A couple of decades back
nobody would have thought that India-made motorcycles would be sold in
countries as advanced (specially in automobile technology) as Japan. But it is
happening now and we should be proud of it!
Suzuki India has just shipped their first consignment of 720
Gixxer motorcycles to Japan. These bikes are to be sold in the home country of
Suzuki but owing to the cost effectiveness they are being made and exported
from India. This is a clear example of how and what technological prowess
we have grown into.
While the Gixxer,
manufactured in India, is being exported to some countries like Latin America
etc but Japan is special. Suzuki Japan is a very shrewd company and they will
not allow any subsidiary to just ship and sell motorcycles (using their ‘S’
logo) without comprehensive control on quality.
Gixxer is already
launched in Japan and costs 316,440 yen (~ 1.88 Lakh in INR) for single tone
colour and 321,840 yen (~ 1.91 Lakh INR) for dual-tone colours. It is the fuel
injected model equipped with rear disc that is being shipped there.
Interestingly, Japanese Gixxer produces a slightly reduced 14 PS of peak power
(as compared to 14.8 PS of the India-spec model) and gets a 51.0 km/l fuel
efficiency under WMTC cycle.
Ducati
is no stranger to the warfare in the naked bike class; in fact, Ducati started
it way back in 1993 when it released the very first Ducati Monster 900.
Since
then other manufacturers have followed in wake of the Italian manufacturer by
releasing their own “naked” machines, and within the last few years the class
has been in a state of war with each manufacturer trying to out-perform and
out-power one another.
And now, for 2017, Ducati is releasing an “all-new” Monster 1200
and 1200 S in hopes to claim its throne once more. The face-lift it receives
has more purpose than just styling; the tank has been reshaped and shrunken in
size by one liter (0.26 gallon) and paired with a sleeker tailsection for a more
compact feel for the rider while resembling the same shape of the original
Monster 900 of 1993.
The new Monster also gets a new, more round-shaped
headlight (with the S model getting integrated daytime running lights), a TFT
color dashboard, and separate-mount passenger pegs.
Ducati’s
chassis department also briefly had its hands on the 2017 Monster and took time
to tinker with the bike’s geometry to bring out more agile handling. Rake is
steepened by one degree from 24.3 to 23.3 degrees, and trail has been shortened
to 87mm from 94mm. And thanks to a new die-cast aluminum single-sided swingarm,
the wheelbase also gets cut down by 1 inch.
Additionally, the new model is
dressed with Pirelli’s latest Diablo Rosso III tires for gobs of traction in
all conditions.
At 9,250 rpm the new Monster 1200 S is said to produce 150 hp,
which is five more than its predecessor and 15 more than the previous standard
model, due to the increase in compression ratio from 12.5:1 to 13.0:1 and the
larger 56mm oval throttle bodies of the newest Testastretta 11° engine. To top
it off, it is also fitted with a Monster 1200 R-inspired muffler for a more
racy appearance.
Perhaps the most notable modification to the Monster is its
new electronics package and the addition of a Bosch IMU. The new system
incorporates cornering ABS and Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) using data received
from the IMU for a new level of bike control. The Ducati Quick Shift also comes
standard on the S model and allows for clutchless upshifts and downshifts.
To try
the new Monster 1200 S for ourselves, Ducati packed us journalists up and
shipped us overseas to Monte Carlo, Monaco; a Principality that borders the
Mediterranean Sea. After tiptoeing past royal casinos and weaving through a sea
of exotic supercars, we found ourselves in the French mountains unleashing the
Monster’s newfound steam.
Right
off the bat, it’s noticeable that the Monster has taken on a livelier persona
than its predecessor thanks to its revised geometry and compact design.
Steering on the 2017 model is lighter than you’d anticipate, especially
midcorner where the previous model struggled, but the new bike stays stable
when it comes to putting the power to the ground.
The revised fuel tank also
contributes to a sportier feel and allows you to lock your knees in when the
riding gets spirited. In a tight series of corners, however, the lively feel
plays against the handling of the bike and is too twitchy for any sort of
confidence at full lean.
Saying that the Ducati’s
suspension is phenomenal, however, is an understatement. The 48mm fully
adjustable Öhlins front fork and rear shock soak up any imperfections in the
pavement and provide all the feedback necessary for comfort at every riding
pace.
Similarly, the Brembo M50 brake calipers and 330mm discs do an impressive
job at stopping the Monster all while providing good feel through the lever
without being too grabby.
