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Tag: moto

  • Suzuki Hayabusa Bookings Begin Again

    Suzuki Hayabusa Bookings Begin Again

    Suzuki Motorcycle India has reopened the bookings for the 2021 Hayabusa. The company sold out the first batch of 101 motorcycles in April 2021 in just a couple of days after opening bookings. While deliveries of the first batch have already begun, the company says that the second batch of the Hayabusa is likely to come to India in August 2021. The motorcycle was showcased in a new-generation avatar last year and made its way to India earlier this year. The new-gen Suzuki Hayabusa is priced at ₹ 16.40 lakh.

    The new Hayabusa gets comprehensive updates for the first time in 13 years. The bike now features improved aerodynamics, as well as an updated electronics suite too. It gets a 1,340 cc, four-stroke, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, DOHC, inline-four engine which makes 187 bhp at 9,700 rpm and 150 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. Top speed is still rated at 299 kmph and kerb weight sees a marginal drop of 2 kg to 264 kg.

    Along with the updated engine, the motorcycle also gets a wide variety of electronic rider aids and a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU). The USP is the Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (S.I.R.S) under which you get three riding modes and three user-defined modes, with different settings for traction control, anti-lift control, engine brake control and so on.

  • Royal Enfield To Launch Most Number Of Models In FY 2022

    Royal Enfield To Launch Most Number Of Models In FY 2022

    Royal Enfield is getting ready to launch the most number of new motorcycle models this year than ever before, and several models are planned during the current financial year. As Royal Enfield looks to strengthen its grip on the mid-size motorcycle segment, not just in India, but across the world, the company is looking to introduce several new models in FY 2022. Royal Enfield’s Classic 350 is the brand’s highest-selling model, and the company is getting ready to launch a new model of the Classic 350, based on the new Meteor 350 platform, with an all-new 350 cc engine and double-cradle frame.

    During a recent conference call with analysts, Royal Enfield CEO Vinod Dasari said, “We have a very exciting pipeline. This year will probably see the highest number of new models that is seen from Royal Enfield in a year. And that is just the beginning of the pipeline.”

    Over the past few months, Royal Enfield launched the all-new Meteor 350, built on a new 350 cc platform, and launched the updated Himalayan, apart from introducing new colors on the 650 Twins, the Interceptor 650, and the Continental GT 650. While Dasari did not elaborate on the new models that Royal Enfield will be launching during this financial year, the new Classic 350, and a 650 cc cruiser are expected to be introduced.

    “We will continue to have one new model every quarter. Because there is a delay due to COVID right now, I don’t think we will squeeze everything in but there are some very big models coming in. We are very excited about it. We will have to do all the marketing and market preparedness for that,” Dasari added.

    Royal Enfield has also trademarked several new names, like Hunter, Sherpa, Roadster, as well as Shotgun and Scram more recently. Two new cruiser models on the 650 Twins platform are expected to be introduced, while the 350 cc J-Platform of the Meteor 350 could also see a retro roadster, called the Hunter 350, apart from the new Classic 350. The Scram name could be for a production scrambler based on the 650 cc platform, while the Sherpa could be a new, lighter adventure model based on the Himalayan.

  • Harley-Davidson Reports Positive First Quarter Results For 2021

    Harley-Davidson Reports Positive First Quarter Results For 2021

    Harley-Davidson has reported a positive start to 2021 with the first quarter results of the calendar year showing good results in the crucial home market of North America. Sales in North America grew 30 percent although year-on-year sales in Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) as well as Latin America took a beating. Sales in Asia Pacific remained flat, and from all indications, CEO Jochen Zeitz’s Hardwire strategy to focus on the strengths of the brand, and cut down operations in

    “I am very pleased with the pace of recovery that we have seen across our business, as demonstrated by the strong financial results this quarter. The actions we have taken to reshape the business are having a positive impact on our results, especially for our most important North American region,” said Zeitz, who is the Chairman, President, and CEO of Harley-Davidson.

    “We can see the initial signs of consumer excitement and optimism returning and I am confident Harley-Davidson in 2021 is a significantly leaner, faster, and more efficient organization which is ready to win and successfully deliver on our 5-year Hardwire strategy, as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world,” added Zeitz.

