Mahindra Motorcycles hits a road bump

Automobile major Mahindra & Mahindra’s maiden motorcycle—Stallio, has been recalled in the market and production has been stopped temporarily. The reason? Apparently there are some problems with the gearbox. As a result, Mahindra 2 Wheelers has embarked on a drive to fix the problem with the bikes already on road, and production is learnt to have been stopped till the snag is fixed at the root.

When contacted, Mahindra 2 Wheelers did not clarify the exact nature of the problem but said “we are faced with certain supply chain-related constraints of some critical components. This is a short term phenomenon and will be sorted out latest by June 2011. Once this situation is resolved, one will see a lot more Stallios on the road. We are in constant communication with our valued customers and are aware that certain parts of the bike require some fine tuning and adjustment in a small proportion of the product.”According to the company, the problem will be solved by June.

Mahindra 2 Wheelers has sold 5,135 units (wholesale) of the Stallio since sales began in October 2010, according to data shared with SIAM. For January 2011, the figure stood at 509 units. The company refused to comment on the total number of Stallio sales to end customers, and another query on when the bike will go on sale again. An M&M spokesperson said: “We will update when we have further information.”

Sources say that the Stallio has a Chinese root in terms of development of the product and there has been some niggling issues since its development process. Our sister magazine Autocar India which conducted a full road test raised concerns about the Stallio’s quality in its December 2010 issue. The road tester commented: “Mahindra 2 Wheelers’ Stallio is a motorcycle that just might have got away with its basic shortcomings five years ago. Today though, glaring flaws like average quality, dated technology and insufficient specifications leave this newcomer sticking out like a sore thumb. Mahindra 2 Wheelers should have ironed out the problems within the Stallio engine and gearbox and ensured this bike delivered performance, handling and braking at par with its commuter rivals before rolling it out into this challenging market.”

Mahindra’s second motorcycle – the 300cc Mojo – scheduled for an early 2011 launch may also see some tweaking in its new business strategy as biggie Honda has announced its plan to launch a 250cc four-valve single-cylinder CBR at a competitive price of Rs. 1.5 lakh. The Mojo is expected to be a good quality product as it has been developed by Engines Engineering, M&M’s Italian engineering firm which also does projects for some big global bikemakers. Mahindra & Mahindra engineers will now have to ensure its two-wheelers are of sound quality to complement the company’s strong marketing skills.