Ever since the DSK Motowheels group brought the iconic brand Benelli to Indian shores a little over a year ago, the brand has seen considerable growth thanks to its competitive pricing and the value for money tag apart from other goodies that the DSK-Benelli bikes offer. Apart from these, it has also caught the fancy of the motorcycle aficionados in the country is the poser value (read radical design) and/or the aural pleasure that they get when they go for a Benelli. And there is one Benelli available for every pocket, starting from the TNT 300 to a litre class TNT-R, and in between you have the inline four 600s and an alien looking 899. Buoyed by the response they got, the folks at DSK-Benelli recently brought the TNT25, a single cylinder 250cc machine, to make further inroads in the Indian market. The pocket friendly Benelli TNT25 was launched evidently to reach out to a bigger pie of Indian audience and to give some volume to their sales. We were there at the launch of the baby Benelli in Pune and were really impressed with the overall package that was offered. What remained was a road test to actually see how the bike performs and we got to do that last weekend when we got the bike for a couple of days to ride in and around Delhi. Here’s what we could make out of our date with the Benelli TNT25.

Styling
Overall, the Benelli TNT25 offers mean and muscular streetfighter looks that are minimalist in nature. The bike get a large portion of its muscular character from a tastefully designed tank with 17 Liter fuel capacity that has a black tank pad/ plastic tank lining running all the way from the beginning of the tank to the edge of the rider seat. The engine is held together by a trellis frame that also adds to the visual appeal of the bike. The headlight has a tiny wind screen on top and looks similar to its elder sibling, the Benelli TNT300.  Apart from the red, white, and green stripes on the underbelly hood and on the tail portion that add an Italian flavour to its styling,  the TNT25 sports minimal graphics on the tank and elsewhere on its body. The  digital + analogue console doesn’t offer anything fancy except for a gear indicator; however, it has all the necessary information that you’d need during your rides, like the speedometer, tachometer, 2 trip meters, digital fuel gauge, and a digital clock as well. The grips are comfy and plastic on the switchgear is of good quality as well. The rear view mirrors do their job without hiding too much from the rider’s field of vision. Other goodies on the bike include LED tail light and the turn indicators. The material on the seat has been given a carbon fiber type finish. The paint quality and the overall fit and finish is very upmarket.

Click to see the enlarged images

Engine
The Benelli TNT25 has a 4-stroke, single cylinder, 249cc, liquid cooled engine that makes a healthy 28.16 bhp at 9800 rpm and a torque of 21.61 Nm at 8000 rpm. This engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox that was smooth and functioned flawlessly. The engine itself was rev happy and quite responsive to throttle inputs. The bike moves effortlessly from standstill. There is truckloads of bottom and mid-range torque available, making the TNT25 super fun to ride in the city and for those highway sprints. The power delivery is smooth and linear. The engine holds itself effortless in the high revs too. Needless to say, with the TNT300, the DSK-Benelli folks have set a benchmark when it comes to the exhaust note, and the TNT25 does well to match up to that. There is a lot of grunt and volume to that exhaust note. It makes you feel like you are going much faster than you actually are. Such an aural pleasure it is.

Ride comfort and handling
The split seat on the Benelli TNT25 offers a generous saddle space for the riders, even for those with big bottoms. Though we could not say the same for the pillion seat. It is comfortable but not big enough. Otherwise, with the flatter handlebar and the rearset footpegs, the overall riding stance and ergonomics give it a big bike feel. Even the riders with large body build would find it comfortable with an upright sitting posture with perfectly placed footpegs that are neither too commuterish nor too awkward like the Duke 200. It handles well too. The meaty upside down forks at the front and a monoshock suspension at the rear are well sorted and keep the bike planted in all sorts of riding condition. The ride felt balanced and neutral to take on those quick turns and never-ending long curves quite effortlessly. Though it didn’t feel as sharp or as intuitive as a Duke 200 does.

Braking
To tame the 28 horses of the TNT25, Benelli has fitted a 280 mm single petal disc upfront with 4-piston caliper and a 240 mm petal disc with twin-piston caliper at the rear, which felt enough on paper, but not in real world. The brakes on our test mule felt spongy and did lack the bite, and the same was the feedback from a couple of other riders from other cities who rode the bike. Clearly, this is one area where there is a scope of improvement. The good news is that Benelli is working on an in-house ABS system and will be fitting it on the TNT25 and the ABS version should be available in the market in around 8-9 months from now.

Customization options
To make it stand apart from the crowd, DSK-Benelli has thrown in a set of sticky Metzeler rubber and a bunch of customization options for the buyers, which is available at a price of course. The standard variant of the TNT25 comes fitted with MRF tyres; however, those willing to pay an extra 8 grand, can get the premium version that has Metzeler rubber. Quite a deal we must say. Do go for it if you can because you can have much more fun on tyres that offer extra grip and that extra grip can be a lifesaver as well.

And like we said, DSK-Benelli is offering a bunch of other customization options in the form of decals and accessories like foldable brake and clutch levers, custom brake oil reservoir cap, and other CNC machined parts which would let the buyers customize their bikes according to their taste.

Continue Reading: Benelli TNT25 Vs KTM Duke 200

Benelli TNT25 Review and Comparison with KTM Duke 200

Let’s talk about the design and aesthetics first. Fundamentally, both the Duke 200 and the Benelli TNT25 follow a similar design philosophy of a minimalistic naked streetfighter. The Duke 200 adopts a bare-bone and sharp/edgy styling, while the TNT25 goes for more muscular looks. The Duke 200 evokes a sense of hooliganism, while the TNT25 settles for more sophisticated and a little subdued looks but overall a big bike feel. And since this is a very subjective matter, it will ultimately boil down to the individual choice of the buyer.

Performance

The Duke 200 is a versatile performer that has already proven itself over the years in a variety of roles, be it a rally bike, a street bike, or a tourer. Much credit goes to its ultra-responsive and torquey engine, a sorted chassis, and its ultra-light weight. While riding, it lets you do things which you probably didn’t even think that you could do.

The TNT25 has a herculean task ahead of itself if it wants to reach or breach the parameters set by the Duke in terms of performance. But the fact that it has all the ingredients to perform as well as the Duke gives us a lot of confidence. The rigid chassis, a responsive engine, linear power delivery, and power/ torque figures of the TNT25 all indicate a bright future for it. Of course it is approximately 30kg heavier than a Duke 200 and the handling and riding stance also seem to be tweaked towards comfort and ease of riding than pure performance.

Talking about ride quality and comfort, the TNT25 has plentiful of it. The feet rest perfectly on the rearset footpegs. The fuel tank provides enough space even for tall riders to grab it with their knees and move around. The seat space is generous as well. On the other hand, the word comfort and Duke 200 don’t even go together. And no, we don’t mean to say that the Duke is uncomfortable. It just has a very peculiar riding stance that literally keeps you on your toes, wanting you to push the performance envelope. Not to mention its tiny seat, particularly for the pillion. So the TNT clearly scores better than a Duke 200 when it comes to ride comfort.

Price/Value for money

The KTM Duke 200 is retailing at around 1.6 lakh on road in Delhi and the standard variant of the Benelli TNT25 can be bought for INR 1.96 lakh on-road Delhi. Considering the goodies Duke 200 offers in terms of performance and style, this price point seems hard to beat for anyone. Bajaj manufactures the KTM bikes locally, so it has much better control on the price. The TNT25 on the other hand comes as a CKD and is assembled at DSK plant in Maharashtra with very little to almost no localization. So the final retailing price of the TNT25 contains a big chunk of the tax component that DSK-Benelli pays to the government. But is the 2 lakh plus price tag justified for the TNT25? Well, almost! We’d say! For those extra cash, you are getting a marquee Italian brand and extra riding comfort without losing too much on the performance front.

So to conclude, we’d say that although KTM Duke 200 and the Benelli TNT25 have a lot of similarities that would confuse a prospective buyer, you just need to set your priorities right before deciding as to which one of these is for you. If you have budget constraints and are looking for an out and out performance machine, then you should look no further than a Duke 200. But if riding comfort tops your priority list and you want something sober and have 40k extra lying in your pocket, then the Benelli TNT25 is for you.

CONTINUE READING: The Benelli TNT25 Review and Spec Comparison with the Competition

Technical Specification comparison of the Benelli TNT25 and its closest rivals

Benelli TNT25 Vs Mahindra Mojo

Benelli TNT25 Vs KTM Duke 200

Benelli TNT25 Vs KTM Duke 390

Benelli TNT25 Vs Kawasaki Z250

The post Benelli TNT25 Review – The Italian Quarter appeared first on xBhp.com.

So the much awaited TVS Apache RTR 200 4V is finally out in the open. It’s been launched at Rs 88990/- Ex-Showroom Delhi.  Was the wait and anticipation worth it? Is the bike right up there amongst the exclusives? Does it disappoint or delight the modern Indian motorcyclist? Time to get up and close with the new Apache. We were given the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with the bike at TVS’ Hosur test track and even though so short a time is not all that much to thoroughly get to know the bike. But the fact that the track allowed a pretty free hand at riding (or thrashing – whatever you prefer) the bike and the ready availability of TVS’ entire technical team ready with answers to curious queries meant we could get a fair idea of the bike on the whole.