    Despite global motorcycle sales being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Harley-Davidson sold 44,200 units between January and March 2021, a 9 percent increase on the 40,400 units sold in the same period a year ago. North America (32,800 units) remains Harley-Davidson’s strongest market in 2021, followed by Asia Pacific (5,850 units), EMEA (4,900 units) and Latin America (700 units). Revenue for the first quarter in 2021 is reported at $1,423 million, a 10 per cent increase over the same period a year ago, while net income is at $259 million, an increase of 272 percent over just $70 million in the same period a year ago.

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  • Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Launch Date Revealed

    Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Launch Date Revealed

    The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 finally has a launch date! It will be launched in India on November 6, 2020. It is going to be the most important launch for Royal Enfield after the 650 Twins. The Meteor range represents a new era for the company, as the bikes are built on a brand new platform and get an all-new engine too. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 will be positioned as a global product and is likely to replace the Thunderbird 350. Leaked brochures and other documents suggest that Royal Enfield will offer the Meteor 350 in three variants, Fireball, Supernova, and Stellar.

    The main differences, cosmetically, seem to be the new instrument console set-up and the new split seat design, together with other changes in the rear fender, headlight, and taillight. The instrument console, certainly is the center point of the changes, with an asymmetrical design, and could possibly offer far more information than the rather rudimentary set-up on the Thunderbird 350X. Design cues are likely to include a tear-drop shaped fuel tank, bright colour options, LED daytime running lights, new alloys, and a split-seat.

    As mentioned earlier, the Meteor is likely to employ a new frame and a new engine. Spyshots reveal that the Meteor 350 uses a double-cradle chassis as opposed to a single downtube frame on the Thunderbird 350. Plus, the new 350 cc engine on the Meteor is likely to generate better power and torque figures than the 350 cc UCE (unit construction engine) but not so much that it overwhelms first time buyers. The leaked brochure suggests that the engine will pump out 20.2 bhp and 27 Nm of peak torque.

    Another set of spy shots suggest that the Meteor will get a secondary TFT color display, along with the main unit that comes with an analog speedometer and LED panel for trip meter and other essential information. The leaked images show that the new TFT display will have a turn-by-turn navigation feature, which in turn suggests that the new Meteor could also get Bluetooth connectivity, making it the first Royal Enfield motorcycle to get it.

    We expect the RE Meteor 350 to be priced between ₹ 1.5 lakh and ₹ 2 lakh and it will go up against the Benelli Imperiale 400, Jawa 300 and the newly launched Honda H’Ness CB350 and the latter has been solely launched by HMSI to go up against the Meteor 350.

  • Ducati Panigale V2 India Launch Date Revealed

    Ducati Panigale V2 India Launch Date Revealed

    Ducati India has revealed that the Ducati Panigale V2 will be launched in India on August 26, 2020. The Panigale V2 will be the first Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) compliant Ducati bike to be launched in India. It will replace the Panigale 959 and is designed in a way that it resembles its elder sibling, the Panigale V4. The fairing has been redesigned and the headlamp cluster has been slightly tweaked as well. The other substantial change is that the Panigale V2 now gets a single-sided swingarm like the Panigale V4 while the 959 Panigale had a conventional swingarm.

    The Ducati Panigale V2 gets a 955 cc super-Quadro L-twin motor that makes 155 bhp at 10,750 rpm and has a peak torque output of 104 Nm at 9,000 rpm. The peak power and torque go up by 5 bhp and 2 Nm. The USP is that the motorcycle has a dry weight of just 176 kg, which means the power to weight ratio will be incredible. The engine is Euro V or BS6 compliant and gets a few new components as well.

    The electronics package includes 6-axis inertial measurement-assisted traction control, called the Ducati Traction Control EVO 2, wheelie control, and cornering ABS and ABS. There is a bi-directional up/down quick-shifter as well along with engine braking control. There are three riding modes on offer, which are Race, Sport and Street. The settings for each riding mode can be adjusted via the new 4.3-inch TFT instrument console.

