It was quite wise idea by the two brands to join hands, as on one hand we have TVS, which has only Apache to its success list, and on the other hand we have BMW, which has a 650cc bike as its smallest offering. With rising havoc in economy, recession as well as rising gas prices together has reduced the demand for these BMW superbikes. Ideally, TVS wants to produce a higher powered bike and BMW wants to reduce their power and make smaller bikes with affordable price tags. So, both the companies joined hands to overcome their deficiencies and conquer the rising biking sector (it is rhyming rising biking). Let’s find out how these companies together are planning to grab the market share.

250cc-650cc bikes has always been hot cakes in the industry, and there is always a market for these bikes as bikes in this category bikes have plenty of power to make the rider happy, and meanwhile it also makes the buyer happy (being pocket friendly). A 250cc bike is considered a premium one in Indian market, and the same bike is considered a learner’s bike in international market. So, these bikes have market globally.

Both the companies are expecting high sales figures with the new bike joining their portfolio, but it is not yet announced as to which segment the bike will accommodate to. Will it be a sports bike, a tourer or a naked monster is still a mystery, but we all know that a fully faired bike will sell very well in the Indian market.
TVS has announced that this bike will be launched by the end of this financial year, and with BMW on board with its inputs, customers should be ready with cash to go grab the bike. The quality is expected to be in par with BMW products.

So how many of you are willing to buy this bike? Let us know using the comment form below.

Now here comes happy news for all those Indians who have admired triumph. Hold your breath, because hearing the news you may skip a heartbeat. Triumph motorcycles will be launched in India very soon. Bikers will not have to wait too long to own a Triumph bike, as the company is planning to launch the brand by the end of 2013’s third quarter.
Triumph was in news prior to this, during mid-2012, and the company had announced their plans to enter the Indian market, but due to some internal reasons, the company had to postpone the launch. The company however was adamant about launching the brand in India. However, with Triumph coming to India, there will be more choice for Indian bikers.

Triumph motorcycles will sport a strong yet light in weight and easy to handle chassis, which will also be fitted with powerful motor which promises to give the rider the joy demanded. The route that these bikes will travel through to reach the Indian customers i.e. whether it is CBU or CKD is not yet decided by the company. Also, the company has a plant set up in Bangalore, Karnataka, so we can expect the company to produce Triumph for Indians with substantial amount of localization which will ultimately result in a fair price tag for these bikes.

The price for these bikes will be likely on the higher side, but that is expected as it is a British brand that is providing quality powerhouse bikes. Booking for Triumphs will first start in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and then the company will start dealership in other cities like Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad and Cochin.
Will the Triumph get the same response as Kawasaki or Yamaha? Let us know through your valuable comments.

‘We Ramblers’ have announced a trip to the upper Himalayas starting this October. For those who don’t know We Ramblers, it is a well-known biker’s community that organizes road trips, treks and rides. This opportunity is open to all those who love to travel and are fit to travel in these regions. For those who wish to live this life time moment on their own bike can do so, and all they have to do is get their bike transported to Ghorakhpur(U.P.), otherwise there is another option of travelling on bikes arranged by the group.
This trip will surely give you some butterflies in your stomach, as you will get to see some of the highest mountain peaks, some of them are even counted in world’s top 20 peaks. In addition to highest peaks, you will have to pass through the world’s deepest gorge, called the Kaligandki River. This trip will make you feel the ups and downs that the Himalayas are known for. The trip is designed to make riders enjoy the beauty the nature has in store for you.

