The year might be about to end but the action in the world of bikes doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. And as we say goodbye to 2018, we look back at all that happened last week and what’s in store come 2019.
Bajaj/KTM – New Pulsar 250, Avenger 220 ABS, 390 Adventure & Husqvarna’s India Debut
Bajaj’s India portfolio currently has a huge gap between the Pulsar range and the flagship Dominar 400. While we did expect the company to fill this void in some way, our sources have confirmed that work on a new Pulsar 250 is indeed underway. We’ll admit it, the thought of an NS 200-like motorcycle with more power does have us excited!
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Our sources also confirmed that Bajaj will soon update the Avenger 220 lineup with ABS. While no other cosmetic or mechanical changes are expected, the addition of ABS will help the Avenger 220 conform to upcoming safety regulations.
Biking enthusiasts world-over had India on their tongues in the past week. Why? Well, it’s because the KTM 390 Adventure was spotted testing in India for the very first time. This is big news considering that the 390 adventure will be manufactured in India for the world. And judging from how the test mules looked, it’s safe to say KTM will come good on its announcement that the bike will be launched in India in 2019.
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Every party has a pooper and it’s Husqvarna here. This is one news we wish our sources are wrong about but it looks like Husqvarna’s entry into India will not happen before 2020.
Yamaha
The bike that made Yamaha again a force to reckon with is getting a major update. That’s right, the 2019 Yamaha FZ is set to launch on 21 January and in addition to an updated design and LED lights, will also get ABS.
Jawa Motorcycles
Jawa boffins are sure to have one hell of a new year’s bash. Right from the first unveiling of the new Jawa bikes to the actual launch, media interactions and dealership inaugurations, everything has went off perfectly for the resurrected brand. And just when you thought it couldn’t get better comes the news that both Jawa bikes are sold out till September 2019. Beat that Santa!
Royal Enfield
The Chennai-based manufacturer of retro bikes has been steadily updating its entire lineup with ABS. With the Classic 350 Redditch Edition receiving ABS, the standard Classic 350 and Bullet range remain the only Royal Enfield motorcycles yet to receive the safety net.
Suzuki
A couple of weeks ago, the Suzuki Hayabusa was withdrawn from most markets around the world except for India and the USA. In fact, bookings for the 2019 Hayabusa were made open just a week after the legendary bike’s global demise. And in what is surely its final production run leading up to the new generation’s likely debut in 2020, Suzuki launched the 2019 Hayabusa in India at Rs 13.74 lakh.
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Aprilia & Vespa
Piaggio, the parent company of Aprilia and Vespa, has carved a niche for itself in the highly competitive scooter market in India. And in one fell swoop, it updated the entire Aprilia and Vespa scooter lineup with ABS and CBS. Already the segment benchmark when it comes to style and performance, the company has just raised the stakes when it comes to safety with this move.
Benelli
Talking of resurrected brands, Benelli seems to be on a warpath towards restoring its muddled reputation in India. After relaunching the TNT 300, the 302R and TNT 600i, the Chinese-owned Italian bikemaker is set to launch the TRK 502 adventure bike in India on 18 February. With more new launches planned down the line, 2019 is shaping up to be a promising year for Benelli fans.
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UM Motorcycles
After the bike was first spotted in what was likely a dealer meet, more details of the UM DSR 200 Adventure have emerged. From the looks of it, the adventure bike appears promising and will offer yet another option to those who’d like to take on broken roads, but without breaking the bank.
Source: zigwheels.com
