EICMA 2015 was buzzing with activity from Benelli and there is a widespread curiosity among the bikers to know if and when the new bikes showcased there will come to India. We have got some answers…
At the launch event of their smallest motorcycle – the single cylinder TNT25 today, our correspondent Savio caught hold of DSK’s chief Shirish Kulkarni and asked about the Tornado 302 and its launch plans for India. Here are the edited excerpts from the conversation…
BA: “.. that means the Tornado 302, which is the faired version of the TNT302 is also…?”
DSK: That is also expected around June.
BA: Would it have any kind of additional features like ABS etc…?
DSK: Yes, yes.. it will come with ABS. We have not yet decided whether it will be standard or optional but it will get ABS for sure.
Shirish confirmed that the Tornado will be launched in India and they are expecting a time frame around June and it will be the first motorcycle to get ABS in the 300cc segment!
Tornado 302 is the faired version of the already-sold-in-India TNT302 and gets a 300 cc inline twin cylinder liquid cooled DOHC engine. It churns out 35.3 PS of peak power and 27 Nm of maximum torque. Braking duties are performed by twin 260 mm petal disc brakes upfront and 240 mm single disc at the rear.
In terms of looks, we see a minor resemblance with the Daytonas. It gets blackened dual headlamps and relatively longer side profile along with Metzeler tyres. It continues with the steel Trellis frame and expect it to emit out an even more thumpier exhaust note than the naked sibling.
Also Read: 5 Most Interesting Motorcycles from EICMA That are Coming to India
So, its a wait of roughly five to six months before this R3/Ninja 300 rival goes all berserk on our roads.