12 2014 Pulsar 200NS: New Colors with Minor Changes. Yellow Color Discontinued

First updates of the Pulsar 200NS since its launch..

Pulsars have always had this European flair in its design..

..and therefore decals / stickers does not suit it

The Pulsar 200 NS has been around for a year and half now and it was time for its first upgrade. Bajaj has responded by what looks like, making small cosmetic changes. It is actually quite uncharacteristic of Bajaj who is known to provide substantial additions in its upgrades.

So is it an indication of a maturing manufacturer? Or is it simply the lack or direct competition? You decide for yourself.

The All Black Color seems to be in Pure Black this time

So what are the changes in the 2014 Pulsar 200NS upgrade?

• New Colors: 3 Dual Tone (Black with White, Blue, Red) and 1 Single Color (All Black)


• "Matt" Finish Handlebars (Black Color)


• Tank Pad/Tank scratch guard


• Dark color engine casings/covers

2 Has Triumph broken hearts of Motorcycle Enthusiasts in India

Enthusiasts seem disappointed with the Daytona 675R's price.. but one needs to look at the complete picture

Forget the knee jerk online reactions, Triumph Motorcycles has the potential to sell well in India..

Triumph Motorcycles Officially launched its product lineup in India on 28'th Nov and also announced the prices. Immediately post the launch, the online world started buzzing with reactions and comments. The general feedback so far (from internet forums and Facebook) is that most enthusiasts who were waiting seem disappointed with pricing. So has Triumph India got the pricing wrong?

Triumph India had revealed indicative pricing for the models in the 2012 Auto Expo. As seen in the table posted below, out of the 5 category of motorcycles, only in 2 (i.e. Roadsters and Super Sports) the pricing of has changed. The other prices of the other 3 categories have remained more or less same as the 2012 indicative price and in case of the Cruiser models the final price is actually lower..!!

2 Royal Enfield Continental GT launched at a Price of 2.05 Lakhs (On Road Delhi)

Royal Enfield officially launches its Cafe Racer model the Continental GT in India..

Today Royal Enfield officially launches the Continental GT in India. Priced at Rs. 2.05 Lakhs On Road Delhi, the pricing has hit the sweet spot.

The Continental GT would definitely get you more stares than a full faired bike..

Reason enough to buy?

I have not seen the C-GT in flesh till now. But a few of my friends who have seen it have been impressed. They were impressed by the quality of parts, the glossy paint quality and attention to details. This is one model which Royal Enfield seems to have paid a lot of attention.

Auto journalists who have ridden it say that this is the best handling Royal Enfield till date. Performance is decent till around 120 Kmph and post that vibrations start appearing. According to them the bike seems to max out at around a speedo indicated 140 kmph. The riding position is quite sporty.

6 KTM Enduro 125/200/390 (Dual Purpose models) next in line from India

KTM will finally get in India what it is known to do best.. "Dirt Bikes"

At around Rs. 78K, the Impulse can't be positioned as a lifestyle motorcycle..

..and the average Indian commuter can't seem to understand dual purpose motorcycles

KTM is the world leader in the world of what is generically called as "dirt bikes". Bikes like the Duke Series are Sporty Street models and the RC Series are Super Sports models from KTM but it is the off road models which is KTM's forte.

After co-developing and manufacturing the 125/200/390 Duke out of India, Bajaj will very soon start churning out the Super Sports models the RC 125/200/390 from Chakan, Pune. Now according to KTM CEO Stefan Pierer, KTM would launch Enduro/Dual Purpose models based on the same engine platforms next. Read here

2014 KTM Enduro 690R

KTM already makes hi-end Enduro models the EXC series which include models ranging from 125 cc to 500 cc and includes 2 stroke and 4 stroke models. These models are designed in keeping in participation of "Enduro" competition events. KTM also makes the 690 Enduro R model that is based on the 690 Duke. This particular model is more dual purpose than the EXC series, but nevertheless KTM calls it under "Enduro".

8 Yamaha R25 Concept in Tokyo Motor Show. My Take on its chances in India

Finally Yamaha shows the R25 (250 cc, twin cylinder) concept..

