1. Aishwarya Pissay

Aishwarya Pissay is an off-road racer. At the age of 21, she made her debut at the TVS One-Make Race championship for women. After three years, at the age of 24, Aishwarya won the Baja Aragon FIM series in Spain—an international motorcycle event—and became the first Indian to win such a race. Aishwarya started biking for an MTV show at the age of 18 and rode from Gujarat (Rann of Kutch) to Meghalaya (Cherrapunji) in 24 days. With six championships titles from on-road and off-road events, leading the World Championship in the women category, Aishwarya has turned the tide when it comes to motorcycling.

2. Roshini Misbah

Popularly known as the hijabi biker, Roshini Misbah had a passion for bikes since childhood. When she rode her first bike, Bajaj Avenger Cruiser 220, to her college, she left people agape. Roshni later sold her Bajaj Avenger Cruiser 220 and bought the iconic Royal Enfield 500. She later developed a special love for sports bikes and got herself a Honda CBR. Roshni, too, faced challenges on her way to becoming a biker, especially from her family. But, according to Roshni, her father was her backbone and encouraged her to pursue her passion.

3. Maral Yazarloo

From sketching marketing strategies at a prestige company and designing her own fashion line to embarking on the tracks with Harley-Davidson, Maral Yazarloo kept her love for motorcycling alive amid her different roles. Bestowed with the title of ‘India’s Best Female Superbiker,’ Yazarloo owns a Harley Davidson Night Rod, a Ducati Diavel, a Harley Davidson Fat Boy Special, and a BMW GS. Yazarloo is very particular about the motorcycle gear as she states that every biker should wear sturdy riding boots, safety helmet, gloves, etc. Maral Yazarloo travelled to 67 countries, and she recalls the bike trip from Italy to the Alps as her most memorable journey.

4. Dr. Neharika Yadav

Dr. Neharika Yadav is a dentist by profession and a biker by passion. She owns the title of ‘India’s Fastest Lady Super Biker’ after making it to the 20th fastest time at 2015 KTM open track among 97 male bikers. Dr. Neharika often rides her Ducati Panigale 899 and takes part in motorcycle races. She has set a lap time of 2:23 on her Ducati at Buddh International Circuit (BIC). Dr. Neharika takes pleasure in her passion and job alike and says she loves to strike a balance between them.

5. Esha Gupta

Esha Gupta quit her MNC job to fulfil her passion for biking expeditions. She has clocked over 75,000 km on her Bajaj Avenger motorcycle. In 2014, Esha cruised on the Mumbai–Delhi–Kolkata–Chennai Golden Quadrilateral, covering 7,000 kms on her bike in 40 days. Esha has ventured on solo rides to over 16 states in 2016 to find out if a female rider can drive safely in the country. She concludes that women can ride on Indian roads without fear.

6. Roshni Sharma

Roshni Sharma is an adventure junkie who loves to scale heights and escape from the cubicles of work on weekends to set on off-roading. At the age of 26, Roshni set on a solo bike ride from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and became the first woman biker in India to ride solo from Kanyakumari to Kashmir length, covering 11 states and passing through tough mountain ranges and terrains on the arduous 5,453-km ride. Sharma proved that when a woman is determined to do something, nothing can stop her. This biker surely has nerves of steel

7. Dr. Sarika Mehta

A remark from her male friend about how women shouldn’t ride bikes motivated Dr. Sarika Mehta to learn how to ride a bike. According to her, she did not want to prove her friend wrong, but to make herself right. Dr. Mehta learned biking from her husband, and coming from a conservative family herself, learning biking wasn’t a piece of cake for Sarika. But her determination overpowered everything. She is the first female biker in India to have ridden across 10 countries—India, Myanmar, Laos, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. She founded a girls’-only biking group, The Biking Queens, to encourage and aid women who love bikes. Sarika promotes the Government of India’s initiative Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, while bike driving to various States in India to promote education for girls.

