Upcoming new two-wheeler launches in October, 2015

Mahindra Mojo:

After a delay of almost five years, it seems Mahindra is finally ready to launch the Mojo in India. The Mahindra Mojo will be a streetbike powered by a 300cc displacement motor and will be the flagship offering for Mahindra. The bike is powered by a 295cc liquid - cooled, single-cylinder engine fed through an electronic fuel-injection system expected to produce around 27PS at 8,000rpm and 30Nm at 6,000rpm. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a six-speed transmission. The Mojo had been loaded with goodies in its cycle parts like USD front forks, gas charged mono shock, LED pilot lamps and tail lamps, Pirelli Diablo Rosso Tyres and petal discs. Mahindra plans to market as a touring motorcycle as the Mojo has a fuel tank capacity of 21 litres and 175mm ground clearance. Braking is done by disc brakes at front and rear while ABS has been given the miss to keep cost low. 

Competition:  KTM 200 Duke, Honda CBR 250R, Royal Enfield Classic 350

Launch Date: October 16th, 2015

Expected Price: Rs 1.5 lakh (ex-showroom)

Honda CB Hornet 160R:

Honda launched the new Unicorn 160 earlier this year which was positioned to target the 150cc commuter buyers. After riding the bike we felt the new 160cc motor has enough grunt to be utilized in a premium 150cc motorcycle and gladly Honda did the same as they unveiled the CB Hornet 160R at the Revfest event. The new Honda CB Hornet 160R gets a sportier design language with muscular fuel tank, sleeker exhaust muffler, chunky rear tyre, X-shaped tail lamp and beefy tank shrouds. Powering the new CB Hornet 160R will be the same motor as seen on the Unicorn 160. The 163.7cc; air-cooled motor churns out 14.5PS of max power and peak torque rating of 14.6Nm. Power is transmitted to the rear wheel by a 5-speed gearbox. The engine will also Sport the patented HET technology that reduces frictional losses and improves fuel efficiency. Being a sportier offering, the riding posture of the new motorcycle is a bit sporty with slightly rear-set footpegs. Suspension parts remain unchanged with telescopic front forks and mono-shock unit at the back. Braking will be done by petal disc brake at front and rear while CBS will be an optional extra. 

Competition: Suzuki Gixxer, Yamaha FZ-S FI, Hero Xtreme Sports and TVS Apache RTR 160.

Launch Date: Mid-October, 2015

Expected Price: Rs 90,000 (ex-showroom)

TVS Apache 200:

The TVS Apache is among the most popular motorcycles in the 150cc segment. But ever since the TVS Apache RTR 180 got a facelift few years back the Hosur based manufacturer have been silent. All that will change in 2015 as TVS has confirmed it will be launching a higher displacement Apache in 2015. It is speculated that the new motorcycle will have an all-new 200c displacement motor. The styling of the new TVS Apache 200 will be based on the TVS Draken concept that was showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo in Delhi. It will get sporty clip-on handlebar, digital instrument console, headlamp with LED daytime running lights and probably a split seat to complete the sporty stance. Disc brakes in front and rear could be offered as standard while ABS will be an optional extra. The 200cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled powerplant is rumoured to produce around 25 PS of power and mated to a 6-speed gearbox.

Competition:  Bajaj Pulsar 200NS, KTM Duke 200

Launch Date: Late October, 2015

Expected Price: Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom)

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Hero Duet:

Hero MotoCorp showcased the Duet and announced that the scooter will go on sale in October. As the name suggests the new Hero Duet will be a unisex. The styling of the Hero Duet isn’t radical and has been kept sober to appeal to the masses and it sports a full metal body. It does get a part-digital-part-analogue instrument console to help it set apart from its rivals. The Hero Duet will be loaded with features like external fuel filler, mobile charger and tubeless tyres. Talking about powerplant, it will be powered by an all-new Hero developed 110cc displacement motor. The new 110cc, air-cooled powerplant generates 8.4PS of power and 8.3Nm of torque, and will be mated to a CVT transmission. Braking will be done by drum brake at both the ends. The Hero Duet features telescopic front forks as opposed to the trailing link unit as seen on the Honda Activa 3G.