That the Apache RTR 200 looks smashing was the general consensus between a gaggle of auto-journos who, by default, don’t agree with each other often. Of the four colours displayed with élan right outside the R&D Study Center, the gold yellow won hands down as the universal favourite. It was followed closely by the white and the red. The black was left in the wake not because it is not a good looker but in a mercilessly comparative world, it lost vital marks to the chutzpah, glitz and glamour of the other colours. The bike is visually right there in proportion and stance. And even though bikes with engines making 20+ bhp (cause it eventually is all about power – ain’t it?) are considered ordinary these days, this one steps right beyond the reach of ordinariness just on its looks alone. The matt paint finish is great (though we wonder how will they cover the decals with a coat or hardener while avoiding the gloss that accompanies it), the instrument console more than comprehensive, the switchgear right up there in touch, feel and quality, the seat and the bike comes with all practical bits (main stand, grab rail, acceptable pillion seat, half chain cover et al) in place. The aggressive street fighter stance and the sharp yet flowing contours of the bike make it look fetching.

The TVS design team led by their quietly capable New Product Development Head Mr. Vinay Harne worked to a theme unabashedly biased towards user-friendliness of a performance bike rather than chasing outright performance alone. Makes sense as a wider market base would find a bike like this acceptable – the target customer would include both those aspiring for performance as well as those who are more inclined to usability than dramatic power. The engine specs as well as the entire setup of the bike reflects this design philosophy and so has resulted in a pretty well-rounded package in the new RTR 200. The 200cc 4-valve SOHC oil-cooled engine puts out some 20.5 bhp @ 8500 and wrings out a peak torque of 18.4Nm @ 7000 rpm. Nothing dramatic here but not incapable of exciting performance either. A lot of work on the engine has been done in the areas of reducing NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness), improving thermal efficiency through better thermal stability in the engine (the oil cooler for example), improving mechanical efficiency through reducing friction and part inertia, tuning the engine for a wider fatter torque curve through (unusual for 4-strokes) a tuned exhaust, meeting emission standards of the future via a 2-stage catalytic converter (there’s a TVS patent pending on this cat con design), attention to the exhaust note via a thorough acoustic study and then some more.

The silent timing chain

Wet multi plate clutch, the primary drive pinion and the oil filter

Engine cut away

Final drive sprocket

The FI system

The Apache RTR 200 comes 4V in two different fuel feed versions – the CV carburettor equipped and the Fuel Injected, the latter of course provides better perceived performance mainly due to the excellent control fuel injection allows over combustion. The FI is a closed-loop system with a Lambda sensor that makes the system independent of weather, fuel quality (to a limited extent) and altitude variations. The CV carb version of course will cost less but is no slouch with a quick right wrist. The Apache even comes with a tuned exhaust pipe and a dual catalytic converter that allows it to meet emission standards that shall come into force some 2 years from now. The engine internals come with a Nano particle coating that reduces harsh wear and tear especially during the running in period of the engine.

Over to the ride experience. That the bike is ergonomically spot on for a variety of riders was obvious by the way other reviewers straddled it with ease and rode away in the first instance as if they’d been riding the bike for quite some time. The handlebar (sorry – clipons actually) seat – footpeg relationship makes this one a natural for most of us. And TVS has again got the seat right, both in terms of placement and comfort. Even the pillion seat is a seat and not a perch as is sadly becoming the norm these days. The very comprehensive fully digital instrument console comes to life as you switch on the ignition, goes through a complete self test and cheekily displays ‘Race On’ for you! The self start button fires the engine and it thrums to life with a growl. This one sounds good – better than almost every other 200cc offering, of course with the exception of the Benellis who seem to have mastered bike engine acoustics!

The wet multi-plate clutch is light and gear shifts slick. The bike pulls well right from low rpms and accelerates well through the gears. The three lower gears seem a trifle short in ratios while the top two (4^th and 5^th) felt tall enough for being usable over a wide rpm range. The strong torque right from close to idling rpm seems to be the bike’s forte and it shows an eagerness to get moving and gather speed. Acceleration is good for its power and the difference lies in the exceptional smoothness of the engine right till its 10000 rpm redline. Pull through the gears and the bike accelerates well till about 90 kph whereon the briskness fades away and inertia begins to gradually take over. The carburetted version tops out at an indicated 117-118 kph as was the general consensus at the track while the FI one could go up to some 123 kph or so. Nothing dramatic here too but within the 50 – 90 kph band where most of these bikes will live, this one will thrive.

A stiff chassis with the engine as a stressed member, conventional geometry and excellent rubber (our track bikes came shod with excellent Pirellis which will be offered as an option with the bike) made for a sweet handling bike that did not hold any remotely nasty surprise up its sleeve. It handled in a very consistent and predictable manner irrespective of the speed the rider was doing. Flickability was great and it came without an iota of compromise on the stability front. Brakes too were great, the front disc giving good feedback and progressiveness in response. Of course the excellent tyres were also partly responsible for this.

The switchgear felt good and functioned with definite clicks, the overall fit and finish was right up there with the best, the lights are bright and the headlamp beam intensity and spread has been worked on quite a bit and is claimed to be the best in class – of course it being a bright sunny day we couldn’t verify the claim but we will in a more comprehensive road test sometime later. All said and done the new Apache RTR 200 4V is a pretty balanced offering into a market that of late appears more inclined to excitement than utility. We do hope this becomes a trend setter in that context and gets utility back into the ambit of performance motorcycling once more. Disappointment or delight – take your pick. To those who were looking for some 10 more bhps from this 200cc engine – disappointment. To those who see a motorcycle as a tool – there’s loads of delight.

TVS Apache RTR200 4V Review Technical Specifications

CLICK HERE FOR TECH SPEC COMPARISON OF THE APACHE RTR 200 4V WITH THE COMPETITION

The post TVS Apache RTR 200 4V Review: Conquistador Conqueror! appeared first on xBhp.com.

We were recently invited to a part of a ‘treasure hunt’ ride by Harley Davidson India.  Working in a group of four (yours truly and 3 others from different publications), we had to solve a puzzle and make sense of a set of clues given by the folks at HD India to reach a destination somewhere near Jaisalmer, some 300 km from our starting point in Jodhpur.  And to cover those 300 km, we had a variety of bikes available from their Indian stable. Cracking the clues, we reached our destination a little past sunset to join two other teams of auto journos who were already there.

the final set of clues gave revealed our final destination for the day!

The treasure ultimately hunted out was the new Sportster 1200 Custom that was launched on that evening against the grand backdrop of the Suryagarh Palace Hotel. The 1200 Custom joins the Sportster range in the Harley Davidson India family where it will sell alongside the Iron 883 and the oh-so-gorgeous Forty-Eight. The other member of the Sporster range, the SuperLow which also happened to be the most affordable HD after the Street 750, was discontinued recently.

Vikram Pawah, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India on the 1200 Custom during the launch!

The new Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom will come to India via the CKD route to be assembled at their Bawal Plant and is priced at INR 8.9 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, which puts it 50K below the Forty-Eight and 1.5 lakh above the Iron 883. What you get for the 8.9 lakh rupees is classic cruiser styling with a round headlamp, low seat, slightly raised handlebar, and tons of chrome. Other goodies on offer are the tastefully designed 5-spoke alloy wheels, which have a steel coating on them. Also adding to the visual bulk of the bike is the biggish teardrop shaped tank.  Visually the most distinct feature of the 1200 Custom is its fat front end, which primarily comes from the Michelin Scorcher rubber with a roundish profile.  The saddle looks spacious enough to accommodate even the biggest of bottoms without much fuss, though we cannot say the same about the pillion seat which is comfortable but wide enough and requires a pillion backrest if you don’t want to see your pillion falling off of the bike in case of sudden acceleration!  The instrument cluster is a round shaped one, which houses an analogue speedometer along with a small digital window that displays gear position, clock, distance-to-empty, tachometer and trip meter in digital format.  The switch gear assembly on either side of the handlebar is the familiar Harley one, which uses top quality plastic and has a good solid feel to it. The overall fit and finish leaves nothing to worry about.

Powering this latest Harley in the country is the 1200cc, air-cooled, V-Twin Evolution engine, which makes a healthy 96 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm. This is mated to a 5-speed gearbox that transmits the power to the rear wheel via a belt drive. The bhp figures, as customary with cruisers, were not disclosed by Harley Davidson. There is generous amount of chrome sprinkled over the engine covers as well. The same engine also powers the Harley-Davidson Forty Eight. Thumb the starter and the engine comes to life vividly with a sweet rumbling exhaust note as it settles to idling.

Photo: Harley Davidson India

You realize the compactness of the 1200 Custom as soon as you sit on it. No, it doesn’t feel tiny but also doesn’t intimidate the rider with its bulk either. The low seat height also adds to the rider confidence.  The rider sits with his/ her leg positioned comfortably on the forward set foot pegs and the hands on the slightly raised handlebars. And as soon as get used to the bike you realize how nimble it is. The 268 kg of mass moves ahead smoothly with a gentle twist of the wrist and you realize soon enough how much fun it is have 96 Nm of torque that is available at just around 3500 rpm.  You get a meaty low and mid-range. Getting in the triple digit speed range was effortless where it felt firmly planted and seemed to be capable of cruising at around 120 kmph mark the whole day without any visible stress to the engine at all. You do feel some vibrations, but not enough that you can’t live with. The narrow roads of Rajasthan with a generous sprinkle of desert dust held us back from trying to test the top whack. The suspension setup felt a little on the stiffer side and negotiating big bumps and potholes was an event in itself. The smaller ones were dispatched with utter ease though.

The brakes felt adequate and had a nice and reassuring bite to them. Sadly, there is no ABS option as of now but will soon be introduced on the 1200 Custom as per the folks at Harley Davidson.

So if you are out in the market with around 9 Lakh rupees in your pocket and are looking for a nice mid-range cruiser, take a test ride of the new Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom. We do believe that the chances of that test ride converting into a purchase decision would be quite high if you keep your expectations realistic. What you get for those 9 lakh rupees is a bike that is compact, yet has good presence on the road. It is planted at high speed straight line runs and feels agile and nimble to tackle city traffic with relative ease.  It has that big bike feel to it, yet it doesn’t intimidate you.  The saddle is comfortable and spacious. The overall ride quality is good. Though the ground clearance of just 105 mm and the lack of ABS do take some shine off of the deal.

