5 Two-wheelers Who Dropped Their VFM Badge Over Time

Over the course of time, we have seen a lot of two-wheelers being launched in India. A few of them stood out during launch thanks to the brilliant value proposition they offered. While some like the Hero Karizma fizzled out, others like the Yamaha R15 V3.0 hold their value even today. However, here are 5 motorcycles on sale today that offered brilliant value back then but don’t seem to offer much now. 

Bajaj Pulsar 220:

Though the Bajaj Pulsar 220 sells well even today, that does not mean it offers as much value as it did when launched back in 2007. The motorcycle came with a half fairing, projector headlamp, clip-on handlebars, a split seat, a semi-digital instrument console, front and rear disc brakes, and even fuel injection. With all these bells and whistles, it cost around Rs 81,000; just Rs 7,000 more than the then segment leader, the Hero Honda Karizma. However, the first generation Pulsar 220 Fi lost its value crown to its successor. In 2009, Bajaj launched the second generation Pulsar 220 that swapped fuel injection for a carburettor, made more power and got better tyres while retailing for Rs 70,000. A whopping Rs 15,000 drop in price! It has been 11 years now and the Pulsar 220, except for the BS4 to BS6 update, remains unchanged. But it now costs Rs 1.16 lakh. That is a Rs 46,000 hike in price over 11 years. And if you consider RTO taxes and the mandatory 5-year insurance policy, the on-road pricing reaches a whopping 1.45 lakh. The Pulsar 220 does not offer as much value for your money anymore. 

Bajaj Dominar 400:

Another Bajaj in this list is the Dominar 400. When launched in December 2016,  it came with all-LED lighting, a digital instrument console, a perimeter frame, ABS and a KTM 390 Duke-derived motor which at that time made it the most powerful motorcycle this side of Rs 2 lakh. The first-gen Dominar 400 retailed for just under Rs 1.50 lakh offering tremendous value. And the non-ABS variant was even.more affordable at Rs 1.36 lakh! Prices for the Dominar continued to rise and in April 2019, it saw its first major update. The tourer got new upside-down suspension, an updated twin digital instrument console and more power from the 373cc motor. The price went up to Rs 1.74 lakh. The Dominar has remained unchanged since then and currently, in BS6 trim, it costs Rs 1.92 lakh! That's a price hike of Rs 56,000 over a period of 3 years, with the only major update being the USD fork.

Aprilia SR 150:

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The Aprilia SR 150, when launched at Rs 65,000 back in August 2016, was the most powerful scooter to be sold in India and was way more affordable than its cousin, the Vespa 150. It got a powerful 150cc motor, telescopic front forks,  a monoshock, and a front disc brake. Unlike other scooters, the Aprilia got 14-inch wheels with sticky rubber. All this made for a dynamic package. Aprilia also released a sportier SR 150 Race version in February 2017 at Rs 70,000. The Aprilia SR 150 has remained mostly unchanged since its launch except for the addition of single-channel ABS. Now apart from fuel injection and BS6 updates, the scooter remains largely unchanged. However, it currently costs Rs 1.05 lakh (Rs 1.23 lakh on-road) That’s a hike of 36,000 in just 3.5 years. Disappointing. 

Royal Enfield Himalayan:

Royal Enfield’s first adventure tourer, the Himalayan, was launched in March 2016 at Rs 1.55 lakh. It was a functional motorcycle and had everything you needed to fulfil your Ladakhi fantasy. Long travel suspension, 21-inch front/17-inch rear spoked wheels with dual-purpose tyres and a torquey motor made it quite useful off-road. And this true blue ADV could be had at less than Rs 2 lakh on-road. Its first major update came in September 2017 in the form of a new BS4 compliant fuel-injected motor which saw the price rise to Rs 1.65 lakh. Dual-channel ABS was introduced soon after. Now, the Himalayan BS6 costs Rs 1.86 lakh and Rs 1.91 lakh for the new colour options. So you pay extra for switchable ABS and new colours. The Himalayan, during its four-year stint in our market, has seen a price hike of Rs 36,000 

KTM 390 Duke:

Now before you get your pitchforks out, hear us out. The KTM 390 Duke does offer value for money but does it as much as the first-generation motorcycle? Launched in June 2014, the 390 Duke came with a stonking 373cc motor and a brilliant dynamics package in the form of a trellis frame, WP suspension, ByBre brakes with dual-channel ABS and sticky Metzeler Sportec M5 tyres. It cost Rs 1.8 lakh then. A major update presented itself in February 2017. The second-generation 390 Duke got a new bodywork, LED headlamps, colour TFT instrument console, an updated BS4 motor, a new frame, updated WP suspension, a larger front disc brake, and lower-spec Metzeler Sportec M5 tyres. All these changes saw the price go up to Rs 2.25 lakh. In its current BS6 avatar, the KTM 390 Duke gets a new paint scheme and a quickshifter but now costs Rs 2.53 lakh. On-road the 390 Duke now costs around Rs 3.06 lakh! So if you look at the first generation KTM 390 Duke or even the second generation motorcycle, the Rs 73,000 hike over a period of 6 years does not feel that much value, does it?

*- prices ex-showroom, Delhi.