Glen Francis, Author at Bike India

2021 India Bike Week: What To Expect?

December 2, 2021 by Glen Francis Leave a Comment

The 2021 India Bike Week is just around the corner and we are more than excited to head to this grand meetup that will take place at the Aamby Valley Air Strip in Lonavala. Here is a lowdown on what we expect to be happening at the 2021 IBW.

Hero Motocorp

Hero Motocorp will be debuting at the India Bike Week this year and the manufacturer has big plans for the same. Hero will be holding two events – Hero XDrags and Xtracks. XDrags will be held for customers to have a taste of the Xtreme160R over a quarter-mile while Xtracks will allow riders to sample the XPulse 200 over an off-road obstacle course.

Harley-Davidson

The American bikemaker will be launching the Sportster S at IBW this year. The Sportster S is Harley-Davidson’s very first liquid-cooled motorcycle with HD’s new Revolution Max 1250 T engine that pushes out 120 hp and 125 Nm. We expect it to be priced at Rs 18 lakh (ex-showroom).

Kawasaki

Kawasaki will be showing off the recently launched Z65RS at the IBW this year. The motorcycle gets its styling cues from the X900RS and sports the Z650’s engine that is a 675-cc producing 68 hp and 64 Nm.

KTM

While we have no confirmation yet, KTM have put out teasers on their social handles hinting the unveil of the RC 390 in India. While this is still speculative we expect to get a glimpse of the motorcycle at the 2021 IBW.

Honda

Honda has said it will be launching two motorcycles at the India Bike Week this year. We still don’t know what those motorcycles would be, however, we expect to see a new variant of the Highness CB350 there.

Ather Energy Commissions New Manufacturing Facility

November 29, 2021 by Glen Francis Leave a Comment

Ather Energy have announced a brand-new manufacturing facility in Hosur to cater to the soaring demands of their electric scooters – the 450 and 450X. Ather plans to ramp up its production by about 2,80,000 units to produce 4,00,000 units as compared to 1,20,000 units that it has been already producing, annually.

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Suzuki Avenis launched at Rs 86,700

November 18, 2021 by Glen Francis Leave a Comment

Suzuki have launched the all-new Avenis starting from Rs 86,700 ex-showroom. The scooter is available in five colours options, including a race-edition as well.

Its styling is taken care of keeping the youth in mind. It gets sharp lines across the body, an LED headlamp complimented by a beak-like fender at the front. Moving towards the back, the LED tail lamps are said to be inspired by Suzuki’s motorcycle lineup.

The motor is a 124.3-cc single-cylinder unit that produces a healthy 8.7 hp and 10 Nm. Now we’ve sampled this motor in the Access 125, however as this scooter a bit larger and heavier than the Access 125, it would be interesting to see how this combination works.

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Aprilia SR Range Launched from Rs 1.07 lakh

November 16, 2021 by Glen Francis Leave a Comment

The updated Aprilia SR has been introduced for 2022. The SR 125 has been priced at Rs 1.07 lakh ex-showroom while the SR 160 will set you back Rs 1.17 lakh ex-showroom. The scooters have been updated quite heavily in terms of styling. However, sees no change in power figures.

On the styling front, the SRs get an all-new LED headlamp, split seat, a revised tail lamp with an ‘X’ design and a split seat as well. The SR 160 now gets handguards along with panels with a carbon-fibre-like finish.

The motors on both, the SR 125 and the SR 160, see no change in terms of power. The 125-cc air-cooled motor still churns out a 9.52 hp while the SR 160 makes 11 hp and 11.6 Nm.

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Is the Suzuki Burgman Electric Launching Soon?

November 11, 2021 by Glen Francis Leave a Comment

The Japanese major is set to launch a new two-wheeler on 18 November; could it be the Suzuki Burgman Electric?

We’ve already seen quite a few spy shots of the Burgman electric online. Suzuki two-wheelers have confirmed to be launching a new product on 18 November. And by the looks of it, we expect this to be the all-new Burgman Electric. This would be Suzuki’s very first step into the EV space in India.

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Ducati Hypermotard Range Launched from Rs 12.99 lakh

November 10, 2021 by Glen Francis Leave a Comment

The new Ducati Hypermotard range, including the SP and the RVE, has been brought in to India.

