The Honda Twister K1 was an aftermarket body kit designed for the CBX250 Twister back in 2009 in South America that seems to have silently influenced the design on the new Pulsar RS 200.
When Bajaj showcased the Pulsar 400 SS concept at the 2014 Auto Expo, it was immediately compared to an Italian electric motorcycle called ‘Energica Ego’ (debuted globally in 2013) due to its striking resemblance. Nonetheless, Bajaj continued with the same design language on the production spec model dubbed today as the RS 200. While the design details make it decidedly different from the Energica Ego (to avoid copyright issues), we have now spotted a bike called the Honda Twister K1 that incidentally carries a similar design language as seen on the RS 200 and Ego. What is interesting though is the fact that the Twister K1 pre-dates the other two models. So the question arises, who inspired whom?
The Honda Twister K1 is essentially an aftermarket body kit that was designed and created by ‘Only Way’ of South America in 2009, a glass fibre repair shop for motorcycles. The body kit was developed for the Honda CBX250 Twister street-fighter sold in several markets of the continent and as evident holds a similar design language as the Pulsar RS 200. Much like the Race Sport Pulsar, you can see the Twister K1 featuring open double bubble headlamps, sharp character lines, and a fairly similar two-colour paint job sans body graphics.
While the Honda CBX250 had a single elongated seat, the designers added a split seat setup on the Twister K1 that is also seen on the Pulsar RS 200. The tail section though is better done on the Twister K1, than the split LED lamps (read ugly) seen on the production spec Pulsar RS 200. This was Only Way’s second project after they developed a body kit for the Yamaha Fazer 250 (sold in South America) in 2008. Both the body kits left a mark for quality and aerodynamic styling and the Twister K1 body kit was marketed as an alternative to the bigger Honda CBR1000RR being sold at 3000 Brazilian Real (approx. Rs. 52,000/-) on top of the CBX250’s standard price.
The Honda Twister K1 is powered by a 249cc single-cylinder, 4-valve engine, whereas the Bajaj Pulsar RS 200 uses a 199.5cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit with fuel injection. The Energica Ego uses an electric motor producing 136 HP and 195 Nm of torque with the latter available from 0 RPM. While all three motorcycles are different in a lot of aspects, the styling resemblance can be far from just a coincidence. Instead of jumping to conclusions, we ask you, what would be the best possible explanation for the similar styling? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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The double bubble headlamps aren’t specific to the RS 200 or the Energica Ego, or the sharply styled front cowl
Pictures Source – Confrariadasmotos.wordpress.com