Latest Bike News

Yamaha set for 2014 Unisex Scooter launch

October 29, 2013 by Team Bike India Leave a Comment

The scooter market in India is big, vibrant and quite diversified. It isn’t just one generic scooter market, but sector with many nuances, and designs specific to certain demographics based largely on age and sex. There’s also a unisex, one size-fits all, mid engine family scooter segment, and after the success of the highly focused Ray and Ray-Z, Yamaha want a piece of this pie too.

Yamaha’s MD, Asano Masaki was reported as saying just that. He mentioned that company intended to capitalise on the success of the Ray, and use it as a platform to catapult it’s new family scooter into the fray. While being as yet unconfirmed, it is being widely speculated that this new scooter could announce itself at the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo in 2014, and is expected to go head-to-head against established segment leaders such as the Honda Activa, Mahindra Duro, Suzuki Access and TVS Wego among others.

Whether or not this new model can propel Yamaha into the big leagues of India’s scooter market only the future will tell. One thing is for sure though, Yamaha will come out all guns blazing in an effort to spread their influence in the scooter market – a market in which their presence is still at a fairly nascent stage.

Story: Harket Suchde

KTM RC390 breaks cover ahead of EICMA

October 26, 2013 by Jim Gorde 1 Comment

The all-new 2014 KTM RC390 has been leaked, or so our friends online have claimed. The new fully-faired model is based on the 390 Duke, and brings the entire list of goodies including WP suspension, standard ABS, 110-front and 150-section rear rubber and, of course, the high-revving 373.2cc fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, DOHC 4-valve motor with all of its 43.5 PS.

The new motorcycle gains a few pounds, but actually looks even more delectable now, especially for sportsbike fans. At 147 kg, the power-to-weight ratio is still staggering at 296 PS/tonne. Most of the design elements other than the fairing are the same, save for the headlamp unit, which is now a twin-headlamp setup. You also get clip-on handlebars for a sportier riding position.

The RC390 will be produced alongside the 390 Duke and will make its way to India, we expect, early next year and with a price tag only slightly higher than its mean, naked sibling, the 390 Duke.

Story: Jim Gorde

Images: visordown.com

Triumph to roar in next month

October 25, 2013 by Team Bike India 2 Comments

Ever since it first raised its head at the Delhi Auto expo in 2012, the excitement of the imminent arrival of Triumph to Indian shows has slowly been drummed up among the Indian bike loving masses. After this latest news has emerged, expect the excitement to swell to a crescendo , as finally the wait is almost over.

On the 28th of November 2013, scarcely over a month from now, Triumph’s line of exalted thoroughbreds will be made available for purchase within India. The stable includes the indomitable Boneville, Road and track siblings the Street Triple and Speed Triple, the legendary Daytona 675, the famed Tiger 800 XC, the cruise king the Thunderbird Storm and the massive Rocket III Roadster.

Triumph hope to establish at least 3 dealerships within India in the 2013 alone, in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, and plan to expand their range to 8 other major cities following this.

Story: Harket Suchde

October 23, 2013 by Team Bike India Leave a Comment

TVS Racing Team rider wins at Raid de Himalaya

R Nataraj, a member of the TVS racing team came out trumps in the Xtreme MotoQuads open class Category ‘C’ for two-wheelers below 250cc at the Raid De Himalaya. Astride his TVS Apache RTR 180, Nataraj battled through the extreme conditions brought about by this high altitude race, this included facing temperatures below the -15°C mark. Much credit for his performance can also be attributed to his hard working service team, who made sure his bike was in peak form throughout the race. His efforts landed him a third placed finish in the overall standings for two wheelers below the 450cc mark as well.

The Raid De Himalaya entered its 15th successive year in existence this year. The competition was stiffer than ever before as the rally saw an unprecedented 153 vehicles participating, including both cars and bikes. The rally covered a mind blowing distance of 1800 kilometres in 6 days, in some of the most arduous terrains, and the highest accessible roads in the country.

Story: Harket Suchde

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50th Anniversary Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R released

October 23, 2013 by Team Bike India Leave a Comment

Suzuki bikes have been sold in the US for the last 50 years now, and to mark the occasion, the company have launched a special edition of the Hayabusa there. The venue for the launch was the 2013 American International Motorcycle Expo, and this is their second special edition release in the recent past, joining in with the rest of their 2014 line up.

The Hayabusa’s looks have always been one of its biggest draws, and the 50^th anniversary edition has highlighted them further with this gorgeous red and black two-tone paint job, and red accents for the wheels too. A few licks of contrasting paint around the curves of the bike round up the makeover, and ensure that this bike stands out from the others of its brethren at the very first glance.

The special edition ‘Haya’ is powered by the same 1340cc, inline 4-cylinder engine that is found in the production version, and produces an output of 199PS and 154 Nm of torque. The top speed has been electronically capped at 299 km/h for safety, and the bike will also boast powerful Brembo brakes with ABS technology included. The price of the bike however is yet to be announced.

Story: Harket Suchde