India’s ever-growing motorcycle market has evolved from offering affordable two-wheelers for everyday commute to unveiling top-notch monsters for motorheads.
Customers are spoilt for choice across all budgets. The sub Rs 2 lakh segment is high on demand, and offers the best of both worlds: style and practicality.
Although in the recent times, Royal Enfield has ruled this segment, bikes like KTM Duke and Yamaha’s R15 give buyers something different to look at. We have narrowed it down to five options for you to choose from:
KTM Duke 250
KTM, famous for its naked bikes lineup in India, got a 250cc variant of the Duke last year.
Visually, there is not much that differentiates the 250cc variant from the KTM 200 and 300 motorcycles, except for the decals and a slightly more angular design.
The aggressive naked styling, that focuses a lot on aero and weight reduction, looks raw as always. The trellis frame is two-tone, with one black and one orange panel bolted together. The new Duke however, lets go of the underbody exhaust and goes with a traditional exhaust.
The Duke comes with a 248cc liquid cooled engine that makes about 30 bhp of power at 9,000 RPM and 24 Nm at 7,000 RPM. As the bike weighs less than 150 kg, these numbers are enough to put the Duke at par with bigger bikes. The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox.
The Duke comes with a digital instrument cluster and is priced at Rs 1.7 lakh (ex-showroom).
Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 X
Royal Enfield launched the Thunderbird X to appeal to a younger audience, with bright colours and modern styling. The Thunderbird 350 X is priced about Rs 7,000 more than the regular Thunderbird.
The new Thunderbird comes with a matte finish around the silencer and the engine, and is available in four colour options – red, blue, white and orange.
The marquee cruiser comes with a fuel injected single-cylinder engine that puts out 27.5 bhp of power and 41 Nm of torque which is mated to a five-speed transmission.
The Thunderbird 350X also gets alloy wheels and tubeless tyres – the first on any Royal Enfield bike so far.
The Thunderbird 350X is priced at Rs 1.73 lakh (ex-showroom).
Yamaha R15 v3.0
Yamaha launched the third version of the its small sports bike, the R15, earlier this year at a price of Rs 1.25 lakh. The third version of the mini sports bike has been the most significant design update since the first version of the bike that was first seen in 2008.
The R15 V3 comes with a 155cc single cylinder liquid cooled engine that makes 19.3PS of power at 10,000 RPM and about 15 Nm of torque at 8,500 RPM.
The bike takes forward the Deltabox frame from the previous R15 models. The bike also uses variable valve actuation, that has two intake valve cams: one for low to mid-range RPM and another for higher RPM.
Apart from that, the third version of the R15 comes with LED taillamps and headlamps, a digital instrument cluster and a six-speed gearbox.
Yamaha FZ 25
The Yamaha FZ25 was the company's first 250-cc bike in India. Priced at Rs 1.19 lakh (ex-showroom), this is the most affordable 250cc bike in the market.
This bike is an upgrade, compared to all other Yamaha FZ and Fazer bikes and a rather good one given the design and speeds it can touch.
The FZ25 has got LED headlamps, something only this bike in this price range.
The FZ25 has been given a 249cc engine that makes 20.9PS of power and 20Nm of torque. Yamaha claims the bike gives a mileage of 45 kmpl. When The Quint tested it, we found the mileage was 34 kmpl.
Bajaj Dominar 400
Launched in early 2017, the Dominar is now a familiar face on the road. Ever since the CS 400 concept was revealed 2014, there was speculation that the Dominar being launched as the Pulsar 400 SS. The product was close to the concept upon launch.
The Dominar has received fresh reviews since. The riding position is neutral – not too aggressive and not too laid back.
Power from the 373cc engine is 35PS and the torque figures remain the same at 35Nm. These figures are laid down to tarmac through a 6-speed transmission, slipper clutch and chain drive to the rear wheel.
The non-ABS version is priced at just Rs 1.36 lakh and the ABS one at Rs 1.5 lakh ex-showroom in Delhi. The changes on the Dominar, compared to the 390 Duke, have also greatly affected the price – making it that much more affordable for those in the market for a decent performer.
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