The past week witnessed Yamaha hitting the headlines again and again owing to its new and prospective launches. Moreover, KTM and Kawasaki also surprised us in some ways. To get a better perspective, let's take a quick look at all the interesting bike updates from last week.
2019 Yamaha FZ V 3.0 and FZ S V3.0 launch
Yamaha launched the FZ V3.0 and FZS V3.0 at Rs 95,000 and Rs 97,000 (both ex-showroom), respectively. This is a Rs 13,000 hike over the previous version and the upgrades are only on the cosmetic and mechanical front while the engine remains unchanged. Now, it looks slightly more aggressive with a redesigned headlamp and fuel tank section while the subframe, alloy wheels and exhaust canister are also new. Braking setup has also been updated with a single-channel ABS.
KTM 790 Duke arrives in India, bookings open
Last week brought good news for all the KTM fans who have been eagerly waiting for the 790 Duke. An enquiry with the dealers revealed that they have started accepting bookings for the motorcycle at a Rs 10,000 refundable amount. It is expected to be priced around Rs 8.5 lakhs (ex-showroom). To add to the fan's' excitement, reportedly, the parts of the motorcycle have also reached KTM's manufacturing facility which means we might not be too far from the launch. The KTM 790 Duke will be the company's flagship bike to be sold in India.
KTM RC200 ABS launch
After updating the KTM 200 Duke with a single-channel ABS, the company recently brought the safety net to its fully-faired sibling, the RC200. The ABS version is priced at Rs 1.88 lakhs (ex-showroom) which is a hike of Rs 9,000. Apart from this, all the other aspects remain unchanged. The motorcycle is powered by a 199cc, liquid-cooled motor that churns out 25bhp of power and 19.2Nm of torque.
Yamaha MT-15 bookings open
Yamaha launched the updated versions of the FZ but it also revealed plans of introducing its more premium 150cc naked street bike, the MT-15. While that was enough to entice us, further enquiries with dealers revealed that some of them have even started accepting bookings for the bike at Rs 5,000. Expected to be priced around Rs 1.25 lakhs (ex-showroom), this will be placed above the FZ twins while being based on the fully-faired YZF R15 V3 in terms of engine and mechanicals. It is likely to be launched next month whereas the deliveries may commence by March.
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 revealed in video
Till now, we were coming across the 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 in just spy shots but last week we saw the Chakan-based bikemaker officially reveal the bike in a video commercial. As seen in pictures and videos, it sports USD (upside down) front forks and dual exhaust canister. Apart from these evident changes, it is likely to receive updates on the braking hardware as well as engine. Currently priced at Rs 1.63 lakhs (ex-showroom), the 2019 version is expected to become dearer by around Rs 10,000.
Kawasaki Ninja 300 spare prices slashed
Kawasaki did not just make Ninja 300 more affordable but it has also made the spare parts cheaper. Surprisingly, the price reduction for the spare parts is not minor but a whopping 90 per cent. These include all the basic spares such as clutch cable, clutch lever, throttle cable, brake pads, tyres and discs. The localisation has already started working in favour of Kawasaki as it sold 823 units of the motorcycle in 2018, which is a considerable rise over the previous years.
Bajaj electric scooter
Now that the future looks electric, Bajaj is also intending to walk on the same path. At its new brand launch, Bajaj revealed that it has been working aggressively on an electric scooter. Details about the scooter are scarce but we believe the company is working on a range of EVs for the Indian market as well as for exports. With this, Bajaj will re-enter into the scooter market after it left that area years ago.