The post Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom – First Ride appeared first on xBhp.com.

Quick Dip

This is for those who just want to know – buy or no?

Buy the Multistrada 1200S in India (16.56 lacs ex-Showroom Delhi) if you want to have the thrill of a superbike, a legacy of a great Italian marque, the looks of a spaceship, some of the best safety features out there on a motorcycle, want to go fast on a track and then want to go to Ladakh (with a few modifications, primarily belly pan and dual purpose tyres).

Do not buy this bike if you plan to just ride it the nearest McDonalds (by all means this bike will coerce you to flaunt it everyday) or if prefer the refinement of an inline four. Then your only other option (in the same segment) is the BMW S1000XR which will be a cool 10 odd lacs (!) costlier than this! And you cannot say you own a Ducati. So perhaps you can buy the MTS 1200S and also get a Scrambler and also have some money left over for some cool accessories.

If you have time and sipping some fine coffee, read on.

The Rantings

I am a bit off you know. We were invited to the party pretty darn late by Ducati. The rest of the world had already raised a toast to this fine Italian red wine while we were made to look at its brochures on the internet.

Ok. I have made peace with that. Better late than never.

So a handful (and a bit more) of Indian journalists were stuffed into flights and invited over to the Asian test ride center for Ducati – Thailand. If it is someone who knows how to take advantage of the Asian economic boom and low cost labor force it’s the Europeans (more recently that is), more viz. KTM and Ducati with BMW also well on its way.

For a brand like Ducati it was a big step to start manufacturing outside of its iconic Bologna factory. The place had to be just right – the government support, quality workforce and who would have thought – a place where you can invite the ‘choicest’ of international journalists (forgive me that extravagant expression for it includes me too) to ride the masterpieces they produce.

There is still some resistance from the west to Ducatis being produced in Thailand, but just think about this – what if they were being manufactured in China with the same quality ethos and checks? Sounds hard to gulp down, isn’t it?

This is the third made-in-Thailand Ducati which I had been asked to ‘test ride and review’ as part of a journalist contingent. The first two being the Monster 1200S and the Scrambler. Wait, was the Hypermotard 821 too made in Thailand that I rode in Bali? Too much going on!

Coming back to the subject at hand, we were flown into Bangkok and then after a short layover, another flight to Chiang Rai from where it was another hour or so by bus to the Golden Triangle, which is the confluence of three countries – Laos, Thailand and Myanmar! We were checked into an absolutely stunning Anantara Elephant Camp resort. I could see vast forests and the confluence right from my hotel room with elephants taking a stroll and bathing in the forests below. Truly incredible.

Beautiful Morning before the ride:

Food For Thought

I have this habit of mildly digressing from the topic, but not at the risk of being entirely disconnected. Here I would ask myself why couldn’t India put up such a show (there was perhaps just this once when HD called international journalists to Rajasthan)? Why cannot journalists from around the world be called here for a change? Despite KTM making the smaller Dukes here, never have we seen a launch for those in India. The answer may be pretty simple – because it is logistically too much of a headache working with government and various authorities. Now where did this crop from? The next paragraph details out on how I was blown away (yet once more) by what I experienced in this ride.

Thailand has to be one of my favorite places to enjoy a new launch ride in. It is close to India, it is cheap, people are so friendly, the weather is usually fantastic, the roads are usually great and there is no guerilla warfare type fund raising happening in the name of teaching us how to ride within the speed limit by vehicles sporting psychedelic disco lightings – read that as the local police. And yes, fantastic shopping malls where I could get some great scale models to add to my collection!

But that’s from my perspective. From a company’s point of view, especially with respect to this ride, this is what I experienced – we were given around 20 brand new Multistrada 1200Ss and none of them had a registration number. And we had two police escorts on decently fast motorcycles. And we had a fully equipped Ambulance. And we had world class photographers. And the police created a green corridor for hundreds of kilometers, through many towns and traffic lights (not that these were littered with stray dogs and cows and unruly traffic- see my frustration is quite evident regarding apna Bharat (my India) as far as road etiquettes go).

Not only this the police actually stopped traffic both ways on big country roads in two instances for the Ducati photographers to do th-eirrr MotoGraphy^TM, if I can term it that. And no one was honking or complaining. The traffic waited patiently.

They respect the police, the men at work. Yes attitude and etiquettes, that’s why you want to do something like this in Thailand. I found it way better than the overrated European countries. Australia and NZ is a big no-no for this kind of thing, they are nanny states. USA can be a tad better, going by the number of launches being done there, but I reckon you can’t get the government support like this elsewhere; after all there are benefits of being in a Kingdom!

Hold on, one more benefit of doing this thing in Thailand – FTA. India gets things cheap from Thailand under the Free Trade Agreement, so this new Multistrada which costs 16.56 lacs (ex-showroom Delhi) would have cost north of 20 lacs if it were to be imported from Bologna – at the very least. And all spares would have been more expensive as well, and time consuming to get it shipped to here in India.

So you see, Thailand is that good!

We did 300 kms in Thailand around Chiang Rai and Chaing Sen starting from Golden Triangle. Good roads and beautiful spots like these made it worthwhile for the phone camera as well.

800 words and still no word about the bike? Oh come on. You let the damn engine warm up before riding it hard, don’t you. And I gotta rant somewhere. It is too stressful for me these days.

La Bella Moto: The beautiful motorcycle and a bit of its history

Someone told me Biology is millions of years old. Laws of society are mere infants in front of it. What he probably meant to say is that it is hard to ignore a beautiful woman and for us petrol heads it is hard to ignore a beautiful motorcycle. There is no second thought about it – the Multistrada 1200S 2015 is a beautiful motorcycle worthy of being shot in the middle of the Colosseum. And very few people can challenge that, san art purists, maybe.

Let me go back a little in history of this motorcycle.

The Ducati Multistrada 1000DS, when it was initially launched, was quite a risky attempt by the Italian manufacturer with it promising to be a tourer, city and sportster bike all rolled into one. With 90 odd bhp it wasn’t going to be a tarmac scorcher, but with the upright seating position and steel trellis frame, the bike promised to be a fast comfortable tourer. And it did that with aplomb, it gave any candidate Ducatista a motorcycle on which they could tackle any kind of road, urban/ rural/ twisties. It handled like a charm. On the flipside, the bike was uncharacteristically ugly. Almost like it started off being designed by an Italian who then got kidnapped by Ducati rivals and produced this under duress. Still not sure how it passed the top management approvals though, especially with the front not living up to what one expects from the Bologna based manufacturer. Nonetheless, it built up a reputation for itself and has grown and evolved over the years to become what the latest Ducati Multistrada 1200 S is.

The biggest change to the Multistrada came in 2012, seven years since the DS was launched in 2003. And it was a giant leap and improvement in all departments.

This was the Ducati Multistrada which the world was waiting for – with a power of 150 Bhp out of a 1198CC Desmodromic V Twin. The Multistrada 1200 (or MTS 1200) underwent another improvement in 2013 with the engine getting twin-plug cylinder heads for smoother and more efficient combustion leading to a 5% increase in torque and 10% improvement in fuel consumption. It also got an active suspension system christened Sky Hook and has got 6.7 inches of travel both ends.

The biggest change on the new Multistrada as compared to the 2012 version is the motor that powers this bike. The Desmodromic Variable Timing (DVT) is the first variable valve timing system inside the cylinder head for a motorcycle. The bike might not look very different on the outside in comparison to the outgoing version, but the DVT is a big step up from the previous Testatretta 11 degree used in the previous iteration (2013-14). The engine has more flexibility as it gets real time adjustment of camshaft position based on load and rpm. This gives the engine a far greater range of overlap, making it much smoother than previously. The intake and exhaust camshafts are independently controlled thus providing good power at high revs, great low-end torque, low fuel consumption and as a result it meets the stringent Euro 4 regulations (and Bharat Stage IV!) comfortably.

The bike also gets a host of new electronics. The tech wizardry sets this bike apart in more ways than one. ABS is not the regular run-of-the-mill stuff, but is ‘Cornering ABS’ which senses when you are in a corner and accordingly regulates the amount of brake pressure required. ABS can be switched off, but since it is so good and unobtrusive, you will probably never feel the need to switch it off. The Bosch 9.1M1 ABS unit coupled with Brembo M50 brakes and a 20mm larger diameter rear disc, means that stopping power has improved greatly.

The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is also Bosch powered, like most of the other techno-ammo. This measures the lean angle on the bike, which helps with the ABS as well as the Skyhook Semi-active suspension. The Skyhook is similar to the 2012 model, but is more evolved and rounded now. This IMU has five axes to measure roll, pitch, yaw angles, lean and rate of change, all of which help control the Skyhook and Cornering ABS. Anti-wheelie and the Traction Control system also gets all its information from the IMU. The Ducati Lights Control also uses the lean angle sensors, thus it knows in which direction the bike is headed and adjusts the headlight spread to illuminate the road in front of you. This was probably first seen in the fantastic BMW K1600 GTL in 2010 – adaptive headlights.

The Ducati Multistrada 1200S also gets a new frame and swingarm. This allows the engine to be fitted higher within the frame, increasing ground clearance, which is a boon in a motorcycle meant to tour on any sort of tarmac, especially if you want it to roll on the Spiti river beds (with a change of tyre and reinforced bottom plates).

So that’s a bit of tech rundown. But how is it to ride? Ultimately isn’t that’s what everything about. I have come to realize that it is not as objective as us ‘moto journalists’ make it out to be. It depends on a lot of factors – where you live, what kind of roads you take it out on, what’s your riding style, how do you like your engines to sound, do you like Vs or I4s and so on. And of course what style of bike you prefer and do you like them flashy, purposeful, inconspicuous (then this bike is definitely not for you, at least not in red or white!).