The engine, too, runs
smoothly, and the extra horsepower it receives is evident, but it still feels a
little underpowered compared to some of its competitors.
The 1,198cc powerplant
comes alive around 7,500 rpm and signs off at 11,500 rpm, pulling considerably
all the way through that window of power. Sounds good, right? Well, while nothing
bad, it just doesn’t provide the same excitement as some of its competitors.
Tinkering
with the Monster’s three riding modes (Sport, Touring, and Urban) during the
ride proved more worthwhile than expected.
Sport mode (the most aggressive of
the three) is too touchy for most of the ride, but a quick switch to Touring
was the perfect fix. Transition between on and off throttle feels seamless, and
the power delivery is linear throughout the rev range, making the bike very
friendly to ride in even the trickiest conditions.
The clutchless shifting also
pays dividends after a long day of riding by reducing fatigue, and the wheelie
control worked well to keep the front wheel down without cutting too much
power—except we think wheelies are acceptable on a bike like this!
Okay, so despite a small disadvantage in power and low-speed
handling, there’s no doubt that Ducati has delivered the best Monster 1200 S
yet—but unfortunately that comes with a hefty price.
Dealers are to put a
retail price of $16,995 for the red colorway or $17,195 for the gray models as
they hit their showrooms in January of next year, but that’s still more than
most of the competition. But if price is no concern, pick the right roads and
conditions, and the Ducati will surely fight for the top spot of the naked bike
class.
Always
one of our favorite middleweight standard bikes, Triumph’s Street Triple has
received some major upgrades for 2017, with an all-new 765cc three-cylinder
powerplant and electronics suite heading the list.
The Street Triple has been
one of the top middleweights since its debut in 2007, but the numerous upgrades
position it to be the class leader if its spec sheet numbers are any
indication. The latest triple from the British marque will be available in
three versions: a base S model, a mid-level R model, and a top-line RS model.
Biggest
change is obviously the new engine, which was developed from the Daytona 675
powerplant. Triumph says that there are more than 80 new parts within the
inline three-cylinder, which includes the larger pistons (bore increases from
74mm to 78mm, although compression ratio stays at 12.65:1) sliding in
Nikasil-coated aluminum cylinders, and different crankshaft (stroke increases
from 52.3mm to 53.4mm).
A lighter, freer-flowing exhaust and redesigned airbox
help the larger engine breathe better, with a revised gearbox layout and
shorter first and second gears contributing to slicker shifting and quicker
acceleration from a stop
.
Each
of the Street Triple models reportedly comes with its own engine setup and ECU
that provides different power levels. The S model is said to provide 6.6% more
horsepower and a 7.3% increase in torque than its predecessor, with a claimed
111HP @ 11,250rpm and 53.8 ft/lb @ 9,100 rpm. Triumph says the R model has its
own specific crankshaft, with peak power climbing to 115HP @ 12,000 rpm and
torque boosted to 56.8 ft/lb at 9,400 rpm.
And finally, the top-shelf Street
Triple RS has the highest state of tune, delivering 121 HP @ 11,700 rpm, with a
miniscule decrease in torque at 56.7 ft/lb at 10,800 rpm.
An
new gull-wing design aluminum swingarm boasts increased torsional stiffness for
stability with an engineered reduction in lateral rigidity for better feel when
leaned over. Also, the swingarm pivot has been repositioned for better
anti-squat properties under acceleration.
The
suspension and brakes on each Street Triple model also vary accordingly. The S
model is equipped with a non-adjustable Showa 41mm inverted separate-function
fork and piggyback-reservoir shock with spring preload adjustment, with braking
handled by 310mm discs and twin-piston Nission slide-mount calipers.
Meanwhile
the R version gets a Showa 41mm inverted separate function Big Piston Fork with
adjustable rebound/compression damping and spring preload along with a fully
adjustable Showa piggyback-reservoir-equipped shock out back; brakes get
upgraded to Brembo M4.32 four-piston monoblock radial-mount calipers biting on
310mm discs.
And finally, the RS model gets the highest-spec Showa 41mm
inverted BPF with full rebound/compression damping and spring preload adjustability
up front, and a premium Öhlins STX40 piggyback-reservoir-equipped shock out
back; Brembo's top-of-the-line M50 monoblock four-piston radial-mount calipers
with span/ratio-adjustable lever.
All three versions use the same Brembo
single-piston slide-pin caliper with a single 220mm disc rear brake
combination.