    The new Panigale V2 gets Showa Big Piston Forks upfront, a fully adjustable Sachs monoshock at the rear, with a steering damper. The electronic suspension is not offered on the Panigale V2. The travel for the front and rear suspension is 120 mm and 130 mm respectively. Braking is handled by Brembo M4.32 monobloc calipers and Brembo master cylinders with twin 320 mm discs on the front wheel. The front and the rear get a 5-spoke alloy 17-inch alloy wheel. The front wheel is wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II 120/70 ZR17 rubber while the rear wheel gets a fatter Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II 180/60 ZR17 unit.

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  • Royal Enfield To Compete In American Flat Track Series

    Royal Enfield To Compete In American Flat Track Series

    Royal Enfield has announced that the brand will be competing in the American Flat Track (AFT) starting August 2020. Royal Enfield will be fielding specially-prepared versions of their production bikes. For the Production Twins class, meant for motorcycles with twin-cylinder engines, Royal Enfield will be entering a specially-made model called the FT Concept, based on the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. The FT Concept has been built in collaboration with chassis specialists, Harris Performance, also owned by Royal Enfield’s parent company, Eicher Motors Limited.

    The new machine is going to be based on the bike built as a design exercise between Royal Enfield and Harris Performance. The bike’s frame is a classy looking brazed steel tube, with an adjustable steering head angle to customize the bike’s handling according to individual riders. The frame, 41 mm front forks featuring Ohlins internals, as well as the Ohlins TTX rear shock, as well as the 19-inch wheels machined from forged billet Aluminium, are all made specifically for the bike. Johnny Lewis, Royal Enfield Slide School Instructor in the US, and AFT racer will be piloting the bike on August 28 and August 29.

    “The Royal Enfield FT Concept has already shown promise so far. We’re already seeing great results from the motorcycle. The team at Harris Performance and Royal Enfield have done a great job with the chassis, and we’ve already begun working through small adjustments based on my feedback. With the way the schedule is shaping out with small tracks, we could surprise many people,” said Lewis.

    Royal Enfield already has a FT411 based on the Royal Enfield Himalayan, to be used for Slide School flat track lessons, both in India and in the US. Later in 2020, four lady builders of the ‘Build Train Race’ program will also hit the track along with Lewis with their modified Interceptor 650 motorcycles alongside Lewis. The events for the all-women flat tracker are scheduled for October 2-3 at the Dixie Speedway event and at the Daytona Beach on October 15-16.

    While Royal Enfield has made tremendous progress in product development and engineering, starting with the 650 Twin platform as well as the Royal Enfield Himalayan which has been increasingly gaining acceptance worldwide, the future will surely be focussed on more models, new engines and platforms. We have consistently maintained that Royal Enfield has already entered a new era in technology and product development, and the next few years will only show more evidence of shaking off an image, at least in the domestic market, of having motorcycles with technology which critics consider ancient. With the push to events like the American Flat Track series, Royal Enfield seems to have set its sights on cementing its position in the international market, and also following the old adage – “Race on Sunday, sell on Monday.”

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  • Harley-Davidson To Cut 140 Jobs In The US

    Harley-Davidson To Cut 140 Jobs In The US

    Harley-Davidson has decided to cut as many as 140 jobs in the US as a result of reduced production volume after assembly plants and dealerships were shut in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. The layoffs are expected across two Harley-Davidson facilities and will affect 90 production workers at Harley’s York facility in Pennsylvania and 50 other workers at its Tomahawk facility in Wisconsin. The decision comes after Harley-Davidson was forced to shut down its factories in March as part of the efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic kept non-essential workers at home.

    In April 2020, Harley-Davidson announced that the company had temporarily laid off most of its global production employees and implemented salary cuts to lower costs, as the coronavirus pandemic hurt the iconic American motorcycle brand’s business. In April, the company announced that the CEO and Board of Directors will forego their salaries, without specifying for how long. Salaries of executive leadership were cut by 30 percent, while most other employees’ salaries were cut by 10-20 percent. Hiring has been frozen and the company also announced that salary reductions will be reassessed at the end of the second quarter.

    While Harley-Davidson re-opened its factories in May 2020 at lower production rates, the company also said that fewer models will be shipped in 2020 to dealers in the US. Production will be limited this year to bestselling models and palette of colors, and without customizable features for the rest of the year. Harley also announced that any additional new motorcycles will not be shipped to about 70 percent of its 698 dealers across the US.