8. Anam Hashim

Where women and bikes are considered poles apart, Anam Hashim took women’s biking to another level by becoming a stunt athlete. Anam is the only Indian to have participated in an international stunt competition and won it in 2017. She is also one of the first women to ride to Khardung La, covering over 2,150 km, on a TVS Scooty. Not only in stunts, but Hashim also succeeded in completing one of the toughest racing events, Desert Storm, in one go. Anam says the bike doesn’t know your gender, and encourages women to come forward and plan careers in motorcycling.

9. Urvashi Patole

Urvashi Patole quenched her thirst for motorcycling by co-creating a platform for other women riders, ‘Bikerni,’ which is India’s first all-female team of bikers. Urvashi found bike riding fascinating since teenage. While performing a small stunt, Urvashi met with an accident. But that didn’t stop her. She bought herself a 125cc Bajaj XCD in college. Urvashi is giving a platform for women where they are fulfilling their passion for motorcycling. You can find women young and old riding Royal Enfield and living their dreams.

10. Shirin Shaikh

They say when life throws you curveballs, you learn to serve. Shirin Shaikh did the same. She didn’t pay attention to societal stereotypes. Being a single mom, Shirin is living her passion for motorcycling. Shirin crushes stereotypes by riding on Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350CC. At the age of 14, Shirin rode Yamaha Rx 100 with the help of her uncle. Shirin gives her parents the credit for supporting her and helping her raise her kid, while she manages her career, passion and life. Shirin says her parents taught her not to pay attention to what people say and follow her heart, and she suggests every woman to overcome hurdles and live their dreams.

The post Top 10 Indian Women Bikers Crushing The Stereotypes On Wheels appeared first on Roadtales.

One misconception about road trips is that they are quite expensive, especially long road trips. However, it isn’t necessarily true. With proper planning and smart hacks, you can enjoy a road trip that doesn’t break your bank. Frugal road-trips are possible and, in fact, they are here to stay. Let’s look at some money-saving tips for a fun and memorable road trip.

10 Money-Saving Tips to Make Your Road Trip Even Better

1. Plan Ahead and Set a Budget

The very first thing you need to do is plan the route of your road trip in advance. This will ensure you don’t drive around aimlessly or backtrack a wrong route, both of which will be costly in the long run.

Determine the distance of the trip, the time it might take and where the stops would be.

Next, set a budget for the road trip and stick to it. It will prevent you from overspending and help you stay on track. Be aware of the expected costs and think of ways you can cut them down. If you project your expenses beforehand of how much money you will spend on each leg of the trip, you will be more confident about managing the expenses.

2. Carry Snacks from Home

 One expense that quickly adds up without you realising is buying snacks for the road. It is normal to want to munch on something on a road trip, but don’t buy something at every stop. It is better to pack snacks from home that will keep you full on the road.

Choose snacks and munchies that stay well in different weather conditions. These include crackers, trail mix, fruits, nuts or energy bars.

3. Avoid Bottled Beverages

Carry your own reusable water bottles that you can fill at different places. Bottled water is a major expense and it will add up quicker than you realise. Refill the bottle at restaurants or at your hotel before you leave.

Avoid bottled beverages like sodas too. If you buy one at every rest stop, it’ll burn a major hole in your pocket before you even realise it.

4. Book Affordable Accommodation

Look for affordable options like local accommodation and inns over expensive hotels. Book in advance as hotels generally list rooms for cheaper prices well ahead of time. Compare the hotel prices on different comparison sites and choose the best deal. You can even go to the hotel’s website directly as they may have some special discounts or deals.

Another option is to check if anyone you know stays in the places you are visiting. Crashing at your friends’ or relatives’ place will eliminate the accommodation expense altogether in that particular city.

You can also use websites like Airbnb and Couchsurfing. Airbnb offers affordable yet unique local accommodation options for a great value. Couchsurfing is a great platform where you can connect with travellers who are willing to let you crash for free on their couch.

5. Improve Fuel Efficiency

While road trips are a lot of fun, there may be times when you want to speed up to reach the destination faster. However, fight the urge to speed. Why? Because it will affect your fuel efficiency.

