As we all know that Honda is getting very aggressive with their plans to “serve” Indian customers. Honda has been busy launching products over the past two years which concentrated on improving the existing product lineup to sustain numbers till new products came in. Come year 2014 and they have chalked out plans for new products this year. This news is already turning the heat up, as new products in old categories are still awesome. However, Honda has chosen to enter a new segment, which is extremely niche. They have sent out a release, which states a stupendously aggressive plan for their growth in the Indian market.
Honda has mentioned that two new motorcycles are coming to the market next quarter, which means within the next four months. What we will assume that these are boring commuter motorcycles and we enthusiast do not need to start grinning. However, this time there is a reason to grin. Obviously, one out of the two motorcycles is a model from the “Dream” series but the second motorcycle is a brand new 160cc sporty motorcycle to target the youth! Yes, you heard it right.
A motorcycle that will challenge the likes of the Yamaha Fazer, new upcoming FZ (with a larger heart) and the upcoming Suzuki Gixxer. This raps up the Japanese competition Honda faces. From the domestic market, there is already a player in this segment since ages and which started this segment. The TVS Apache RTR 160. A bike which is a cult, a motorcycle that the enthusiast swears by for its performance, dynamics and quality. However, people with sharp memories will remember that Mahindra also announced its plans to launch a 160cc motorcycle this year.
As you can see, the segment has already started to heat up, no, burn actually. The plans are definite and there is no denying that this news is the best thing to happen to displacement hungry motorcyclists, as they are in bulk in our country. A little more “CC”, a little more power with minimum loss in efficiency and a lot of style is definitely going to attract the youth by herds. Expect these motorcycles to produce around 16-18 BHP of power. These numbers are expected from Honda, Yamaha and Mahindra.
Suzuki with the 155cc Gixxer and Yamaha with the upcoming Fazer will fight it out too if the Fazer sticks to the same powerplant which it has now. Bajaj and Hero will continue to play with popular models. The Karizma R, ZMR and the Pulsar 220 with horsepower between 20-22 BHP have their own fights to fight. The Pulsar 180 will play too, but not for long as it will be discontinued early next year. A new Pulsar 150cc producing 16-17 BHP is also speculated. The Pulsar will join the bandwagon and fight others with their 160cc motorcycles.
Priced between Rs. 75,000 to 90,000/- these motorcycles will fall under the 150cc supersports category and a great alternative to those who still want 2-valve punchy motors rather than 4-valve screaming engines. What do you think about all this “bikenama”. Is it on the verge of getting confusing and complicated or is this the best thing to happen to entry-level “sports bike” buyers.
