2017 Benelli launched TNT 135..

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!

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2017 Red Color Pulsar (220 F) Revealed !!!!!!

Bajaj is revealing details of their 2017 Pulsar range in bits and pieces. They have updated their website with the prices and the changes, however there is still some data left to be revised (like it still shows 130 mm rear drum brake for the 2017 Pulsar 180).

The 2017 Pulsar 220 is now seen in a new Red colour .Bajaj at their official website lists only the Nuclear Blue and Laser Black colour options (both of which have been spotted earlier). The website has been updated with the new colour which is called as “Dyno Red”. This red colour is also available for the other 2017 Pulsar range (P150, P135 and P180) as well.

It continues to adorn the ‘laser’ graphics which are orangish-brown in colour. It would be the third colour in the palette, and probably the weakest of the lot. We hope there is an all-black colour (without any graphics) in the offing as well. And since these pics are coming from some dealership, it means Bajaj has already commenced dispatches (of this red colour).

In terms of on-paper specs there is nothing new and the 2017 Pulsar 220 continues to be powered by the same 220 cc 21.05 PS and 19.12 Nm single cylinder engine. However, it is now BS4 compliant. Other updates include carbon black exhaust canister, blue backlit instrumentation, bettered seat and rim stripes.

In this transition, Bajaj has increased the prices of the motorcycle by upto Rs 3500 and hopes that the golden run of the highest selling Pulsar (in the 200 cc segment) continues.

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TATA Kite-5 2017 Best-Looking Compact Sedan Spotted

Tata Motors at the ongoing Auto Expo has finally showcased their new “sporty” compact sedan codenamed as Kite 5, their second product with new Impact Design philosophy. Essentially the sub 4 metre compact sedan version of the Zica hatch (name change pending), Kite 5 will target the younger and fast generation.

Powering Kite 5 will be the same engine family as that of the hatch which will include –

• 1.2 litre Revotron three cylinder petrol engine producing 85 PS of power at 6,000 rpm and 114 Nm of peak torque at 3,500 rpm.
• 1.05 litre Revotron diesel mill. Tata has not confirmed the output of this mill but we expect it to be similar to the Zica (70 PS of maximum power and 140 Nm of peak torque).

Both the engines will get Multi Drive driving modes – Eco and City.

Kite 5 sedan measures 3,995 mm in length, 1,647 mm in width and 1,535 mm in terms of overall height while the wheelbase has been extended by 50 mm from the hatch to now grow to 2,450 mm. The car gets an infotainment system with a 5 inch touchscreen with support for video playback through USB. The setup is supported by a set of 8 speakers.

Assisting the car is MapMyIndia’s intelligently designed maps for Navigation. Tata has also brought in a first in segment music application called Juke app which will be available only in Android. The Juke Car App helps sync multiple phones to a host phone making sharing of music easy via a private hotspot network.

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2017 Honda City Facelift Leaked

A couple of absolutely clear pics from Thailand appended below reveal the complete car. Yes, it is just a minor cosmetic enhancement (in terms of design) but the good thing is – they have used a thinner and less gaudy chrome bar at the grille! Day before yesterday, the India-spec 2017 City facelift was also snapped.

This comes days after the leaks of the Thailand-spec car which revealed the basic understanding of how deep will the changes be.

And as compared to the Thailand-spec City, the India-spec car only gains different diamond-cut alloy wheels (which have a very close resemblance with Maruti Suzuki S-Cross’ alloys!). The front is not visible in these pics coming from India but is is expected to be very similar to the Thai car.

As compared to the existing car, we can notice the thinner chrome bar on the honeycomb grille which is also underlined by (more) chrome in that honeycomb grille. Minor changes to the design of the headlamps and the front bumper can also be noticed.

At the rear, the car gets new tail lamps and spoiler but the boot lid and the overall design remains absolutely same. The only change is the new bumper which tries to lend the car sporty looks. It features a grille-like structure surrounded by black-outlined reflectors on both ends. There are minor changes expected on to the interiors as well.

Honda has officially started teasing their new 2017 City facelift in Thailand. In addition to the details we have talked about, the teaser reveals the headlamp which has a chrome strip at the top and the sweeping LED DRLs (in fact that headlamp may be sporting all-LED lamps).

Honda is expected to do some rejig with the variant lineup of City in India. There may be a new top of the line VX+ (or ZX) variant on offer which may get new 16 inch alloy wheels, 6 airbags – side and curtain and 7 inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay along with leather seats.

