Coming: Storm in the Superbike Teacup

They're ridden by one-percenters and make up just 0.4% of India's motorcycle market. Trump could change that.

- Shobha Mathur

NEW DELHI During the wee hours on Sunday mornings, there isn't much traffic on the Yamuna Expressway. Most people stay indoors, preferring the comfort of their homes as the mercury rises steadily. But one adventurous group has other ideas.

At the crack of dawn they set out on their bikes—not the 100cc pipsqueaks preferred by the mass market, but imported large-engine-capacity superbikes (above 600cc) that separate the boys from the men: Harley-Davidsons, Ducatis, Triumphs and BMWs. One after another the large bikes roar along the highway at high speed, causing those around them to pause and look on in wonder and envy.

Touted as India's first superbiking group, Group of Delhi Superbikers, or GODS, was started by surgeon Arun Thareja in 1998. Across India, there has been a proliferation of such groups, formed to help bikers meet fellow enthusiasts and go for long rides in the countryside.

Superbikes are not cheap and most members are professionals or high net-worth individuals in the 25-50 age group. Rides usually take place on the weekend and cover distances of around 60km, culminating in breakfast, networking and peer interactions at the destination.

If US President Donald Trump has his way, sales of superbikes will surge and many more such groups will come up in India in the coming years, perhaps even including those who are not one-percenters.

"India charges us massive tariffs," a petulant Trump complained recently, threatening to impose reciprocal tariffs effective 2 April. The American president has been particularly vocal about India's tariff policy on American automotive exports, something he decried even during his first term.