Internationally Kawasaki has ruled the sporty 250 cc class with its Ninja 250 over 2 decades now. Taking a cue out of Kawasaki’s book, Honda made the plunge a couple of years back with a VFR inspired 250 cc, calling it the CBR250R. To keep costs low Honda gave it a single cylinder and manufactured both from Thailand and India. Meanwhile Kawasaki upped the Twin cylinder Ninja from 250 to 300 cc (except in Indonesia), and Honda too is now following suit with the CBR 250R replacement with the 300R and thankfully with non VFR like styling this time.

Missing in the picture was Suzuki and Yamaha. Most have actually forgotten that Suzuki makes motorcycles too but the absence of Yamaha from this quarter litre segment was very much felt. Yamaha has finally revealed its quarter litre model in the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show. Calling it as the R25, it is a sporty concept that looks very much similar to the European R125. Although Yamaha insists that it is inspired from Yamaha’s MotoGP bike the M1.

Yamaha R25 Details:

1 Harley Davidson to price the Street 750 below 5 Lakhs in India, launch in Feb 2014

Harley Davidson to launch the "Made in India" Street 750 at a shocking price in India

Its nothing less than a historic moment when Harley Davidson has decided to manufacture in India. The recently displayed Street 750 and 500 will be manufactured in India and sold in India and also exported to other countries.

The Harley Davidson Street 750 is bad news especially for DSK-Hyosung..

Harley Davidson has today officially stated that the Street 750 will be priced at below Rs. 5 Lakhs..!! It means that Harley wasn't to make things tougher with brands like Kawasaki (Ninja 650 is priced at around 5 lakhs). But the real hit would be for Hyosung Aquila Pro (at Rs. 5 Lakh) and ST7.

DSK-Hyosung will now have a real hard time convincing the Indian customer as to why he should not go for a Harley Davidson instead.

4 Full Faired Pulsar Photos

Another photo of the full faired Pulsar..

International website Visordown has has posted a computer generated image of what looks like the Full Faired Pulsar. The image looks quite similar to the Spy photos of the full faired Pulsar that were spied recently.

Visor down states that a 200 cc and a 375 cc variants will be launched sporting the 200 cc engine of the Pulsar 200NS and the 375 cc engine of the KTM 390 Duke and the recently shown KTM RC 390.

So do you like what you see?

1 Triumph's India Product Lineup. From the Official India Site

Triumph all set to officially launch its India models on Nov 28 2013..

Its taken sometime but Triumph Motorcycles is definitely here in India. On Nov 28, 2013 Triumph will officially launch it India models. The model lineup originally planned for India has undergone some change though. The official Triumph India website is up and the model line for India is interesting.

Triumph will have to target Harley Davidson's Market share in India:

Exploiting Harley's Weakness in its Strength..

But

..by the time the "average desi biker" is ready with Rs. 7-9 lakhs for a bike.. he will have reading glasses

Of all the international motorcycle brands in India, Harley Davidson has been the most successful so far. According to reports Harley Davidson currently sell about 2,000 units per year in India. Thanks to Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda which are more interested in selling 100-150 cc commuters and automatic scooters, Harley's only competitor so far in India has been Kawasaki and Hyosung Motorcycles.

If Triumph has to make its mark in India, then it will have to make its maximum presence in the 6.0-9.0 lakh Rupees sweet spot which is currently dominated in India by Harley Davidson with its entry level model like the Iron 883 which is available at a price of around 6.7 Lakhs (ex-showroom).

Exploiting the Weakness in Harley Davidson's Strength..!!:

1 Pulsar 200NS new colors (?)

New Colors for the Pulsar 200NS..

A few years back one could be sure that Bajaj used to make substantial change/upgrade to its models 2 years (on an average) after its launch. Of late Bajaj has been actually been slow in doing so. In case of the Pulsar 200NS, after about a year and half of its launch, Bajaj has finally given the Pulsar 200NS new colors and what looks like, small changes as well.

Pulsar 200NS in Red and Black

Bajaj has posted a few photos of what looks like new colors for the Pulsar 200NS. The bike now has more decals on it now. Whether its a good thing or not and if it goes with what Pulsar stands for? Well, debatable. Will have to check it out in the flesh.

What new on these new Pulsar 200NS?

• Dual tone color scheme


• Darker color engine casings/covers


• A cute looking tank pad

2 Military Green Yamaha Fazer & FZ-S. History/Photos of Limited Editions

History and photos of the Limited Editions of the Yamaha Fazer & FZ launched by Yamaha in India so far..

