The Indian two-wheeler market remained calm in terms of bike launches last week. However, we still covered a few reports which created quite a stir amongst the buyers and enthusiasts. While we got our first glimpse at what could be Hero’s next-gen Karizma, we also witnessed KTM hiking the prices of its motorcycles. The previous week had more such interesting updates and, as always, we give you a recap of all of them in our weekly news round-up.
Next-gen Hero Karizma spied
A video surfaced on the internet last week hinting at the fact that Hero might be gearing up to bring back the Karizma name. The short clip revealed a fully-faired Hero motorcycle undisguised. Apart from the Karizma ZMR-inspired fairing design, it sported a single-piece headlamp, black windscreen, single-unit handlebar and an instrument cluster similar to the upcoming Hero XPulse. It is expected to share its powerplant with the Xtreme 200R, however, with fuel-injected configuration. As for the launch, expect it to be introduced after the XPulse and XPulse 200T which are due to be launched by the end of this month.
Honda CB300R deliveries commence
After launching the CB300R in February, Honda commenced the deliveries of the motorcycle in India last week. The company dispatched the first lot of bikes in Chandigarh, Delhi, Jaipur and Haryana and will soon start deliveries in other cities as well. The CB300R is priced at Rs 2.41 lakhs and could be bought from one of the Honda’s Wing World dealerships across India. Boasting of the ‘Neo Sports Café’ design language, the motorcycle is powered by a 286cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled motor that belts out 30bhp and 27.4Nm.
Bajaj Pulsar 180 discontinued
Bajaj has discontinued the Pulsar 180 in India and replaced it with the half-faired Pulsar 180F. On contacting dealers, we came to know that the Pulsar 180 has not been selling as much as the Pulsar 150 series and the bike will only be sold until the stocks last. Meanwhile, featuring a half-faired design similar to the ever-popular Pulsar 220F, the Pulsar 180F is a more attractive package. The bike retails at Rs 87,000 and will soon get a single-channel which will attract a premium over the current pricing.
Royal Enfield to offer alloy wheels with 650cc twins
Royal Enfield is likely to introduce alloy wheels as an official accessory for its flagship offerings, the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650. The alloy wheels will allow the fitment of tubeless tyres which cannot be incorporated in the currently available spoke wheels on the 650cc twins. Priced at Rs 10,000, Royal Enfield recently introduced alloy wheels for its Classic, Thunderbird and Bullet range.
KTM prices hiked
KTM has increased the prices of its motorcycles calling it an annual price revision due to the start of new financial year. The highest hike has been attracted by the KTM 390 Duke which now retails at Rs 2,48,212; a bump of Rs 4,257. Moreover, the Austrian bikemaker’s entry level offering, the 125 Duke, has also become pricier by Rs 250 even after receiving a hike of Rs 6,835 recently. Now, the baby Duke costs Rs 1,25,248 (all prices are ex-showroom, Delhi). To view the list of KTM’s model-wise price bump, click here.
TVS beats Honda in March sales
TVS replaced Honda to become the second highest-selling two-wheeler brand for the month of March in India. While Honda dispatched 2,22,325 units last month, TVS sold 2,47,710 two-wheelers and ascended to the second spot. Notably, Honda witnessed a considerable downfall of 46.7 per cent in March 2019 as compared to the corresponding month last year. Meanwhile, Hero MotoCorp continued to stay on top of the chart by selling 5,53,302 units in March.
TVS Scooty Pep+ new colours
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the introduction of Scooty brand, TVS launched two new colours for its Scooty Pep+ model. The new shades include Revving Red and Glittering Gold. These colours will be offered alongside the already-available Frosted Black, Vivacious Purple, Nero Blue, Nero Brown and Princess Pink. Apart from the addition of new colours, the TVS Scooty Pep+ remains mechanically unchanged.
(All prices are ex-showroom)