About The Ride

I may very well have the distinction to be the Asian who has ridden a Multistrada for the maximum number of kms so far – over 85,000 kms across 21 countries. So does that put me in a position to review this bike without any bias?

The biggest draw for me with any Ducati is its character which amalgamates the following:

• Brand Legacy
• Brand Positioning
• The Sound (yes!)
• The brotherhood, induction as a new Ducatista.

Should you one day decide to ride any Ducati across the world, or even a part of it you will understand what I mean. In my rides across countries I was treated as a part of a big family by Ducati owners, Ducati showrooms both offline and online. It is a crazy big joint family.

The Multistrada is the big daddy which symbolizes the touring spirit in Ducati with its positioning and usability, and no better bike to meet Ducatistas around the world than this mile muncher.

It comes under the Adventure bike category, right along with the Triumph Tigers and BMW Adventures of the world, yet they will never have the global camaraderie like owning a Ducati, be it even the Cucciolo, no especially if it is the Cucciolo!

So let me take you through my ride experience, as I unfolded it one by one.

The new MTS 1200S looks amazing. Solid built, top-notch quality. Nothing to say it was built in Thailand or Bologna if you judge them by these parameters. The S version is top of the line and has one of the biggest visual differentiating factors: The horizontal multiple LED light cluster gives it a fantastic futuristic look. Then my eyes start spreading out around the front. They have cleverly added a black side overlay with Ducati written on it with individual embossed letters. That looks and feels very premium. Until the 2012, the Multistrada only had a sticker on the tank.

Then I see the sharp beak, it is impossible to miss that and defines the overall look. Gives it a look which partly resembles a predator and partly a very sleek deep space probe, or at least this is how I would want my space pod that takes me to planet Mars to be. Musk, you hear me?

The Ducati 3D insignia on the front beak is a very thoughtful and tasteful addition. This could well be worthy of a front end on any superbike. It is that aggressive, yes.

Zoom back a little and the elements that make it an adventure tourer start becoming more apparent. The high and narrow wind-screen, the upright handle bars, the lower belly engine guard plate, the awesome brushed aluminum knuckle guards.

Further down the plush seat beckoned me to sit on it and ride another 10 countries. That reminds me of my 2500 odd kms trip in these very parts on the 2013 Multistrada 1200. I started from the Ducati HQ in Bangkok and rode the 1864 curves of the Mae Hong Son Loop. Here is a shot:

One of the most immediate visible changes were the use of LED in the tail lamps and the tear drop shaped end on the twin vertically stacked exhausts that now almost all Ducatis seem to be following (even with the new Panigale 959).

As I swing my legs over the bike (the seat height for my bike was in the lower setting) I can’t help but notice the giant TFT console ahead of me. Ever since 2010 the Multistrada has a Keyless FOB with a great looking key for the new edition. You just need to keep it in your pocket and use the starter button to bring the bike to life. The all color TFT console comes to life as the bike performs the usual checks. There is a lot to see on the console and sometimes in can be confusing. But Ducati has made it really easy to control most of the options using just your left thumb.

It is also quite easy to change the ride modes with just your left thumb. It is almost like playing a video game with so many buttons (ergonomically placed though). Since this is the S version, I connected my phone with the bike using the DMS (Ducati Multimedia System) and the bike to the Ducati App on my iPhone which then transmitted all my ride data to it, including lean, average and top speeds and more. I found the link to take some fiddling around with the settings on the phone (it connects via Bluetooth) and the app proved to be buggy as well. But I think it’s a great start and things will improve on this end. But it is impressive to see what bikes have become today!

The sound of the bike was good enough for me to want it to rev more. It’s meaty. The engine felt substantially smooth compared to the previous versions of the MTS, and definitely the one which I rode the most – the 2012 one. Low speed handling was good, with a good turning radius (one of the major things to see on an Adventure bike).

I would have liked the handle-bars to be a tad higher for more confidence while standing up on the pegs on those long hauls, but probably you can get that done with cheap spacers.

The power was excellent. I felt I was riding a darn superbike a few times. Absolutely phenomenal. The only thing which is probably stopping Ducati from making this a 190 bhp beat from the hell is the customer base they want to target. David James, the Marketing Head of Ducati Asia mentioned that Ducati aimed to woo the veterans in motorcycling with this bike back into the motorcycling scene. Obviously the veterans will be old and prone to, well, violently achieved high speed induced rhythmic issues in their heart (I am trying to be polite). Due to the DVT the power was pretty much available at any revs and right up to the top gear. I found the acceleration off the block to be pretty incredible with the DWC working overtime. However I still feel that Ducati needs to work a bit more on the DTC (Traction Control). I am not entirely comfortable with those power cuts if the rear loses its grip, not in such a perceivable way at least. But it is far better than the 2012 MTS which I was riding. The brakes felt absolutely fantastic and confidence inspiring; even without the added placebo of the cornering ABS it was great.

I’ll be very frank – I never changed the modes. Well I did once switch to Urban, but the loss of 60 bhp just didn’t appeal to the petrol head in me. But it’s a useful thing to have, no doubt. So much for four bikes in one.

The MTS 1200S uses Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 tyres, which are supposed to be good general purpose dual compound tyres. I have done a lot of riding on Scorpion Trails so definitely this should have been even better. For some reason the rear was losing it in many places. I assume the issue was with the roads and the diesel spread on the tarmac due to the heavy vehicles. Obviously Pirelli knows what they are doing though.

I was watching others ride ahead of me. I did not like the way the rear indicators and number plate vibrates on roads, for practical purposes it is supposed to, but I would have loved a body integrated turn signal setup, like the Hayabusa perhaps. Another useful thing to have was the single hand adjustable mechanical wind screen. Though there is always room for improvement when wind protection is concerned, primarily due to the varying heights and sizes of the riders and their sitting stances, it did the job pretty well for a stock screen.

The bike should take you to the other side of 250 kms on one single tank (20.5 litres). It also a confortable pillion seat on which you can go from Kashmir to Kanyakumari without taxing the pillion. The suspension is also dynamically adjustable (Skyhook) but I felt it should have been more hard in the Sport settings. Maybe I could have changed using the many available parameters using just my left thumb.

Service Backup? Truth be told – India is not an easy country to setup base in and to service high end motorcycles. They don’t get sold enough (though sales are increasing for sure!). And some of you already know what the erstwhile distributor (read : crook) did to the Ducati brand in India leaving the company hapless. Fortunately, the Ducati brand is so strong that it has more than bounced back with a subsidiary in India. And one of the largest showrooms in Delhi NCR with a good service facility it is going the right way. Do not expect spares to be available right off the block, but yes they will come sooner and cheaper thanks to Thailand route.

This is humungous Ducati service facility in Gurgaon, India. I hope they get their sales up to justify the space they have here.

And the showroom in the same building. Not too many bikes, but getting there :

Also since Pirelli has come to India with CEAT as their distributors, things are looking even more bright should you feel an immediate urge to sacrifice your tyre to the petrogods in a burnout.

Before I end, here is a quick recap of the various models of the Multistrada 1200 available today for you : Multistrada 1200, 1200 S and 1200 S D|air and two new additions will be made in 2016 to this already compelling lineup – the 1200 Enduro and Pikes Peak Edition.

The Multistrada 1200S and Multistrada 1200 actually are quite a bit different as highlighted below:

Multistrada 1200 S (and Multistrada 1200 S D|Air)

• Colors
  • Ducati Red (Multistrada Non S version is only available in this) with black wheels rims (1200 S and 1200 S D-Air)
  • Iceberg White with black wheels rims (1200 S only)
    I am particularly sad that they don’t have a more purposeful color – like the gray in the 2012 MTS 1200. This was the bike I rode around Australia, isn’t she a beauty!You can click here for lots more photos from my 24000 kms ride around Australia on the 2012 MTS 1200.
• Features
  • Ducati Testastretta DVT engine
  • Bosch IMU: Inertial Measurement Unit
  • Bosch-Brembo ABS 9.1ME Cornering braking system
  • Front brake discs with diameter of 330 mm, Brembo M504 4-piston radial calipers (1200 S only)
  • Electronic cruise control
  • Ducati Multimedia System (DMS) (1200 S only)
  • Riding Modes
  • Ride-by-Wire Power Modes (PM)
  • Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC)
  • Ducati Traction Control (DTC)
  • Height-adjustable seat
  • Electronic Sachs suspension (front and back) with the semi-active Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DSS) Evolution system (1200 S only)
  • Full LED headlamp with Ducati Cornering Lights (DCL) (1200 S only)
  • Instrument panel with 5” full colour TFT screen(1200 S only)(Non S version features only a simple LCD console)
  • D-Air® system (Multistrada 1200 S D-Air only). What is D-Air?

There are various packs available for the MTS 1200 as well (I am not sure how much extra is for each pack, or its availability in India):

Touring Pack :

Enduro Pack:

Urban Pack :

So, will it go to Ladakh? For sure! Just add the right tyres! We took the 2012 Multistrada 1200 to Spiti Valley and the then World’s Highest Motorable Village, but with the wrong tyres, the bike performed flawlessly, but the rear tyre got insane amount of punctures! Here is a video:

Will it go from Delhi to Thailand? Hell yes, again the right tyres and preparations matter. Will it just go the grocery store? Yes, just get the panniers…

Comparos

With the Yamaha Super Tenere

With the Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200XC

With the Suzuki V-Strom 1000

With the Moto Guzzi Stevio 1200NTX

With the KTM 1290 Super Adventure

Here is a comparison with a bike which is 10 lacs cheaper than the MTS 1200S, compare what you are getting with the BMW S1000XR which 10 lacs more than the MTS!

