The Pune based Garware Motors’ partnership with Korean motorcycle manufacturer, Hyosung got into a good kick start with the launch of 2 performance motorcycles, the Hyosung GT650R and the Hyosung ST7 in the Indian market. However, the limelight was snatched away by Bajaj when it launched the Kawasaki Ninja 650R at a killer pricing throwing all its competition away. Still Garware Motors is not ready to give up so soon and is arming itself to strike back in the 250cc segment with its performance motorcycle, the GT250R. The Hyosung GT250R has now more competition but Garware Motors plans to offer better finance schemes to woo prospective customers to their showrooms. The GT250R will be followed by the naked version of the GT250R known as the GT250.

The GT250R will be identical to the GT650R that we saw but will be employing a smaller displacement engine of 250cc. This 250cc V twin motor will be churning out a power output of 28.5 BHP at 10,000 RPM and deliver a maximum torque of 22.68 Nm at 8000 RPM. This high revving engine is mated to a 5 speed manual transmission box. With a high kerb weight of 171kgs and a wheelbase of 1445mm, the bike is sure to have its own road presence.

Overall, the bike is 2060mm long, 655mm wide and 1125mm high and has a fuel tank capacity of 17 litres. The bike rides on 110/70-17 54H tires at the front and 150/70 69H tires at the rear. It is expected to be available in 3 colour combinations; Red+Black, Grey+Black and Black. With the 250cc segment becoming a much sought after segment presently, Hyosung will surely have a challenging time ahead to gain market share especially with big players like Honda and Kawasaki already present in that segment. Are you excited?

The Pulsar 200 NS from Bajaj has been one of the most awaited bikes of this year as we had already mentioned long time back and with the launch of it, it surely has taken such a turn. The all new Bajaj Pulsar has taken a large step forward than its current generation Pulsars. We already brought you a live coverage straight from the venue when the bike was launched and also regular updates about it. Recently Autocar India got a chance to grab one of the first samples of the Pulsar 200 NS and give it a go at Bajaj’s own test track facility in Pune. We bring you some key highlights from what they experienced at the track.

1. The Pulsar 200 NS has a good road presence and the front has a slight resemblance of the Honda CB1000R.
2. The Pulsar 200 NS gets a twin spar chassis made of pressed steel and a rectangular section swingarm. This combination makes the handling of the bike very good and really sharp at corners.
3. The engine is of a short stroke design with Bajaj’s ExhausTEC resonance chamber fitted to the silencer. It gives out a healthy torque figure even at low speeds.
4. The engine gets a counter-balancer shaft which makes its operation very smooth. Power and torque band are spread in a very linear fashion over the RPM range.
5. The ECU cuts in at 10,800 RPM which is quite high and is only possible due to the 4 valve technology.
6. The rear tyre could make do with more grip and the Pulsar 200 NS feels very nimble and as easy to ride as the P135.
7. The three spark 200 cc engine is very smooth and responsive. Power and torque spread is linear and you can do 30 km/h and 140 km/h (speedo indicated) in 6th gear.
8. Throttle is very smooth and the P200 is very easy to ride hard and fast thanks to the rectangular swingarm, which offers very good stability.
9. Brakes are very good and the Pulsar 200 NS is a very nice motorcycle to ride.
10. Handling is good but not as good as the KTM Duke 200.

Source – Autocar India

Ducati launched the Monster 795 in India at the 2012 Auto Expo. The Ducati Monster 795 was initially launched at a price of Rs. 6.99 lakhs, with Ducati revising the prices to Rs. 5.99 lakhs as part of an introductory pricing. Now the introductory prices are only valid for the first 300 customers, after which the prices will be hiked by Rs. 1 lakh. Till date Ducati has got around 50 bookings for the Monster 795, which is very good response for a motorcycle of this size and price. The Monster 795 is a CBU, brought in from Thailand but enjoys only 20% duty (against the 60%) due to the Indo-Thai Free Trade Agreement.

The Ducati Monster range is the highest selling Ducati model in the world. The Monster 795 is a Asia specific model and caters to our height requirements. It is essentially a 696 with some traits taken from the 796. Power comes in from a 803 cc engine which produces 87 BHP of power. With a weight of 167 kgs, the Monster 795 weighs just as much as the Honda CBR250R. The Ducati Monster 795 is available in red colour only and features the Trellis frame in bright red. Ducati offers a personalized program (known as the Monster Art program) in select Asian countries for the Monster 795, letting riders chose additional 10 colour schemes.

