A lot has been said about the bikes that are expected to arrive in the Indian market in 2016. According to CarandBike's sources, here are the top 10 bikes, that we believe will be unveiled at the upcoming Auto Expo 2016.
BMW G 310R
This is probably the most awaited motorcycle this year. This is a bike which will be developed by BMW Motorrad - the two wheel arm of the German auto giant - and the Indian two wheeler manufacturer TVS. The G 310R has been designed and engineered in Germany, but will be built at the TVS factory in Hosur, near Bengaluru.
The naked streetbike - G 310R will be powered by a single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected 313cc engine, which will produce 33.6bhp of power and 28Nm of torque. BMW claims a top speed of 145kmph and fuel efficiency of around 30-35km/l.
High-quality parts include things like 41mm upside down front forks, and an adjustable monoshock at the rear. There will also be a 300mm rotor front disc brake and a 240mm disc at the rear, with standard two-channel ABS. The bike is expected to be launched by the middle of 2016 and will be priced around Rs. 2 lakh.
UM Renegade Sport
UM Motorcycles will be unveiling two of its cruisers at the Auto Expo. Both the cruisers belong to the Renegade series and have been christened Commando and Sport S. Both these bike have been designed and developed specifically for the Indian market in collaboration with electric bike maker Lohia. These bikes will be manufactured at a plant in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, and UM has plans to make this facility a manufacturing hub eventually to export bikes to other markets in South Asia, South East Asia and even Europe.
Both the machines will be powered by the same 300cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine delivering around 26bhp power and 23Nm of torque. Once UM has launched these two models in the Indian market, it will also launch two more models, based on the same platform. Sources close to UM have confirmed that the bikes will range from Rs. 1.2 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh.
DSK Benelli TRK 502
Catering to a segment which has slowly started taking shape, the Benelli TRK 502 is an adventure tourer from the DSK Benelli stable. Expected to be launched in the second half of 2016, the bike will come with a host of adventure-friendly features - a large 20-litre fuel tank, LED headlight, high ground clearance, standard ABS and adjustable upside down front fork and rear monoshock providing suspension travel of 150mm at both front and rear.
Looking similar to a BMW R1200GS, the TRK 502 is powered by a new parallel twin, liquid cooled 500cc engine that produces 48bhp of power at 8500rpm and peak torque of 45Nm at 4500rpm. The engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox and is controlled by a hydraulic clutch. Complimented by purposeful looks, the TRK 502 will also offer decent on/off-road capability. If priced well, the TRK 502 could become a very promising product from DSK Benelli. We are expecting it to be priced between Rs. 5-5.5 lakh.
DSK Benelli Leoncino
The scrambler-looking Benelli Leoncino was first unveiled at the EICMA show in November 2015, and will make an appearance at the 2016 Auto Expo as well. Keeping up with the times, when the Scramblers are coming back into fashion, Benelli showcased its Leoncino - a very rugged, stylish and retro-looking Scrambler with modern technology - at EICMA 2015. Unveiled at the EICMA as a concept, the Leoncino will soon be in production and is expected to be launched in Indian by late 2016.
The name, Leoncino, comes from a family of lightweight Benelli bikes introduced in the 1950s. The new Leoncino will be powered by a liquid-cooled, 500cc, parallel-twin engine producing 47bhp power and 45Nm of torque. Expect the Leoncino to be priced very competitively in the Indian market - around the Rs. 5 lakh mark.
Also Read: Upcoming 300-500cc Bikes of 2016
DSK Benelli Tornado 302
DSK Benelli will also launch its Tornado 302 - the first fully faired motorcycle to be launched by the Italian brand in India. This will also be Benelli's second fully faired bike to be offered globally after the Tornado 1130, which was launched way back in 2003. The bike will be powered by the same engine as the one on the TNT 300 - a liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine, making around 35.5bhp of power at 12,000rpm and 27Nm of peak torque at 9,000rpm.
The Benelli Tornado 302 will also have 41mm upside down forks at the front and a lateral monoshock at the rear, adjustable for preload. Braking is handled by 260mm floating discs with a four-piston caliper at the front and a single 240mm disc with a single piston caliper at the rear. ABS will be offered as an option. The Benelli Tornado 302 will be unveiled at the 2016 Auto Expo and expected to make its way to India sometime later in the year. Expect it to be priced around 3.25 lakh.
