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Kawasaki have unveiled their latest offering to the European market in the form of the 2014 Ninja 300 SE. The Japanese power-brand are garnering lots of praises for the baby Ninja world over since its official debut. At an event carried out by Kawasaki Europe, Mr Yasushi Kawakami, MD pulled the wraps off the special edition Ninja 300.

The Special Edition Ninja 300 stands out from other entry-level competitors thanks to a World Superbike inspired bodywork graphic package and colour-coded wheel rim tapes. Featuring the now famous “elliptical” graphic style of the machines ridden by Kawasaki WSBK stars Tom Sykes and Loris Baz, the Ninja 300 Special Edition will be available in standard and ABS equipped versions from Kawasaki dealers across Europe in late 2013.

Speaking to the media, head honchos of Kawasaki Europe stated that the SE 300 highlights the need to cater to the Kawasaki enthusiasts who adore the baby Ninja even though it is the smallest capacity machine in Kawasaki’s formidable Ninja range. Pricing and availability are yet to be announced.

Story: Sayem Syed

 

Yamaha have taken the wraps of their popular middle-weight supersport offering for 2014, the new Yamaha YZF-R6. One of the most popular models from the Yamaha stable, the R6 has been given a refreshed look by technicians at the tri-fork brand for 2014, while still managing to retain the same aggressive stance its previous avatar was so popular for. At first glance, we can see that the refreshed R6 features an all-new GP-styled titanium muffler, along with magnesium engine covers and rear subframe in order to make the 2014 R6 lighter than its previous versions.

The new R6 also features multiple tweaks and engineering ideas, sourced from Yamaha’s state of the art GP program and implemented at street level to offer even better performance. Technicians at Yamaha have also thrown light upon the fact that the 2014 R6 is a much lighter, stable and better handling bike due to its excessive weight-loss.

Officials at Yamaha stated that the 2014 YZF-R6 will go on sale worldwide in the month of October and will be available in three colour schemes – Team Yamaha Blue/White, Matte Grey and Pearl White. Pricing of the new R6 has been revealed at $11,190 – Team Yamaha colours (Rs 7.1 lakh) and $10,990 for Factory colours (Rs 6.97 lakh) respectively.

Story: Sayem Syed

Royal Enfield have finally launched their café racer model, the Continental GT, in the UK. The new motorcycle infuses the essential café racer design elements with authority and is also the company’s most powerful model.

The Continental GT runs a 535cc bored-out version of the company’s single cylinder, unit-construction engine. Bore diameter is up by 3mm, to 87mm, from the 84mm the 499cc guise runs. Stroke is the same at 90mm. If these numbers seem familiar, that’s because they are indeed identical to the Lightning 535 the company used to have on offer earlier last decade. What aren’t identical, of course, or course are the output figures. The new Continental GT puts out 29.1 PS at 5,100 rpm and 44 Nm at 4,000 rpm, up from the 26 PS and 38 Nm the cast-iron-engined Lightning had on offer. The gearbox is also a five-speed unit, on the left, against the ancient four-speed right shifter, which was complete with the ‘spoon’ for neutral setup. With the bike tipping the scales at 184 kg, the performance should be quite something!

Mechanically, almost everything on the Continental GT has been entirely redesigned for maximum performance. The suspension components are uprated, you get clip-on handlebars,  and the wheels and tyres happen to be 18″ Pirelli Sport Demons: 100-section front and 130-section rear. The fuel tank is also a reasonable 13.5 litres. Royal Enfield will also offer a choice of seats depending on your riding style.

The bike has been launched at £5,200 in the UK. But you don’t have to worry about conversion figures or sky-rocketing exchange rates because the bike will be made in India and should be priced between the Rs 2.2-2.5 lakh bracket. The launch in India is scheduled for later this year. Watch this space!

Story: Jim Gorde