Competition: TVS Wego, Honda Activa 3G, Yamaha Alpha

Launch Date: Late October, 2015

Expected Price: Rs 47,000 (ex-showroom)

Suzuki Gixxer & Gixxer SF disc brake variant:

The Suzuki Gixxer is in our opinion among the best 150cc motorcycle on sale currently. In fact, it also went on to win our 2014 Bike of the year title. Despite all this accolades, the Japanese two-wheeler hasn’t been content and continues to improve the Gixxer. Pictures of a Suzuki Gixxer with a rear disc brake being tested have emerged on the internet. At the time of reviewing the Suzuki Gixxer we had pointed out that Suzuki should have offered the rear disc brake at least as an optional extra if not standard fitment given the performance on tap. It seems Suzuki has taken notice of this feedback and will introduce the Suzuki Gixxer and Suzuki Gixxer SF with rear disc brake as an optional extra. . Apart from the addition of rear disc brake, no updates on the cosmetic or mechanical front are expected on the Suzuki Gixxer and Gixxer SF. Powering the Gixxer duo is a 155cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder unit producing 14.8PS of power and 14 Nm of peak torque.

Competition: Hero Xtreme Sports, Bajaj Pulsar AS150, Yamaha FZ, Honda Unicorn 160

Launch Date: Late October, 2015

Expected Price:

 Gixxer 155: Rs 87,600 (ex-showroom)

Gixxer SF: Rs 97,000 (ex-showroom)

Honda 125cc bike:

Honda will launch an all-new premium 125cc motorcycle by end of 2015. The new motorcycle will have a sporty and aggressive design language to target the young consumers. The new Honda 125cc bike will be positioned above the CB Shine as a premium 125cc motorcycle. It will be on the same lines as how the new Honda Livo has been marketed as a premium 110cc commuter above the Honda Dream series. Talking about cosmetic updates, the new Honda 125cc motorcycle will feature a semi-digital console, muscular fuel tank and sportier bikini fairing and new multi-spoke alloy wheels. The chassis of the upcoming bike and the powerplant will be shared with the CB Shine. The 125cc, air-cooled unit develops 10.7PS of power and 10.5Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 4-speed gearbox. The new Honda 125cc bike will be equipped with the patented HET technology that reduces friction between mating parts and should deliver an overall mileage of around 65 to 70kmpl.Braking will be done by disc brake at front and drum brake at rear while CBS might be an optional extra. Suspension duties will be handled by telescopic front forks and twin hydraulic rear shock unit. The new Honda offering will be the final motorcycle to be launched by the Japanese two-wheeler giant in India for 2015.

Competition:  Hero Glamour, Yamaha Saluto

Launch Date: Late-October, 2015

Expected Price: Rs 60,000 (ex-showroom)

Kawasaki Versys 650:

The Kawasaki Versys 650 will be the second offering under the Versys brand umbrella after the Versys 1000 that was launched a few months ago. The Kawasaki Versys 650 will be the third 650cc Kawasaki motorcycle for the Indian two-wheeler market after the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and the Kawasaki ER-6n. The styling of the Kawasaki Versys 650 is similar to its litre-class sibling with a dual headlamps and a quarter fairing while the LED tail lamp has been inspired from the Kawasaki Z1000 street bike. Powering the bike is the same 650cc motor as seen on the Ninja 650 and the ER-6n but the engine has been tuned to better suit the dual purpose nature of the Versys 650. The 649cc parallel-twin has been tuned to increase performance further up in the rev range whilst improving fuel efficiency at the same time. The twin-pot mill develops 69PS of power and 64Nm of peak torque. Power is transmitted to the rear-wheel via a 6-speed gearbox. The windscreen on the Kawasaki Ninja 650 can be manually adjusted whereas a stronger subrframe allows the use of clean-mount panniers.

Competition:  Honda CBR 650F, Hyosung GT 650R

Launch Date: Mid-October, 2015

Expected Price: Rs 4.9 lakh (ex-showroom)