Kathmandu

Dirt bikes which are usually preferred by the riders who love riding through off-road are gaining popularity amongst Nepali bike riders. High ground clearance and special knobby tires for traction and good grip certainly lessens the impediment during the ride through off-roads. Designed to meet the typical off-road riding and built lightweight with a rugged frame, these power bikes must go well on off-roads, and often on no-roads, across diverse geographic terrain of Nepal.

Spain-made Rieju bike has the history of 75 years of its existence, and Tunchhe Trans Himalayan Trading Concern, the authorised distributor of Rieju bikes for Nepal, has made three different models of them — Rieju Marathon 125 Pro, Marathon 125, Rieju Tango 250 —available in the Nepal market since 2010. Samartha Tuladhar, Owner, Tunchhe Trans Himalayan, signals the increasing presence of Rieju in Nepal. He said, “The demand and the market for the dirt bikes are increasing and Reiju has a good market. Especially Rieju, with the best price value for the European dirt bikes, is gaining more popularity.” He added, “It is also popular for it has a stylish design with a lightweight body frame, and aptly suitable for Nepalis with average height.”

Rieju Tango 250 is priced at Rs 350,000 whereas Rieju Marathon 125 and 125 Pro are priced at Rs 630,000 and Rs 645,000 respectively.

Crossfire XZ250RR is another brand of dirt bikes that has been hitting the roads of Nepal. Classic wheels Pvt Ltd is its authorised distributor for Nepal which has made its two versions — Crossfire XZ250RR Dirt and Crossfire XZ250RR Mortard — available in Nepal since 2011. They both are priced at Rs 610,000. According to Bibesh Shrestha, Brand Manager at Classic Wheels, Crossfire is famous for its balanced power delivery, lightweight, and riding compatibility and the competitive price. He claimed, “Crossfire is developed with motocross genes and it has more power and its chassis, rims and other parts are developed accordingly with heavy duty materials.” He added, “Its suspension is fully tunable for preload, compression and rebound setting similar to the ones of motocross bikes.” More popular among youth. According to Shrestha, they sell around 60 units in an average in a month.

Bikers Nepal Pvt Ltd is authorised distributors for Cross X and Fantic off-road bikes in Nepal. Cross X bikes are available in Nepal since 2015 and Fantic motors have been available since 2017. Pasang KhambacheSherpa, Founder of Bikers Nepal, says, “Off-road bikes consists of a stiff suspension to give riders a comfortable ride. As they are capable of winning over rough roads, these are very high on demand.”

Cross X 250SE Motard is priced at Rs 695,000 whereas Fantic 250 ER off road and Fantic 250 ER Mortard are priced at Rs 850,000 and Rs 875,000 respectively.

Syakar Trading Company, authorised distributor of Honda, offers three variants in dirt bike segments of Honda — XR 150, CRF 250, CRF Rally 250. They are priced at Rs 480,000, Rs 10, 50,000 and Rs 12, 75,000 respectively.

Sohan Shrestha, Divisional Manager at Honda Sales, said, “Honda being one of the most trusted brands among riders, it off-road bikes have remained one of the most preferred ones with 80 per cent market share in off-road segments,” he claims. Talking about the future plans, he shared, “Honda is planning to add new variant XR 190 to our customers.”

“There is encouraging demand for off-road bikes in Nepal. There are many reasons — one of them is the poor condition of roads of Nepal where only off-road bikes can run smoothly,” Sohan concluded.