All
three Street Triples feature a ride-by-wire throttle system with different
riding modes that adjust the throttle response, ABS, and traction control,
although the electronics suites vary between the trio from that point. For the
S model, there are two riding modes: Road and Rain.
The R version gets four
riding modes: Road, Rain, Sport, and Rider Programmable. And the RS gets an
additional Track mode to the previous four riding modes.
On
the R and RS models, a new 5-inch TFT full color instrument panel with three
different displays depending on the riding mode selected provides all riding
information. Navigation through the various features is done through a five-way
toggle joystick control on the left handlebar.
Incidentally, the ABS can be
independently adjusted between three settings (road, track, or off) and the
traction control between five settings (rain, road, sport, track, or off) on
the R and RS models. The RS also comes standard with a quickshifter, with the
unit available as an accessory for the R and S models.
Pirelli's Diablo Rosso
Corsa tires come standard on the S and R models, while the top-shelf RS comes
equipped with Diablo Supercorsa SP tires for maximum performance.
MSRP
for the new 2017 Triumph Street Triple was only available for the base S model
at $9,900. Color choices are as follows:
Street Triple S: Diablo Red or Phantom Black (Metallic)
Street Triple R: Jet Black (Gloss), Matt Aluminum Silver or Crystal White
Street Triple RS: Matt Silver Ice or Phantom Black (Metallic)
R15 v3, which was getting revealed bit
by bit, has been spotted in entirety and it appears that Yamaha is out for
vengeance! There are two black test mules pictured here in these pics sourced
from M-Slaz Club Thailand.
The riders appear to have taken a break to save
themselves from the downpour.
Against what we thought initially when
we did not have the complete picture, the version 3 of R15 is a comprehensively
re-designed motorcycle.
There is a bigger chiselled tank and the fairing also
gets its share of changes. But it is the angry face which is the most
attractive part of the motorcycle. Yamaha will be accused of taking inspiration
from the beauty Honda CBR 600RR but there are a lot of elements which scream
exclusivity.
The dual split head lamps are narrower
and have a big air dam in between. Whether the air dam is functional (for such
a small capacity motorcycle) or merely a design element is not known at the
moment. The motorcycle, clearly has been designed with ‘heart’ and for some
reason it also appears to be slightly bigger. Going by what we see, it could
easily run a 200+ cc engine with the body ably supporting the body-size
expectations.
There are (at least) two test mules on
the roads which hint at the possibility of two or more tunes/parts/variants on
test. We do not see ABS rings on both these motorcycles and a few parts like
the handlebar grips, side blinkers etc are taken from the current R15’s bin.
Existing R15 v2
for reference
It appears that
Indonesia will be the first market to get the new R15 which is officially
revealed by an Indian management guy to be more powerful and safer. After
setting foot in the Indian scooter segment, Yamaha is warming up with their
motorcycle plans – onslaught of which will begin with the upcoming ~250cc FZ25 (launch on 24th
Jan), followed by the new R15 v3 which we expect will be launched towards the
middle of this year.
Back in 2011,
XUV500 revived Mahindra’s fortunes as it not only turned tables in its favour
but also debunked the myth that – “not many will pay near 15 lakh for a
Mahindra”! It started with bumper bookings and huge waiting periods. Flip to
2017 and it is still a very impressive seller and now with the expanded W10
range it costs many lakhs more (than 15)!
Later, over the
XUV500, Mahindra brought and placed Ssangyong Rexton which has not really
yielded them the desired dividends. The relatively unknown brand name could be
one big reason of its dismal show. And with Ssangyong in its kitty, Mahindra
does see a big scope in this segment over XUV500. So, the big news is –
according to a report from Autocar, Mahindra will be launching the next-gen
Rexton in India under its own badge.
Codenamed as Y400, it will be the
production version of the LIV-2 concept they showcased at last year’s Paris
Motor Show. Y400 will be a body-on-frame SUV almost the size of the big two –
Fortuner and Endeavour. But as you can expect, Mahindra will play the price
card and the report goes on to claim that it may undercut the Fortuners by upto
Rs 5 Lakhs!
Y400 for India may be powered by the
2.2 liter turbocharged diesel engine which develops 184 bhp of power and 420 Nm
of torque. The production version of Y400, which may or may not get the Rexton
brand, will be launched globally at the Seoul motor show in March. Mahindra’s
version of the SUV may get the XUV700 moniker to build on the already established
brand name.
XUV700 Launch
Autocar
predicts that XUV700 could be launched by December this year itself which I
believe is a little far-fetched considering the fact that there has been no
test mule that has been spotted yet. But the counter-argument is that if it
will just be a rechristened version of the Ssangyong SUV (without many
mechanical changes) it would have gone through (or is going through) all the
tests already.
