Kawasaki Versys 300 launch in India very much possible. The motorcycle has been snapped testing somewhere in India…
After its split with Bajaj, Kawasaki has been slowly trying to create its base here in India. It has been bringing in motorcycles and has also been trying out various ways to increase its market presence. In its bid, a new motorcycle – that too in the highly popular segment, has been snapped testing in India.
According to an online report, Kawasaki’s smallest Versys 300 is the motorcycle that the Jap may be considering bringing to Inida if we go by this update. The entry-mid capacity motorcycle, that plays in the Adventure Touring segment, has been spotted testing here. If it comes to India it will rival the Himalayan and the 390 Adventure among others.
It’s not that the Versys 300 is coming here for the first time. Kawasaki used to sell it a few years ago but due to its overconfident pricing, it was a big sales dud. But the overall market scenario has changed in all these years. There is a wider market acceptance for motorcycles around the Rs 2-4 Lakh price segment and the ADV space has also seen a much higher interest.
And I believe, Kawasaki would have its learnings from the older Versys 300 fiasco and the motorcycle would be sensibly priced this time.
How is Ninja 400 Doing in its Second Innings…?
Kawasaki sells both the Ninja 250 and the Versys 250 in Indonesia and the price difference between them is roughly Rs 20,000 (after conversion to INR). The equivalent Ninja 300 is localized in India and sells for 3.43 Lakh ex-showroom and the Versys 300 (sharing the same engine) should cost under Rs 4 Lakh to make a fair bit of sense here. And this is precisely why, I believe, Kawasaki is testing it locally (else it could have simply brought the international Euro 5 spec model here).
If Kawasaki has plans to place the Versys 300 higher than the Ninja 400 (as it is the case in USA), then let us call this chapter closed even before arrival.
In terms of quick specs, the Versys 300 gets powered by the same twin cylinder, liquid cooled, 296cc, parallel twin motor of the Ninja 300 and produces 26 Nm of torque, along with some interesting ADV features. Let’s see how this story develops..