My personal favorite in the "LE" is the "Military Green" color. Which is your favourite?

Yamaha launched the 150 cc FZ series in India in 2008 and since then there has been a predictable trend in Yamaha launching new color combinations of the models (Fazer, FZ-S and FZ-16) at the beginning of the calender year and following it up by launching a "Limited Edition" of the same models towards the end of the calender year and near the festive season.

2013: Military Green Limited Edition Fazer & FZ-S

Even this year (in Aug 2013) Yamaha launched a "Limited Edition" color scheme called the Military Green for the Fazer and FZ-S. There is a premium of around Rs. 2,000 on the on-+road prices for the respective models. I checked out them in the showroom and I have to say that this is the best color for the Fazer/FZ series of bikes to have come out so far. Apart from the Glossy Green color of the exhaust, the rest of the bike looks quite cool in this military shade.

Posted below are photos of the Limited Edition Yamaha Fazer/FZ-S and FZ-16, in a reverse chronological order.

3 Pulsar 200SS/400SS will compliment (in Price) the KTM RC 200/390

2 new sets of spy photos of the full faired Pulsar caught testing..

Pulsar 200SS (?)

Great stuff for “Dhoom” bike lovers but personally I would love to see a naked Pulsar 400"NS"..!!

This name is not the official name given by Bajaj but doing the rounds due to speculations given birth after by Mr. Bajaj’s statement that "Bajaj would launch 2 Super Sport models soon".. hence the speculated “SS” tag, since Bajaj already calls the naked 200 Pulsar as Pulsar 200NS (naked sports).

Pulsar 400SS (?)

Mr. Bajaj has already mentioned that one of the full faired variants would be based on the 375 cc (373 to be specific) engine that does duty on the KTM 390 Duke (and now the RC 390 as well). If KTM can call the 375 cc model as 390 Duke and RC 390 why can’t Bajaj call its big full faired model as Pulsar 400SS..??

Nevertheless just in one day, 2 sets of the full faired Pulsar have surfaced. The model under test is heavily camouflaged which makes it difficult to make out the details. But what is obvious from the photos is the Perimeter frame and engine casing that looks similar to the Pulsar 200NS, which raises doubts that the under test model could be based on the 200 cc engine. Still it is not clear is the models caught testing sports the 200 cc engine or the 375 cc engine. But there are a few things and features that can be made out from the photos..

6 KTM RC 200 and 390 Price in India?

What could be the on road price of the RC 200 and 390 that would be launched in India?

If KTM matches the price as I have speculated..

..one has to be ignorant about motorcycles or a Honda fanboy to go for the Honda CBR250R/300R

It's just a matter of time before KTM launches its "mini" Super Sport models the RC 200 and RC 390 in India. In most certainty the RC 125 much like the 125 Duke won’t arrive in India as it would be priced out of reach of what Indian’s would like to pay for a 125 cc model. So how much would the RC 200 and RC 390 be priced in India?

So far there has been no official indication for the price in India. But actually it is not too difficult to speculate on the India price. And I am sure that the price would remain around the same level that I would be speculating here.

KTM RC 200 and RC 390 On road Price:

10 5 Interesting things about the KTM RC 125/200/390

5 interesting things that make the KTM RC 200/390 special..

The recently unviled KTM RC 125/200/390 has managed to grab everyone's attention. Needless to say the styling on it is aggressive, in your face and pure KTM. The performance with its KTM 125/200/390 Duke derived engines will definitely be equally exciting. Posted below are 5 interesting things that make the RC 125/200/390 stand out.

[1] The rear seat on the KTM RC 125/200/390 is designed to look like a single seater:

The foam of the rear seat of the KTM RC 125/200/390 comes from a supplier in Canada and which is the only one supplying this stuff. What makes it special is that the special seat foam gives the rear seat the look of a rear seat cover/cowl..!! So the RC 125/200/390 will always look a single seater.. Super Cool..!!

[2] The LED Pilot Lamps on the KTM RC 125/200/390:

2 KTM RC 390 On Road Action Photos & Video

Collection of photos of the KTM RC 390 on the road..

A new set of photos that show the KTM RC 390 Super Sport motorcycle in its elements on the street. Plus an official Video that shows off the RC 125/200 & 390 that are "Ready to Race"..!!

