Two new Triumph 250cc bikes were spotted on test in Spain recently. One of them being the Daytona 250 while the other being a street-fighter, likely to be called the Street Single. These bikes are being developed specifically for the Indian market. Triumph had recently announced during the EICMA show that two 250cc bikes can be expected in the market by 2015 and the sketch of the Daytona 250 was also released. These bikes will be manufactured in India at the company’s production facility in Narasapura near Bangalore which is due for completion by 2015.
The sales of 200-300cc bikes have increased by 200 percent in the last couple of years and this segment is booming at a rapid pace. The Daytona 250 is a fully-faired bike powered by a 250cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine producing a peak power of around 25-30 BHP. The design language incorporated on the 250cc version is in similar lines with that of the Daytona 675. Along with the Daytona 250, a non-faired 250cc street-fighter was also spotted testing. This bike borrows design cues from the Street Triple. It has distinctive bug-eye headlamps upfront. The mechanical specifications on both these bikes are expected to be similar and the difference mainly lie in the aerodynamics and aesthetics.
The Triumph Daytona 250 will be directly pitted against the Honda CBR300R, Kawasaki Ninja 300, Hyosung GT250R and the KTM RC 200. BMW-TVS and Harley-Davison are also expected to introduce bikes in this segment. Triumph currently sells 10 bikes in India of which 6 bikes are locally assembled. The two new bikes will be locally produced and exported to other global markets including the USA. The British brand will price these bikes aggressively starting at around Rs. 2.5 lakhs (ex-showroom). Niche brands have finally recognized the growing potential of the performance bike segment in India and we can expect to witness some incredible product launches in the next couple of years.
Source – Cycle World