    Harley-Davidson has been struggling with slow sales for several years now, particularly in the brand’s home market of the United States

    Harley-Davidson has been battling slowing sales for several years, particularly in its top market of the United States, which accounts for more than half of the brand’s motorcycle sales. To make matters worse, the coronavirus pandemic has further dented demand for motorcycles as more Americans continue to stay at home. In May 2020, Harley-Davidson also replaced former CEO Matt Levatich with Jochen Zeitz, who is also the chairman of the Harley-Davidson board and former CEO of sporting goods manufacturer Puma. Jochen and his team have been working on a new five-year strategic plan to revive sales, which Harley-Davidson plans to reveal in the second-quarter earnings update.

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  • Honda and Yamaha Prepare To Resume Operations In India

    Honda and Yamaha Prepare To Resume Operations In India

    Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) and India Yamaha Motor are keen to resume manufacturing operations at their respective plants after the lockdown is lifted. India has been under a complete lockdown since March 24, 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak which has crippled industry around the world. India’s automakers, including two-wheeler manufacturers in the world’s largest two-wheeler market, have been suffering heavy losses during this time, with plants and dealerships shut down across the country as India tries to prevent the highly contagious COVID-19 virus from spreading further.

    According to reports, HMSI has already sought permission to open its plants, and Yamaha is keen to start production in compliance with new protocols laid down by the government. However, both India Yamaha and HMSI will likely take some time to kickstart operations with many component suppliers also shut in the current lockdown. At the same time, it may take some time for workers to return from their native places, without public transport, including railways, in-land and air travel being resumed. While May 3, 2020 is till when the lockdown will be in force, it is generally expected that the countrywide lockdown will be extended, with some specific relaxations with guidelines announced in the next few weeks for a few sectors, including manufacturing.

    HMSI has four manufacturing plants at Manesar in Haryana, Tapukara in Rajasthan, Narsapura in Karnataka, and Vithalapur in Gujarat, with a total installed production capacity of 64 lakh units per annum. India Yamaha has three manufacturing plants at Faridabad in Haryana, Surajpur, in Uttar Pradesh, and Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu.

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  • Harley-Davidson Global Annual Sales Fall In 2019

    Harley-Davidson Global Annual Sales Fall In 2019

    Harley-Davidson has announced annual results, and the sales numbers for 2019 aren’t very encouraging. The American motorcycle brand’s worldwide sales declined 4.3 percent with a total of 2,18,273 units sold worldwide. Even more worrying is the sales slowdown in Harley-Davidson’s home market, the US. The Bar & Shield brand’s sales in the USA fell by 5.2 percent to 1,25,960 units in 2019, from 1,32,868 units in 2018, while international sales fell 3 percent to 92,313 units in 2019, from 95,183 units a year ago. Harley-Davidson’s 2019 sales in almost all global geographies are in the red, with the Asia Pacific region showing a slight glimmer of hope with 2.7 percent growth.

    With 29,513 units sold in 2019 in the Asia-Pacific region, this is now Harley-Davidson’s third most important geography in terms of sales, after the US market, as well as Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Sales in EMEA fell 5.4 percent in 2019, down from 46,602 units in 2018 to 44,086 units in 2019. The Latin American geography also ended the year in the red, declining 3.9 percent from 10,167 units in 2018 to 9,768 units in 2019. Harley-Davidson’s sales declined the most in Canada, falling 7.7 percent from 9,690 units in 2018 to 8,946 units in 2019.

    On the financial side of things, Harley-Davidson reported annual revenue growth of 5.5 percent in 2019, up from $ 7,48,229 in 2018 to $ 7,89,111 in 2019. As part of the company’s More Roads To Harley-Davidson program, the American brand intends to introduce a whole new range of motorcycles over the next few years, to generate a new generation of customers, both in US, and more importantly, in newer markets abroad, like the Asia-Pacific.