Yamaha showcased two special editions of the R15 at the 2012 Auto Expo. The company has now put these on sale. The two special editions are limited in number and only 500 units of each will be available. Booking can be made at any Yamaha dealership as all of them are taking bookings for these variants of the R15. The Yamaha R15 is a stunner and looks even more stunning in these limited edition models. The two limited edition models are called the Fiery Red Special Edition and WGP 50th Anniversary Edition. The price of these bikes are Rs. 1.10 lakhs and Rs. 1.11 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi) respectively.

The changes made to the 2012 limited editions of the Yamaha R15 are purely cosmetic. The mechanical aspects remain unchanged and the R15 continues to be powered by a 150cc, liquid cooled engine which produces 17 PS of power and 15 Nm of torque. We did not like the fiery red edition that much but the WGP edition looks really cool. Still, we will choose the red and white Yamaha R15 over these. Any way you put it, the R15 looks smashing in any and every colour.

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Last month Bajaj Auto announced the launch of the KTM Duke 200 in India. This is the first KTM which hits our shores and is only the beginning as the Austrian automaker will launch even more motorcycles in the near future, including a 350cc and 1000cc machine. Now the price of the KTM Duke 200 was an instant hit with many as the Duke 125 is sold for Rs. 2.8 lakhs in Europe. With 95% level of localisation, Bajaj Auto has been able to achieve this price point. The initial booking amount announced by the company was Rs. 30,000/- but now the company has decreased this to Rs. 20,000/- to encourage bookings. The cancellation amount has been increased to Rs. 3000/- to prevent withdrawals.

To be on the safer side, KTM stores are quoting a 30 to 90 day waiting on the Duke 200. Bajaj Auto is expected to manufacture close to 2000 units of the Duke 200 every month, which will be enough to prevent waiting periods to exceed 3 months. The current rush can be attributed to two factors, one being the first KTM bike to be available in India and the second being the prices could shoot northwards as currently the Duke is being offered at an introductory price. With the Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS set for an April arrival, the Chakan based automaker is all set to increase its sales at a time when the automobile market is facing a slow down.

The iconic motorcycle brand, Royal Enfield, known for its rugged and tough looking motorcycles is now going to expand business operations to Philippines. Originally started as a British company around in 1893 setup primarily to cater to the transportation and ammunition needs of the British soldiers during the World Wars, it continues the legacy till date with the same charm. Though the company doesn’t enjoy a very huge market share in the Indian market, thanks to the advent of cheaper and more convenient motorcycles of today yet it enjoys its own share of market.

“Marketing-wise, we’re looking to fully establish and maintain the Royal Enfield marque in the country. This is a long-awaited moment for motorcycle riders, as its reasonable pricing and storied history make it stand out in the market. But we don’t want to just reach out to the hardcore enthusiast; we also want to touch base with newcomers to the riding community, particularly the 23- to 30-year-old riders,” Jimmy Barinaga, president and CEO, Royal Enfield Philippines, said.

In Philippines, the company made its debut at the Roadhouse Manila Bay where it showcased four 500cc touring motorcycles. The four motorcycles the Philippines crowd got to drool on are the Classic 500, the Bullet in Battle Green colour, the Classic Chrome and the Bullet Electra Deluxe. All the four motorcycles sported Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI), a toolbox on the right hand side and gas filled shock absorbers. Most of the components in the Royal Enfield motorcycles like the aluminum castings, side panels and chrome gas tank are handcrafted and also hand painted. With the signature thumping exhaust note coming out of the tailpipe, the on lookers surely would have enjoyed every bit of the display.

Styling - The Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS is an all new design, all new design for the Pulsar series but not quite an all new design for the world. The front headlight is very resemblant of the Yamaha FZ, while the side is typical of streetfighter machines. The rear is very similar to the Pulsar 135 LS. The overall styling seems to be quite similar to the Honda CB1000R (specially from the front 3/4th angle). This is not a bad thing at all as there are not too many CB1000Rs on the road for people to notice. For those amongst us who are not a big fan of naked bikes, need not worry as Bajaj Auto will be launching a faired version of the Pulsar 200 later.

The alloy wheels are all new 10-spoke units. A welcome change from the boring 5-spoke wheels all the bikes come standard with nowadays.

Instrument Cluster - I don’t know about others, but one of the most important parts of the motorcycle is the instrument cluster. Because this is the only part which can be seen while riding. A well designed instrument cluster is important. The instrument cluster can be divided into three parts, the left side, which houses the lights (indicator, headlight, neutral, etc), the right side which carries the odometer, trip meter and the speedometer and the center which has a large tachometer. The first time I saw the instrument cluster of the Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS, I remembered the Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler, which also has a similar layout. The appearance of the Pulsar 200 NS’s exterior and instrument cluster being reminiscent of Honda bikes are purely coincidental.

