Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) has unveiled the Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT at the Auto Expo 2018.The V-Strom 650 is the middleweight adventure tourer in the Suzuki V-Strom range and will be launched in India in the second half of 2019. The good news is that the V-Strom 650 XT will be priced competitively, thanks to the bike being assembled from completely knocked down (CKD) kits. The Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT is expected to be priced at around Rs. 6.5 lakh (ex-showroom), and this will make it even more competitively priced than the Kawasaki Versys 650, the bike it will rival directly.
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The Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT is powered by a 645 cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, 90-degree, v-twin engine which makes 70 bhp at 8800 rpm and 66 Nm of peak torque. Globally, the Suzuki V-Strom 650 is available in two variants - the standard V-Strom 650 and the V-Strom 650 XT. The standard variant comes with cast aluminium wheels with Bridgestone Battlewing tyres while the V-Strom 650 XT gets aluminium rims with stainless steel wire spokes. The XT also gets standard plastic handguards as well as plastic protection for the front header pipe and engine cases.
So far, there is no concrete timeline on when the Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT will finally be assembled and sold in India. Suzuki already assembles the Hayabusa in India, and sales of that bike have multiplied after CKD assembly of the Suzuki Hayabusa in 2016, which has resulted in a lower price tag of the bike. Once Suzuki introduces the V-Strom 650 as a CKD, expect competitive pricing, around Rs. 6-6.5 lakh (ex-showroom).
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