High-End Motorcycles Meet India's Mopeds

Workers at Erik Buell Racing have spent the past year building motorcycles for rich men who like to move fast. EBR’s newest model, the 1190SX, went on sale in July for $16,995 and is a good choice for “someone who’s looking to go 110 miles per hour on the racetrack,” says Anthony Galimberti, co-owner of Big Boyz Toys, a motorcycle dealership in Marlboro, N.Y. Although the company is known for building powerful trophy bikes, two-thirds of EBR’s 150 workers spend most of their time designing very different vehicles: inexpensive motorcycles and scooters for the Indian mass market, where low price and durability trump horsepower and sex appeal.

EBR embarked on its high-low approach to the global motorcycle market last summer, when New Delhi-based Hero MotoCorp, India’s largest motorcycle maker, bought a 49 percent stake in the business for $25 million. The cash meant EBR, which was founded in 2009, could expand into a 70,000-square-foot factory in East Troy, Wis., and ramp up production of its new high-performance bikes.