    Later in 2020, Harley-Davidson is expected to introduce the Bronx Street Fighter, in a completely new segment, which is a departure from the company’s traditional cruiser-styled motorcycles. The Harley-Davidson Pan America will be the brand’s first adventure touring bike, and will be the brand’s first foray into the segment. More important though, will be a new small motorcycle, developed with Chinese partner Qianjiang Motorcycle. The 338 cc Harley-Davidson will be based on the Benelli 302 platform and will be manufactured in China, to be targeted at Asian markets.

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  • Harley-Davidson 338 cc Cruiser Cleared For Production

    Harley-Davidson 338 cc Cruiser Cleared For Production

    Harley-Davidson and Chinese motorcycle giant Qianjiang (also the owner of the Benelli brand) have reportedly gotten together recently for a Design Freeze Signing Ceremony to create the most affordable Harley-Davidson motorcycle. So far, we don’t have any actual images, other than design sketches released earlier of the bike, but what is clear now is that Harley-Davidson is going ahead with the production of the ‘baby Harley’. The new motorcycle will be powered by a 338 cc engine, but instead of being a v-twin, it is expected to be a parallel-twin engine.

    The Harley-Davidson 338 cc motorcycle will be made specifically for Asian markets and will be the most affordable Harley-Davidson motorcycle

    The new bike is being cleared for production at a time when Harley-Davidson is looking to expand its customer base with its ‘More Roads to Harley-Davidson’ outreach, with a series of new models planned over the next few years, including the LiveWire electric bike, the Bareknuckle, the Bronx, as well as the Pan America. While we still don’t have any actual images of the bike, the design sketches do reveal a very similar silhouette to that of the Benelli 302S. In fact, the platform could very well be of the 302S, including the chassis and most of the bodywork, aside from a new seat unit and fuel tank.

    Harley-Davidson is likely to use the new 350 cc model (actually with a 338 cc powerplant), as its mainstay as the American brand gets ready to get into new markets and more volumes, particularly in South East Asia, India and China. It’s still not known whether Harley-Davidson will use the HD350 name, or come up with a new moniker as it has for the new models the brand is developing for the future. More details are expected in the next few months.

  • Yamaha Opens First ‘Blue Square’ Premium Concept Showroom In India

    Yamaha Opens First ‘Blue Square’ Premium Concept Showroom In India

    India Yamaha Motor has announced the inauguration of its new ‘Blue Square’ concept showroom in the country. The first-of-its-kind outlet was launched in Chennai recently, as part of the brand’s ‘The Call of the Blue’ campaign. The first outlet is about 4000 sq.ft. in size and will retail a range of premium motorcycles and scooters including superbikes from the company’s range. The new showroom aims to bring a premium customer experience in the form of “new aesthetics, inspiring propriety created out of Yamaha two-wheelers and engaging offerings.

    Speaking at the launch, Motofumi Shitara, Chairman, Yamaha Motor India said, “We are thankful to our customers for the encouragement they offered us. “Blue Square”, a new initiative from ‘The Call of the Blue’ which is designed to introduce Yamaha’s global excitement and sport will exclusively stand out in customer experiences and we hope our customers will also love to experience it. At the moment when the motorcycling scenario is fast-growing, there’s a potential requirement of innovating the experiences of buying, servicing and facilitating other motorcycling necessities with the help of an exclusive ambiance and comfort. Yamaha’s “Blue Square” will put together an embracing racing spirit of Yamaha where an array of exciting, stylish and sporty two-wheelers and accessories will be on offer.”

    The Blue Square showroom carries a blue themed ambiance with ea range of motorcycles on display along with accessories, apparel and spare parts. The new outlets will also have more focus on accessories and apparels that are now turning out to be a profitable business for manufacturers. The Blue Square showrooms will also maintain customer records digitally, while buyers will be able to download the brochures digitally by scanning the vehicle QR codes. This, Yamaha says, will help provide on-time communication and one-to-one marketing that will improve communication between the dealer and customer.

    Yamaha also plans to introduce face-scanning systems and Dealer Management System for more effective communication in the future. In addition, the Blue Square showrooms will incorporate a cafe for customers to unwind, alongside Blue Streaks that will help speed-up customer queries and will conduct touring programs. The Japanese two-wheeler maker plans to open about 100 Blue Square outlets in 2020

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  • Saigon to pilot public electric motorbike service

    Saigon to pilot public electric motorbike service

    The HCMC Transport Department will launch a public transport service using electric motorbikes at the end of this year. The service is part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last week between the department and Grab Vietnam, the local unit of Singapore-based ride-hailing firm.

