Harley-Davidson chose India Bike Week 2014 to officially unveil the all-new Street 750 motorcycle – the first of an all-new line of entry-premium cruisers. [Read more…]
New Bike Launches in India
KTM 1190 Adventure incoming?
The KTM 1190 Adventure, touted to be the world’s safest motorcycle, is purportedly being considered for an India launch. The big adventure tourer should arrive soon after the RC200 and RC390.
KTM started off their Indian adventure with the 200 Duke and then the more powerful 390 Duke, but now, their real Adventure is all set to take place. The 1190 Adventure is one of the most rugged, all-purpose motorcycles around today, and in the 2014 model, the introduction of the world’s first Motorcycle Stability Control (MSC) system from Bosch takes safety dynamics to another plane.
At the heart of the 1190 is the liquid-cooled, DOHC eight-valve, 1,195cc 75-degree V-twin making 150 PS at 9,500 RPM and 125 Nm of torque at 7,500 RPM. It is paired to a 6-speed gearbox with a PASC slipper clutch. The safety aspect comes in with a four-mode traction control system, which is disengageable, and the newly introduced Bosch MSC system which monitors braking and acceleration to allow for maximum control in the most demanding situations, whether riding on wet surfaces or entering a corner at speed and at a very acute angle.
The bike’s abilities are further aided by the brakes, tyres and suspension. The stoppers from Brembo are a pair of 320mm discs with four-piston radially-bolted callipers up front, and a 267mm brake rotor with two-piston fixed calliper at the rear. The 120/70 R19 and 170/60 R17 rubber front and rear respectively provide optimum grip on the road and off it, while the WP suspension – 48mm USD up front and monoshock rear – round off a neat handling package.
Taking to the road and the rough stuff is easy with its 220mm ground clearance. A massive 23-litre tank allows for good range and the 212 kg weight doesn’t make it too heavy at all. It’s a surprisingly practical prospect. We know KTM have the option to import it as a CBU without homologation; the Adventure being over 800cc, but we hear that KTM plan to assemble the bike here. With the bike costing £12,999 (Rs 13 lakh) in the UK, that move would make for an appreciable price tag in India for sure. We can’t wait!
Story: Jim Gorde
Images: KTM Press
Triumph Motorcycles India tie up with HDFC
If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a Daytona 675, Rocket III, or the classic Bonneville, the recent arrival of the marquee British manufacturer to India will have had you drooling uncontrollably. [Read more…]
Kawasaki J300 : Monster Scoot in the metal
Kawasaki has always created many attractive, smooth and powerful motorcycles while, undoubtedly, also having a monstrously-styled evil little brute or two lurking about their range. What happens when they decide to mix a bit of both, and then add even more practicality? Well, we get a big scooter!
The J300 is the latest addition to Kawasaki’s range in select markets around the globe. Ever wished your scooter had more power? Well, there’s the Suzuki Burgman or Aprilia SRV850, but they can seem like a bit of an overkill now, can’t they? This, the J300, actually seems to make a lot of sense. Here’s why.
The J300 uses a four-valve, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected 299cc single cylinder motor. The output figures from that motor are equally potent: 28 PS at 7,750 RPM and 28.7 Nm of torque at 6,250 RPM. Power flows through a CVT ‘box to a wide rear wheel. The rubber on the bike is in tune with the rest of the bike – 120/80-14 up front and a 150/70-13 at the rear. The brakes on the J300 are a 260mm petal disc up front with a 240mm petal disc at the rear too. The brake levers are adjustable too. The scooter weighs 191 kg, and thus, the setup for grip and handling seem more than adequate. A power-to-weight ratio of 146.5 PS/tonne isn’t half bad either. Then, there’s the 13-litre tank which will take you a fair distance before a fill-up is needed. You also get a sealed glovebox with a 12V charging point.
What isn’t very pleasant, is the £4,049 (Rs 4.05 lakh) price tag, and that’s in the UK. We don’t want to put figures for India here, so just enjoy the fact that it’s a peppy scooter which can give you bike like fun without the bother of a clutch.