With the BMW R1200GS

With the Benelli Trek Amazonas 1130

With the Aprilia Caponord 1200

With the Kawasaki Versys 1000

The post 2015 Ducati Multistrada 1200S: Looks like a Beauty, Kills like a Beast appeared first on xBhp.com.

Remember the visuals of India’s first and much celebrated aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, flashing on your TV and computer screens in the last week of January this year? A brief intro of the INS Vikrant was followed by the painful images of her getting scraped. And before you could finish cursing the authorities for not taking care of our 1971 war hero, there came a reassuring message as to how Bajaj had acquired the metal from the dismantled Vikrant, melted it and was using this metal to make a new motorcycle – giving new life to a legend or making it immortal! What a masterpiece of a marketing strategy! And what better time to unleash it than the Republic Day! I so badly wanted to own one of that mystery motorcycles even before it was born! The mystery motorcycle was ultimately unveiled by Bajaj just before the Auto Expo 2016. This turned out to be a 150cc motorcycle with which Bajaj wanted to target the creamy layer of commuter segment (the commuters who would want a ‘little more’ than just commuting from home to work and vice versa). The bike was christened V15 and got people talking about it due to its rather unusual appearance, which doesn’t fit anywhere in our usual classification of motorcycles. It is a bit of commuter and a bit of café racer and a bit of cruiser as well! We got to ride the V15 in Pune yesterday and here’s our take on it.

As we said, the Bajaj V15 is a rather unusual looking creature. You find it hard to understand its form and categorize it as a café racer or a simple commuter, but it does manage to stimulate your senses.  It manages to capture your attention for a lot longer than you would otherwise give to a commuter motorcycle. And after you are done trying to understand it, there are certain elements in the V15 which force you to appreciate the thought process behind its design – be it the muscular tank, the generous amount of chrome, the neatly designed instrument console, the trendy rear with LED tail lamp, that 3-dimensional ‘V’ logo on the tank, or that ‘made with INS Vikrant steel’ logo unit inscribed on the chrome fuel tank cap. It has a road presence that would be enviable for any motorcycle slotted into the commuter segment. While we were riding it in Pune and out near the villages, we got so many curious questions from both young and old who stopped us and enquired about the bike. At one point, I was riding behind an army truck for some time near Baner and the soldiers sitting in it had their eyes constantly glued to the bike. I so wanted to stop them and tell them the ‘war machine’ background of the V15 and see their reactions! I am sure a few would’ve been instantly interested in buying it just because of its INS Vikrant story.

A rear seat cowl comes bundled with the standard accessory set of the V15, which is rather easy to put on the bike. All you need to do is to slide it in and tighten two screws with the help of the tiny Allen key integrated in the key of the bike itself. The fat tyres on the 18-inch wheel at the front and a 16-incher at the rear enhance its cruiser appeal.

Minus the rear cowl

A special mention here needs to be given to the exhaust note of the bike, which plays a big role in the overall imagery of the bike. Bajaj has spent quite a bit of time to fine tune the aural note from the V15’s exhaust and as a result we have an exhaust note which feels meaty and bassy.

The plastic quality on the switchgear was acceptable. The overall fit and finish & the paint quality of the V15 is just top notch.

But there are things in the V15 that looked a bit overkill. The headlamp assembly in particular looked out of proportion when seen from certain angles. Also you badly miss the engine kill switch on it. Essential goodies like trip meter and a tachometer have also been given a miss on the V15.

The Bajaj V15 comes fitted with an all-new 149.5 cc power plant that makes 12 bhp at 7500 RPM and 13 Nm of torque at just 5500 RPM. The 12 odd horses that V15 produces doesn’t sound like a lot when you compare it with other 150 cc machines that are there in the market. With these horses, it manages to reach around 80 kmph mark before it starts losing its breath and sounding harsh. But Bajaj says, this motorcycle is intentionally made to not go really fast! They say that if you want to judge it, judge it from the amount of torque it produces and how easily and early it comes. And evidently, the V15 has ample amount of low and mid range torque that makes it such a pleasure to ride within the city. Frequent overtakes were a breeze without having to shift down. The bike is capable of managing mild city traffic in fourth gear with occasional downshifts to third gear, most of the time. Oh, by the way, the V15 is fitted with a 5-speed, all-up-pattern gearbox that is not really the best we’ve seen from Bajaj. The gearbox did not provide satisfactory or reassuring feedback and we found it particularly tough to downshift when stationary. The clutch had a late bite point as well and the bike wouldn’t move an inch until the clutch was fully released – It was a minor adjustment issue but an extremely irritating one. Otherwise, the engine felt really smooth and the power delivery was linear as long as you don’t try riding it beyond the 75-80 kmph mark. You could also feel some vibrations in the bike beyond this point.

Photo Courtesy: Preetam Bora

Photo Courtesy: Preetam Bora

The low seat height, wide handlebars and footpeg position give it a very distinctive commuterish stance. The seat was comfy and offered generous amount of saddle space to the rider as well as the pillion. The handling of the V15 is neutral and you are warned not to treat it as a corner craver, but it is not as lazy as a cruiser either and you can manage to cut through city traffic rather effortlessly. The skeleton of the V15 is made up of a new double cradle chassis that is mounted on conventional gas charged shock absorbers at the rear and telescopic suspension at the front. This setup, though on the stiffer side, manages to neutralize most of the potholes and speed breakers thrown at it with utter ease. It feels stable and planted at straight line high speeds and manages to hold the line into corners as well if ridden sensibly.

The brakes (a 240 mm disc at the front and a 130 mm drum at the rear) felt adequate for the kind of velocity this bike can attain.

Bajaj V15 Review: Spec Comparo

Bajaj V15 Vs. Other 150-160 cc in the market. Click to enlarge the image!

This spec comparison sheet was provided to us by Bajaj. It clearly gives us an indication as to where Bajaj wants to position the V15!

The post Bajaj V15 – Torque of the Town appeared first on xBhp.com.

Royal Enfield Himalayan Review: The Himalayan Revolution!

It’s been raining since the previous night and so the water is staying on the road. I am on a twisty Himalayan back-road astride a totally new bike, the helmet visor cracked open a shade to keep it from misting over, and find myself swishing through the turns at a pace I would call ‘brisk’ for such conditions. The wet tarmac demands caution but then as long as the bike feels composed and stable, I am game. I’m riding the all new  Royal Enfield Himalayan and boy! Does it feel all new? This doesn’t feel like any of the Enfields I have ever ridden before. This one feels modern, taut, responsive and functional.

Edit: The Royal Enfield Himalayan has been launched at INR 1.55 Lakh ex-showroom Mumbai! 

All right, let’s be a bit systematic in reviewing the bike and not jump the gun straight to conclusions. When I rode the Royal Enfield Continental GT almost 2 years ago in Goa, the chassis, its handling and brakes were revelations, being very unlike any previous product from the company.  The GT was an indicator that Royal Enfield was looking beyond mere tradition. Probably believing in what a very wise man once said – tradition is a guide, not a prison. The company was changing its line of thought towards making their machines more ‘modern’ in the sense of being better handlers and well put together. The Himalayan, in my opinion, takes that theme through a proverbial leap across years and comes as a pretty pleasant surprise.

Design – Form from Function

The Himalayan looks the part it portends to play. The purposeful and functional design is actually what results naturally when one stays true to the projected needs the machine is to fulfil. Royal Enfield set out to make a bike that would make a traveller out of a commuter. And they do seem to have managed to produce the right tool for that. I have personally always seen beauty in function in motorcycles than in form and so am not really qualified to comment on the design aesthetics. But the overall look of the bike, with those wide handlebars, the exo-skeleton around the tank, the many purposeful bits and pieces that you keep discovering as you keep looking, the narrow windscreen all add to the newness as much as they do to function. But what comes across most strongly is the all-pervading sense of purpose in the design. The long travel suspension, both front and rear, when coupled with the high ground clearance speaks volumes about the ‘take anywhere’ nature of the bike. The engine looks tucked in well and good amount of thought seems to have been given to mass centralization there. And it shows when you flick the tall bike into switchbacks and it responds with alacrity. The seat, fuel tank, bars and the rear grab-rail all are discrete elements but also have a smooth blending between them. And the spoked wheels just add to the whole charm.

The Engine

At 411cc, this single piston 2-valve OHC engine seems full of promise, more in terms of torque than outright power. Though with a stroke just 6 mm more than the bore, one cannot really call it a long stroke and the numbers thus appear to take away some sheen from the torquey expectations. But ride the bike and torque is what you actually find flowing through the throttle. Smooth and a seemingly endless flow of torque. No, nothing outlandishly dramatic there – just so very ‘functional’. I seem to be using that word just a bit too much here but that’s how the whole scheme of things is. Breathing through 2 valves and a CV carb, the engine has surprisingly good throttle response when you keep in mind that it has the Enfield moniker stamped on it. Twist that throttle as quickly as you can with the bike in neutral and you just cannot bog down that engine. It responds and gathers revs smartly. The apparently anaemic 24.5 Bhp does not seem all that anaemic when on the roll. But this bike is unabashedly about riding the torque curve. Those unusually tall gear ratios (you can do 40+ in first and 70+ in second gear!) show the confidence Enfield has placed on the engines’ torque delivery. With a primary counter-balancer spinning inside, the vibrations have mostly been taken care of, creeping in only at above 5.5k rpm. But then this bike is about riding between 2000-4500 rpm. The tall gear ratios allow you to do a whole lot within that rpm range.

