Great news for biking aficionados waiting to unlock the next level! Tired of the regular 150-180cc machines? Not able to get that heady feeling everytime you unleash her on the streets?? Or has your set of wheels achieved the cliched tag, with quite a few people other than you owning the same metal-job???
A common problem this is, and the biking scene needs a nudge in the forward direction. So we have manufacturers from every corner of the world trotting over to our land of snake-charmers-and-maharajas, brandishing fabulous steeds from their stables!
Today we bring for you a list of the hot-wheels that are about to scorch our Indian tarmacs and did we say ‘SOON’! The order of presentation does not list our preference for any brand nor does it mention anything about their possible landing times. We are truly excited about each and every bike!
Here’s a quick dekko:-
1.Bajaj Pulsar 375 :-
Rajiv Bajaj, MD of Bajaj Auto, has given an official confirmation. Just yesterday we had reported about Autocar’s confirmation, new details and a spyshot (Read it here). Here is how the bike will look.
Pic Credit: PowerDrift
It will be powered by a mill close-to 375 cc which it will share with Duke 390. A power figure of 40-42 bhp is a good approximation, and it will boast of tech specs like liquid cooling and a close-ratio gearbox. It threatens to redefine biking on Indian streets, as the original Pulsar did a decade ago. Wait, wait..the icing on the cake..we have not mentioned it yet..it will sport a full fairing unlike any other Pulsar!
Worried about your bank balance? Nah..it won’t hurt you! It’s a Bajaj, so expect it to offer value for your every penny and with the shocker of a pricing for Duke 390, we can expect significantly cheaper P375!
- Expected Price: Rs 1.5-1.6 Lakh
- Expected Launch: End 2013
2.KTM Duke 390 :- NOW LAUNCHED at SHOCKER 1.8 Lakh. Check Details here
So what if you don’t give a damn about “the Fastest Indian” ? You are not alone..it has had a tumultuous journey!
We got it..you have the means and so, you are looking for a machine that’s not as commonplace on the streets as the Pulsar? Again, Bajaj to the rescue! Along with their partner KTM, they unleashed Hooliganism with their Duke 200.
Now, you can look forward to unlocking Level-2 of Street-Acrobatics with the Duke 390! Running out of your patience?? Hold on..hold on..June is the tentative launch month, be ready to shell out 2.5 lakhs INR for this oddball-of-a-bike! You get 44 ponies on tap, plus oodles of eye-grabbing charisma mated to sheer technology!
Need we say more? If yes, then have a look at what we had posted earlier about Duke 390.
- Expected Price: Rs 2.5 Lakh
- Expected Launch: June 2013
3.Suzuki INAZUMA :-
You are not a college kid, eh? So you have done the “Saat-phere-with-Agni-as-Saakshi“?? Your better-half is not letting you get your hands on a big bike, by posing this one-liner, “Shaadi toh ho chuki hai, ab pick-up waale bike se kise pataoge?”
It’s high time you fool her. This INAZUMA aka GW250 doesn’t really look like a sportbike. Lots of smooth curves provide a relaxed feel to the bike. Your wife wouldn’t even realize this is a “pick-up waala” bike!
Lo and behold! Problem solved!! But wait a minute…do you think this bike is a slouch?? It has got a parallel-twin 248 cc mill that churns out ~26 bhp of power.
What else you get? A relaxed riding position with high set handlebars which definitely makes a lot of sense for commuting, power commuting we say! And it comes from the makers of Hayabusa!
This bike has already arrived on Indian shores, as we reported earlier. It might make it’s way to the showrooms in the coming months, and it will set your wallet back by around 2 Lakhs if you decide to get it to adorn your garage.
- Expected Price: Rs 2 Lakh
- Expected Launch: Second half of 2013
4.Yamaha R25 :-
Did you let out a “Phew !” as your eyes settled on this line? We also have been waiting for this thing since eons, but the bike just doesn’t seem to break cover.
However, in the latest development, Indonesian media informs that Yamaha Indonesia is definitely developing a quarter-litre sportsbike based on the free-revving R125 (More Details). It has great chances of making it to India, especially after YZF R15 changed the face of performance biking in India.