The ride starts from Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. Nepal is a beautiful city in itself with wonderful people living wonderful lives. The city is must visit for youngsters as the night life there is worth a visit. Pashupathinath temple there is a historical place. From there is a 290 Km long drive, travelling through the riders will reach to their next destination called Beni, situated in the western region of Nepal. Overnight stay at Bani is very important for riders to take rest as well to adapt to the fluctuating altitudes. Next morning, riders will have to get ready to reach their next destination Muktinath, which is at some 3800 meters elevation above sea level. Staying at Muktinath will be considered a treat and the participants will get a taste of it. After a night stay at Muktinath, there is a 30km downhill ride after which riders can enjoy their stay at Jomsom. Next destination is the lake city, Pokhara. Pokhra is famous for its mountain peaks that raises in every 30 Km, elevation starts from 1000 and goes anywhere up to 7000meters. Staying there overnight, the riders will be back next day to Kathmandu.

Travelling with WE Ramblers is a benefit as the trip is cautiously designed by experts and every detail is minutely taken care of. Riders will have a professional lead rider to lead them not only that, there will be local riders joining the group to ensure that all riders are driving as per plans. The riders will also be followed by a backup truck, which will carry luggage, a mechanic and spare parts to ensure that you enjoy the ride.

Now comes the last part, the price, This trip is competitively priced at INR.22,999/- (with your own bike) and INR.25,999/- (with thier bike). The payment for this trip has to be made before 31st of July 2013 with 100% advance payment. More info at http://weramblers.com/

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Here, on this site, we thought of giving readers the details so that they can decide which bike to opt for.

Let us first consider the styling of these bikes:
Both these bikes are distinctly opposites when it comes to styling. KTM is not fashion conscious and everything on KTM is just there to serve some purpose to make the bike a demon ready to rule the road. Though from the front, the bike may look a bit weird with long headlight, but that’s what makes KTM a very different bike. You cannot spot another bike of this quality and styling. This bike will surely make people yearn to have another look, and of course stand out of the crowd. The bike is surely naked from the rear. You’ll just see a fat tire and a thin LED tail lamp strip when you have a look at the bike from rear. Look at the side, and you will be bit satisfied as the bike looks sporty with orange and black colored tank, engine uncovered, headlight frame and rear tire hugger frame. All the features put together makes an ultimate stylish bike, and that’s KTM. The bike looks really bulky, but is actually not.

Now let’s have a look at Pulsar 200 Ns styling:
Pulsar has got a beauty parlor visit, or should we say, men’s salon visit, thus, the bike now looks more aggressive and at the same time groomed. Though the visit was indeed needed, as it has to look like a chocolate cake to tempt the customers out there. Pulsar is no doubt a very popular sports brand, and the charm was fading out in comparison to its competitors. Bajaj has surely worked hard on making Pulsar 200Ns look better than the older Pulsars. As we said earlier that the bike looks aggressive from the front, from the rear the bike has inherited longitudinal tail lamps from last Pulsars. Let’s say, overall, the bike looks like a beast with muscular tank and naked styling.

TECHNICALITIES
KTM Duke 200 comes with a single cylinder, 4 stroke, 199.5cc liquid cooled engine, which produces power of 25BHP@10,000RPM and 19.2Nm of torque@8000RPM. Duke due to its shorter gearing reaches a top speed of 140Kmph in just few seconds.
Meanwhile KTM’s opponent Pulsar 200Ns has also got a 199.5cc, 4 valve, liquid cooled engine that produces 23.52PSof power at 9500RPM and 18.3 Nm of torque at 8000RPM. The main difference is that KTM is a fuel injected and ignited by a single spark plug, whereas Pulsar is carburetted and ignited by 3 spark technology, which Bajaj claims to deliver better fuel effeciency.
KTM is of course a good bike, but given that it’s a good Rs. 40k costlier than the Pulsar 200NS, the Pulsar is more of a value for money product. Friends at PowerDrift created the above great comparo video of these two mean machines which should give you a better insight on the competiton.

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Indian riders have been waiting right from the time Suzuki announced Inazuma, just to have a glimpse of the mean machine. And now you can see the bike perform in a Salman Khan starrer Bollywood movie ‘Mental’. Yes the beasty bike got a role in the movie.

