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Jan 6, 2011

15 New Motorcycle Launches in 2011 for India

A look at the motorcycles that would/could make it into India in 2011..

KTM 200 Duke, Pulsar 250, CBR250R, new KarizmaR, new R15 or the Mojo..??

Which one would you really want?

After 3 years of owning my Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi, its probably time for me to start thinking of upgrading/changing to a new motorcycle.

But then I am not very sure if 2011 would be the year where I might get myself a brand new ride. A lot depends on what kind of motorcycles makes it into India this year. Anyway here is a (wish) list of the motorcycles that would/could get launched in India in 2011.

Foreword: I have consiously limited the list to motorcycles with price tag upto Rs. 2 lakh (200,000); because that's the max that my current finances allow me to dream upto.

1. KTM 200 Duke

Speculated Specs: Single cylinder, Liquid cooled, Fuel injected, 200 cc, 4 Valve engine, 24 Ps Peak Power, 130 Kg Kerb weight

Speculated Price: 1.2 – 1.5 lakhs

Speculated Launch Date: End of 2011

Although Bajaj has not yet officially announced that a 200 cc version of the KTM 125 Duke would be launched in India, but renowned auto journalist Alan Carthcart in his review of the 125 Duke has mentioned that a 200 cc variant is being prepared for launch in Asian (and hopefully India) market.

The global launch date of the KTM 125 Duke is in March 2011. Keeping my fingers crossed that the 200 cc variant makes it to India at least by 2011 end.



2. Bajaj Pulsar 250 cc

Speculated Specs: 250 cc (??)

Speculated Price: ??

Speculated Launch date: ??

Recently both Bike India and Zigwheels have come out with the news that a 250 cc Pulsar is being prepared by Bajaj. Till now I have been tired of listening to numerous "amateur blog bakwas" about new Pulsar hitting the market.

But take a look at the reply by the moderator of the Official Bajaj Pulsar Facebook Fanpage to a Pulsar fan on Facebook. Maybe something is cooking this time..!!



3. 2011 Hero Honda Karizma R upgrade

Speculated Specs: Same as the old/current one

Speculated Price: Nearly same as the current one

Speculated Launch date: In a month or two

As reported earlier a supposedly refreshed Karizma R variant has been sighted and it appears that the new variant might not be much of an upgrade in terms of specs.

Refreshes/upgrades for other Hero Honda models:

Hero Honda usually resorts to refreshing it’s product by adding new color schemes and stickers. Of late the Hunk and the Passion Pro are examples where it has given them new features as well. This year too we can probably get to see a couple of similar product "refreshments" as well.

According to me, the CBZ Xtreme could do with a couple of new features like an option rear disc brake, digital speedometers and LED tail lamp. But probably not much of technical specification change.



4. Honda CBR250R

Specs: Single cylinder, liquid cooled, fuel injected, 4 valve engine, 26 Ps Peak power

Price: 1.5 lakhs (Ex-Showroom, standard variant), 1.75 lakhs (Ex-showroom, C-ABS variant)

Launch date: April 2011

The bookings of this delightful offering from HMSI have begun from Jan 01 and deliveries are slated to start from April 2011. Just when enthusiasts were writing off HMSI for its step motherly treatment for Indian bikers, HMSI has decided to pleasantly stun everybody by manufacturing and launching this beauty in India.

Take a bow HMSI



5. 2011 Yamaha R15

Specs: Probably same as the current one but with a slightly fatter rear tyre and LED tail lamps

Price: Probably a couple of thousand more than the current price

Launch date: Probably in a couple of weeks

Yamaha will be probably launching a better looking R15 from the rear very soon in a few weeks from now. As reported earlier, test mules of this revamped R15 have been sighted near the Noida area (where the Yamaha India factory is located).



6. Mahindra Mojo

Specs: Single cylinder, liquid cooled, fuel injected, 4 valve engine, 26 Ps Peak power

Price: 1.75 lakhs (Ex-Showroom)

Launch date: ??

Mahindra was successful in creating a lot of excitement prior to the launch of its motorcycles. It was because prior to Sep 30, 2010 (when the bikes were unveiled), TV teasers never showed the bike in full but just teased enthusiasts by showing blurry images of a bike being tested in Italy..!! But finally when the covers came off in Sep 30, the excitement just fizzled out.

Branding a bike as Mojo could be overlooked had it been styled something like the CBR250R or the KTM 200 Duke. Even with exotic/imported cycle parts like upside down front forks, Pirelli tyres, fuel injection, the styling of the Mojo was a big disappointment.

The problem for Mahindra now becomes more acute since the Honda CBR250R has been priced at 1.5 lakh rupees (ex-showroom) compared to the officially announced 1.75 lakhs for the Mojo.

But for those who would still like to own the Mojo, when would be launched? Well, your guess is as good as mine.



7. New Yamaha 250 cc bike

Specs: 250 cc (??)

Price: ??

Launch date: ??

This is another speculation courtesy Bike India Magazine. It would be really great if it really turns out to be true. If not, it will be another case when somebody cried "wolf".





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Disclaimer:

This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.






15 Comments:

Sid Soni said...

A good summary. Thanks.

I will always differ on Mojo's styling :). I think it's kick-ass. Whether Mahindra has the courage to launch it and position and price it right is another question.

The problem with all bike-makers in India is that they are too big. So big that they lack courage. So big that the share-holders could be tough to answer if there are failures of any sort.

