Motorcycle launches in April

Kawasaki Ninja H2

Launch date: April 3rd 

Price: 29.10 lakh (ex-showroom Pune)

The Kawasaki Ninja H2 will be the second launch for the Japanese two-wheeler giant in 2015 after the Kawasaki Versys1000. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 will be brought to the Indian two-wheeler market via the CBU route. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is the street-legal version of the 300PS, Kawasaki H2R hyperbike and made its world debut at the 2014 EICMA motorcycle show in Italy. Powering the motorcycle is a 998cc, liquid-cooled, supercharged inline-four motor churning out 200PS at 11,000rpm and peak torque of 113.5Nm at 10,500rpm. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 will be offered with an option of Ram Air that hikes the power output to 210PS. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is also the only supercharged production motorcycle on sale currently. 

The styling of the bike is inspired from the Kawasaki Ninja H2R heavily but it gets additions like a headlamp, turn indicators, tail lamp and rear-view mirrors to make it road legal. The Japanese two-wheeler giant claims that the mirrors have been designed to assist high-speed stability while a 'chin spoiler' on the fairing delivers down force to the front wheel. The steel trellis frame on the Kawasaki Ninja H2 is same as the track oriented offering and has been finished in a shade of bright green. Kawasaki claims by employing a trellis frame they have been successful in keeping the wheelbase as short as possible thereby improving the handling dynamics of the Kawasaki Ninja H2. 

The bike tips the scale at 238kg which is on the heavier side and has a power-to-weight ratio of 0.89PS/kg. Electronic goodies on the Kawasaki Ninja H2 include multi-level traction control with a track mode, launch control to maximise acceleration, quick-shifter and ABS. The bike also features an electronically adjustable Ohlins steering damper. Suspension duties are taken care of by fully adjustable KYB suspension at front and rear. Braking is done via 330mm semi-floating discs and radial-mounted monobloc calipers at the front and a 250mm disc at the rear sourced from Brembo. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 will be pitched against the BMW S1000RR and the Ducati 1199 Panigale in the Indian superbike market and it will be the most expensive offering from Kawasaki India.

Suzuki Gixxer SF

Launch date: April 7th 

Price: Around Rs 85,000 

Suzuki hit gold with the Gixxer in the Indian two-wheeler market which has been much-admired by auto journos and also won the 2014 ZigWheels Bike of the Year award (story link). The Japanese two-wheeler giant wants to ride on this goodwill and for this purpose will launch the faired version of the Gixxer christened as the Suzuki Gixxer SF in India. 

The new offering is not an entirely new bike but will be just a faired version of the Suzuki Gixxer. Talking about styling, the designers haven’t tinkered much with the basic design of the bike except from adding a fairing. No changes are expected on the mechanical front and it is speculated that the new offering will be powered by the same motor as seen on the Suzuki Gixxer. But we will have to wait till the launch of the bike to find out whether or not Suzuki will tinker with the powerplant. The Suzuki Gixxer SF will rival the Yamaha Fazer and the upcoming Bajaj Pulsar 150AS in our two-wheeler market. The new bike is expected to be priced around Rs 85,000 ex-showroom.

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Yamaha Saluto

Launch date: April 17th 

Price: Around Rs 60,000 

Yamaha have been able to make an impact in the 150cc market in India with the help of the FZ series but haven’t been able to make much of a breakthrough in the entry-level segment. The Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer plans to change that by launching a new 125cc motorcycle soon. Yamaha has been developing the new motorcycle for some time now and will be launched as the Saluto in our market. Yamaha already has two models in the 125cc space – the SS125 and the YBR125, but these bikes have not had much market success in the 125cc segment, dominated by Honda and Hero MotoCorp. In all likelihood, the YBR125 will slowly be phased out, to be replaced by the Saluto. According to Yamaha dealers, the YBR 125 has been a slow seller and numbers of new units from Yamaha factories have also been slow.

The Saluto is expected to be priced around Rs 60,000 and will be powered by the same 125cc engine that the current model (SS125 and YBR125) employs. The Yamaha Saluto’s powerplant will be equipped with Yamaha’s patented Blue Core technology. Yamaha also recently upgraded its scooter range with Blue Core technology, which, the company says, offers better performance and fuel economy. Yamaha’s current 125cc engine produces 11PS of power and 10.5Nm of torque, respectable enough for a 125cc bike. What Yamaha hopes, the new bike will help achieve, is more sales in the 125cc segment, which has not quite been Yamaha’s strong point. With Blue Core engine technology, Yamaha will be looking to market the new bike with better fuel efficiency figures than the current offerings.