1 Harley Davidson Street 500 & 750 Video

The entry level Harley Davidsons.. made specifically for countries like India has been unveiled

Harley Davison models that have been made keeping in mind emerging markets like India has been unveiled just before the Milan Motorcycle Show.

Posted below if the Official Video of the Harley Davidson Street 500 and 750.

4 Which is better? Yamaha FZ Vs. Honda CB Trigger

Comparison between Yamaha FZ-16/S and the Honda CB Trigger

Since it's launch the Yamaha FZ-16/S has been the the most desirable 150 cc Street Sports motorcycle available in India. Probably the only thing that prevents it from being the best selling 150 cc motorcycle in India (which has been the Bajaj Pulsar 150's turf for over a decade) is its relatively low fuel efficiency figures (around 35-40 kmpl) for a 150 cc model.

The TVS Apache RTR 160/180 models are too small to have the same kind of presence that the FZ has, the Hero Xtreme is not too everyone's taste in its styling, the Hero Hunk, Suzuki GS 150R bring nothing special to the table and the Pulsar 150 is too common on the roads. Honda CB Unicorn is too commuterish.

Honda tried to break into this desirable 150 cc with it's Dazzler in 2010. But did not taste the success it was looking for. As a result the Dazzler was discontinued and a new redesigned model called the CB Trigger has been launched. Is the Honda CB Trigger good enough to take the Yamaha FZ-16/S head on?

3 Honda CB Trigger replaces the CB Unicorn Dazzler.

Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India replaces the CB Unicorn Dazzler model.. with the CB Trigger

This had to happen as the CB Trigger was essentially the CB Unicorn Dazzler in new clothes. Honda has officially withdrawn the CB Unicorn Dazzler by taking it off from it corporate website. Slow selling models do get discontinued, but what's important to note here is that the CB Unicorn Dazzler is the second motorcycle model (after the CBF Stunner PGM-Fi) to be discontinued from HMSI (Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India)'s lineup. Something that Honda is not known to do in India.

The CB Trigger is still not "hot" enough to challenge the Yamaha FZ-16/S

Honda could have just opted for an easier option of naming the new model as the new CB Unicorn Dazzler.. or in case it felt that the name was too long, then could have shortened it as the "CB Dazzler". By choosing to discontinue with the CB Unicorn Dazzler branding, it will affect the resale value of the Dazzler models plus also Honda will again have to go back to square one in terms of branding, which is a costly affair.

11 Huge Collection of KTM RC125/200/390, High Resolution Photos with No Watermarks..!!

A collection of 32 High Definition photos of the KTM RC125/200/390 models..

Posted below is a collection of 32 High Def. photos of the soon to be launched, KTM 125/200/390 models. These models would be shown in the flesh for the first time at the Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA) in Nov. 2014.

And yes, there are no ugly water marks on the photos.. why? Because they are not mine. Enjoy..!!

These super sport beauties will be manufactured in India by Bajaj Auto and exported worldwide. Expect the RC 200 and 390 to be sold in India along with the 200 and 390 Duke. The 125 will be exported to Europe along with the 200 and 390.

2 KTM RC390 Photos Revealed..!! This will be made in India.. Rejoice!!

Photos of the production ready "Made in India" KTM RC390 emerge..!!

The full faired KTM RC390, that will be made in India by Bajaj Auto and exported to the world has been revealed just before its international appearance in the Milan Motorcycle Show.

I was almost sure that my "Dhoom" days were over.. and this gets launched

Visordown has posted photos of the soon to be launched "Made in India" KTM RC390. Of late I have developed kind of disinterest for full faired bikes. I find the kind of models available in India like the Yamaha R15, Honda CBR 150/250R and even the Kawasaki Ninja 300 more kind of poser stuff than actually being true to its track bike genre.

I actually find it amusing when someone say how sporty riding position of the R15 is. Anyone who says so should be put on a "real" super sports machine or even the KTM RC390 would do..!! The handlebars on the RC390 looks to be pure super sports stuff. The KTM RC390 looks totally impractical for commuting, which is exactly why this is one "Dhoom" machine that I am falling in love with.

6 First Full Faired Bike from an Indian brand is about to be launched..!!

Full faired Pulsar sighted on the road.. being tested

Autocar India has published a spy photo of a full faired Pulsar being caught testing near Kolhapur Highway. The test model is heavily camouflaged and nothing much is visible in the photos except for those distinctive alloy wheels that also are found on the Pulsar 200NS.