Unfortunately, small outfits in India just do not have the wherewithal to put together a radical bike. Let's see.

praveen said...

@Payeng
Good article as i previously mentioned in my post is 2011 is a year in the name of Indian performance biking segment, especialy for 250cc's

Iam eagerly waiting for the launch of Bajaj pulsar 250cc to own one myself..

Sajal said...

I'm also eager to know more about the KTM Duke 200 :)

Anonymous said...

250 pulsar :)

melville said...

Dude,

typos- After 3 years of OWNING my Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi.
IT would be really great if it really turns out to be true.


I'm a lil skeptical abt the 200cc displacement of the Duke. The answer in the FAQs list is suitably ambiguous too- "At some point in the future........But there’s no definite timetable for this”
But then, a 1-lakh plus tag for a 125cc is equally unthinkable..


Regards to the next Pulsar, we would be grateful if they manage to launch it anytime in 2011! Bajaj has a knack of taking forever to launch its big products...Remember 220Fi and Ninja?

And I hope Yamaha is not stupid enough to actually hike the price of R15 for some upgrades that were essential even when the bike was launched >2 yrs ago..

It is funny how TVS seems to have gone into some kind of a long slumber. Last yr, there were rampant rumors abt an Apache 250 cc. Whatever happened to that..??

@Siddharth- I agree with all you've said, except the 2nd line :D

But all in all 2011 seems to be gettin better and better.And it's barely begun yet!

Payeng said...

@Melville,

thanks for correcting my typos :-)

A 200 cc KTM for India makes more sense than a 125 cc. Hope it gets launched in India (after all it will be here where the baby duke will be made, we deserve it).

The R&D of TVS is probably very busy: Lets remember that during the last 1-2 years, TVS had launched new products like Apache RTR 180, Jive, Wego, Scooty Streak for India.

Also for Indonesian markets it had to develop Step Thru like the 110 cc Neo and 125 cc Rockz. Probably thats the reason why it hasn't been able to focus on bigger offerings.

The 250 cc Apache was according to me nothing but amateur blog bakwaas even fuelled by some reputed sites/publications.

melville said...

Hmm...you may be right about TVS. Let's hope that 2011 is the year for a new flagship TVS bike...

And I definitely agree (and hope) that a 200 rather than a 125 is the need of the hour. But I fear that the Duke's super-compact size is going to be its undoing.

Payeng said...

According to the specs, the Baby Duke stands at 810 mm seat height which is taller than any current "desi" bike. Also the wheelbase is 1350 mm which makes it as long as a Pulsar 220..!!

Mabe the compact size is just an optical illusion because of the minimalistic off road bike type design. By the way off road bikes are big in size than the appear in photos.

Anshuman Abhisek (a very big Pulsar Hater) said...

If you ask me...... Then, it would be Honda CBR250R ABS....... Why????
Because 1.) The Kid's new in the block and the best looking of the lot and also has the big bike like stance and appeal.
2.) Its launch/production is no rumor.... bookings are on........
3.) The reliability, after-market support and trust on Honda provide confidence for investing in the product.
4.) Good Specs..... ABS.... ~26PS of Power.... Single Cylinder Liquid Cooled = efficient, simple, cheaper to manufacture or repair, very less complex(as compared to Ninja 250R)
5.) The appeal of the theme and prime aim of the bike which is rather intimating = rider satisfaction...... no backaches..... no holes in pockets..... no special mechanic/garage required..... Just the pleasure of being able to go shopping in the morning, office in the daytime, show-off to a girlfriend in evening, go touring on Saturdays and never miss those midnight races or return with a heavy heart!!!!!!!!!!

If not interested, you can also try the KTM because of its international market standards, equipments and performance. But lacks attention, efficiency, value-for-money, and has no release dated yet.!!!!!

(Please guys, reply to my assessments and help me mark out my mistakes, if any..........)

melville said...

@SP- Sorry for this delayed response dude.

I guess what you're saying is all accurate. The wheelbase is generous thanks to the stance and category of the bike. But apart from that, the minimalistic look and feel is something I'm not a big fan of, if this is gonna be my Numero Uno bike.

ALso, if you've observe the videos shared by KTM, the bike looks small even when a skinny, average guys sits no it. Even the spy pics taken in Pune indicate the same

The CBR's specs as shared by you were-
Dimensions (L x W x H): 2,030mm x 709.5mm x 1,1p27mm
Wheelbase: 1,369mm
and it's a visual package that the Duke just can't match.


When I'm paying upwards of a lakh, I'm lookin at a machine that can seat 2 in decent confort and definitely do some touring. So, it's the CBR at his point for me....

melville said...

Pardon the typos... :(

Unknown said...

Hi Guys,
I need a bike expert advice,
I am using Pulsar150cc from past 5 years, I want to upgrade it with Pulsar 220 dtsi , But I feel without power this bike looks same as P150, If they can incoporate some style like HH-ZMR & Yamaha R15 , It will be very nice. Does Bajaj have any plans of doing so to P220 dtsi.
Also kindly let me know any other best option for me.

Thanks & Regards

Asif Khan.
9740831010

prasanth said...

can you place the new videos and photos
of fazer 153cc. please.

Anonymous said...

please anyone told me that when karizma 250r launch?

Payeng said...

@above

there is no news of any 250 cc Karizma so far

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