Eyewitnesses who have seen the bike perform believe that the bike looks much better in person than on pics. They also say that the bike doesn’t have a very striking exhaust note, which is expected from a twin cylinder motor. Suzuki, better known for touring bikes, has not made an exception with Inazuma. This machine, like other bikes from the company, will make touring satisfactory, reliable and comforting. And not to forget, it is affordable.

Inazuma has a 4 stroke liquid cooled mill, powered by a 248cc parallel twin cylinder engine, which creates a power of 26hp and a maximum torque of 24.2Nm. Yes, we know that bikers there are expecting a lot from Inazuma and these figures are not even closer to those, but the bike is for those riders who enjoy the nature more than the sound of the bike.

Suzuki is all set to fulfill what it had promised, a 250cc bike for Indians and Inazuma is the result of the promise. Though the price of this machine is still not declared, we are expecting it to be priced around 2-2.5 Lakh or just over the Honda CBR250R. The next question is when will this bike be launched in India? Though the date is not finalized yet, the ad shoot suggests that the launch date is nearing. We expect the bike to rule the roads in another few months.

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Looks wise, Duke 390 is very similar to Duke 125 and Duke 200. The 390 uses the same trellis frame that is used by other two models in the range, and the frame is well known for its stability. The change of course is felt when you ride the bike, you will be beyond doubt that it is all together a different powerhouse experience. The engine is relatively bigger as compared to that of older Duke, but is shorter stroked. The other features by which we can distinguish this bike from the other Dukes is the absence of a rear tire hugger and a newer paint scheme with some geometrical abstract designs.

The engine is said to churn out 44 BHP @ 9500 rpm and 35 Nm @ 7250 rpm. That may not a big number by superbike standards, but for a bike which weights 150 Kgs (with full tank of fuel), the power is good enough for the bike to pull from 0 to 100 in less than 6 seconds, putting it in the category of 650s.

Let’s look into technical aspects of this bike. The engine has been designed modernly with forged pistons and Nikasil coating. The place that houses the cylinder and the rocker arms are made up of high pressure cast aluminum and are DLC (Diamond like Carbon) coated with aluminum, as a result the weight is reduced coupled with DLC’s function i.e. to reduce wear and tear due to friction. Many readers might be aware of the best quality oil circuit of 1190 RC8 ! Yes, Duke 390 is blessed with the same channel with two pumps : one builds up the pressure while the other one evacuates.

KTM has designed the sitting position as per comforts, in the process giving it a sporty look. The gathered sitting position with rear set foot pegs delivers a comfortable riding experience. With KTM’s deep ergonomic study applied, the company is confident that this kind of seat will accommodate all types of people and their different riding positions, irrespective of the height of the rider.

The engineers of this Duke 390 have made a factastic job in pouring in the technology they have. The bike is equipped with the latest technology that is available, for e.g. the handlebars have been shaped by a process called “hydroforming”, which makes it look like an aluminum bar, but it is actually a stainless steel tube that’s been filled with water and then pumped up to high pressure. Thus, it undergoes expansion to its required dimensions, and as also bent to the required shape.

There was one request that had come from Bajaj Auto, that the bike be fitted with illuminated switchgear resembling the one that the Duke 200 has. These switchgears make heads turn at nights. Duke 390 is expected to launch next month in India and the brochures have already reached the KTM Stores across India. The anticipated price tag is little above Rs. 2 Lac, but if KTM decides to position the product as a premium offering with high price tag, they may not sell as much they expect to. Let us know who all are planning to own it using the comment form below.

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The company is playing safe in introducing the revised version of the brand’s most popular bike, the one first introduced in the year 1922 which was the ‘ twinkle in the eye’ of bikers of that time. Indian Chief was the opening player of the 112 year old brand and proved to be the best in giving company the fame that it is enjoying today.

