The BS6 emission norms will kick-in from April 1 2020. And with the deadline almost here, a lot of you are in two minds about whether to buy a new two-wheeler now or wait till the end for huge discounts; something similar to what happened during the transition to BS4 norms. With confusion aplenty, we help you decide the best time to buy a new motorcycle or scooter.
Discounts and offers
While most manufacturers have slowed down or completely shut down production of BS4 models, there is still an inventory of motorcycles and scooters that have been dispatched to dealers. And given that no BS4 vehicle can be registered post March 31 2020, brands like Kawasaki, BMW and Triumph are offering massive discounts on their products. Meanwhile, KTM, Hero and Harley-Davidson are wooing customers with easy finance schemes and exchange offers. Honda is offering cash savings up to Rs 9,500 on its 110cc-250cc range including the recently launched Activa 125 Fi. However, most of these discounts and offers are valid till the end of this year so you might want to hurry!
Other manufacturers like Bajaj and Royal Enfield haven’t officially begun offering discounts yet. Nevertheless, we expect offers and discounts to roll out soon before the introduction of their first BS6 models.
Price hike
With the introduction of BS6, the price of both motorcycles and scooters will increase significantly, due to the increase in manufacturing costs. While the price hike would be marginal in models with fuel-injection, other motorcycles and scooters are expected to see a hike of up to 15 per cent.
How much of a difference does BS6 bring?
The BS6-compliant motorcycles and scooters are expected to be more refined courtesy the revised fuelling setup. It will also run cleaner and is likely to be more efficient. But all of this will come at the cost of performance. Every BS6-compliant motorcycle and scooter launched yet, whether it is the Activa 125 Fi or the Yamaha R15 V3 has seen a dip in power output. Manufacturers could bump up the engine displacement to solve the issue of performance but that would only increase development cost and therefore, price. On the bright side, to compensate for the extra pricing, brands will offer extra features, updated mechanicals and refreshed styling.