    Under the agreement, the two parties will jointly roll out the electric motorbike service to support the city’s public transportation system in downtown areas, then consider expanding it throughout the city by the end of next year.

    They are also considering an electric bike rental service in the near future.

    Grab Vietnam will also share its data with the department, including the journeys of all vehicles registered with its ride-hailing technology, in order that the latter can create a traffic database.

    This database will allow the department to analyze, simulate and predict traffic on each route, and in turn, coordinate with Grab’s fleet to come up with solutions addressing the city’s current traffic constraints, the MoU said.

    Providing this additional mode of public transport aims to limit the use of personal vehicles, reduce congestion, and limit environmental pollution, department director Tran Quang Lam said.

    HCMC, the country’s largest metropolis with 13 million people, has around 7.8 million motorbikes and about 750,000 cars, according to the city’s police department. Car registrations in the city increased 15 percent in the first six months, while motorbikes 6 percent, according to the transport department.

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  • Royal Enfield Returns To Racing After 54 Years With Custom 650 GT

    Royal Enfield Returns To Racing After 54 Years With Custom 650 GT

    For the first time in 54 years, Royal Enfield will return to the race track, with two newly-built, custom Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 bikes. Royal Enfield last raced with a factory-supported team in 1965 with its GP5 250 cc racer project. This year, a few passionate staff from Royal Enfield’s UK Technical Centre have worked nights and weekends to prepare two newly built Nought Tea GT Version 2.0, developed in collaboration with Royal Enfield-owned Harris Performance. The Royal Enfield Factory Custom and Harris Performance’s build “Nought Tea GT” was first revealed in May 2019 at Bike Shed 2019.

    Thereafter, work began in earnest to build two out and out track developed Harris Performance “Nought Tea GT” race-prepped successors, with the focus and intent of being race-ready for the Bike Shed Festival 2019. Royal Enfield and Harris Performance have worked with carefully selected collaborators, partners and suppliers, such as Brembo, Ohlins and HEL to build the two race-ready bikes. According to Royal Enfield, both bikes have shed 18.5 kg weight than the stock Royal Enfield Continental GT, and boast of a 26 percent increase in power at the rear wheel.

    “Having been involved in the new Continental GT 650 right from the concept stage it is going to be a thrill to see these bikes racing at Lydden. The stock GT 650 has proved to be a great platform on which to build a cafe racer and I think the public are going to be surprised at the performance level the design team has achieved,” said Lester Harris, Head – Performance Enginnering, Harris Performance.

    “It’s great to see these two bikes come to fruition – after presenting Nought Tea GT at the Bike Shed event in May, and getting such a positive response, the next logical step was to see how well it could really go on track. As part of our custom initiatives, it’s very important to us that all of our builds work as good as they look – showcasing creativity not just in aesthetics but also to demonstrate the capabilities of our new 650 Twin cylinder engine. Royal Enfield’s support of the custom motorcycle community has grown exponentially over the past three years, and we are very excited to keep challenging the expectations of what can be done with our motorcycles. The Twins have added to this, opening up a whole new avenue of creative possibility, and it has been exciting to see Harris pull the best out of this platform. Working with Harris Performance is always a great experience – the knowledge they bring to projects like this, never mind our daily production work, is something that can only be gained through time and experience. After working with them on last year’s Lock Stock drag bike, it’s great to have an opportunity to have some fun with them in the type of racing they built the Harris name in,” said Adrian Sellers, Group Manager, Custom Program – Royal Enfield.

    The weekend’s racing action saw Paul Young, Official Factory Test Rider and Curtis Wright, Factory Custom rider, take to the track with two Harris Nought Tea GT 650 v 2.0 in the Cafe Racer cup. Mark Wells, Head of Product Strategy and Industrial Design, headed out in the Commuter Cup on a Royal Enfield Genuine Motorcycle Accessory fully accessorized Continental GT 650, took to the dirt in the Malle Dash on board the skunK650, an Interceptor 650 which has been lightly modified for trials and scrambler racing.

