The Indian biking scenario has drastically changed in the last couple of years. Despite a slow start in the last year, the volume of automobile industry grew by 9.8% during Jan – Oct 2014, thanks to two-wheeler manufacturers, as the two-wheeler segment registered around 13% of growth in the market. In short, the two-wheeler segment has been the backbone of the automotive sector this year, and is expected to see a better growth in 2015.
The current market is so competitive that manufactures can survive only if they offer products, which are of good quality, have good performance and most importantly, are pocket-friendly. Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, Yamaha are some of the manufacturers that have managed to do well in hard-to-survive Indian automotive market, while others like Honda have been struggling.
Nowadays, a number of new motorcycles are getting launched each day by their makers. Given below is the list and details of some hot upcoming bikes in India that are early awaited by bike enthusiasts all over the country. Most of these are set to be announced in the first quarter of the year itself.
Hero HX250R
After parting its ways with Honda, Hero MotoCorp has been constantly looking out for new ways to add various new products to its portfolio. Unveiled just before the Auto Expo, Hero HX250R is one of the upcoming stylish bikes by Hero that could change the fortunes of the company for good. The bike has been a delight to all those bike lovers who hated Hero for ruining the Karizma. Jointly developed with Eric Buell Racing, Hero’s HX250R is a fully fared, quarter-liter, stylish motorcycle, having some exciting features like a brand new 249cc, liquid cooled, four-stroke, single cylinder engine which is capable of churning out 31 PS of power.
Price:: Rs. 140,000 to 160,000 (expected)
Engine:: 249cc
Power: 31 BHP
Torque: 26 NM
Variants: HX250R STD, HX250R ABS
Honda CBR650F
Expected to be launched by the end of 2015, Honda CBR650F is a huge impetus for the biking industry in India. It is going to be the largest capacity bike by Honda in India and is expected to be the cheapest four cylinder bike. Powered by a 649cc, 4 cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that can produce maximum output of 85.8bhp at 11000 rpm and torque of 63Nm at 8000 rpm, it has 6-speed manual transmission unit. It is a perfect blend of comfort and speed and can prove to be a rider’s delight.
Price:: Under Rs. 700,000
Engine:: 649cc
Power: 87BHP
Torque: 62.7NM
Yamaha YZF-R25
A new and stylish model by Japanese bike maker, Yamaha YZF-R25 is all set to be launched in India soon. Inspired from Yamaha’s other model YZR-M1 racer, this new bike has an air duct, reverse-slat twin headlights, shift timing indicator and LED rear lights. Powered by a parallel twin 250cc, liquid-cooling engine, it can generate power of 36 PS at 12000 rpm and peak torque of 22.1 Nm at 10000 rpm. Upon its arrival, Yamaha YZF-R25 may not probably bring something totally new to the table; however, it would still offer a great option to the hardcore Yamaha fans, if priced right.
Price:: Rs. 240,000 to 280,000 (expected)
Engine:: 249 cc
Power: 35.5BHP
Torque: 22.1NM
Bajaj Pulsar 200SS
Bajaj, the leader in the sports motorcycle category, is ready to take the wraps off its highly anticipated bike Pulsar 200SS in India. The 199.5cc, SOHC, single cylinder, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled engine of this stylish bike is expected to come synchronized to a 6-speed transmission. Its powerful engine can generate power of 23.52ps at 9,500 rpm with 18.3nm of torque output at 8,000 rpm. It is expected that this latest motorbike will surely satisfy the demands of riders looking for adventure sports bike at affordable rate.
Price:: Rs. 130,000 (expected)
Engine:: 199.5 cc
Power: 23.2BHP
Torque: 18.3NM
TVS Apache 250cc
Till date, the Indian two-wheeler maker, TVS has done a great job in providing customers with superb riding experience and excellent build quality at a competitive price and as an addition to the same, the company is planning to launch its 250cc variant by early this year. The bike is expected to have features similar to that of Draken-X21 concept, including a 250cc, liquid-cooled engine with 39PS peak power at 12,000rpm as well as 23Nm maximum torque at 9,500rpm. Given the design of TVS Apache 250cc, it will feature computerized reassure, full LED headlamp along with perfectly fixed bar-end mirrors.
Price:: Rs. 130,000 (expected)
Engine:: 250cc
Power: 30BHP
Torque: 23NM
Variants:
So, you can say, the Indian biking scenario looks rosy for the upcoming couple of years. The credit for transforming the Indian automotive market goes to industry leaders for introducing various new models with latest technology while keeping in mind the comfort of the rider. There are also the ones expected to give some more awesome two-wheelers in the near future!