Studies have shown that fuel efficiency decreases as speed increases. That means fuel consumption would be more and you would have to fuel up more often. This would make your road trip pricey.  Drive at a steady speed throughout the trip and stick to speed limits.

Another thing that uses a lot of fuel is rapid acceleration and braking. Start the trip early in the morning as the roads would be empty and you wouldn’t have to accelerate and brake often due to traffic.

And finally, air conditioning also uses a significant amount of fuel. Wherever possible, turn off the air conditioning and roll down those windows. If you don’t need the AC, don’t use it.

6. Pack Light

Does the way you pack and load your car affect the car’s mileage? Well, it does. Extra weight will impact your car’s mileage at the rate of 2% per 45 kgs. That means the more weight you carry, the more money you will eventually spend on the fuel due to poor mileage.

Don’t overpack and load the car with excess bags. If you think you may not need something during the trip, leave it out.

7. Pack Wisely

Forgot your charger at home? Left the sunscreen and medicines right on the table? Well, then you will inevitably have to buy them on the road. Spending on something that you already have at home is an unnecessary expense that you can avoid.

Make sure you keep all the chargers, batteries and other tech gadgets that you need for the trip. Carry essentials like napkins, beach towels, sunscreens and medicines without fail so that you don’t have to buy them on the road.

8. Fill Up Your Tank When You Find Cheap Fuel

Did you come across a petrol pump that has cheaper fuel than normal? Well, in that case, fill up your tank. Different states and cities have different fuel prices, so do some research beforehand.

Find out where the fuel prices are cheaper and try to fill up your tank there rather than other petrol pumps on the way.

9. Avoid Toll Roads

Technology makes travel much easier and allows you to cut down costs in unexpected ways. For instance, you can use GPS apps like Google Maps to choose different routes for your destination. When you have that advantage, choose the roads that don’t have any tolls.

You might have to take a longer route in certain cases but it could turn out to be more scenic. You can avoid high toll charges and reach the destination with some extra money in your pocket.

10. Visit an Auto Shop

Before you start the road trip, take your car to an auto shop. Assess the condition of your car and make sure it is in proper working condition. If your car isn’t in good shape, it would ruin the entire road trip.

Ask the auto shop to do a complete tune-up of the vehicle. Get an oil change, check the tire pressure, change the windshield wipers, check the brake fluid, antifreeze and power steering fluid. Doing this will ensure you have minimal to no breakdown on your trip. Sudden breakdown or repairs will set you back financially.

However, be prepared for a breakdown. Carry a spare tire and jack in the truck that will help you change a punctured tire with ease. Keep an emergency repair kit in the car.

Lastly, keep all the necessary documents in the car. Forgetting even one document like your license or insurance will result in hefty fines. This is another expense that you can easily avoid. Make sure you have all the documents in place before you leave the door.

Plan the Best Ever Road Trip

It’s the small things that you may overlook that end up being expensive on road trips. Take out your pen and paper to list out expenses that you can cut down. Map the route and try to stick to it. If you are planning to go to offbeat destinations, make sure you book accommodation beforehand. You don’t want to get lost or find yourself stranded without accommodation after reaching there.

Proper planning and smart driving will help you save money. All you need to do now is gather your friends, start that road trip and make a ton of memories.

The post Top 10 Money-Saving Tips for a Memorable Road Trip appeared first on Roadtales.

1. Love it or Hate Its Looks

The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso is inspired by its elder sibling Maruti Vitara Brezza, especially from the front – its U-shaped grille elements and sleek grille flanked by squarish headlamps. The upright stance, high ground clearance and thick body cladding at the front and rear try to give it a rugged look. From the side profile too the car looks like a micro-SUV, however, the small wheels in large wheel arches spoil the fun. The rear is quite simple and featureless with nothing to highlight except the cladding. What’s more, the overall proportion, especially the front and sides, appears a bit quirky and seems coerced, which some may like, some not.

