Top 10 Old Forgotten Motorcycles in the History of Indian Automobiles

This article will tell you about the Top 10 Old Forgotten motorcycles in the Indian Automobile history.

There have been plenty of motorcycles that existed in the Indian automobile history, wherein some ruled the market, while some just disappeared in no time. Let us know about some of those unfortunate motorcycles, today.

1) LML Adreno :

LML Adreno

Back in early 2000s, this semi-faired motorcycle remained quite popular among the youngsters due to its fancy name and sporty aesthetics. It was launched by LML in the year 2000, which was powered by a 110cc, air-cooled, 4-stroke engine, with a very long wheelbase, unlike its contemporaries. However, it couldn't survive for too long in the market due to various reasons. 

Unlike today's generation, who happen to be quite finicky about their motorbikes, people in those days, expected everything from one motorcycle. Some people say, they couldn't place their kids on its sharp fuel tank, while some say, the bike started shaking heavily at high RPMs, and a lot more; Nevertheless, expecting so much from a 110cc motorcycle is preposterous. On the contrary, many of the Adreno users enjoy their ride on this motorcycle, even today. LML came up with the updated version of it called 'Adreno FX' before it phased out completely.

2) Hero Honda Sleek :

Hero Honda Sleek

Keep the new generation motorcycles aside; The Hero Honda Sleek was a class apart. This was the second motorcycle launched by Hero Honda in the year 1989 after CD100, which was launched in 1985. The body design of  Hero Honda Sleek was way ahead of its time. This was the first motorcycle in the Indian market that could be called 'sporty', due to its fiber body integrated tail section with stylish graphics, which was not only aesthetically beautiful but also light in weight. 

This motorcycle was powered by a 100cc, single cylinder, air-cooled, 4-stroke engine. It had an amazing mileage of 76 kms per litre with a fuel tank capacity of 10.3 litres. It was available in three color variants; Red, Silver and Black, until it discontinued in the late 90s. Many old users, still enjoy their ride on this motorcycle across the country, which are very much in the pink of condition, even today.

3) Kinetic GF-125 :

Kinetic GF-125

GF-125 was the first motorcycle from Kinetic Engineering Ltd. in the performance segment which was launched in the year 2001. This was the first motorcycle to hit the market with some unprecedented features such as, split round tail lamps; No dimming and brightening of Headlamps depending on the accelerator input, as it was directly connected to the battery; gear indicator etc. 

This motorcycle was employed with a 125cc, single cylinder, air-cooled, 4-stroke engine with a 4-speed transmission. It was liked by the riders of almost all the age groups, but phased out within a short span of time as it couldn't survive against its strong contenders, Hero Honda and Bajaj which had wide variety of options in that category.

4) Kinetic GF-170 :

Kinetic GF-125

This is the elder sibling of the Kinetic GF-125. This motorcycle was made in collaboration with the South Korean company, Hyosung. Almost all the features on this motorcycle remained the same as GF-125, except the engine. GF-170 was employed with a 4-valve, 4-stroke, 170cc engine.

4) Kinetic Laser :

Kinetic Laser

This motorcycle was the future version of Kinetic GF-170. The technical specifications of the motorcycle remained entirely the same as GF-170, while the frontal was totally different. It had a semi-fairing with split round headlamps and indicators mounted on, with all-new graphics around the body, unlike the naked GF-170.

5) Royal Enfield Bullet Trials :

Bullet Trials

RE Bullet trials had the shortest life span among all the Royal Enfield motorcycles. Bullet trials was launched a tribute to the Royal Enfield's success in the Trials championship in 1950. There were 2 variants, 350cc and 500cc which were priced at 1.6 lacs and 2 lacs repectively. It looked quite different from the rest of the RE motorcycles. 

It was given a rugged look with a lot of changes such as, the upswept exhaust, Handlebar cross brace, bash plate, luggage rack and a lot more. The 350cc variant was powered by a carburetted 346cc engine that could offer a power of 19.8 bhp, and the 500cc variant was powered by a fuel injected 499cc engine that could offer a power of 27.2 bhp. The production of both the variants discontinued within one year of their launch.

7) Yamaha Libero :

Yamaha Libero

Libero was launched in 2004. This motorcycle was employed with a single cylinder, 4-stroke, 106cc, air cooled engine. It was the predecessor of Yamaha Libero G5. Yamaha tried to grab the attention of their prospective customers by giving it a sporty look with a crazy headlamp, but couldn't survive in the market for too long, as it lacked some features such as, Fuel gauge, Saree guard, and had some technical issues too. 

Later, Yamaha launched Libero G5 with a few technical and cosmetic alterations based on customers' feedback, which was quite appreciated by the riders of all the age groups across India and Bangladesh. But later, in this competitive market, even this motorcycle couldn't remain for too long and got phased out completely by 2010.

7) Yamaha Fazer (Old) :

Yamaha Fazer (old)

Although there is a successful Fazer by Yamaha that's still doing great in the market, there was another Fazer by Yamaha, launched in the early 2000s, which grabbed the attention of youngsters due to its eccentric fox-eye headlamp. It was equipped with a 4-stroke, single cylinder, 125cc engine with drum brakes. 

Initially, it was available in a some limited colors with drum brakes but later, it entered the executive commuter category by having a disc brake in front, self start and exciting flame graphics. However, it started looking dated in front of its contemporary motorcycles which had more features with better mileage, and hence, its production discontinued.

8) Kinetic Velocity :

Kinetic Velocity

This motorcycle was launched by Kinetic Engineering in the year 2003 after they entered the executive segment. It was powered by a 115cc, 4-stroke, single cylinder, air cooled engine that offered a power of 8.4 bhp. Well, there is nothing much to talk about it, as it was just another motorcycle with a lot of technical problems reported by the users. After failing to compete with its contemporaries, the production of this motorcycle discontinued within a short span of time.

9) LML Graptor :

LML Graptor

This motorcycle was launched in 2004, which turned out to be a disaster. The users' horrible reviews made the company phase out this motorcycle. Almost all the users reported oil leakage, uncomfortable seat, gear shifting problems, uncomfortable handlebars and a lot more. This motorcycle proved, if the technicalities and ergonomics are not up to the mark, the style quotient doesn't really help, in a long run.

10) Kawasaki Bajaj Caliber :

Kawasaki Bajaj Caliber

This motorcycle was made by Bajaj Auto in collaboration with Kawasaki which was launched in the year 1998. This was an upgraded version of the bajaj 4S. Caliber performed really well in the market and loved by all the age groups. It was powered by a 110cc, single cylinder, air cooled engine that could produce 9.4bhp of power. Bajaj launched two more versions of this motorcycle named, Caliber 115 and Caliber croma, but none of them turned out to be as good as their parent motorcycle. After making a good profit to company, this motorcycle retired in 2006. 

Thank you so much for going through this article. You may leave your comments below.