As we all know that Auto Expo is the most prestigious and biggest auto show of India , this year's Expo was no less of a marvelous experience for automobile enthusiasts across India. (Kindly ignore the ones who paid for admiring models there!!) Almost every manufacturer was present to showcase their latest and best possible attempt in making products to penetrate the highly competitive and fast growing market of India while some thought it was a waste of crores but nevertheless it was a huge success!!
Lets have a
detailed intro of those bikes that are to be launched in the coming year (and not about the ones that were there just for showpiece), their expected prices and rivalry with existing competition , ofcourse , on paper!!
1.
YAMAHA MT 09
Yamaha gave us a surprise by launching MT 09 in india on the 2nd day of expo while all the media was expecting the MT 03 rumors to be true. Good for those who can afford it but the mass demanded MT03 more which we may get in future. Internationally, MT 09 is said to be a maniac naked as it has the most insane motor in the segment, a triple cylinder 847cc liquid cooled unit that churns out 115ps of max power and 87.5NM of max torque at 10,000 and 8500 rpm respectively. Housing this engine is a light aluminium die cast chassis which in turn, makes the bike very light at 191kgs wet (abs). Basic stuff aside, what makes it unique is the electronics involved. A
ride by wire throttle made 3 levels of basic traction control (mode 1 for minimum intervention, mode 2 for max and off) and riding modes (STD ,A and B) possible. It is launched at
10.2 lakhs ex showroom Delhi.
Competition check
Although it competes against
Z800 and
Street Triple but it is 2-3 lakhs more expensive. At that price difference, it provides the electronics package which none has, it is 38kgs lighter than Z800 and 36bhp more than Street Triple Indian specced model. It will be available in showrooms from March onwards.
2
BENELLI TORNADO 302
The Tornado 302 isn't a new bike, its just a faired version of Tnt300 which we already have in India but with the
inclusion of ABS, however this one produces less power than Tnt300 at 36.2bhp and 26.9Nm of torque and weighs more at 180kgs dry which will make its power to weight ratio even lesser than its naked cousin. We hope this isn't a production version and Benelli should look into increasing power and reducing weight in the final one.
Competition check
It will compete against Yamaha R3 and Kawasaki Ninja 300 when it hits the showroom later this year which are lighter and produces more power. So for now, ABS is the only thing which is going for it.
3
BENELLI TRK 502
This one is a completely new model which will be the most promising product from Benelli this year as we dont have any adventure tourer in the mid displacement category after Himalayan. Enclosed in a
steel trellis frame is the all new
499.6cc inline twin cylinder 8 valves liquid cooled engine which produces a max of 48 bhp and 45Nm of torque at 8500 and a low 4500 rpm respectively, also the engine comes mated with 6 speed gearbox. The adventure model which we will get in India is armed with very best like
Galfer brake rotors, Twin Brembo discs up front with dual channel ABS, Off road ready 110 and 150 section Metzeler tyres , a big 20L fuel tank, LED headlights, Front and rear adjustable suspension,promising 230mm ground clearance(even 10mm higher than Himalayan) and so on. Like most Benellis, chink in the armor is the
210kgs weight which makes the power to weight ratio a questionable affair.
Competition check
This is the best thing for this bike to be a hit that there is no direct competition in the market as it sits right in between Himalayan and Versys 650. It is expected to launch at the second quarter of this year at around
4.5-5 lacs INR and will surely be a hit if it performs as admirably as it looks on paper.
4.
BMW G310R
This is the first bike born under TVS BMW collaboration and it shows. Its a premium product and to ensure this, BMW made TVS to manufacture G310r in the plant which got
equipment imported from Germany and the workforce got extensive training from BMW engineers to ensure that this will be a world class product. Its completely designed and engineered in BMW Munich plant and thats why it gets some first in class technologies as the engine is
twisted backwards by 180 degrees , switching the inlet and exhaust ports from its conventional setup.This allowed the bike to have a long swingarm without much wheelbase and a front biased setup to have perfect blend of stability and front end feel. It also features
DLC (diamond like carbon) on rocker arms to reduce friction which is seen on much advanced S1000R and a counter balancer to keep check the vibrations from the big 313cc single engine in check. The mill produces 33.6bhp of max power at 9000rpm and 28Nm of max torque at 7500 rpm which isn't too much considering its 158.5kgs wet weight showing its friendly nature as BMW claimed a
true 145 kmhr top speed is'nt much high either. To keep cost in check, the chassis is a steel trellis unit on which the alloy subframe is bolted on. Braking duties are handled by a 300mm 4 piston caliper Bybre disc up front and a 230mm 2 piston caliper disc with steel braided hoses and
dual channel ABS as a standard fitment. Front non adjustable upside down forks and a directly mounted rear mono-shock act as shock absorbers.
Due to its quality, dont expect it to price
any lower than 2.2 lacs ex showroom when it will come to our market this year.