2. Notable Tyre Choices

The S-Presso gets two tyre options – 13-inches and 14-inches, both tubeless radials. The smaller 145/80 R 13 tyres are factory fitted in lower variants such as Std and Lxi whereas the larger 165/70 R 14 wheels are adorned on higher Maruti S-Presso variants – Vxi and Vxi+.

3. Upright Dimensions

The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso is not the biggest in the segment but definitely a good four-seater small car. It is 3565 mm long, 1520 mm wide and 1549-1564 mm tall. It gets a wheelbase of 2380 mm and a boot space of 270 litres.

4. Cool-looking Interiors & Roomy Cabin

The centre of attraction in the S-Presso is actually in the centre of the dashboard – the circular centre console. It may divide opinions on the interior looks. The speedometer leaves its conventional position and now gets merged with the centre console. The body-colour around the air-con vents and bordering the centre console breaks the monotony of dark theme. Fit and finish of the cabin is spot on. The cabin appears quite airy thanks to large glass area and a commanding SUV-like seating position. The rear seat is good for two passengers; seating three will be a squeeze.

5. Peppy Engine & Smooth Transmission

Powering the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso is the 1.0-litre petrol engine of the Maruti Suzuki Alto K10. The BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) compliant motor generates a maximum power of 68 bhp at 5500 rpm and highest torque value of 90 Nm at 3500 RPM. The micro-SUV can be had with a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT transmission as well. The fuel mileage figures of the S-Presso read 21.7 km/l with the manual and a good 21.4 km/l with the AMT gearbox.

6. Engaging Feature List

Falling in the entry-level category, the Maruti S-Presso gets adequate features which include reclining & sliding front seats, internally adjustable ORVMs, AC, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, remote keyless entry, full wheel covers, front power windows, Bluetooth, steering mounted audio and voice control and twin chamber headlamps to name a few. However, the absence of tachometer is a bit surprising.

7. Upright Safety

The small car from Maruti Suzuki is equipped with a bunch of protective gadgets which comprise of driver and co-driver side airbag, speed-sensitive auto door lock, ABS with EBD, speed alert system, immobilizer, seat belt reminder with buzzer, reverse parking sensors, child door lock, centre door locking, seat belt pre-tensioner with force limiter, door ajar and low fuel warning displayed on the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment unit.

8. Pleasing Accessories

The carmaker has recently released the list of accessories for the newly launched Maruti Suzuki S-Presso. It gets LED DRLs, skid plates, side and wheel arch claddings, upper spoiler, rear spoiler, boot lid, bezels on the bumper, grille garnish and body side moulding among others. For the cabin, you get a host of seat covers (fabric as well as leather), door sills, colour co-ordinated upholstery, floor mats, chargers, speakers and others along with fixed Packs as add-on embellishments.

9. Tempting Price Label

The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso is tagged in the price range of Rs. 3.69 lakh – Rs. 4.91 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). It is offered in four variants – Std, Lxi, Vxi, and Vxi Plus.

*AT= Automatic Transmission

10. Cut Throat Competition

The direct rivals of the Maruti S-Presso are the Renault Kwid and the Datson Redi-GO. However, with its pricing, the buyer may also want to check out its siblings Maruti Alto 800 and Alto K10.

The post Maruti Suzuki S-Presso – 10 Things You Should Know appeared first on Roadtales.

Tata Motors

The Indian global brand Tata motors used innovative ways in more than one cases to make a mark:

Truck Racing

The T1 Prima Racing was originally a promotional campaign organised by Tata Motors to promote its truck brands. Commercial vehicles are still a little bit less noticed by a major part of Indians. Truck driving is commonly viewed as a lower-class job. This company used this prestigious truck racing event to generate a buzz about their HMVs and introduced us to the world of truck racing.  It worked so well that the sales splurged up. People went gaga over their truck models and the racing contest also. The event is still going on since 2014 in the international Buddh Racing Circuit with a steady audience.