The ‘Himalayan’ ride

The Himalayan looks tall and at first sight is kind of intimidating to those vertically challenged amongst us. The spec sheet though gives hope when one realizes that the saddle height is a tad lower than that of the KTM Duke. The ‘tall’ look is accentuated by the narrow proportions and the bike looks lean from all angles.  Swing a leg over the saddle and you feel at home almost immediately. The bike has just the self-start option – no kicking it alive even if you want to.  As of now the engine did start pretty effortlessly but I do have my reservations of the utility of the kick starter as a backup when the bike has been parked overnight at Sarchu in end-September minus 10 deg C weather. A very cold engine draws loads of amperes from the battery which is hard pressed delivering the electricity in very cold conditions. The concoction would not allow more than a couple of attempts – the engine doesn’t fire you’d better pushing it alive. I love kick starters. Anyways, thumb that starter and the engine fires to life with a thrumble. No it doesn’t sound at all like a Bullet or any of its kith and kin. It sounds like a – a modern 400cc single! Our cold morning start needed a minute of choke usage and then the engine settled to a steady idle. The clutch feels somewhat heavy to use but surprisingly it was not a tiring thing to use on a long 8 hour ride day in the hills.

The 5 speed gear box engages the bottom gear with a firm clunk (new bike syndrome?). The fun begins now. Roll the throttle and get moving. The tall gear ratios become immediately apparent as you are not pressured by the bike to upshift soon. Upshift at 25 kmph and the engine has just revved a little above 3000 rpm. The rest of the ratios are close but tall since the first one is tall. Of course those wanting quicker acceleration off the block can go in for a larger rear sprocket. The bike feels stable from a bare crawl onwards and the excellent leverage provided by those almost 3 foot wide handlebars makes directional control easy. As does the 21 inch front wheel. Engine braking is around to help when going downhill and riding the Himalayan is mostly about the throttle if you’re prone to smooth even if quick riding. The second and the third gears are where you live, while riding in the hills. It was wet and the back roads twisty so I couldn’t ride beyond 80 kmph (and that too only for a short burst). But neither was stability an issue nor did the engine seem to be anywhere near losing breath at that speed. I do need to ride it in the plains to really assess the Himalayan’s all-round touring capability.

Braking, Handling and Suspension

Brakes are good – loads of feel and good bite what with that largish disc up front and the steel braided hoses all round. Progressive and carrying good bite, I found myself using even the front brake quite frequently even on those wet and slushy roads. The rear brake is all easily modulated and serves its purpose well.  Handling is this bike’s forte and it was impressive. Riding the twisties on the Himalayan was as simple as pointing it in the right direction and rolling open that throttle. The bike can be placed with inch perfect precision. The rigid frame and chassis (a big shout out goes to Harris from UK) did not reveal any tendency to flex on our day out with the bike in the hills. Yet to know how it will behave at elevated highway speeds though I do not expect any nasty surprises there too.  The long travel suspension up front (200 mm) and the monoshock rear with multi-link suspension (180 mm wheel travel) makes short work of any irregularities the road throws at the bike. Comfort levels are high but more importantly the ruts and potholes don’t affect directional stability of the bike. It tracks true through the bumps and ruts, even when cranked over in a turn. Ground clearance is a high 220 mm and weight 182 kg dry.

Again the weather and road conditions didn’t allow me to try panic braking at its extreme. But whatever hard braking I attempted to test, both the brakes and the suspension, there was a controlled amount of fork dive, not a collapse of softness that doesn’t really allow quick weight transfer to the contact patch and so could lead the rider into trouble.  The bike is easy to flick into and out of turns though not in the league of street-fighters like the two Dukes. The virtually non-existent frame flex means no tendency to weave when flicked through switchbacks. The overall lean proportions of the bike make even a 120 section rear tyre seem narrow! The spoked wheels look good and apparently do their part in improving the ride quality of the bike. The front forks (41mm down-tubes) look robust in build and the thoughtfully provided rubber boots will go a long way in prolonging the life of those oil seals. The solid front mudguard bracket also doubles up as a fork brace. The lower mud guard though seems too close to the tyre and for an adventure tourer, will tend to jam the front wheel when riding through slush, mud or even snow. Ideally it needs to be dispensed with all together and replaced with a high placed mudguard like those in off-road machines.

Seat, ergonomics and functional bits

The rider seat is comfortable, at least for the better part of the day I spent on the saddle. It did seem a little soft to me but then that can be addressed to on a personal basis. I say that because I weigh substantially more than the Average Joe. Seating is upright and the ergos spot on for long days on the saddle. The narrow windscreen up front did induce some buffeting around my helmet at speeds above 70 kmph though I couldn’t hold those speeds for long anyways. The screen does vibrate at certain rpm’s and needs to be stiffened up. The kick stand as well as the centre stand are solid and well placed. The frame provided for luggage mounting is again robust in look and feel with clean welded joints. The almost universal use of Allen bolts all across the bikes will make for a smaller tool kit and easier assembly/disassembly of accessories. The hard case aluminium panniers put up as an example were of good quality though mounting them is a game of dexterity with Allen keys and patience. The front extra fuel tanks have a quick release though which makes removing and putting them back on an easy task. The instrument console is not just a looker but also pretty functional. The MFD below the speedo has trip meters, average speed display, gear position, a clock, outside air temperature etc. No there’s no Distance to Empty reading because this is a carburetted engine and so there’s really no way one can reliably measure the amount of fuel consumed and relate it to the average speed. The compass remains a mystery to me but it sure looks good and so for the time being good enough for me.

The switch gear is good quality as are the round retro RVM’s. The round headlight has a good spread but illumination intensity is not really up to the mark. With a 170 W alternator spinning away inside, there should be enough power either for higher wattage halogens or maybe a switch to high intensity LED’s. The tail lamp and trafficators are bright enough. The horn once again is a wimp. Makes you feel like someone begging for attention and not asking for it. Fuel consumption is claimed to be in the 30s which would mean a 400 km + range from the 14.5 litre tank.

Dual mudgurads

Exhaust

Extra Tanks

Extra tank quick release

Fork boots

Fork brace cum bracket

Verdict

In all fairness there cannot be a real verdict without the price being known. For that we need to wait till the coming 16^th of March. But technically and as a machine, the Himalayan holds a lot of promise for its prospective owner. The entire machine has been well put together and with the rider and his needs at the forefront. It is solid, right up there in specifications (if you can unbias yourself from seeing 24.5 Bhp as ‘measly’) and a pleasure to ride. Royal Enfield has a sure winner on their hands if they can get the pricing right. This is one bike that will not just encourage touring on motorcycles but also redefine it in terms of benchmark specs that a touring rider can expect from his motorcycle.

Oil cooler

Pannier mounting

Pannier with lock

Rear brake lever

Rear calliper and swing arm

The post The Himalayan Revolution! appeared first on xBhp.com.

The Great American Dream – that is what this motorcycle is. Epitome of luxury and grandiosity, the very best of what money can buy here. We are talking about the 2016 Indian Roadmaster, the latest offering from Indian Motorcycles in India, meant to take on the likes of the Electra Glides and Gold Wings of the world.

The first thing that anyone will notice about the Roadmaster is its size – it is a big motorcycle! No, it is a HUGE motorcycle with intentional use of capital letters to emphasise its size. Despite its bulk, it is one of the sexiest looking motorcycles that you will find on our roads. It is so beautifully overwhelming to your senses. The one we rode sported a dual tone livery of traditional Indian Red with Ivory Cream with a generous amount of chrome thrown in for good measure and equipped with two huge panniers and a huge tail box.

The fit and finish on the Roadmaster is perfect. Despite a huge fairing and add-ons like panniers and tail boxes, it was impossible to find any rattling or vibrations anywhere on the bike.  A special mention here must be given to the supremely comfortable genuine tan leather rider and pillion seats. There is enough real estate even for the biggest of riders to make themselves comfortable and ride nonstop for hours on end without taking a butt break. The stitch quality is top notch as well.

Powering this is the same 1811cc V-Twin Thunder Stroke 111 engine that is used on the Chief and the Chieftain models. It has been tuned to provide a flatter torque curve though to help its touring nature. It makes around 139 Nm of max torque at around 3000 RPM. The official Bhp figures are not revealed by Indian Motorcycles, like most other cruisers out there. However, despite so much weight, the Roadmaster lunges ahead with the slightest blip of the throttle, which is surprising for a machine of this size. The power delivery is smooth and consistent throughout the rev range.

The Roadmaster is heavy! It weighs around 421 kg dry and a fully loaded Indian Roadmaster with a pillion could tip the scales at 630 kg plus. But all that weight seems to disappear as soon as the bike gets into motion thanks to the rigid cast aluminium chassis and a sorted suspension aided by tons of low end torque. Also the fuelling is precise even at the lowest of RPMs, which means that it can be ridden smoothly at snail’s pace without any jerks or abrupt power delivery.

This entire setup makes the handling of this huge machine effortless. It feels planted on straight line high speed runs as well as through the corners.  And as we said, the suspension feels sorted to support the 400+ kg mass and the bike seemed to take on the potholes and minor bumps on the road rather effortlessly. The rear shock absorber has around 4.5 inches of travel and can be further adjusted as per the load on the bike.

Stopping a motorcycle this big can be as much of pain as putting it into motion; however, the efficient braking on the Roadmaster by the 300 mm dual disc up front and a single 300 mm at the rear aided by ABS doesn’t leave much to worry about and instils a lot of confidence in the rider.

In terms of goodies, you have an electronically adjustable windscreen, which you can adjust as per your height to control the air flow around you while riding. Then you have heated grips and pillion and rider seats for that extra bit of comfort while riding in extreme cold conditions. You also get ABS as standard fitment. Cruise control is there for effortless riding on open highways. Plus, you get keyless ignition and remote luggage locking facility. You also get 3 power sockets to charge all your gadgets on the go.

