The Monopoly "Bug": Why It Took 30 Years to Fix a Kick-Start

I remember a time when buying a vehicle in India wasn’t a purchase; it was an inheritance. You booked a scooter, and you waited. Sometimes for years.

Growing up, the Bajaj Chetak (based on the Vespa Sprint) was the gold standard. It was sturdy, reliable, and ubiquitous. But it had a massive "bug" that every single user accepted as a fact of life: the kick-start.

To start it, you didn't just push a button. You had to tilt the heavy machine to one side to get fuel flowing, find the right compression point, and then kick it with all your might. If you were lucky, it roared to life. If you weren't, you hurt your ankle or threw your back out.

This was a terrible user experience. But the manufacturer didn't fix it for decades. Why?

Because they didn't have to.

The Misunderstanding: "Innovation Requires Technology"

There is a prevailing myth in our industry that innovation waits for technology. We tell ourselves, "We couldn't offer electronic ignition back then because the tech wasn't ready."

That is false. The technology existed. What was missing was the incentive.

When you have a 10-year waiting list for your product, the customer is not a king. The customer is a hostage. You don't need to make their life easier because they have nowhere else to go.

The Shift: Competition is the Mother of Usability

Everything changed for me—and for India—when the economy opened up in the 80s and 90s.

Suddenly, we had choices. I bought a Hero Honda motorcycle. It was fuel-efficient and lighter. Later, when I got married and needed a family vehicle, I bought a Kinetic Honda. It had a push-button start.

That simple button was a revelation. You didn't have to be an acrobat to go to the grocery store. The monopoly bug was finally fixed, not by a sudden engineering breakthrough, but by the threat of irrelevance.

Today, India is the #1 two-wheeler market in the world, with over 221 million motorcycles on the road—far surpassing China (85 million) and Vietnam (58 million).

The market is brutal. Brands like Hero MotoCorp and Honda fight for every inch of market share.

Real-World Application: The Current Leaders

If you look at the best-selling models in India today, they aren't winning on "hype." They are winning on solving specific friction points that the old monopolies ignored.

• Hero Splendor Plus (The Commuter King): It sells over 250,000 units per month. Why? Because it solves the "Cost of Ownership" anxiety. It returns ~70 kmpl. In a price-sensitive market, that reliability is the ultimate feature.
• Honda Activa (The Scooter King): It sells over 200,000 units monthly. Its killer feature? It removed the "gender barrier." It’s unisex, easy to ride, and yes—it starts with a button. It respects the rider's comfort.

The Question for You

Look at your current product or service. What is the "tilt-and-kick" ritual you are forcing your customers to perform?

Sources: Sales data via Autocar Professional & RushLane (2024-2025); Global two-wheeler density statistics via World Population Review.