How Munjal Built Hero Honda

This story in rediff gives a comprehensive history of the Munjals and the Hero Honda. It covers the full story of evolution of the hero group right from the transition from the ancestral vegetable trading to bicycles and how they went on to become World's largest two-wheeler manufacturer.In the early eighties, personal transportation for the middle class Indian was defined by the scooter. Bajaj and Lambretta were the two brands that dominated the Indian roads. To acquire a good scooter often entailed a wait of six to 10 years after the booking and if one wanted it earlier, one had to pay large premiums over and above the showroom price.

Motorcycle brands like Escorts, Rajdoot, Yezdi from Java and Bullet from Royal Enfield had a small but niche presence, this was the time when Hero group the largest manufacturer of bicycles in the world collaborated with Honda- the then largest motorcycle manufacturer of motorcycles to take over the throne later .

Here is a link to the page with major milestones of hero group from their official web site.