Story: Jim Gorde
Images: Kawasaki Europe
Firefox brings Super B Tools on board
If you’re a hardcore cyclist in India, chances are you’ve heard of Firefox Bikes. Now, India’s most prominent bicycle company has linked up with world renowned biking tool brand Super B in a bid to enhance their dominance on the premium bike market in India even further. [Read more…]
Turning Back the Clock: Triumph Bonneville
We are the only magazine in India to have test-ridden not just one but two of the best motorcycles Triumph India have on offer. [Read more…]
KTM 390 Duke Video Review
Finally, the KTM 390 Duke gets the time and coverage it deserves as it becomes the subject of our first video review in a long time.
Vespa S slated for January launch
Piaggio’s Vespa has taken the Indian scooter market by storm since it’s arrival in the country. Currently, two variants of the Vespa are available on these shores – the Vespa LX 125 and the Vespa VX. [Read more…]
Kawasaki Ninja 1000 : More Responsive, Better Equipped
We savour the revamped Kawasaki Z1000SX (Ninja 1000 in India) in the Alpine foothills of southern Austria.
Like many successful formats, the Z1000SX’s seems obvious with hindsight. Of course, not all the riders abandoning sports bikes would defect to adventure bikes. Plenty were bound to prefer a sharp looking, sporty, 240 km/h fully-faired four with a more upright riding position, some all-round ability and a sensible price.
A bike, in other words, like the SX — although even Kawasaki didn’t expect the relatively simple Z1000-With-A-Fairing to be one of their top-selling models in many markets for the last three years (their absolute best-seller in the UK), as well as one of the most popular sports-tourers of any make.
That’s what has happened, though, and even before that third year is out they’ve revamped the SX to make it sharper, more responsive and better equipped. This makes plenty of sense as I throw the updated green bike down a spectacularly twisty road in the Alpine foothills of southern Austria.
Its 142-PS motor is hurling the bike forward at an entertainingly rapid rate with a fruity howl from the re-tuned airbox. The screen is keeping the wind and most of the fat late-summer bugs off my chest. The tweaked and firmed-up suspension is giving a reasonably comfortable yet impressively taut and well-controlled ride — even under severe provocation from the powerful new Tokico monobloc front callipers. And the sleek new panniers are keeping my waterproofs and other junk neatly out of mind.
In short, the revamped Z1000SX is proving a blast to ride. And equally importantly, it’s giving every indication of being well up to the job if I had to strap on a bit more luggage and ride it 1,000 kilometres home rather than back to the relatively nearby launch hotel.
That’s hardly surprising because the original SX was a good place to start and this update is fairly thorough. The 1,043cc, 16-valve engine gets new cams with shorter duration and revised air intake trumpets of the same length. (Different length intakes are so last year…) Kawasaki claim an extra 4 PS, with that 142 PS maximum arriving at 10,000 RPM and say the motor has more low-rev and mid-range performance.
Kawasaki Z1000 and Ninja 1000 roll in
India Kawasaki Motor have added two new big boys to their range in India: the Z1000 street-fighter and the Ninja 1000 tourer. The mean, green speed machines, cliché as it may sound, have been launched in just one colour choice, you guessed it, green.
The Z1000 is arguably the meanest street bike you can lay your eyes on. It’s design is extremely aggressive to say the least, giving it an evil, even demonic stance, deserving of a Decepticon badge. The styling screams of unadulterated power and agility, like a ‘Hulked-up’ version of a litre-bike, stripped down to the bare minimum, if you will.
On the other hand, the Ninja 1000 is the one to go the distance with. It’s a comfortable touring machine and can munch the miles without biting into your comfort zone. Load up the options and you have hard bags and a storage box which can fit in all of what you would need for a ride out into the sunset.
Both bikes are powered by the company’s new 1,043cc inline-four motor which features Direct Fuel Injection and makes a credible 142 PS at 10,000 RPM with a peak torque of 111 Nm coming in at a reasonable 7,300 RPM. ABS brakes are standard on both bikes, with the Ninja 1000 adding Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC) to the package.
The damages? Rs 12.5 lakh, ex-showroom Pune, for both the bikes. Kawasaki are in the process of setting up independent dealerships around the country. The aim is to provide qualified and specially trained personnel to deliver sales and service quality on par with their global standards.
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