Ever wondered why a dog sticks his head out while being driven around in a car? Ask a biker.
The experience of having the wind hit your face and the power to zip past people driving around in 4-doored cabins can’t really be explained, only felt.
The cars on the Indian roads can outnumber the population of many countries, but what challenges the number of cars is the number of bikes.
Given the condition of the roads and frustrating traffic jams, two-wheelers come out to be the perfect choice. There are many that boast of giving a few kilometres per litre extra as compared to other bikes in their segment, but there are a few that offer pure motorcycling experience.
We bring you a list of the best ones to hit the Indian roads this year, and being unable to choose a favourite, we decided to go in no particular order.
Ducati Scrambler Enduro
When you think of superbikes and you are putting together a list of the best bikes of the year, it is rare not to find the name Ducati on it.
The Italian brand has established itself as one of the best bike makers in the world and this year, they added the Enduro to the Scrambler series already present in the country, which consists of Icon, Classic and Full Throttle models.
Ducati has used an 803cc, air-cooled L-twin cylinder engine that churns out 73.8 bhp of power along with a six-speed manual gearbox and costs under 8 lakh. What this means is that the Enduro might just be the deal of the year.
Honda CBR 650 F
Honda CBR 650 F is that bike which attracts every eyeball in the area that it passes through.
The 650 is powered by a 649 cc engine and weighs 215 kg (kerb weight), a perfect combination that makes the bike zippy and fast, really fast.
Mahindra Mojo
The Mahindra Mojo isn’t competition to any other singular bike out there really – what it aims to do is to fill a void left by the high-performance KTMs on one end of the spectrum and the chilled out Royal Enfields on the other.
The Mojo may not have the fairing or the Japanese flair of the CBR, but once you get down to riding it for a decent distance, you start appreciating its every quality. It has got the goods – a strong 295cc motor with 27PS and 30Nm that will run all day long and won’t be thirsty, exquisite ride quality, stable highway manners, a massive 21-litre fuel tank, all of these make this bike worthy of being one of the best in India right now.
Yamaha R3
While you might boast about how fast your bike is, and frankly, it might be faster than the Yamaha R3, but there is one thing that can’t beat this Yamaha – Handling.
Powered by 321cc engine that is connected to a 6-speed transmission, the bike has just enough of everything. It can take on the city traffic with ease and also take care of your need for speed when you find a clear stretch of road.
Bajaj pulsar RS 200
Yes, we know, A Bajaj isn’t what you were expecting on a list that has bikes like the ones mentioned above.
But what Bajaj managed to do with the RS 200 is offer a bike that gives you the feel of riding a superbike at the price of 1.2 lakh (ex-showrom, Delhi). Pay 12 grands more and you get Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), which prevents the tyres from locking, in a case of sudden braking.
Not to forget, it looks absolutely fantastic.
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