Engine - The Pulsar 200 NS is powered by a 199.5 cc single cylinder (bore – 72 mm, stroke – 49 mm), SOHC engine. This engine shares quite a few parts with the KTM Duke 200 but has been modified by Bajaj to reduce costs and offer similar levels of performance. The Pulsar 200 NS features a liquid cooled system and 4-valve technology. It is also the first bike in its segment to employ triple spark technology, which is the next step for Bajaj Auto. Bajaj will undoubtedly use this on smaller Pulsars in the future. Ignition system is independent spark control while a UCD 33 carburetor takes care of fueling duties. Bajaj Auto has not opted for fuel injection in the interest of cost reduction and easy service of the Pulsar 200 NS. A paper element air filter helps the Pulsar 200 NS to breathe while a new Exhaust TEC system helps it exhale.

Performance - Bajaj Auto knows what enthusiasts want and seldom does the company disappoint. The Pulsar 200 NS is the most powerful Pulsar till date and produces 23.52 PS of peak power at 9500 RPM and 18.3 Nm of peak torque at 8000 RPM. But what is more important is the power to weight ratio of 162 BHP per ton, which lends the Pulsar 200 NS extremely good acceleration. Bajaj Auto claims a 0 – 60 km/h time of just 3.61 seconds and a 0 – 100 km/h time of 9.83 seconds. The Chakan based automaker has realized power is nothing without control and the new Bajaj Pulsar was not designed with being the fastest Indian in mind. Thus the Pulsar 200 NS has a top speed of 136 km/h, which is still quite fast for a motorcycle in this segment. A new 6-speed manual gearbox debuts on the Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS, which is again a first for the Pulsar range.

Handling and Ride - A pressed steel perimeter frame type is used in the Pulsar 200 NS. This helps in rigidity of the motorcycle and offers razor sharp handling. But trust me, even though the Pulsar 200 NS might corner like a rail, it cannot beat the Yamaha R15′s handling prowess which employs a Delta box frame (the R15 is an out and out track machine, weighing just 136 kgs). The exhaust of the P200 NS is centrally mounted under the riders seat helping in optimum weight balance. Talking of weight balance, the Pulsar 200 NS has excellent weight distribution of 72 and 73 kgs. With a wheelbase of 1363 mm, the Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS has the right hardware to offer a better ride than the Pulsars.

Brakes and Suspension - The Pulsar 200 NS brakes are made by Bybre (a subsidiary of Brembo). The bike gets bigger 280 mm front disc brake, which is bigger than the Pulsar 220′s 260 mm front disc. The rear disc brake size is the same as the P220 at 230 mm. The Pulsars are notorious for having noisy and squealing rear disc brakes but the next generation Pulsar is expected to resolve this issue. The discs are petal type with floating caliper. The front tyre is 100/80/17 while the rear is 130/70/17 helping in better braking, which is imperative for a bike which can do a ton in sub 10 seconds.

A ground clearance of 167 mm ensures that the Pulsar 200 NS won’t foul any speed breaker. The front suspension is telescopic fork with anti-friction fork dia 37. This is similar to the old Bajaj Pulsar. However the rear suspension is vastly improved Nitrox mono shock absorber with piggy back gas canister compared to the twin hydraulic gas-charged shock absorbers found on the P220. This lends the Pulsar 200 NS a more consistent handling and braking along with better ride quality. Most importantly, mono shock offers the rider with more confidence to push the machine to the maximum.

Dimensions - The Bajaj Pulsar is grown but has it? If we compare the dimensions of the Pulsar 200 NS to the Pulsar 220F, we can see that the next generation Pulsar is wider (804 mm vs 750 mm), taller (1195 mm vs 1140 mm) but slightly lesser in length (2017 mm vs 2035 mm). The reduced length is due to headlight but the P200 NS does not look short unless you see the spec sheet. However the Pulsar 200 NS does look quite tall, which will offer more comfort for tall riders. The P200 NS has lost 5 kgs from the P220 and this could be due to the weight reduction obtained in the exhaust and the use of a smaller tank. The P220′s 15-litre tank is replaced by a 12-litre tank on the P200 NS, which is the smallest we have seen on a Pulsar till date.

