What are the most powerful bikes you can get for under Rs 2 lakh in India? There are about five or six that qualify for this tag now. But the battle for dominance in this segment is entertaining to say the least. We are looking at bikes with engine sizes between 300 cc and 500 cc here.
When Bajaj recently trolled Royal Enfield with its new Dominar ad, which called the latter an elephant (with the line “haathi mat palo") , it literally was like a gnat taking a bite at an elephant. No matter how much Bajaj tries to taunt Royal Enfield, it won’t be able to match it in sheer sales numbers. Watch this Dominar TVC that makes no bones about which brand it is targetting:
In July 2017, Bajaj sold 1,341 Dominar motorcycles, while Royal Enfield sold 42,960 units of the Classic 350 model alone, a 37% jump in sales from July the previous year. That’s like a herd of elephants surrounding a handful of gnats.
And here’s a comeback from some Royal Enfield fans:
And that brings us to the list of most powerful bikes under Rs 2 lakh.
Bajaj Dominar 400
Let’s face it, the Bajaj Dominar 400 is a more technically advanced motorcycle compared to the Royal Enfield Classic 350. It comes with a 373 cc, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled engine (based on the KTM 390 Duke motor), with a six-speed transmission. It has LED lighting, disc-brakes and ABS. It makes 34.5 bhp of power and 35 Nm of torque, making it a compelling power bike that is quite competitively priced. Prices range between Rs 1.44 lakh to Rs 1.57 lakh ex-showroom (for the non-ABS and ABS models respectively).
Royal Enfield Classic 350
The so-called ‘haathi’ (elephant) that Bajaj was referring to in its ad is the Royal Enfield Classic 350. It sells more than any other bike in its segment, purely on its fan following and heritage. It has sold this vision of a classic cruiser to thousands of buyers since 1901. The Classic 350 runs on a single-cylinder, air-cooled engine with a 5-speed transmission. It does not have much tech in it – it has disc brakes, but no ABS or fuel injection. It puts out a measly 19.8 bhp and 28 Nm of torque. What it offers is oodles of style! Prices range from Rs 1.3 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.
Royal Enfield Classic 500
While there is not much structural difference between the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and Royal Enfield Classic 500, the engine is bigger in the latter. The Classic 500 puts out some fairly respectable power figures of 28 bhp and 41 Nm of torque. It comes with electronic fuel-injection (the Bullet 500 version gets a carburettor), but not much else. It has no ABS or any other electronic aid or even instrumentation. All you get is a speedometer and a couple of warning lights. Prices range from Rs 1.64 lakh to Rs 1.76 lakh depending on the paint scheme.
Mahindra Mojo 300
The Mahindra Mojo isn’t one of the most popular in its segment, perhaps because it was a late entrant and up against some stiff competition. It does pack in quite a bit of technology, but no ABS yet. It comes with a 295 cc single-cylinder engine with fuel injection and dual exhausts. It puts out 26.5 bhp of power and 30 Nm of torque. It is priced between Rs 1.65 lakh and 1.73 lakh ex-showroom. Also read: Mahindra’s Mojo Promises to Bring Your Mojo Back
UM Renegade
Umm, what’s that? Is it Chinese? These are questions owners of UM Renegades have been asked. Recently the company launched a couple more variants of its Renegade cruiser in the form of the UM Renegade Mojave and the UM Renegade Classic. It is about 20 cc short of 300 cc, but we put it in the list because it makes more power than the Royal Enfield Classic 350. The Renegade puts out 25 bhp of power 21.8 Nm of torque. Prices range between Rs 1.58 lakh to Rs 1.76 lakh across variants.
Royal Enfield Himalayan
The Royal Enfield Himalayan has been taken off the market for the past couple of months as it is getting an engine upgrade, from carburettor technology to fuel injection. This is Royal Enfield’s most ‘modern’ bike. It comes with a 411 cc, long-stroke, air-cooled engine that puts out 24.5 bhp of power and 32 Nm of torque. Its unique proposition is its adventure bike styling, for which it is purpose built. The updated bike may get ABS. It is priced at Rs 1.65 lakh ex-showroom.
While this list looks at only the bikes between 300 cc and 500 cc under Rs 2 lakh, there are bikes with lower cubic capacity that make as much power. The KTM 250 Duke for instance puts out 29.6 bhp of power and 24 Nm of torque. The Duke 200 too is quite popular for its power output. And then are contenders like the Yamaha FZ25.
However, if you must have a bike between 300cc and 500 cc under Rs 2 lakh, the bikes listed above are the choices to pick from.
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