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.

BAJA 2009 @ Indore

                                                                                                    photo:www.overdrive.in/

The Second edition of BAJA SAE INDIA was held from Jan 30th to Feb 2nd 2009 at NATRAX (National Automobile Test Tracks) facility in Peethampur, Indore.

Though this was only the second edition in India, already the number of competing institutes has vaulted from 27 to fifty-eight teams from around the country consisting of One thousand two hundred students backed by fifteen sponsors.

The competition was maddening and after the immense success of the 2007 event, a mammoth 108 teams had applied for a spot for the 2009 event. The long list of teams had gone through a rigorous telephonic interview and Dr Karuppaiah and his team had filtered out only the best of the best and finally 58 teams were left in the field. .

For the 2009 event however, Lombardini has provided a bigger 340cc engine with 11hp The gearboxes are from Mahindra Alfa 3 wheeler. The petrol-engined buggies ran on fuel supplied by Bharat Petroleum, and since all these are provided free of cost to the students, it helps to keep costs in check.

This is as real an engineering challenge these budding engineers will probably face in their entire career, since the challenge is to design, build and finally race a ground-up design.

Only if the teams satisfy the judges in all the static and dynamic criteria, are they allowed to participate in the final race. This is the big one, and while speed is important, the focus is on reliability. The drivers have to negotiate an arduous course with a number of challenges, including a water trough, whoop-de-dos and a metal trap. The event was scheduled to run for three hours, but was shortened by 30 minutes for logistical reasons. Nevertheless, this was enough to gauge the capability of the buggies.

While IIT Mumbai led the early part of the race, it stopped with a broken drive shaft on the second lap, handing the lead to AISSMS from Pune, which lost out with a lengthy refuelling stop. Thus, the team from Sant Longewal College, near Patiala, shot into the lead. It was a case of strong reliability and a strong drive from the midfield. Equally impressive was the team from Punjab Engineering College, which started even further back but drove hard throughout to finish a close second.

With over Rs 31 lakh in prize money, there was indeed strong motivation for the teams, and the organizers have the right idea to encourage the teams to think innovatively and design fast and reliable buggies. Many sponsors had placement cells at the show. They conducted interviews and gave appointment letters to over 60 students.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz8-TaRmn4o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yi2GmfOS_Y&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcJMPpa6Lnc&feature=related

ATV accident kills 84 year old rider

Handling  ATV  looks  deceptively  simple.  Safe  operation  needs   both  strength  and  effort.  A  84 year  old  man  was  killed yesterday    when  his  ATV  toppled over while taking a turn in   America.  

He was attempting to turn right onto a dirt road when he overshot the road and went off the other side, the Police said. ATV tends to be reluctant to turn in hard surface in absence of differential.  So poor judgment of speed and centrifugal force could be the reason.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090604/ARTICLES/906049909?Title=ATV-accident-kills-Potter-Valley-man

ATV carrying grass fodder in a Indian farm

Here is a video of my ATV carrying fodder grass.  It was shot  with a still digital camera  about  one and half year back   and  the  clarity is  just viewable. It gives some indication  how  ATV  can be useful in a farm.

Why ATV's are better than men

This  is   a  interesting   topic  found  in  a  women’s  page.    
Most lines have different meanings and are witty.   
Over   to   offroadgirls.  

An ATV can go for more than one ride in an hour.

ATV's never develop spare tires.

ATV's don't get you pregnant.

An ATV doesn't care what time of month it is.

ATV's don't have parents.

Your ATV will let you know if something is wrong.

Your ATV won't judge your friends.

If your ATV is boisterous, you can buy a muffler.

If your ATV smokes you can do something about it.

ATV's don't care about how many other ATVs you have ridden.

When riding, you and your ATV both arrive at the same time.

One ATV will satisfy you every time.

If your ATV has high mileage, you can just get a new one.

ATVs don't care about breast size.

If your ATV is too soft you can get new shocks.

You don't have to drink beer before your ATV looks appealing.

You can be proud of your ATV regardless of the model.

You can ride a ATV as long as you want and it won't get limp.

ATVs always feel like going for a ride when you do.

ATVs don't insult you if you are a novice.

Your ATV never wants a night out alone with the other ATVs.

ATVs don't make you late.

You don't have to primp before riding your ATV.

Your ATV won't complain when you use protection.

If your ATV doesn't look good, you can paint it or get better parts.

Your ATV won't care if you fake it.

ATVs are always ready to stop when you are.

Your ATV has a built in vibrator.

Your ATV doesn't care how heavy you are.

Your ATV won't shrink when it's cold.

If your ATV can't fire up, you can just replace the battery.

You don't have to cook for your ATV.

Your ATV can't ride around behind your back.

If your ATV is cold you can choke it.

You only have to ride your ATV when you want to.

Your ATV won't go for rides by itself.

ATVs don't snore.

http://blogs.myspace.com/offroadgirls

BAJA 2007

Baja SAE India, an association of automotive majors organized the maiden BAJA 2007 contest from 21-23 December 2007 in NATRIP, Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. The event is modeled on the globally popular student competition Mini BAJA which is held every year in five more countries across the globe. Kelinja Venkatagirish read about a participating team NITK, Surathkal in Hindu and sent me the hint.  

BAJA 2007 was sponsored by automotive majors like Mahindra and Mahindra, Ford, Lombardini, JK Tyres, Speed and various automotive bigshots. It involves engineering students to design and build an ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE that endures a severe punishment of rough terrain while competing against teams across the country.

Each team must start from scratch to design and fabricate an ATV based on specific dimensions, budget and other details provided by SAE India. The event provides selected teams a platform to showcase their engineering skills where their capabilities for team work, entrepreneurship, leadership and management will be gauged.

To maintain a level playing field, the teams have been provided with standard engines and gearboxes. The engines for the 2007 event were of 280cc type producing 9hp provided by Lombardini free of cost to the teams. The gearboxes are from Mahindra Alfa 3 wheeler, again provided free of cost.

The inaugural version saw participation from 27 Colleges from all over India with College of Engineering, Pune securing the top spot and was closely followed by NITK, Surathkal . All this was coordinated by Dr. K.C.Vora of ARAI, Pune.

The detailed commentary of the event is available at http://www.overdrive.in/story-articles-features/bajaj_sae_india_2007-3651-0.html
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/02/stories/2007120259610300.htm
http://www.bajasaeindia.org/

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.