There is also a 200 W output audio system installed, which has AM/FM and can be connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth or AUX.  The sound quality from the speakers was top notch and also the sound level was adequate at slow speeds. But when riding at speed, wind blasts its own tune as you would expect!

The cockpit is also fully loaded and the rider has tons of information at his/ her fingertips, including an analogue speedometer and tachometer. The digital screen has dual trip meters with distance and time, real-time clock, instantaneous and average fuel economy, fuel range, compass, ambient air temperature, gear position indicator, front and rear tyre pressure display, engine oil life percentage, engine hours of operation, average speed, and battery voltage display among other things.

One thing that stands out and what you might miss, is a GPS navigation system, which should’ve been there in a fully loaded touring motorcycle. Especially considering the Roadmasters direct competitors come equipped with it.

The storage space in the trunk as well as the saddle bag is generous with a total of 142 litres of space available. Which is more than capable of carrying a weekend’s supply of luggage.

So, as we said, the Indian Roadmaster is the Great American Dream – big, luxurious, and worth investing your heart, soul and money. However, like all things big in life, it comes at a great cost. At around 37 Lakh ex-showroom, it is one of the most expensive motorcycles you can buy in India – second perhaps only to Harley Davidson CVO Limited in its category, which carries a price tag of INR 49 Lakh ex-showroom Delhi. So for the 4 odd million rupees that you pay to be able to own the Roadmaster, you get an 1811cc engine pumping out about 138 Nm of torque at just 2600 RPM and spread evenly throughout the rev range. This engine is plonked into a bombshell of a motorcycle body that has an unmatched road presence. It is meant to do only one thing – touring or long highway runs – and has all the bells and whistles to make each one of these rides a memorable ride. It carries the elegance of a classic cruiser, but has all the latest gizmos and amenities that one might need except for one of the most important things – a GPS guided navigation. For the price tag it carries, we are quite sure that it wasn’t due to cost cutting.

In India, the Indian Roadmaster competes directly with the Honda Gold Wing and the Harley Davidson CVO Limited, which are retailing at approximately 30 Lakh and 50 Lakh respectively.  The larger-than-life Harley needs a detailed discussion sometime later in the future. The Gold Wing though surely packs a punch as a contender. It is no less than a million rupees cheaper and has all the goodies that you’d want in a tourer. But for us the one thing that tilts the balance in favour of the Gold Wing is the reverse gear because it ‘ain’t no fun’ when you have to push a 400 kg mass of metal backwards! However, the Roadmaster does give a more premium feel with its overall, shining chrome, and the attention to detail. With the Indian, you are buying into the history and heritage of the American manufacturer, and things like that come with a premium.

Indian Roadmaster Review Technical Specifications and Comparo

The post Indian Roadmaster Review: The Great American Dream! appeared first on xBhp.com.

This article has three pages. Please navigate using the page number above or at the end of this page.

How wonderful a feeling  it is to remember your roots and pay homage to it with your flagship product. That is exactly what Ducati did with the Panigale when they named their superbikes lineup after the Borgo Panigale region in which the Ducati HQ is located. The first in the series was the 1199 which replaced the 1198. The 848 was replaced by the 899 which we rode in China in 2014.

However now it was time to ride the 959 which will replace the 899 Panigale, but this time in Thailand. So the journey starts with bumping into Ravi Avalur, CEO Ducati India at Bangkok Airport:

David James, the man behind a lot of great stuff that happens with Ducati APAC, I personally owe him a lot!

Signing the indemnity bond, in case I crashed and ruined the nice paint job. Actually no, they just wanted me to be safe.

The 959 ride was clubbed with DRE (Ducati Riding Experience) which is a great way to get on a Ducati and learn riding skills from some of the best out there. My trainer was Manuel Poggiali, the man who beat Jorge Lorenzo to take the top spot on the podium as the world champion in 2001 (125CC, now Moto3 on a Gilera) and 2002 (250CC, now Moto2 on an Aprilia)! And he is from a country called San Marino which is in Italy. Other instructors included people like Alessandro Valia who is the lead tester at Ducati.

We were then transferred to a the city of Buriram with a connecting flight and then another bus (phew). Buriram literally means city of happiness. Damn well it was going to be, considering the machines that we were about to ride. I was actually asked by a couple of locals if I was going to Buriram for football. It was then that I did a quick search to find that it is the home of Buriram United Football Club which competes at the Thai national level. The city is also known for the i Mobile stadium. However for us petrolheads the area of interest was the Buriram United International Circuit (BRIC) also known as Chang International Circuit, the construction of which started in March 2013 and it was opened in October 2014.

The track is the first FIA Grade I certified circuit and also the first FIM Grade A circuit in Thailand. It also hosted a Japanese Super GT round in 2014. Other racetracks are being planned, such as a motocross circuit.

On March 22 2015, the first ever Thailand round of the World Superbike Championship was held at the circuit. Both of the Superbike races were won by UK rider Jonathan Rea and the World Supersport race was won by Thai rider Rathapark Wilairot, much to the delight of the Thai spectators.

I should not be stating the obvious. The bike is gorgeous, as all Ducatis are, with the exception of a rare few (most notably the DS1000). Have a look below! The only request I have from my end to Ducati is to have more visual demarcations between the smaller and larger capacity Panigale.

Buriram is a great wide flowing world class track. The 959 Panigale in Sport mode had just the right amount of settings to allow me to get used to the bike and the track. The last two sessions were ridden in Race mode where the rear ABS was disengaged completely and the traction control was intruding less to the extent of letting the bike slip and slide on hard acceleration in the corners. Of course if it was someone like Alessandro Valia he would have made it look classy unlike me which was more to do with correcting the lines.

I am not a fast rider on the track and I take a bit of time to change mode from touring to track mentally. However, I won’t exactly say I am slow either. I gathered that the Panigale can be a very fast bike, much beyond my capabilities. The electronics have improved vastly over the years on the Ducatis, they are almost on a level where you cannot even sometimes tell that they are working in the background. Compensating a hard throttle during a corner could be a good example which could possibly prevent a low side. Talking about corners, one major difference between the ‘entry level’ Panigale 959 and the 1299 as far as safety electronics go is the Cornering ABS, but by no means are the electronics in the Panigale 959 to be taken as ‘inferior’.

The quickshift has to be one of the best features in a bike this and it worked flawlessly. In the hands (or foot) of a seasoned rider it can actually help shave off a precious second or so compared to a non QS equipped motorcycle.

Check out the lineup below of the DRE Instructors. The collective experience and talent is mindblowing! You can probably identify the odd one out.

Getting a certificate for completion the DRE felt sort of nice.

Read the next page by clicking Page 2 below.

The post Ducati 959 Panigale Track Ride appeared first on xBhp.com.

We ride and review the Ducati Multistrada Enduro in Australia!

Text: Jesse Miller
Photos: Sundeep Gajjar

When I woke up this morning I didn’t think I would be getting chased down an airport runway on an unfamiliar motorcycle by a stranger in a plane. I digress.

If I was going to buy any motorcycle today it would be the Ducati Multistrada Enduro. It’s not that the Enduro is perfect, it doesn’t boast the kind of teutonic conquest in function over form that we have become accustomed to in the adventure market. It doesn’t have bars to bolt your GPS, rally course notes, or kindle to, and it’s not as easy as removing a sparkplug to evacuate water from the cylinder if you, or your movie star friend, happen to drown it in some remote Mongolian river! But I can’t help thinking that after you’ve bent a conrod thanks to hydraulic lock, the trouble of removing the tank to access the top of the new Desmodromic V-twin might not seem so significant, and really, what’s more adventurous/manly than reading a map and then assuming you can remember all the directions to the next fuel stop unprompted? No, the Enduro, does adventure with a distinctly Italian flare, like wearing your stilettos to do your grocery shopping. The Ducati Enduro is beautiful…

Ducati did a great job with styling the normal Multistrada, but the Enduro is bigger, it’s bulgier, thanks to the enlarged fuel tank, now 30 litres, and it’s taller thanks to longer travel suspension and a new 19″ front wheel. Some people scoff at the notion of some bikes having more character, or soul, than other bikes, but look a Multistrada in the eye and you can see its soul is up for anything. I imagine it covered in mud like a Navy SEAL recruit who’s just come through a muddy training course, standing steadfast and defiant as some drill sergeant does their best to break them, but that could be the fantastic green colour of our test bike that can be best described as “military” and only adds to the toughness of the bike overall.

This is not a hard core ride review, partly because I’m not a hard core racer, or motocross madman, and partly because we were touring around looking for scenic places to take pictures, which is probably exactly the sort of duties most of these bikes will see with their loving owners. Our journey saw us negotiate the heavy traffic of the inner city as we rode around looking for urban shots, much like picking through a daily commute to work. I found the “urban” setting worked wonders in taming the beast while I became accustomed to the big twins sharp throttle and short clutch in the start-stop traffic. From there we headed out onto the highway and further afield to find some off-road locations.

Once up and running the agility of the bike belies its mass to the point that you may forget how tall and heavy it really is, until a low speed near drop while manoeuvring for a picture makes for a strenuous lesson learned. It’s bloody heavy when you can barely reach the ground. This is not a complaint about the bike, because it’s actually not heavy for a 2-up ADV bike, but rather a compliment about how confidence inspiring it is.

We didn’t venture too far from the black-top, just far enough to see where that track went, or if there was anything interesting to see, which is again in keeping with the likely use for the bike. There’s nothing worse than riding all day to go and explore somewhere, and not being able to do the last kilometre because the bike you’re on doesn’t agree with the road surface.