World Famous Brand Ambassador and Web Series

To get the attention of young Indians, Tata Motors appointed Football star Lionel Messi as their brand ambassador for Tata Tiago. The soccer fanatics got hooked up with the Messi magic. Besides that, a five-episode long web series storytelling the backdrop of the famous brand was also aired. Nevertheless, Tiago became the prime model of the next generation Tata motors. The advertisement and web series got millions of organic views. As a result, Tata Motors saw a sharp hike in their Tiago sales.

Emotional Connect

Tata Motors encashed on the emotional connect and reaped the benefits accordingly. Their tagline for Tata Ace was “Teen chakke mehnat k ek Izzat ka”. That literally means three wheels of hard work and one imaginary extra wheel of pride. It was aimed to encourage Indian young people to take the hard and risky route to self-independence. Many people felt accord with the emotion stroking marketing campaign and started their own ventures. The sales have since gone up for this three-wheeled commercial vehicle.

Maruti Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki launched their model NEXA S-Cross with one innovative twist. They wanted to explain that the car was able to give a smooth ride in both rough terrains and city roads. For this purpose, the company came up with a new commercial. In this commercial where a normal office going person starts for his workplace from his farmhouse with animals and livestock. The hashtag was “Livethecrossoverlife”. In their YouTube banner, Suzuki became more aggressive in their marketing efforts and dared the viewers to set off on an adventurous trip. Whenever some user allowed YouTube to access their locations, they were suggested a new off route for a new destination by Suzuki. More than 100 locations were searched manually and uploaded to the system. This advertisement became very popular.  The YouTube channel of Nexa got 200% more traffic and an additional 60 million impressions. The end result was epic and Suzuki reported sales of nearly 2500 models of Nexa S-Cross after the campaign.

Mahindra and Mahindra

The most well-known tagline of Mahindra and Mahindra is “Live Young, Live Free”.  This is used for the UV models of Mahindra. Mahindra claims that these SUVs, XUV, KUV, Bolero, Scorpio models are adaptable for all types of road. So, the campaign displayed the story of an outing of a group of friends. In addition to this, Mahindra also organized escapades and group adventure vacations. Till now they have arranged 30 events of trips from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and even Nepal and Bhutan. Young Indians became so hooked up that the training academy built by Mahindra saw a huge footfall. The Royal Escapades and other paid events are now considered a great success. It generally starts from 26^th December every year with multiple teams comprising of two members participating in it. After that, Mahindra has seen a huge spurt in the relevant sales figures.

More and more automobile brands are now adopting the trend of innovative marketing. It is clear that the era of innovative marketing has just started. India is warming up to these innovative marketing campaigns and from the early signs, one may realize that these campaigns are yielding great results for the automobile brands.

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Rolls-Royce Phantom – Amitabh Bachchan

What would be a better way than to start off with this list with Amitabh Bachchan? The Shahanshah of Bollywood is a proud Rolls-Royce owner. He owns a Phantom luxury saloon and has been spotted many times with this stunning beauty. It is a top of the line flagship offering from Rolls Royce, with a 6.8-litre engine offering 453 bhp power.

Sanjay – Manyata’s Royal Ride

Sanjay Dutt, with an enviable car collection, gifted his wife Manyata with a Rolls-Royce Ghost model priced at INR 3 crores. This premium luxury saloon from Rolls Royce Motors has the “Ghost” badge on it. This nameplate is in honour of Silver Ghost that was first introduced in 1906. The car’s model is a compact version of RR Phantom and is powered by a 6.6-litre twin turbo petrol engine offering 560 bhp power at 5,250 rpm and 780 Nm torque at 1,500 rpm. Though it is the cheapest Rolls Royce model available in the market but a gift definitely can’t be valued on the basis of its price, right? 

Priyanka Chopra’s Customized Rolls Royce Ghost

A well-known name in Bollywood and Hollywood, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has bought a Rolls Royce Ghost for herself. The car priced at INR 5.5 crores was further customised with a 360-degree camera, massage function seating, a bespoke clock, touchscreen infotainment panel and a panoramic sunroof. It is powered by a 6.6-Litre twin-turbo V12 engine offering 563 bhp power and mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The beauty of the car lies in its speed as it can go from 0 to 200 kmph in 4.6 seconds. It will not come as a surprise but Priyanka Chopra is the first lady in Bollywood to own a Rolls Royce car.