Conclusion - Now comes the crucial question, should you buy one? Definitely yes! The next generation Pulsar has everything going for it. Bajaj claims a mileage of 58 km/l at a speed of 55 km/h. Even if we take realistic conditions, we can expect something around 35 km/l from the bike in spirited riding mode. The Pulsar 200 NS might not be as fast as the Honda CBR250R in terms of top speed, nor would it be as sharp as the Yamaha R15 Version 2.0. But at the price (Rajiv Bajaj said less than Rs 1 lakh when it goes on sale in April) which the Pulsar 200 NS will be offered, nothing can come close to offer the thrill at that price the 2012 Pulsar can. Indeed, one leap for Bajaj Auto, is a giant leap for the Indian motorcycle industry.

Disclaimer – The authors opinions are personal based on his own experience and judgement.

The 2 wheeler division of the Indian utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra, Mahindra 2 Wheelers is rumoured to be exiting its tie-up with the Italian auto design company, Engines Engineering by selling its entire stake back to the company’s original promoter. This news comes as a real surprise to us since the tie-up was going perfectly well without any hiccups. To strengthen the relationship between Mahindra 2 wheelers and Engines Engineering, Mahindra 2 Wheelers even entered into the Moto2 segment, the first step in the league of MotoGP racing.

Mahindra 2 wheelers bought a 70% stake in the Italy based design company to strengthen its research and development process and also increase networking in overseas countries. But after a journey of 3 and half years, Mahindra has decided to part ways by selling its 70% stake back to Mr. Alberto Strazzari, the promoter of Engines Engineering. In the whole process, Mahindra 2 wheelers seemed to have gained some premium out of this deal.

One of the reasons that surfaced out is that Mahindra 2 wheelers with a 70% stake in Engines Engineering had a controlling power over the company which was not liked by the customers of Engines Engineering namely Honda, Yamaha and Ducati. The companies feared any issues related to IPR infringement which however, Mahindra denied as baseless.

Yes, you read it absolutely right. We are talking about something that is not ordinary but super extra-ordinary! We are talking about the Gulf Top Fuel Drag Bike, or the Gulf Dragster motorcycle commonly referred to. Autocar India was privileged enough to spend some quality time with the bike and we have gathered some useful information related to it. To start off, the dragster bikes are not built for ordinary use or daily use. Instead they are purpose built for covering a certain distance (usually a quarter mile) in blisteringly fast speeds, creating world records of fastest vehicles on the land.

The dragster we are talking about here produces a whopping 1500 BHP of power from a 1585cc engine. This engine is coupled to a HPS 2.1 RC supercharger that bumps up the power output massively. And it doesn’t run on ordinary petrol. Rather it runs on a mixture of 85% nitromethane and 15% methanol. The fuel delivery is via a custom built fuel injection system and delivers a mileage of 57 litres per mile. With such specifications, this dragster can crack 0 to 100 km/h in just 0.7 seconds and reach to over 400 km/h in just 6 seconds. Delivering such performance figures are really taxing for the engine components with the spark plugs lasting for just 402 metres or 1 run.

The power delivery is sent via a specially designed clutch and then to the final 2 speed gearbox before it goes to the wheels. The front forks are taken from the Suzuki GSX-R 1000 and the riding position is really low with the front handlebar stretched far enough from the seat. The rear foot pegs are positioned almost at the other end of the bike. Though not making a very practical sense, the design and development of such a dragster is no mean feat by any measures and getting to ride one such bike would be the achievement of a lifetime!

Source – Autocar India

The country’s second largest 2 wheeler maker, Bajaj Auto Ltd has announced that it will be bringing in more powerful versions of their Pulsar brand and also of the acquired Austrian bike manufacturer, KTM to give stiff competition to the likes of Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. The Pulsar and KTM bikes expected in the road ahead will be in the 200 to 700cc segment and will definitely increase Bajaj Auto’s strong foothold in the Indian motorcycling market.

“We share the same development process with KTM, so you can expect there will be ‘a much bigger Pulsar’ next year, because we think the market is at an inflection point (at the premium end) and we are in a good position to take advantage with these two brands,” Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto, said.

Bajaj Auto Ltd is trying to market its Pulsar range of motorcycles as a cost effective solution for the people who love to have performance yet at an affordable price. The KTM on the other hand is marketed as a more premium segment of motorcycling. Bajaj Auto recently launched the KTM Duke 200 and the latest generation Pulsar, the Pulsar 200 NS in the Indian market. At the launch of the Pulsar 200 NS, Mr. Rajiv Bajaj clearly mentioned that the company will be launching the 350cc version of the Pulsar in 2013. Also, a similar quote was made during the launch of the Duke 200. The Duke 200 was launched by the company at a price of Rs. 1.16 lakhs while the pricing of the Pulsar is yet to be announced. With more and more displacement bikes coming into the motorcycle market in the near future, the Indian motorcycle scenario looks really exciting! Personally speaking, I can’t wait to see these models get launched in the market.