In terms of mechanicals, expect the same 1.5 liter petrol and diesel engine combinations to continue to do duty on the sedan. For the petrol variant, there will be a CVT unit apart from the manual transmissions (for both petrol and diesel).

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BUSTED 2017: Upcoming Yamaha’s FZ 25 (FZ 200) Revealed

Last month a mysterious naked test mule spotted around Noida created quite a lot of interest. After careful observations it was cleared to be a Yamaha and soon after the company sent out invite mails announcing a ‘new chapter’ on 24th of January.

And as per the promo plan, they have started teasing the motorcycle on social channels. In this teaser pic it is the same motorcycle that was found on the roads. It reads “A new Breed of Riders is Coming to Town” added by the “January 2017” date stamp, almost putting the final confirmation that the 24^th Jan event is the official launch of the same motorcycle.

The upcoming street naked motorcycle is expected to be called as FZ25 and may carry the 250 cc engine of the Brazilian-spec Fazer which is air cooled with an oil-cooler (a set up similar to the Pulsar 220).

The problem is that the Brazil-spec  Fazer churns out 20.7 PS of peak power and 20.5 Nm of max torque which is way below Indian-standards of near 250 cc motorcycles. And if Yamaha has to make a good business sense out of this motorcycle (and if it is the same engine) there has to be a significant power (and torque) bump to create interest. Another issue will be the pricing. After Dominar 400’s shock placement, it will be terribly difficult for other manufacturers to place their lesser capacity motorcycles.

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2017 Yamaha R15 V3 Spy Shots Revealved

With the spotting of its face, bit by bit, the Indonesian blogs have revealed the complete motorcycle and it looks smashing to say the least! Update – we now have a spy video as well (inserted towards the end of the article)

Yamaha, from the transition of v1 to v2, did not alter the front looks of the motorcycle. They only rear lifted it and added a fatter tyre. However, with the increasing competition, they are going all out with the version 3 and that is great news for all the enthusiasts.

After various pics from different angles made way, the face has been revealed for the first time by a spy pic. Let us quickly take a 360 degree look of what has surfaced so far..

The motorcycle gets a more aerodynamic tail. The tail lamp is a tiny LED unit and also notice the rear cowl (is it also a grab rail?).

The version 3 gets a big change in the form of upside down front forks. Also notice the all-digital cockpit and the flowing tail.

A side view of the fairing – lends it an eyebrow-down angry look. The visor appears elongated as well.

Not a comprehensive change to the side fairing. This view also gives a better look at the elongated visor. There is no ABS ring to talk about but it is expected to be on offer, at least in India.

The silver-tip exhaust canister appears a little smaller and not as raised.

And for the first time the face of the motorcycle! We must admit its a job really well done Yamaha. The sweptback split headlamps (which appear to be LED units) get pilot lights on the corners. There is a big air dam in between (not sure if it is just a design element or functional to provide more air to the engine). There is a clear resemblance with the gorgeous CBR 600RR and that is a good thing actually.

A modified image to present a better view of how the motorcycle will look in blue from the sides…

In India, Yamaha has organised a press conference for a major announcement on the 24th of January which appears to be the launch of the 250 cc FZ25. The R15 v3 is expected to be a mid-year launch.

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2017 Pulsar RS200 in New Dual-Tone Black Colour Revealed

The marketing strategies have changed. Initially manufacturers offered all the colour options at one go. But now they release them one by one after certain intervals. What it does is – it keeps a check on their costs, but more importantly it brings the motorcycle to headlines again! It is more prevalent for slightly bigger motorcycles and this is precisely what Bajaj is up to.

They launched the Pulsar RS200 in March last year in yellow and red – both dual colour options. The blue-white combo was given a miss for India. In September 2015 they introduced the much awaited (demon) black colour. And next in line could be this – black-grey glossy finished dual tone colour of the 2017 version which was showcased at an event in Turkey very recently.

New 2017 Pulsar RS200 Changes

There are these minor differences in cosmetics…

• The new and slightly different decals. A less prominent ‘ABS’ moniker on the front mudguard.
• The silver-black colour on the exhaust canister is inverted in this new colour – the tip is black on the new colour.
• Dotted white rim stripes which are going to every Pulsar in the market.
• Dark Greyish brown colored foot step assembly. It is silver in the current models. Same colour has gone to the crankcase cover (it is rusty golden for the current models).

No mechanical changes are known at the moment.

The colour co-ordination we have talked about above lends the motorcycle a slightly richer taste and it also looks a wee bit muscular. Chances are that Bajaj may launch it up in the coming few months along with the 2017 Pulsar NS200 FI which was also revealed at the same event.

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