7 upcoming premium motorcycles to be priced under 3 lakhs

21/04/2019 - 13:30 | ,  ,   | Neelanjan Chakraborty

It is a great time to be a motorcycle enthusiast in India. Global manufacturers are fighting hard with Indian manufacturers to meet the ever-growing demand with their products, especially in the premium segments. While the upcoming BS-VI emission norms loom large over the industry, they're not stopping two-wheeler manufacturers from launching new products. Here’s a list of 7 upcoming motorcycles that are expected to be priced under INR 3 lakhs:

Hero X-Pulse 200

Hero XPulse 200 front right quarter at 2018 Auto Expo
The Hero X-Pulse 200 will be an off-road focused bike while the 200T will be a tourer

The Hero Impulse was a wonderful attempt at creating a low-cost adventure motorcycle. Sadly, the joy was short-lived and the bike was discontinued. The country’s largest selling two-wheeler maker has got back its mojo and is ready with new offerings - Hero X-Pulse 200 and Hero X-Pulse 200T. While the former is an off-road centric motorcycle, the latter is more road biased. The X-Pulse 200 bears a larger 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel setup with spoked rims. The X-Pulse 200T has 17-inch tyres with alloy rims.

Powering the Hero X-Pulse 200 and Hero X-Pulse 200T will be the same 199.6 cc engine that produces 18.4 PS of power and 17.1 Nm of torque in the Xtreme 200R. The two bikes are expected to be launched between April-May 2019 at a sticker price of under INR 1 lakhs.

KTM 390 Adventure

Ktm 390 Adventure With Accessories Watermarked
The KTM 390 Adventure will share the engine with the Duke 390.

Possibly the most awaited motorcycle of 2019 is the KTM 390 Adventure. The bike is expected to be unveiled at EICMA 2019. Powering this model will likely be a differently tuned version of the 373.27 cc liquid-cooled engine that produces 43.5 PS of power and 37 Nm of torque in the Duke 390. Spy shots captured in Europe have shown it with 19-inch wheels at the front and 17-inch wheels at the rear. Test mules in India have been spotted with alloy wheels, while those in Europe had spoke wheels. This means that KTM will be offering a road-centric as well as an off-road centric version of the bike. The KTM 390 Adventure motorcycles should cost around INR 2.5 lakhs.

Husqvarna Vitpilen 401

Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 white front three quarters
The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 will be built at Bajaj's Chakan facility

KTM’s love affair in India is soon set to grow even more with the introduction of small Husqvarna twins, namely the Vitpilen 401 and the Svartpilen 401, in September this year. These retro-modern motorcycles will be sharing most of the mechanicals with the KTM 390 Duke. The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 was spotted recently with MRF tyres, which could be a cost-saving measure for the Indian market. The Vitpilen 401 will be a road biased bike with alloy wheels. An off-road centric Svartpilen 401 is also on cards with spoke wheels. The prices of these motorcycles are expected to fall in the INR 2.8-3 lakh (ex-showroom) range.

UM DSR Adventure 200

2019 seems to be the year of Adventure tourers for the India. UM Motorcycles also wants to get a share of the pie with the UM DSR Adventure 200. The motorcycle is expected to be powered by a 196 cc single cylinder air-cooled engine that produces 16 PS of power and 16 Nm of torque. The road-focused bike will have a 6-speed transmission, USD front forks, alloy wheels, an upswept exhaust unit and a low seat height of 780 mm. The Hero X-Pulse 200T competitor is expected to be launched later this year at INR 1.39 lakhs.

Also Read: Top Commuter centric two-wheelers in India - IAB Picks

Benelli Imperiale 400

Benelli Imperiale 400 Press Image Right Side Profi
The Benelli Imperiale 400 will be a direct competitor to the Royal Enfield family of 350 cc motorcycles.

One of the 5 new Benelli motorcycles heading to India this year, the Imperiale 400 is the Italian answer to Royal Enfield. At the heart of this retro-classic motorcycle is a 373.5 cc SOHC, air-cooled engine. The fuel injected engine is capable of producing 19.7 PS of power and 28 Nm of torque. The chrome-studded bike features a wide handlebar, round headlamp, twin pod instrumentation and split seats. The Benelli Imperiale 400 will be brought to Indian shores via the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route. Expect it to carry a sticker price of anywhere between INR 2.2 lakhs to INR 2.4 lakhs.

Jawa Perak

Jawa Perak Bobber Right Front Quarter
The Jawa Perak will get tyres sourced from Pirelli.

Jawa is back, and we have to thank the good folks at Mahindra for that. A major point of attraction at the media launch presentation of the resurrected brand was a bobber - the Jawa Perak. The bike flaunts a matte black colour scheme, flat handlebar, bar-end mirrors and rubber sourced from Pirelli on spoked rims. It will be powered will by a re-bored 334 cc engine tracing from the Jawa Jawa and Jawa 42. This re-bored engine is capable of producing 30 hp and 31 Nm of torque and is paired with a 6-speed transmission. Priced at INR 1.89 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Jawa Perak is expected to be launched by the year-end.

Also Read: 5 Tips to get back to riding after a motorcycle crash

Suzuki Gixxer 250

Ever since the launch of the premium 150 cc offerings by Yamaha (FZ range) and Suzuki (Gixxer 155 family), enthusiasts have been asking for a bigger, quarter-litre variant. While Yamaha has already answered the demand with FZ 25, Suzuki seems to be finally waking up from its long slumber. The Suzuki Gixxer 250 is expected to be powered by a single-cylinder, oil-cooled 250cc mill. Expect the bike to be launched as early as June this year with a price tag around INR 1.4 lakhs.

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