Triumph Street Twin
The Street Twin was one of the five new Bonneville motorcycles that Triumph unveiled sometime in October 2015. The bike is expected to be launched at the Auto Expo and deliveries are expected to begin soon after. The Street Twin will be the most affordable Bonneville in the Indian market. The Street Twin is the entry level model of the 2016 Bonneville range and will replace the current Bonneville.
The all-new Street Twin retains the classic looks of the Bonneville, but apart from that, shares nothing with its predecessor. The engine of the Street Twin is an all-new 900cc, parallel-twin unit, which now gets liquid cooling. The power output is 54bhp but torque comes in low and strong - all 80Nm of it kicking in at 3,230rpm. Triumph has called it the High Torque engine, and says even though power is low on paper, there's more usable power and torque at low, and mid-range, making it feel much more responsive than the current Bonneville. Some of the other additional features are - ride by wire throttle, ABS, slip assist clutch and even traction control. The Street Twin is expected to be priced a little over the current Bonneville which means the price tag should be somewhere between Rs. 6.5 and 7 lakh.
Hero HX 250R
The Hero HX 250R was showcased for the first time at the 2014 Auto Expo, and we can surely say that the bike has taken more time than it should to hit the Indian market. One of main reasons for this delay was the crisis Hero's partner - Erik Buell Racing - was going through. Well, things are back on the track for Hero, as they have built a brand new R&D center near Jaipur, and the bike is expected to make its debut very soon.
The bike will be powered by a 249cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine, and will have a claimed output of 31bhp and 26Nm of power and torque respectively. The bike is also expected to arrive with a six-speed gearbox. No prizes for guessing that with these looks and performance, the Hero HX 250R is expected to compete with the likes of the Honda CBR 250R. The price is expected to be around Rs. 1,75,000.
Also Read: Upcoming 150-300cc Bikes of 2016
Honda NXR 160
After creating a segment in the Indian market, Hero Impulse soon died. One of the major reasons why the Hero Impulse failed to make a mark was its underpowered engine. One of the most subdued and neglected segment in the Indian two-wheeler market, the off-road enthusiasts have waited for a good fun motorcycle for a very long time. We believe that Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) will offer its NXR 160 to the segment which was created by the Hero Impulse in 2013.
The bike is already being sold in many international markets with a single-cylinder, air-cooled, 162.7cc engine delivering 14.6bhp of maximum power at 8,500rpm and 14.41Nm of optimum torque at 6,000rpm. The bike looks similar to the Hero Impulse, but promises to be better built and provide more excitement, both on and off the road. Expect the Honda NXR 160 to be priced around Rs. 73,000.
Yamaha MT-03
Yamaha India will soon introduce the naked variant of its YZF-R3, called the MT-03 in 2016. As the badge, MT, confirms, the Yamaha MT-03 will be a stripped down version of the existing Yamaha YZF-R3. The bike will have the same 321cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine making 42bhp power at 10,750rpm. The MT-03 will surely be lighter than the R3 (thanks to the missing fairing and other small bits), which will ideally should provide a brilliant power to weight ratio. The Yamaha YZF-R3 weighs 165kgs, so that should make the MT-03 weigh somewhere around 160kgs.
In pictures, the Yamaha MT-03 looks muscular and chiselled without the fairing. The bike will attract buyers who are not into the bling business, and want a motorcycle which is not just fun, but comfortable too. The Yamaha MT-03 will be a street bike and will have a single piece handlebar rather than the clip-ons the Yamaha YZF-R3 comes with. The Yamaha MT-03 will compete against the likes of the Benelli TNT 300, Kawasaki Z250 and even the KTM Duke 390. We expect the Yamaha MT-03 to be priced around Rs. 3 lakh.
Indian Scout Sixty
Polaris-owned Indian Motorcycles will also expand its model range in 2016 by offering the Indian Scout Sixty. The bike looks exactly like the existing Scout, but has a different power unit. Where the Scout has an engine displacement of 1,130.7cc, the Scout Sixty has a 999.6cc engine. The claimed power output of the Scout Sixty is 78bhp against Scout's 100bhp.
The bike will also have a five-speed gearbox which is one gear lesser than the one found in the Scout. Apart from these changes, both the bikes share the same package including the same frame, suspension and brakes. The Indian Scout Sixty is expected to be priced around Rs. 11 lakh.
