November was a month of buzz for the two-wheeler industry due to new model launches and brand revivals such as Jawa. While we covered all of these updates, we also put some of the popular machines to test to explore their capabilities. To sum it all up, here are top five stories of November.
Royal Enfield 650cc twin launch
With the launch of its first twin-cylinder and almost vibe-free motorcycles, the Chennai-based bikemaker created a stir in the market. If that wasn’t enough, the highly aggressive price tag of the bikes was a jaw dropper for buyers and enthusiasts alike. The Interceptor 650 starts at Rs 2.49 lakhs while its café racer counterpart, the Continental GT 650, starts at Rs 2.64 lakhs (both prices are ex-showroom, Mumbai). Both bikes are powered by a 648cc, air/oil cooled, twin-cylinder engine that churns out 47bhp of power and 52Nm of torque. It is mated to a six-speed gearbox.
Jawa brand re-launch
Last month brought in a good dose of excitement to classic bike fans as the Jawa brand was re-launched in India by Classic Legends, a subsidiary of Mahindra. The company announced three motorcycles among which the standard Jawa and Forty Two are already on sale while the bobber Perak will be coming next year. The Jawa and Forty Two are priced at Rs 1.64 lakhs and Rs 1.55 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai), respectively. Both bikes are powered by a 293cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that generates 27bhp and 28Nm and, is mated to a six-speed gearbox.
KTM 125 Duke launch
After the retro motorcycles, the last week of November saw the Austrian bikemaker dropping its baby rocket, the KTM 125 Duke in India. It replaced the 200 Duke to be the most affordable KTM in our country as it starts at Rs 1.18 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). That may sound too expensive for a 125cc bike but what you get are healthy power figures of 14.3bhp and 12Nm along with full-digital instrument cluster, upside down front forks and single-channel ABS. The styling is the same as the 200 Duke except for the new and funkier graphics.
Benelli TRK 502 India launch confirmed!
Benelli has restarted its operations in India after a short hiatus. Now, along with the Mahavir Group, it won’t just sell the already existing models such as the TNT300, 302R and the TNT600, but several new models are also on the cards. One of these is the TRK 502 adventure motorcycle which, Benelli confirmed, will be introduced in the first quarter of 2019. The bike will come in two variants – a road-biased TRK 502 model along with an adventure-oriented TRK 502 X variant. The latter was recently spied in India. Reportedly, the company plans to bring a whole line-up of motorcycles in the next five-years. You can read about it in detail here.
Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT vs Kawasaki Versys 650: Comparison review
The middle-weight adventure touring segment is growing in India. And, to grab a chunk of this flourishing genre, Suzuki recently brought the V-Strom 650 XT while Kawasaki launched the 2019 version of the Versys 650. Both bikes are meant to fulfill nearly similar requirements and we took them out to test which one does its job better. From ergonomics to features, from performance to handling, no stones were left unturned. Which one was better you ask? Well, head here to find out.