The company is ready with their first model of Indian Chief coming out right from the oven of the company placed at Spirit Lake, Iowa production plant. The bike will be available at an estimated MSRP starting at $18,999. Dealership for these bikes will be opened across the country to accommodate bike demands and service needs.

When Polaris bought Indian motorcycle two years ago, the idea was to adopt their ‘ready to use’ powers in engineering, manufacturing and operational in powersports to be used to build a remarkable bike.

On August 3 of this year, on the occasion of 73rd annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, the new Indian Chief will be unveiled. Though the launch time is not announced yet, it is likely to be announced this summer. This will be a dream launch for Indian motorcycle, as the rally being world’s largest one, was also launched by an Indian motorcycle club during 1936. Jackpine Gypsies was the club that started the rally. The company is very confident about the bike and feels that with competitive price tag, more people will be able to use the international quality bike.

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The scooter that is being tested for fuel efficiency (we are assuming it looking at the fuel bottle). The test vehicle is equipped with things such as front mudguard, the headlight, grab rail, the rear tailpiece , vertically stacked exhaust, shutter lock and the rear mounted fuel filler cap, inspired from Honda Activa. We cannot say more about other features of the scooter as TVS may have disguised it calculatedly. Disguising its products as something else is TVS’s old job; the company is an old hand at it.

TVS testing its new scooter indicates that the scooter will be launched soon. As we said earlier, there are many good companies that are bidding high with their products in the 125cc category. Some major players in this segment are Suzuki, Piaggio and Yamaha, who are fighting the battle with their high power engines. Other companies which are making plans to enter the 125cc category are Hero and Honda.

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Mahindra has put in all the efforts to make Pantero a success. The bike is designed keeping in mind the needs of youngsters. It has everything in terms of performance, reliability and functionality. Pantero is powered by intelligent 110cc, MCi-5 (Micro Chip ignited – 5 curve) engine which claims a fuel efficiency of 79.4 kmpl.

Mahindra Pantero is a stylish bike with features like LED pilot and tail lamps, and a fully digital dashboard. The new Pantero is available in 4 variants i.e. Pantero (Kick Start/ Spoke Wheels/ Analogue Console) – Rs. 39,650, Pantero (Kick Start/ Cast Alloy Wheels/ Analogue Console) – Rs. 40,550, Pantero (Self Start/ Cast Alloy Wheels/ Analogue Console) – Rs. 42,250, Pantero (Self Start/ Cast Alloy Wheels/ Digital Console) – Rs. 43,150. You can choose your bike from four colors i.e. Fiery Red, Sterling Silver, Blazing Black and Cool Black.

Pantero is designed and developed at Mahindra Two Wheelers’ future ready, state-of-the-art R&D Centre at Pune. The target customers for these bikes are first time buyers and youngsters. This bike by Mahindra provides a mileage of 79.5 kmpl (as per ARAI). Pantero comes with a warranty of 2 years, and an extended optional warranty of 3 years. With all these features, we feel Mahindra will finally make a place for itself in commuter biking segment.

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FREERIDE E is the first electric bike that the company is producing, and the vehicle will be available in Europe next year. E-SPEED is the second electric vehicle by KTM, though it is the first urban mobility scooter by the company (FREERIDE E is an off road bike). This electric scooter was first showcased in Europe; there it was displayed to the domestic market at the Bike-Austria exhibition in Tulin, Austria.

Speaking about technical aspects of E-SPEED, Harald Plöckinger, KTM Executive Board Member for Production and Business Development said, “that the vehicle is fitted by an electric motor that brings out 15ps and 36Nm torque which are brought to the wheels through a belt drive. The scooter when fully charged can achieve a top speed of 84km/h and a range of 64km”.

KTM is all set to get its two vehicles FREERIDE E and E-SPEED on roads by 2014 and 2015 respectively. These ecofriendly vehicles will be a success, at least that’s what KTM believes. Now it is for readers to decide whether an electric scooter with KTM genes will succeed or not? Let us know through your valuable comments.

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