The last week was majorly about the unveiling of a host of premium motorcycles, courtesy the Tokyo Motor Show 2019 and Ducati World Premiere. Subsequently, Benelli introduced its modern-classic offering in India which made the week even more interesting. Now, with no further ado, let’s take a look at the five most important two-wheeler stories from the last week.
Benelli Imperiale 400 launched
Benelli launched its first vintage-inspired motorcycle in India, the Imperiale 400, which will compete mainly against the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and Jawa offerings. The Imperiale has been priced at Rs 1.69 lakhs which makes it the most affordable Benelli in India. Bookings for the bike have already begun at Rs 4,000 via Benelli’s authorized dealerships and its official website. For those who want to find out how good, if at all, the Imperiale is, we’ll be bringing you the first ride review report soon.
KTM 390 Adventure EICMA unveiling confirmed
The KTM enthusiasts waiting for the 390 Adventure with bated breath will finally get to see the motorcycle unveil at the 2019 EICMA show next month. This will soon be followed by its official Indian launch in December. The 390 Adventure was spotted testing several times before, making us anticipate it even more. The motorcycle will be based on its naked sibling, the 390 Duke and will share the same engine, albeit with a different tuning. Expect the pricing of the bike to be slightly higher than its naked counterpart which retails at Rs 2.48 lakhs.
Ducati Streetfighter V4 unveiled
Ducati managed to drop our jaws last week after it unveiled the stunning Streetfighter V4 at the 2020 Ducati World Premiere. The naked bike is based on the monstrous Panigale V4 sportsbike and shares the same engine and chassis. Besides that, it also features the same set of electronic aids along with biplane wings to keep the front wheel from lifting. What’s more, Ducati also unveiled the 2020 edition of the Panigale V4 along with its smaller V2 sibling, which is a predecessor to the Panigale 959.
It was not just Ducati that upped its streetfighter game as Kawasaki also unveiled its naked hooligan, the Z H2. As the ‘H2’ suffix clearly indicates, it is based on the existing Ninja H2 and shares the same 998cc, inline-four supercharged motor. On the Z counterpart, this engine makes 197bhp and 137Nm, most of which is put out in low and mid-range to suit the motorcycle’s character. This is accompanied by a plethora of electronic wizardry as well. Kawasaki will soon launch the Z H2 in international markets and it is likely to be followed by its India launch later.
KTM-owned Husqvarna to make us wait more
As we had reported earlier this year, Bajaj had planned to introduce the KTM-owned Swedish brand, Husqvarna, by the end of this year. However, Bajaj has now reportedly pushed its launch to April 2020, after the BS-VI norms come into effect. The company wants to avoid competition with the heavily discounted BS-IV models which will grab most of the attention until April. Bajaj will start the production of a few Husqvarna models at its Chakan plant by November which will be exported to other markets. As for India, we are likely to get the Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401 initially, both of which share their platform with the KTM 390 Duke.
(All prices are ex-showroom)