    The Nought Tea GT 650 v 2.0 bikes have undergone a long list of changes, to the engine, bodywork and cycle parts. The bikes feature custom ported cylinder heads, custom ported throttle bodies, custom race camshaft, lighter 520 chain and sprockets, two-into-two high flow headers and silencers, twin ITF air filter, as well as an upgraded ignition system. The bikes feature a custom three-piece fairing with dedicated mounting kit, custom double bubble screen, LED lighting, new custom wheels, fully adjustable Ohlins Retro43 RWU forks modified by Harris Performance, fully adjustable Ohlins STX36 twin shocks modified by Harris Performance, new custom clip-on handlebars, Brembo brakes, and a long list of Royal Enfield genuine motorcycle accessories parts, including bar-end mirrors and a touring seat.

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  • Yamaha Tracer Mini Adventure Tourer Spotted In Vietnam

    Yamaha Tracer Mini Adventure Tourer Spotted In Vietnam

    Yamaha may be looking at introducing a small displacement adventure tourer in the Yamaha Tracer range, as a latest spy shot from Vietnam seems to suggest. There are not enough details about what the powerplant of this mini adventure touring motorcycle is, but speculations point to a Yamaha Tracer with either a 125 cc, or a 150 cc engine. From the looks of the spy shot, it appears that the mini Tracer is near production ready, and Yamaha Vietnam may soon unveil the model, in all likelihood, at the upcoming Ho Chi Minh Motorshow later this month.

    What is also not clear at this stage is whether Yamaha will be introducing a 125 cc Tracer, or a bigger 150 cc Tracer based on the Yamaha MT-15. So far, Yamaha has two models in the Tracer range, based on the MT-09 and the MT-07, called the Tracer 900 and the Tracer 700 respectively. But none of the models in the Yamaha Tracer family are offered on sale in India. If Yamaha does decide to introduce a 150 cc Tracer, and if it is eventually manufactured completely in India, we could look at a possible launch sometime in 2020, but that would also depend on if at all India Yamaha will be looking at demand for such a model in the world’s largest two-wheeler market.

    A production-ready model of the mini Yamaha Tracer, in both 125 cc and 150 cc variants, could well be unveiled in November this year at the EICMA show in Milan. We are of course, excited at the prospect of a compact adventure tourer in the lower end of the displacement spectrum, and if Yamaha does decide to introduce such a model in India, it will certainly make for a very attractive package. The current naked 150 cc Yamaha MT-15 has been well-received in India, and a touring variant could well make for a good product strategy in India.

  • Honda Deauville Touring Motorcycle May Be Re-Introduced

    Honda Deauville Touring Motorcycle May Be Re-Introduced

    Reports from France suggest that Honda may be working on a new version of its once-popular touring motorcycle with the Deauville name. According to French motorcycle website Motostation.com, the new Honda Deauville will be based on the current Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin. So, according to the report, the new bike will feature the same 998 cc, liquid-cooled engine which puts out under 100 bhp of power and 97 Nm of peak torque and will also feature the automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT) as well.

    The mid-range touring motorcycle with the Honda Deauville name was in production from 1998 till 2013, and was named after the popular French seaside resort. The old Deauville had a liquid-cooled v-twin engine and featured a shaft drive, with the first generation model featuring a 650 cc v-twin engine. The second-generation model (2002-2005) featured updated bodywork, enlarged panniers and some technical modifications. The third-generation model (2006-2013) got an engine displacement bump to 680 cc, and was eventually discontinued in 2013.

    So far, Honda doesn’t have a pure road-going touring model, apart from the Africa Twin adventure touring model and the Honda Gold Wing at the luxury end of touring. The Deauville could well meet a niche segment which doesn’t seem to have too many models in the touring category from many manufacturers at this stage. So, will Honda go the dedicated touring way and introduce a new model with hard panniers and mini Gold Wing looks? Time will tell. But for now, it’s interesting news to see that Honda is at least looking at possible demand, at least in Europe for now, for such a model, if at all it is introduced.

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