Hrithik Roshan’s Rolls Royce Ghost Series II

Hrithik Roshan in an avid car collector and is not behind in owning a fleet of luxurious cars. So, on the occasion of his 42^nd birthday, the heartthrob gifted himself a Rolls Royce Ghost Series II priced at INR 7 crores. An ultra luxurious car, Rolls Royce Ghost Series II is powered by a 6.2-litre twin turbo eV12 petrol engine offering 563 bhp power and 780 Nm torque. The beauty goes from 0 to 100 kmph in just 4.9 seconds while its top speed stands at 250 kmph. Rolls Royce is a premium brand and the company has worked hard to maintain its image along with the luxury their product brings with itself. In the past, the company has known to refuse to sell its cars to people who it thought was not worthy to fit its image. One such prominent Indian name Rolls Royce refused to sell their car to was, Mallika Sherawat.

The post Rolls Royce Owners In The Bollywood Industry appeared first on Roadtales.

The dashing cricketer has proved his métier in his professional domain which leads him to be featured among the world’s hundred highest-paid athletes. According to several reports, Virat Kohli charges Rs 4.5-5 crore per day for endorsement.

Let’s check out some of the popular brands endorsed by Virat Kohli.

Audi

Virat Kohli endorses those brands he genuinely has faith in. And Virat has no qualms about showing his liking for Audi. A self-professed car geek that Kohli is, his car collection has Audi models such as R8, Q7, A8 among others.

Manyavar

Manyavar, the premium brand for men’s traditional wear roped in Virat Kohli as its official ambassador in 2016. The aftermath of Virat’s wedding with Anushka Sharma saw the spectacular rise of Manyavar as the most-popular brand for festivals and weddings.

Puma

Virat Kohli’s new brand One8 has been launched in collaboration with German sports brand Puma. Puma will assist the One8 with product, design, communication and retail for the new collection of footwear, apparel and accessories.

Wrogn

Virat Kohli was signed as the brand ambassador of Wrogn, a premium clothing brand in 2015. Kohli is the co-founder of the brand along with Universal Sportsbiz (USPL). 

Tissot

Tissot, the Swiss fashionable watch brand has Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador. The opulent brand is nestled in Le Locle flanked by the Swiss Jura Mountains. Tissot has been selected as the Partner and Official Timekeeper of FIM World Superbike, FIBA, MotoGPTM, RBS 6 Nations Rugby, AFL and the World Championships.

Uber

Uber officially appointed Virat Kohli as its Brand Ambassador in March 2018. Kohli, in his own right as the brand ambassador, has been the part of the marketing team and the initiatives centred around brand positioning of Uber India.

MRF Tyres

Virat Kohli has been the face of the brand for MRF Tyres for several years now. The company renewed Kohli’s contract in 2017 for the next eight years. Moreover, the Indian cricket team captain uses the bat sponsored by MRF Tyres during international tournaments.

Many are of the view that Virat is very amiable, mixes freely with the masses and has a huge fan base in the social media platforms. Kohli has over 37 million fans on Facebook. His profile is followed by more than 25 million on Instagram and 27 million on Twitter.

As of now, Kohli has already toppled international superstar athletes like Sergio Aguero and NovakDjokovic in the matter of earnings.According to the cricketer’s biographer Vijay Lokapally, Kohli’s image resonates with the youth force of the country. Kohli follows an extensive fitness regime which empowers him to be very consistent on the field as regards to his performance.

Virat’s personality is a mixture of fearlessness, temperamental, frankness and controversial to a great extent — typical of a youth icon whose presence appeals to the young generations of the country. Give a shout in the comments sections if you are a fan of a Virat Kohli. Also, do let us know the Virat-brands which you utilize.

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