Honda’s Navi reminded us of Bobby which was sold in India in yesteryears. There was supposed to be another addition to this list of tiny but interesting motorcycles – the DSK Benelli TRK 135!
At the Auto Expo 2016, DSK kept on display their TNT135 and announced that it will be launched in India in some months and it has already been spotted testing in India (pics credit bikewale and Team-BHP).
Few days back, we learnt that DSK Benelli is NOT confident of its market acceptance despite the fact that their parent company Qianjiang is.
And in a latest report, Bikewale quotes Shirish Kulkarni, chairman of DSK Motowheels, who says that in their internal market research they found that people are comparing the motorcycle with (Honda) Navi! And their price expectations are unrealistic! They can not pack in trellis frame, fuel injection and a whole lot of expensive gadgetry in the price band where it will make an acceptable offering for target customers.
He added that, though the customers liked the overall product, due to placement concerns they have dropped the plans of launching the motorcycle in India. It is impossible to price TNT 135 at the customers’ expected price points, even if the motorcycle is made in India!
TNT135 or T135 comes with noticeable features like upside-down front forks, rear disc brakes, 41 mm rear monoshock absorber, twin-pipe exhaust. It is powered by a single cylinder 134.7 cc 4-valve dual-spark plug oil cooled engine which is Euro 4 compliant. It pumps out 13 hp of peak power at 9000 rpm and 10.8 Nm of maximum torque at 7000 rpm. The miniature TNT25-lookalike TNT135 comes with 12 inch small wheels with chunky tyres (similar in diameter to some scooters like Gusto etc).
All of this ensures that it is a costly affair. In fact, by even the most conservative estimates, the motorcycle was expected to be priced between 1-1.2 lakhs or higher. At around this price range you can have motorcycles like Pulsar 200cc range, Apaches and the FZ25. So DSK’s fear is not unwarranted.
Next Read: All-New Benelli 750 cc (TNT 750) Spotted at a Dealership
