This week has been more action-packed than a Quentin Tarantino franchisee. And the action has spilt from overseas to India as well. While Harley blew minds with their slew of announcements, news trickled in about Kawasaki having some big plans for India. Here’s the whole of last week in a nutshell.
Ready for a Harley ADV bike?
Yes, you read it right. Till a few years ago, Harley-Davidson was one of the last bastions of retro motorcycles, sticking big air-cooled V-Twin lumps inside chromed, raked out frames. They have been reinventing themselves and it began with the Softails which made HD more refined, dynamic and a lot more fun! And they don't plan to stick to just that. A few years ago, they showed the world the LiveWire electric concept bike. That bike will be a reality come 2019. Also on the cards are a sport naked, flat tracker and an ADV! These bikes will sport new 975 and 1250cc liquid cooled V-twins and a new modular platform. They will be called the 975 Streetfighter, 1250 Custom and Pan America.
Wait! There’s more!
Harley-Davidson also plans to introduce small capacity bikes ranging between 250-500cc in Indian and South Asian markets. For this, they will be joining hands with a bikemaker who can make HD bikes outside the USA. Here’s what you need to know about Harley-Davidson’s big plans for India.
Kawasaki’s India plans:
It's not just Harley-Davidson who is stirring the pot. Kawasaki intends to make India an export hub for African and Latin American countries. If rumours are to be believed, they are already in the process of expanding their assembly line at the new Chakan facility in Pune. There are talks about localisation of components to keep costs down. Word from the horse’s mouth is that Kawasaki plans to sell around 5,000 motorcycles in India by 2020, a herculean task with its existing lineup. For this, they will be introducing low cost, low capacity bikes in India. This could mean getting new, sub 200cc bikes in India. Or they could just locally manufacture bikes like the Z250, Ninja 400 and Versys X 300 like they did with the 2018 Ninja 300. Maybe they would consider both options. Either way, it's a win-win for the Indian enthusiast. Read more about what Kawasaki has in store for us.
Royal Enfield 650 twins launch dates announced!
Sadly, it's for the global markets first. India will have to wait a bit longer. Last EICMA, Royal Enfield had the world media gawking when they unveiled their first big bikes: the 650cc Interceptor and Continental GT. Back then RE had stated that with these bikes they would first focus on the overseas markets and then get the bikes in India. As expected, they have confirmed an international launch in September. We meanwhile might have to wait till Diwali to get out hands on these bikes. The Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 will get an all-new parallel twin motor developed in-house. When launched in India, expect a price tag close to Rs 4 lakhs. Here are the Royal Enfield 650 twins launch details.
Bajaj’s electric bike to come by 2020:
Or it could even be a scooter. As stated by the chairman of Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj, the company will be pushing strongly towards urban electric mobility. While Bajaj’s electric two and three wheelers have already been spotted testing, we are yet to see an electric two-wheeler prototype. And Rajiv Bajaj has strongly hinted towards an electric motorcycle. That would make sense as Bajaj’s portfolio consists of motorcycles and bikes have always worked well for them.
According to the chairman, the electric two-wheeler would not have high range as its primary focus but rather be more of a lifestyle product. So expect their future product to be more Ather and less Hero Electric. Read more to know how Bajaj plans to revolutionise urban electric mobility.
Ducati Scrambler 1100 spied in India!
If you haven't caught a glimpse of Ducati Scrambler 1100 in the latest trailer of Marvel’s Venom yet, fret not, You could catch one at the local Ducati showroom. The new badass Scrambler has been making appearances at dealerships which indicate a launch soon, probably this month. What’s the Scrambler 1100? It's the handiwork of a mad scientist working in a secret lab at Ducati’s Bologna headquarters. This Frankenstein monster has the heart of the manic Monster 1100 grafted into the Scrambler bodywork. And there’s not one but three of these: Standard, Special and Sport. While the Standard and Sport are expected to come first, the Sport may follow later this year. We expect the bikes to be priced between Rs 11 to 12 lakh. Know more about Ducati’s newest hooligan.
Benelli Leoncino finally coming!
The Leoncino was supposed to launch last year. It didn't, owing to Benelli’s India partner, the DSK group facing financial turmoil. Well, the two firms have parted ways and Benelli have found a new partner in Hyderabad based Mahavir Group. Under new management, Benelli will have a new production facility in Hyderabad that goes live in October. So we can expect bikes to roll out by November. They are in the process of homologating the TRK 502X adventure tourer, the 500cc Leoncino scrambler and the Imperiale 400. The Leoncino will be the first new bike to be launched under the new management and is expected to debut here next year. Know more about the Benelli Leoncino launch.
Launches:
Hero MotoCorp has reintroduced the Karizma ZMR in BS-IV avatar. In addition to a cleaner 223cc motor, the 2018 Karizma ZMR gets a new colour scheme. It is also available as a dual-tone colour variant. Hero’s flagship is priced at Rs 1.08 lakh for the standard variant and Rs 1.10 lakh for the dual-tone model. (Both prices, ex-showroom Delhi). Know more about the new 2018 Karizma ZMR.
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