Whatever it is, it is one of the most
sensible decision taken by Mahindra and we expect new details to trickle down
in the times to come!
Back in October 2016 we told you that
Honda will be launching new Navi variants which will be based on the Auto Expo
concept models they had put up on display.
And two months later with the arrival
of 2017, Honda has officially shot a press release informing about the launch
of two new customised variants – Navi Adventure and Chrome editions.
Basically accessorised versions of the
regular Navi both these variants can be bought at all dealerships in India by
paying an additional premium on the ex-showroom price of Navi (which is Rs
39,648 for Delhi).
The adventure
model which is the better looker of the two gets…
Under guard
Adventure
stripe
Luggage box
Seat cover
adventure
Adventure
visor
Headlight
protector
RR grip
Knuckle
guard set
Navi
Adventure Price:
The cost of the
adventure kit is Rs 8582 and hence the final ex-showroom price is Rs
48,173.
Navi Chrome
If you like
chrome on your Navi, you can go for the Chrome customisation kit which comes
with..
Side lower
cover
Headlight
protector
Rear grip
Under guard
Headlight
cover
Luggage box
·Navi
Chrome price
·The
cost of the chrome kit is Rs 5065 and hence the ex-showroom Delhi price
of Navi chrome is Rs 44,713.
·Both
the customised models can be had only in black colour and booked by paying Rs
1000 online through Navi’s official app. All prices mentioned here are
ex-showroom Delhi.
·Mechanically,
both the Navi models remain absolutely unchanged and continue with the 109.19
cc 8 PS and 8.96 Nm single cylinder engine and gets upside down front forks and
monoshock at the rear.
·Honda
also informs that they have registered total sales of over 50,000 units of Navi
in October itself (which was its sixth month in commercial sales) and it has
also crossed 2000 unit exports within four months. Navi is currently exported
to Nepal and Sri Lanka where the response according to Honda is encouraging.
Royal Enfield has
launched the 2017 Classic 350 by calling it based on the Redditch Series.
Redditch is the town in UK which is the birthplace of Royal Enfield and
produced 50s era motorcycles till 1967. RE says that these new models are in
remembrance of the same heritage.
There are three
new colours – Redditch Red, Redditch Blue and Redditch Green. The new colour
theme features glossy shades which are limited to the tank and the rest of the
motorcycle parts are black in colour lending them a dual-tone essence.
The good
part is that apart from the RE logo, there are no stickers which make them look
cleaner. In its official release, Royal Enfield informs that there are Redditch
monograms on the motorcycles which are not visible in the official shots
pictured on this page.
Apart from this, we also notice a
white piping on the seat to add some sportiness. Mechanically, the 2017
Redditch Classic 350 continues with the same 346 cc engine which produces 19.8
bhp of peak power and 28 Nm of max torque.
2017 Classic 350 Redditch Price &
Availability
These models are
in addition to the existing colours/variants. Bookings for the 2017 Classic 350
Redditch will open from 7th January across all Royal Enfield
showrooms and their on-road prices are as under…
Honda’s Navi reminded
us of Bobby which was sold in India in yesteryears. There will be another
addition to this list of tiny but interesting motorcycles, this time from DSK
Benelli.
At the Auto Expo
2016,
DSK kept on display their TNT135 and announced that it will be launched
in India in some months and it appears that they are beginning to warm up with
the plan.
The TNT135 is out on Pune roads testing for its worthiness and to iron out any
flaws which may have crept in while making it India-worthy.
TNT135 or T135 comes with noticeable
features like upside-down front forks, rear disc brakes, 41 mm rear monoshock
absorber, twin-pipe exhaust. It is powered by a single cylinder 134.7 cc
4-valve dual-spark plug ,oil cooled engine which is Euro 4 compliant.
It pumps
out
13 hp of peak power at 9000 rpm and 10.8 Nm
of maximum torque at 7000 rpm.
The miniature TNT25-lookalike TNT135
comes with 12 inch small wheels with chunky tyres (similar in size to some
scooters like Gusto etc).
So, if you are a potential Navi
customer, you may have an interesting upgrade option coming up very soon. DSK
is expected to launch TNT135 in the coming 3-4 months in India and it will be
their most affordable motorcycle in the lineup. However, do not expect it to
come cheap – we are still looking at an ex-showroom price tag of over 1-1.2
Lakhs easily!