Competition check
A much powerful 2015 KTM Duke 390 is waiting to hit it directly into its face when G310R comes out delivering a
staggering 9.5 bhp power difference but the BMW will hold its own in
overall quality ,comfort and smoothness. Apart from that, only time will tell!!
5. TVS AKULA 310
Now even this is a concept based on G310R but TVS has promised that a
TVS race version is upcoming earlier next year which will be
70% similar to AKULA , now thats a mouth watering news let me tell you why?!!!
First of all,
AKULA means Shark in Russian so its clear from where TVS got inspiration for its front look. Armed with the best of G310R , it adds multiple things more to make it the most desirable fully faired bike for enthusiasts. Things like
aluminium subframe , lighter exhaust, all carbon fibre bodywork (concept specific),clip ons will make this bike probably lighter than its naked avatar and with addition of extra power and
revised weight distribution, Ram air induction for better thermal management, Pirelli tyres and a lot more, this can be a serious track tool to target even bigger RC390. This will be the 1st time that a true racing bike will become a road bike after joining in TVS one make races. Additional features include a
gyro camera at the rear and the speedo which will display all the info like 0 to 60,0-100 times, top speed , lean angle, lap times and much more. Excited already ??
This is a seriously promising product from TVS and with the promise of bringing a road version of it in 1 year time, TVS has upped the game to a whole new extent. As it will come under TVS badging, expect it to be
priced very aggressively alongside its naked BMW sibling at 2.5lacs.
Competition check
Again KTMs RC390 is ready to take on this area too but TVS will leave no stone unturned to make this bike the fastest bike an Indian company has ever produced.
6.
SUZUKI GIXXER / SF REAR DISC FI
The success of Gixxer/sf has made Suzuki very happy until Honda launched their best looking product against it as the name of
Hornet 160R. It gave hungry Indian customers to demand for a rear disc in Gixxer twins so they came up with rear disc versions of them along with some new paint schemes. It seems they were in too hurry as the
rear disc is of Nissin but the front still uses Bybre units. Furthermore , they introduced FI version of Gixxer sf which claims to produce
better power ,throttle response and fuel average figures. Expect 4k price hike for rear disc variant of Gixxer and around 10k price hike in rear disc+FI variant of Gixxer SF which will be sold alongside of base ones.
Competition check
Due to hike in prices SF is pushed into the price range of bigger
Apache 200 and Pulsar As200 which are much advanced and powerful than puny suzuki. Lets see how the market responds as Indians love fully faired bikes and SF is a bloody beautiful one at that!!
7
UM BIKES
Apart from known companies, this expo introduced us with some new ones such as the
UM brand which came to India in collaboration with Lohia Auto. They even quickly launched 3 cruisers at the expo under Renegade like
Commando, Sport S and Classic which you can book from their UM mobile application too. They all have similar underpinnings with same chassis,
18L fuel tank and same
279cc water cooled engine which produces 25 bhp of max power and 21.8Nm of max torque at relatively higher 8500 rpm and 7000rpm respectively. They all get some additional features like a
Smart tyre repair kit under the seat and USB charging port. The street oriented version gets
LED drls as indicators and flat handlebars while the classic variant is loaded with chrome all around..They come shod with
110/90-16 front and 140/90-15 rear TVS tyres.
2 models which are currently launched are sport S and Commando at
1.49 and 1.59 lacs ex showroom Delhi respectively and later, the classic version will join them at 1.69 lacs ex showroom Delhi.
Competition check
Finally RE classic and Thunderbird has some competition in form of Renegade series and i cant wait to find out if UM can shake the status which the RE has in our market. As far as paper figure goes, Renegades are surely
a lot more advanced bikes than old school REs.
8
TRIUMPH STREET TWIN
Another launch was the all new Street Twin from British manufacturer Triumph. It made way to 2016 with a huge improvement over its predecessor in all the fields specially in engine and electronics. Now the engine makes max power of 55ps at 5900 rpm but what made a significant difference is the
torque of 80Nm at 3230 rpm which is
over 12Nm more than the previous one. Plus, while making the motor liquid cooled, less powerful and
reducing weight by 11kgs, Triumph has managed to make it
35% more fuel efficient as the tank size has gone down to 25% too.
Additional features include
Ride by wire throttle which resulted in addition of traction control, standard ABS, USB charger, Slipper clutch for those crazy downshifts, 3 modes of heated grips and a prestige kit to stand out in the crowd with 160 accessories. It is priced at 8.7 lacs.
Competition check
Although it doesnt have any direct competition but it now provides much more in comparison than its indirect modern looking rival, the
Ducati Scrambler. Its safe to say that Triumph is on the right track and it will create some sensation in this price bracket.
So this is the wrap up of all the model that are coming for sure from 2016 Auto Expo and there were more upcoming bikes which were not showcased but were equally deserving -
1. Royal Enfield Himalayan
2. Bajaj V (vikrant)
3. Pulsar 150ns
So which one are you planning to buy ? Share your views in the comments below and ask for any queries!!
