The K03 platform underpinning the upcoming 300cc bike will spawn a street-fighter, full-faired and adventure bike in the future.
A little over a year after the collaboration between TVS and BMW Motorrad was announced, the first images of the partnership’s upcoming sub-500cc bike have emerged online as it was caught testing in Germany. The new sub-500cc bike has been codenamed K03 and the spy shots reveal a great deal on the highly awaited offering that will be breaking boundaries for both the manufacturers involved. Expected to use a 300cc engine under the belly, the upcoming bike will possess the technological prowess of BMW along with the low-cost production abilities of TVS.
The TVS-BMW K03 is said to be powered by a 300cc water-cooled, 4-stroke, single-cylinder engine. The test mule suggests that of a back-to-front cylinder set-up with a side mounted exhaust. The radiator grille though is quite large for a 300cc offering, which leaves room for a slightly larger engine displacement. Suspension duties are performed by Upside-Down (USD) forks at the front and a monoshock set-up at the rear, whereas braking power comes from single discs at the front and rear with ABS to be offered as standard. The test mule spotted was riding with 6-spoke alloys wrapped in premium Michelin rubber.
With a 300cc mill to power the model, the TVS-BMW K03 has been placed well against the KTM Duke 390 as well as the Kawasaki Z300 (internationally) and boasts of an aggressive street-fighter design. In terms of aesthetics, the upcoming bike takes inspiration from the Draken concept with a similar headlight cluster and fuel tank. The overall design is sharp and comes equipped with LED tail lights and turn indicators to boost the appeal further.
The upcoming TVS-BMW offering will be the first of the many sub-500cc bikes the manufacturers have planned for domestic and global markets. The K03 platform is said to be developed to spawn not only a street-fighter but also a full-faired sports bike and an Adventure tourer as well in the future, a small GS Adventure may be. The 300cc bike is expected to be unveiled by the end of this year, likely at the 2015 EICMA motorcycle show in November.
Source – VisorDown.com