BMW-TVS is in the limelight for the right reasons these days. Ever since the news came out that they were making a 300cc street-fighter motorcycle, the fame for TVS has not halted till now. Recently we told you that BMW has sent six bikes to TVS in India for testing and supplier set up. As per the contract, BMW will do the engineering and R&D while TVS will manufacturer the bikes with their strict quality control procedures. Now our sources have told us even better news which will sort of displease the traditional enthusiast in India but the Europeans and new age domestic riders are about to wet their trousers.
BMW has already made two motorcycles as we speak. A 350cc Enduro motorcycle is now confirmed to us and the latest news is that a 500cc roadster is on its way. Yes, that’s the new scoop. The roadster will look similar to elder sibling R1200R. A bike which is the same style as the Suzuki Inazuma (the only standard type motorcycle Indians know off). The motorcycle is well regarded for its touring capabilities, 90’s styling and simplicity. The BMW R1200R is motorcycle which comes with a Boxer engine which is air-oil cooled but the 500cc version will get a normal, liquid-cooled motor because it is going to target a new set of riders. A far-fetched thing, but we can’t stop ourselves to think that this may compete with the upcoming Bajaj Pulsar CS400, since both are similar type of machines.
So you are not into touring and you don’t like this news. You are sort of a person who wants adventure on and off the road? Well we have another scoop for you. The 350cc motorcycle which was being talked about is going to be something like the G650X. Don’t confuse it for the F650GS. A Supermoto which does it all. It can race on the track, motocross and obviously be ridden on the road. A 350cc well priced Supermoto will see motorcycle freaks dumping their old rides, doing anything to get this machine. As we all know, work is in progress and on schedule. Second half of 2015 is the time we should expect these motorcycles to be launched.
Now the big catch for Indian bikers is, BMW Motorrad isn’t really betting big on the Indian market just yet. Unlike Bajaj-KTM where the Austrian bike from the alliance was launched first, with TVS-BMW, it will be TVS badged products coming first with the BMW alternative not in the pipeline for the immediate future. BMW Motorrad doesn’t have any official presence in India, currently all its bikes are sold by private dealers (three currently) who import motorcycles from the company, mostly on a order basis.
If these private dealers source the TVS manufactured BMW bikes, we can’t expect pricing to be attractive. On the other hand, if BMW Motorrad does enter India and set up official presence, it will take the company a good amount of time to match its biggest rival, KTM, in the Indian market. The choice of the first two motorcycles (Enduro and Roadster), clearly signify the lack of focus on the Indian market for the German brand. For Indian bikers, the only positive outcome is the TVS bikes which will come out due to this alliance with the Bavarian automaker.
