Five Upcoming Performance Bikes To Look Out For In 2017

The year 2017 is going to be very interesting for the Indian two-wheeler industry as two new mandations are going to enter into the rule books for new models. The first one is the stringent BS-IV emission standards and the other one is Automatic Headlamp-On (AHO) safety feature. While most of the manufacturers are updating their products with these two, some of them are supplementing their players with some extra add-ons, expecting a stronger market performance this year. The big bikes market is also going to be affected by these changes but some of the manufacturers in this division are going to take a more interesting way to deal with the new rules. Yes, some of them have decided to replace the existing products with new models which are expected to be launched soon in the market. Apart from these successors, there are also some other new products expected to be launched in India in the performance bike segment. So, let's have a look at the top five of them.

Kawasaki Z650: Kawasaki is going to replace its popular and one of the most affordable middleweight streetfighters in the country, the ER-6n, with the new Z650. The new model is much better than the existing motorcycle and is based on a steel trellis frame. The bike has been reengineered to provide better handling and agility and gets an all-new, meaner appearance as well. 

The bike retains the same 650cc, parallel-twin motor from its predecessor; however, it has been updated for the new emission norms. The updated engine delivers 68PS of power and comes mated to a six-speed transmission via an assist & slipper clutch. There is a drop of around 4PS in maximum power output but the new model weighs 20kg lesser than the ER-6n and that is more than enough to compensate for the power drop. The Kawasaki Z650 is expected to be priced somewhere near Rs 5 lakh and it will also get ABS as a standard feature, which is a major miss in the existing bike.

Triumph Street Triple RS: Triumph has already revealed its 2017 range of Street Triple models with a bigger 765cc engine and lots of other advancements. The most capable among all the 4 new models is the Street Triple RS which is much close to a supersport motorcycle but is a supernaked. The updated inline-triple in the bike makes 123PS at 11,700rpm, which is almost equivalent to the existing model of the Daytona, and delivers a peak torque of 77Nm at 10,800rpm.

The new Triumph Street Triple RS comes with lots of high-end equipment and cycle parts, such as Brembo M50 monobloc front brake calipers, Brembo MCS span and ratio-adjustable levers, fully adjustable Showa big piston fork front suspension, Öhlins fully adjustable piggyback reservoir RSU at the rear, quickshifter, 5 riding modes (sport, road, rain, rider and track), assist and slipper clutch, switchable ABS and traction control, 5” full-colour TFT instrument pack and much more. The bike could be priced in India between Rs 10 lakh to 10.5 lakh.

Ducati Monster 797: Ducati is going to launch the most affordable model of the popular Monster series in India this year. Unveiled last year at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy, the new Ducati Monster 797 shares the 803cc, air-cooled, L-twin with the Scrambler series but carries the same Monster legacy.

Built on a Monster signature naked trellis frame the bike looks like a combination of the discontinued Monster 796 and the existing Monster 821 models. The 797 misses on some high-end features like DTC and riding modes; however, it gets all the equipment and cycle parts to complete the Monster package. The bike comes with 43mm front USD forks, Sachs monoshock at the rear with preload and rebound adjustability, dual 320mm front disc brakes with Brembo Monobloc calipers, meaty Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres and ABS as standard fitment. Expected price of the bike for the Indian market is around Rs 8 lakh.

Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled: Ducati unveiled a more specific version of its popular Scrambler motorcycle at the 2016 EICMA, the Desert Sled. Unlike a regular scrambler motorcycle, this new model is more focused at off-roading. The bike is based on the same trellis frame and also uses the same 803cc, air-cooled, L-twin making 75PS of power and 68Nm of torque.

However, the new Scrambler Desert Sled gets many better cycle parts making it more capable for off-roading. The bike features high-mounted front fender, aluminium handlebar with a cross strut, dedicated ribbed seat (70mm higher than the standard model), spoked gold wheels, Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres, fully adjustable suspensions with 200mm of travel, headlight grill, stainless steel muffler with aluminium tailpipes and much more. The bike is expected to arrive at Indian shores with a price tag of around Rs 9 lakh.

Kawasaki Z900: Kawasaki is also going to replace the existing Z800 with the new Z900 which is much influenced by the bigger Z1000. The new bike looks much more aggressive and is based on a steel trellis frame. 

The Kawasaki Z900 is powered by a bigger 948cc, inline-four motor that has been derived from the Z1000's heart. The fuel-injected, liquid-cooled engine delivers 125PS of power, which is almost 13PS more than that of the Z800. Moreover, the upcoming model weighs around 30kg less than the existing one, offering further improved power-to-weight ratio. The bike will also get features like assist and slipper clutch, high performance brakes from Nissin, adjustable suspension and ABS as standard, and it is expected to be priced in India somewhere between Rs 8 lakh to 9 lakh.