very low to support a proper service backup. By law, they are not permitted on public roads and by design, absence of differential makes it not advisable on tar roads. It is not a comfortable ride in hard black topped road  that I have tried in my village.  So the use is totally restricted to our private land.

There could be two application for ATVs. First is sort of wheel chair for handicapped people to go around. I have also been approached by people with heart problems. Other application is for sports & recreation.

I use ATV as a wheel chair to go around our farm. It is simply indispensable in long monsoon months when farm paths are wet and slippery.

To have an ATV, there seems to be two options. One is get it assembled in India and other is get it imported. Chinkara Motors in Mumbai custom build ATVs using kinetic scooter engines. Since they are made to order, they are much more expensive than mass produced goods. chinkaracars@rediffmail.com is their email ID

Polaris,  a  reputed American brand seems to have dealers in India and one of them is located in Bangalore. The Polaris is a premium brand & quality is supposed  to be great. Some of their models are assembled in Taiwan. They are also expensive and may be beyond the reach of average Indian.  http://www.sasconit.com/tranquil/

There are couple of importers doing business in big cities importing from China in small quantities. Here is Delhi based importer.
 http://www.adventurewheels.co.in/

There is another experienced supplier in the scene  based  in Bangalore.   Advertised in Google and so can be easily tracked. He  acts very slippery and claim stock what he sell are sourced from Taiwan. There is little service backup and spare parts inventory.

Many engineering college students do assemble go karts as part of their project work. There are some demonstration units in colleges. Most of them appear similar and are of very basic design. They are not ideal for daily use.

There are road legal ATVs which can be used in back roads in Western countries. The documentation needed to   make them  road legal   is very long and expensive process.    ARAI located in Pune    has to okay the design and certify they are roadworthy. The cerification process is another story. 

The sales may reach critical volume a few years from now & comprehensive service backup for ATVs becomes available. Hope that day will come soon.

Why not sell ATV ?

People constantly ask me why I am not interested in marketing ATVs ?

Last year I came across a cartoon that says though the quality is good, we cannot release it to the market without warranty and customer support. This nicely explains the dilemma of modern marketing.

My profession as a farmer is already suffering because of my very limited mobility. So always my thinking is why should I attract more burden. Earlier I was apprehensive of quality. China stuff ? questionable quality ?

Well. I have been using it almost daily past twenty months without any problems. Minor problems that I did face can be solved by local mechanic. Now after using and gathering experience I have confidence that this material is really good and trustworthy.