Honda CBR-600RR
In a segment that was said to be on the verge of extinction, the introduction of the Honda CBR-600RR has got us supersports fans excited about its comeback. Honda should be commended for coming up with a design that’s an evolution of the previous bike, down to the undertail exhaust that’s reminiscent of the old bike.
The CBR-600RR is powered by a 599cc, inline-four engine that makes 119bhp at 14,250rpm and 63Nm at 11,500rpm. The bike is equipped with modern day, lean-sensitive electronics aids including a nine-level traction control system.
The chances of Honda launching the CBR-600RR in India are slim but one cannot rule out the chances given the fact that the 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is on sale in India. If Honda does launch the bike, expect it to be priced around the Rs 12-13 lakh mark.
Honda CB1000 Hornet
Honda’s new 1000cc street naked displays a departure from Honda’s traditions when it comes to design. One may say that the design bears a little resemblance to the Ducati Streetfighter, but we like the new aggression in Honda’s otherwise safe designs. Since the bike is based on Fireblade, it also uses the 999cc, inline-four engine that makes 150hp, owing to a change in tune to suit its street application. The CB1000 Hornet replaces the CB1000R Neo Sports that was on sale in India and we expect the bike to make it to our shores. The bike maybe priced around the Rs 16-18 lakh mark.
Triumph is expanding its 660cc portfolio with the launch of the Daytona 660. It is likely to be based on the Trident 660 platform and teasers reveal that the bike has split LED headlights, full fairing and clip ons that aren’t low set. Many purists aren’t happy with Triumph choosing to dilute the fabled Daytona name by pasting it on a bike that likely isn’t as focused as the Daytona 675 supersport. But the proof of the pudding will be in its eating or in this case, the riding.
The bike should be powered by the same 660cc, inline-triple engine as seen in the Trident, that makes 80bhp and 64Nm. Expect the bike to feature a quickshifter as well. The launch is slated for January 9 and we expect Triumph to price it between Rs 9 lakh to Rs 9.25 lakh.
BMW R 1300 GS
This will be possibly one of the biggest launches of this year. The BMW R1300 GS is an all-new motorcycle and has pretty large shoes to fill going by the immense popularity and success of the R 1250 GS. The R 1300 GS is all-new, featuring a new chassis, suspension and 1,300cc boxer engine that makes 145hp at 7750rpm and 140Nm at 6,500rpm. It features BMW’s Shiftcam variable valve timing technology as well. As expected, the bike is loaded to the gills with electronics, including radar based adaptive cruise control.The other big change is the sleeker design that reduces visual bulk.
The BMW R 1300 GS will arrive on our shores this year and we expect the prices to begin from Rs 23 lakh onwards.
BMW F900 GS
The F900 succeeds the F850 GS and the new bike features significant improvements. The bike looks slimmer, inspired by rally bikes. The weight loss is under the skin as well. BMW has managed to shave off around 14kg and the F900 now weighs 219kg. Lastly, the engine makes more power than the unit in the outgoing bike. It produces 105hp at 8500rpm and 93Nm at 6750rpm. The F900 GS is expected to be priced competitively, going by the way the F 850GS is
Priced at Rs 12.95 lakh.
Kawasaki Ninja 500 and Z 500
The Kawasaki Ninja 500 and Z500 are essentially the same bike, the latter being the street naked. The bikes were revealed at EICMA 2023 and the big talking point is the 451cc parallel-twin engine in these bikes. It is said to be the same engine that is seen in the recently launched Kawasaki Eliminator that makes 45.4bhp at 9,000rpm and 42.6Nm at 6,000rpm. Kawasaki says the new engine has a better torque spread than that of the Ninja 400.
Yamaha R7
There have been talks of the Yamaha R7 and MT-07, its streetfighter sibling being launched in India for sometime and 2024 is when this should happen. The R7 is a compact supersport, powered by a 689cc, twin-cylinder engine that makes 73bhp at 8,750rpm and 67Nm at 6,500rpm. It isn’t loaded to the gills with electronics like the R1 and even the suspension is pretty basic, with a non-adjustable USD fork. After the high pricing of the R3 and MT-03, we hope Yamaha India does something about the Yamaha R7s price and positions it competitively, given the fact that the bike is expected to be brought to India via the CBU route.
Ducati Hypermotard 698, Multistrada V4 RS, Panigale V4 race replica and more
Ducati India is going to launch as many as eight motorcycles in 2024 and these will spread across a wide price range. Debuting this year is the Hypermotard 698 Mono, and the talking point here is that it has a 659cc, liquid-cooled, Superquadro mono or single-cylinder engine. It makes 77.5bhp and 63Nm. Expect it to be a manic machine, like the bigger capacity Hypermotard.
Ducati Corse tasted success at the MotoGP and WSBK Championship and to commemorate this feat, the company will launch Race Replica versions of the Panigale V4 superbike, sporting the liveries of the teams that Ducati riders race for. The bikes are surely going to be a collectors item.
The Ducati Multistrada RS will also be launched here and what makes it the maddest Multistrada V4 yet is that it gets the same, 1,103cc, Desmosedici stradale engine that you see in Panigale and Streefighter V4. In the Multistrada, it makes 180hp and 119Nm. Even the suspension is top-level Ohlins while the focus on road/track performance is evident in the 17-inch, forged Marchesini alloys that are fitted with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa tyres.
Besides these Ducati bikes, there are more on the launch list and you can read about it here.
The V-Strom 800 is a hotly anticipated ADV that is currently undergoing testing in India and is expected to go on sale in a few months. Borrowing styling cues from the bigger, V-Strom 1050, the V-Strom 800 DE looks purposeful and how! Powering the bike is a 776cc, parallel-twin engine that makes 83bhp and 78Nm. As for features, it gets multiple ride modes, traction control and more settings, which are all accessed by a five-inch TFT display. A few test mules spotted in India were riding on the 21/17-inch spoke wheel combo, with dual-purpose tyres. The expected price tag of the V-Strom should be in the Rs 12-lakh range.
