The last week was profoundly action-packed for the Indian two-wheeler industry! We witnessed two big launches in the modern-classic segment while some spy shots and teasers gave a glimpse of what’s around the corner. In case you couldn’t stay up to speed with these updates, here’s a quick round-up of the top five bike news from last week.
Triumph launched its smallest offering in India yet, the Speed 400. This is the first product to be spawned by Triumph and Bajaj’s partnership. The motorcycle has been priced competitively at Rs 2.23 lakh for the first 10,000 customers. It will be locally made in India by Bajaj and sold through Triumph’s dealerships. The motorcycle is powered by a 398cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that makes 39.5bhp and 37Nm and works in tandem with a six-speed gearbox.
Triumph Scrambler 400 X unveil
Besides launching the Speed 400, Triumph also took the wraps off its more adventure-oriented sibling, the Scrambler 400 X. The price of the motorcycle is expected to be announced in September this year. While it’s based on the same platform as the Speed, there are some differences in terms of cycle parts and dimensions which make it more off-road-friendly. It will compete against the likes of the Yezdi Scrambler and the Royal Enfield Scram 411.
Heating up the competition further in the small-size modern-retro segment was the launch of the Harley-Davidson X440. This bike has been developed in association with Hero MotoCorp and, similar to the Speed 400, will be manufactured in India. The prices of the X440 start from Rs 2.29 lakh and go up to Rs 2.69 lakh. Sporting a design inspired by Harley’s now-defunct XR1200, the X440 runs on a 440cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder mill that makes 27bhp and 38Nm of torque.
Honda released a teaser video of one of its upcoming products. The video revealed the exhaust heat shield and the exhaust note of the two-wheeler. While it sounds similar to a long-stroke motor (usually used for cruisers), we expect it to be Honda’s new power-scooter or the Dio’s 125cc model. As of now, Honda India only offers the 110cc model for the Dio which is quite popular amongst the youth.
New spy shots of the upcoming Aprilia RS440 emerged from overseas. The new images revealed fresh details about the upcoming Italian supersport such as the design which is closely similar to the bigger RS660. The RS440 will use a 440cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor with an output of around 48bhp. It appears that the bike is ready for production and Aprilia could make an official announcement sometime during the festive season.
(All prices are ex-showroom)
