Bike India Team

Triumph Motorcycles have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Karnataka government to set up a bike assembly plant in the state within a year.

The renowned UK-based bike-makers were on the lookout for a location for their facility close to a port, so that they could import completely knocked-down (CKD) units and, in the future, also export the bikes manufactured in India. They have now zeroed in on Narasapur in Kolar district, on the Bengaluru-Chennai highway, about 50 km away from Honda’s upcoming motorcycle plant.

After the UK and Thailand, India is the third country where the company is going to set up its manufacturing facility. The new facility will help Triumph price their motorcycles competitively in the world’s second largest two-wheeler market. It may be recalled that last year Harley-Davidson started similar operations at a facility in Haryana.

Triumph had announced that they would be assembling the Bonneville, Street Triple, Speed Triple and Daytona 675 models locally. The company is already working on a smaller capacity motorcycle, around 350 cc, which will ensure the numbers to justify the setting up of the facility. Later, the company might consider full manufacturing as well. The plant will take about a year to reach completion, but the bikes will be launched before that via the CBU (completely built-up units) to generate initial brand awareness. The introductory prices will also be kept low, keeping in mind the plans of local assembly, which will help the company avoid import duties.

Triumph’s head office will be based in New Delhi. They will appoint four dealers this year and another 12 over the coming three years.

Honda launches the CBR 150R in India in two variants

Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the smallest CBR ever. Honda have launched the CBR 150R in India in two variants, Standard and Deluxe. While the Standard will retail for Rs. 1,16,385, the Deluxe variant will set you back by Rs. 1,17,385 (both prices, ex-showroom, Delhi). The Standard variant will be available in 2 shades– Black with Pearl Sunbeam White and Sports Red with Pearl Sunbeam White while the Deluxe model (with special graphics) will be available in Black with Candy Palm Green & Vibrant Orange with Pearl Sunbeam White colour.

Powered by a liquid-cooled fuel-injected DOHC engine producing 18.3PS of peak power and 12.6 Nm of peak torque, this CBR packs a sizeable punch that belies its small package. Disc brakes are standard at both the front and the rear. Visually, the CBR 150R bears a striking resemblance to its bigger sibling, the CBR 250R, thanks to its adoption of Honda’s dual layered full body cowling, albeit smaller in every aspect. Apart from the powertrain, the only major difference is the twin tubular frame on the CBR 150R, which endows the bike with excellent rigidity and stability.

Honda has already started taking bookings for the CBR 150R and the first deliveries are expected to happen by the end of this Month.

Yamaha to launch Ray scooter this Diwali

At this year’s Auto Expo, Yamaha showcased a pink-purple and black scooter named ‘Ray.’ And now the news is that this 125cc scooter is going to become a production reality. There had been rumors that Yamaha was entering into the scooter segment in India and recent news shows that the Japanese bike manufacturer will be making an entry into the scooter segment with the Ray around Diwali.

Their flagship scooter is set to target female customers primarily and will have chic styling, vivid colours, a smooth engine feel and a large underseat storage space. The company has also picked John Abraham as the scooters brand ambassador and this may help convincing the PYTs to choose this scooter over other options in the market. The pricing for this 125cc scooter hasn’t been disclosed yet but we expect it to be priced between Rs 40-50K.

Yamaha is also planning to set up a new plant in South India and, if their present offerings are anything to go by, we reckon their upcoming entries into the bike and scooter segment should be some of the most exciting, sporty and stylish offerings in their own categories. Bring it on!