*R125 Pic
The R15 ushered in real technology to the streets of India, and gave other bikes nightmares courtesy its track-honed handling and awesome performance. The R25 is expected to do the same. As of now, there is no concrete picture about the exact launch dates and price but it is expected to make way towards the end of this year or early next year.
- Expected Price: NA
- Expected Launch: End 2013- Early 2014
5. KTM’s Faired RC390 :-
You need to take a trip to the Bajaj-KTM Probiking Showroom in your city to get a hang of what we are speaking. A litre-class beast rests there, unoblivious to the presence of smaller bikes like the Duke 200, Ninja 300 and the Ninja 650.
KTM has realized that we Indians are suckers for faired bikes and naked bikes earn sniggers from uninitiated bikers. It’s officially confirmed that KTM is working on a faired version of Duke 390, a faired motorcycle that will be based on the flagship RC8. It will be powered by the same 375cc motor and more interestingly, will be a global product and the first ever small production KTM with a fairing.
Meanwhile, we suggest you to start saving!!
- Expected Price: Rs 2.5 Lakh
- Expected Launch: Early 2014
6.Honda CBR400R :-
We sincerely thank Big Red’s fans for their unwavering patience in reading this article till here. Now, time for a glint in their eyes!
Three models had taken centrestage at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier this year. One of them was a full-faired bike, the other one was a naked bike and the third piece boasted of being an adventure bike. These models had quite a bit of technology loaded into their mills, and came equipped with the traditional Honda “Rock-Solid Reliability”. Yes, we are talking about Honda CBR400!
The mill will churn out something-like 40 bhp of power. It might seem inferior to the Duke 390’s spec-charts, and even more starkly once you get the power-to-weight ratio figures to play! But, it boasts of a motor that has a wider powerband than the Duke 390, hence reducing the amount of dancing that you have to do on the gearshifter.
An even more important feature is the windscreen to thwart the wind buffeting at freeway speeds, and a somewhat relaxed position as compared to the Duke 390.
If you are not a big fan of KTM’s In-Your-Face attitude, this one is for you!
Prices & Details About Honda CBR400
- Expected Price: Rs 3.5-4 Lakh
- Expected Launch: End 2013-Early 2014
7.Mahindra Mojo –
Mojo created a lot of stir when Mahindra unleashed its details a couple of years back. It boasted of quite an impressive Spec-Chart! The highlights were a DOHC 4-Valve 300 cc liquid cooled mill with an Energia EFI. 26 bhp was taken as a ballpark figure, and the most intriguing thing about the bike was its design theme. It looked forward to draw heavily from the enduro kind of theme and featured a twin-dome headlamp. It seemed something very different from what we have been blabbering for the past many years of our existence in this world!
Now it has become a notable exponent of the “Uncertainty Principle” put forward by a scientist in the 19th century. Mahindra seems to be in two minds about launching the bike, and the bug-like bike keeps playing blink-and-miss with our eyes! Recently, it was spotted in Pune and it seemed that the bike has shed its “Mojo” aka USP, i.e. the twin-headlamps.
Since Mahindra is a domestic company, the pricing is expected to be on the aggressive side.
Latest Spyshots & Details of Mojo
- Expected Price: Rs 2 Lakh
- Expected Launch: End 2013
8. Hyosung GV250:
So, if you thought there is nothing happening for you cruiser fans, here is one just for you. DSK Motowheels has cleared that they are planning to launch the smaller sibling of Aquila Pro, the GV250. As you can see for yourself, the GV250 looks bigger than the segment where it will be put in.
The 249cc V-Twin produces 28bhp of power output and the import is expected to be via CKD.
- Expected Price: 2.0-2.2 Lakh
- Expected Launch: End 2013
It’s obvious that quite a lot is happening in the Indian biking scenario. It looks like two-wheeler markets gonna mature after all, and Indian customers can stop being marred by the lack of choices. They might face a new problem though, that is a-problem-of-plenty!
Which one will you chose then?