Ducati India have launched the Hypermotard family back in India in BS6 guise. The range starts with the Hypermotard 950 RVE, priced at Rs 12.99 lakh, and, finally, the Hypermotard 950 SP priced at Rs 16.24 lakh (all ex-showroom).

Ducati have always stayed true to a very aggressive design language when it comes to the Hypermotard. A sleek front with a long beak, chiselled bodylines and an upswept tail complemented by underseat exhausts. The RVE gets a rowdy-looking custom livery while the SP on the other hand gets its iconic red, white and black colour scheme with SP decals all over the bike.

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One Moto unveil three electric scooters in India

November 9, 2021 by Glen Francis Leave a Comment

The Commuta, Electa and Byka will make their way to India in January 2022

Elysium Automotives, an Indian startup from Hyderabad is all set to introduce a British electric bikemaker, One Moto, to India. The company will initially bring three scooters to India: Commuta, Electa and Byka.

The most affordable offering from One Moto will be the Commuta. Priced at Rs 1.20 lakh (ex-showroom), the Commuta comes equipped with a 2.0-kW (2.7-hp) electric motor that allows for a top speed of 55 km/h. Its 27.5-Ah battery pack takes about five hours to charge and can do 80 km on a single charge.

The latter two, the Electa and the Byka, will be premium offerings from the brand that will be priced at Rs 1.85 lakh (ex-showroom), initially. Both scooters will get a 4.0-kW (5.4-hp) QS electric motor capable of getting them up to a top speed of 85 km/h. While the Electa gets a 45-Ah battery pack while the Byka gets a 48-Ah lithium-ion removable battery pack. Charge times for both scooters are said to be five hours with an expected range of 150 km.

A creature comfort the electric bikemaker will be offering at launch is the One App. This application will allow one to track riding history, battery performance, access GPS, search for battery packs, book service appointments and allow for smartphone integration on the scooter’s display.

Elysium Motors are expected to launch the One Moto range in India in January 2022. The scooters will compete with brands like Rowwet, Benling and a lot more.

Bajaj Pulsar N250 and F250 Launched from Rs 1.38 lakh

October 28, 2021 by Glen Francis Leave a Comment

With the Bajaj N250 and F250, the next chapter of the Bajaj Pulsar range has been unveiled. It sports an all-new motor, design and comes in two guises.

Bajaj have launched the all-new Pulsar 250 range starting at Rs 1.38 lakh ex-showroom. The bikemaker has launched two versions of the Pulsar 250 – the N250 that is priced at Rs 1.38 lakh while the faired F250 is priced at Rs 1.40 lakh.

Design-wise, the N250 gets an all-new headlamp with a single projector LED lamp flanked by twin eyebrow-like LED DRLs. The tank is carried forward from the NS range albeit with revised extensions. At the back we also get to see all-new twin tail-lamps. Speaking of the F250, it gets an all-new fairing with the same headlamp setup as the N250, however, the addition apart from the fairing is the windscreen to help make this motorcycle more touring-friendly.

The Pulsar 250s are powered by a 249.07-cc single-cylinder, air-cooled motor with oil-cooling, dishing out 24.5 hp and 21.5 Nm. This motor comes paired to a five-speed gearbox along with a slip-and-assist clutch as well.

Its instrument cluster is a part digital part analogue unit with an analogue rev-counter and a digital unit displaying a gear position indicator, distance to empty, and speedometer as well. In addition, Bajaj have also given the Pulsar 250s an onboard USB charger.

Suspension duties are taken care of by a 37-mm telescopic fork at the front and a monoshock at the back. Stopping power comes from a 300-mm single disc at the front followed by a 230-mm rotor at the back; both bikes are equipped with single-channel ABS. Coming to the wheels and tyres, the Pulsar N250 and F250 come with 17-inch wheels wrapped in tubeless tyres: a 100/80-17 at the front and a 130/70 at the back.

The Bajaj Pulsar N250 and F250 compete with the likes of the Yamaha FZ25, Suzuki Gixxer 250, and the Suzuki Gixxer SF250 as well. We’re all set to ride these motorcycles tomorrow and our review will be out very soon, watch this space for more.