It was one of these brief sojourns off the road that saw us stop at an airfield. No sooner had we pulled up than “Tom”, an aerophile standing by the runway came over to inspect the bike and offer his approval. While Tom was looking at the bike “Sally”, who we had passed on the road earlier, rode up on her bicycle with her dog in a basket on the back. Sally wanted to have her picture taken with the Ducati. Just then a plane landed, turned round, and taxied back to where we were standing. “Bob” the pilot, had come to see what all the fuss was about and we took the opportunity to push our luck and get some pictures on the airstrip.

The grass on the side of the runway gave me a good opportunity to try out both the Multistrada’s traction control and enduro mode. The traction control worked brilliantly on the wet grass, but the activation was noticeable. In enduro mode the bike became tail happy, enough for a novice like me to get a thrill and a little nervous, but obviously smooth and controllable enough that, with some practice, gravel roads would provide great enjoyment.

Now was the time. Lined up at the end of the runway beside the aircraft was one of those moments you dream of as a motor loving boy. Adrenalin pumped, but not enough for me to forget about the propeller next to me, and all those air crash investigation television shows I’ve seen! We tore down the runway. Initially the plan was for the plane to pop a wheelie, and as we approached take off velocity and my steely nerved Motographer friend, I tried to decide if I should wheelie too? Something I’m no good at, because I’m not a stunt rider. But it was too late. A slight gust of wind, or a touch too much air speed and the plane lifted off rather than wheeling. Bob broke left, climbed, and I tore past the other side of the camera, then parked the bike back with its small crowd of admirers.

After circling around, and landing Bob pulled back up where Tom and Sally, and Sally’s dog, stood waiting by the bike. It was at this point that I remembered that saying about meeting the nicest people on a Honda, but the most interesting on a Ducati. The Multistrada Enduro is as quintessentially Italian as an adventure bike could be. It doesn’t compromise on function for form, it recognises that form is a big part of function. It’s like wearing your stilettos to the grocery store because you just never know who you might meet and what adventures that may lead to.

So what’s new?

A hell of a lot! The Ducati Multistrada Enduro isn’t a regular MTS with knobby tyres and a raised suspension. The Bologna manufacturer has in fact used 266 new parts in the Enduro to make it dirt ready, which is almost 30% of all the parts used in the bike! This shows the level of commitment from Ducati to ensure that their bike is ready to rumble.

Visually, the 19 inch front spoked wheel, 30 litre fuel tank and high seat height on the Enduro make this immediately different from the MTS. The suspension travel has been increased to 200mm, ground clearance is up by 31mm and rake angle has been increased by a degree to 25 degrees. The rear sprocket gets 3 additional teeth. Electronics have been tweaked. New sump guard. New higher mounted silencer. Handlebar height has been increased by 50mm to make riding while standing easier. The wheelbase is up by 64mm. The side panels are now aluminium and the front beak is longer to save the rider from flying mud! The seat is slimmer than on the MTS, which allows the rider to get his foot down, even though the seat height is considerable. A double sided swingarm which is more rigid and longer helps maintain stability in the dirt. The foot pedals are steel which bend and not break, so stay safe in case of a crash, the rubber mountings on the pegs are easy to remove to show the dirtbike claw pegs below it. And all these are just what are visible!

What hasn’t changed is the solid Testastretta engine churning out 160 bhp and the chassis which has proven itself yet again.

The bigger they are the harder they fall!

Riding a big, heavy bike on dirt is generally a recipe for disaster. Any off-road rider will tell you, fall you will, fall you must. But Ducati has tried to reduce your tipping points to a bare minimum. Along with Ducati’s Skyhook suspension system, wheelie control, traction control, and cornering ABS, the bike also gets Vehicle Hold Control. VHC gets activated when you are on a steep incline and releases the rear brake gently even after you have removed your foot off the pedal, this is to help you get moving when you find yourself stuck trying to climb a steep mud slope. In Enduro ABS only the front brake is controlled, which allows you to slide the rear to your heart’s content!

Most importantly, though, power in Enduro mode is restricted to 100bhp. Ample for your needs, without being downright scary! All these safety nets are necessary, because if you do drop your bike, picking it up alone won’t be quite a walk in the park and paying the repair bills will surely be no picnic!

Ride Ready!

The Enduro is in a different league on dirt when compared to the MTS, but on tarmac it is no slouch either. Even on its stiffest setting it is still too softly sprung for being manhandled on asphalt, but that is a trade-off one has to live with on an off-road biased motorcycle. Though taking its size, weight and bulk into account, the Enduro does a respectable job on tarmac as well.

Ducati Multistrada Enduro Review Technical Specifications

The Ducati Multistrada Enduro lines up with its biggest competitor the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure

The post Ducati Multistrada Enduro Review: Enduring Dirt! appeared first on xBhp.com.

Comparison Data provided by Bajaj

The post The Dark Knight – Bajaj Dominar 400 Review appeared first on xBhp.com.

Fully Loaded…

In 2014, xBhp had ridden the KTM RC 390 and 200, the first proper sportbikes in the country. Bikes which were completely at home on the track. They were a bargain at the price point and gave enthusiasts a very different tool to play with! It was however time for the Austrian manufacturer to up the ante and ensure the new bike is fully loaded for the track, straight out of the factory!

The 2017 bikes are an evolution of the original, a lot has changed in the RC 390, but the base motorcycle is the same at the heart of it. The bike feels familiar, for better or worse. We therefore will concentrate our attention on the differences and not the similarities!

First up is the new paint scheme, the one thing that is in your face. As always, whenever there is a change in the paint scheme of a motorcycle, there will be the critics who feel the older looked better, while others will welcome the change. So is the case with the 2017 RC twins. The important thing though is that the bike looks different from its predecessor. Besides the change in graphics, visually you will notice the substantially larger RVMs. Which is a wonderful practical addition to the bike. The new side-mounted exhaust, this was required to meet Euro IV emission norms, frees up room from the belly, thus allowing the bottom of the fairing to be made narrower. This mitigates the problem of the fairing grinding in the corners, a problem faced by some of the seasoned track riders. The new exhaust also has a better note, pleasantly different from the outgoing model! Another change is an addition of 12mm of foam to the rider’s saddle. This was an addition which I didn’t like, though I assume most riders would be happy to have that extra bit of padding.

Riding Gear: Spartan Pro Gear

The important updates though, are not visible to the eye. Ride-by-wire (RBW) is one of the biggest technology additions to the new RC. What’s that you ask? Basically, the traditional mechanical throttle cable is replaced with an electronic wire. So when you twist that right wrist, a cable isn’t pulling through, instead 1s and 0s are being sent to a little black box, where an IT engineer is sitting with his laptop, giving commands as to how much the valves should open and allow the air to be let in and burnt! So in the real world does this translate to a disconnect between the rider and the engine? Not really, in fact the throttle response only gets crisper and more precise. Technology like RBW, can even change the mind of old-school purists with the many advantages they offer!

The other big ticket update that the bike got was the addition of a slipper clutch. A slipper clutch helps in downshifting, especially on a track. When you downshift at high RPM, there is a difference between the engine speed and the rear tyre speed as the lower gear is engaged. This difference in speed causes the rear wheel to lose traction and skip out. Very unnerving when the rider is focussing on braking for that next corner. The old school method is to blip the throttle while downshifting so as to match the revs of the engine to the speed of the tyre. Now this job is done by the slipper clutch, which does exactly what its name suggests. It slips the clutch if the wheel speed is more than the engine speed, till the speeds are similar, where the clutch once again engages. How useful is this in real world riding conditions? Honestly, you rarely ever will find yourself hammering down through the gears while riding on public roads. The biggest benefit as per me is mid-corner. When you find yourself one gear too high in the corner while leaned over, you can easily downshift and still hold your line. Without the slipper clutch, a downshift would most probably throw you off-line. That itself is worth the extra monies you pay for it!

The other notable change is the downgraded speed rating for the Metzeler rubber that the RC 390 now sports. Though it still is comfortably capable of handling the top speeds that the RC is capable of managing. On the 1 km long straight, I managed to hit 160 kmph on the speedo, well below the 210 kmph that the tyres are rated for. And to bring you back to reality in a hurry, KTM has popped in 20mm larger discs, with the bike now sporting a 320mm disc up front. A very welcome addition, which now gives the bike the same kind of urgency in braking as it possesses in the handling and acceleration department. Other improvements we found on the bike were a super smooth gearbox, and this was at the end of the day after a bunch of media people had already spent the day thrashing the bikes around the Chakan track, and a bike which started on the first touch of the starter button. The KTMs no longer a 3 second bike, a 3 second to start bike, that is!

Which brings us to the younger sibling, the RC 200. The 200 also gets a new livery and a BS IV compliant engine, along with the wider mirrors. But overall, the bike is essentially the same as the 2016 version. As such it sat in a corner of the track moping, since no one was willing to give it any attention! Previously I had held the belief that the only reason to buy the RC 200 was because one couldn’t afford the RC 390! After a couple of laps on the Chakan track, I am not so sure anymore. The 200 is substantially lighter than the 390 and isn’t quite as front heavy, translating into a radically easier bike to navigate around the tighter sections of the track. I was much faster on the 200 as compared to the 390 on the tighter bits. The only negatives I found on the 200 vis-à-vis the 390 was in the braking and tyre department. Slip these two upgrades onto the 200 and I would be seriously tempted to pick David over Goliath!

The 2017 KTM RC 390 is now fully loaded for the track. The playground for which it was built. You can pretty much ride the bike as is on the track and still have a blast. Safely! The 390 does feel like a proper upgrade over its predecessor, with the inclusion of RBW and a slipper clutch, along with the other useful additions like the RVMs and adjustable clutch and brake levers. The 200 would have been even better if better brakes and tyres were provided, at least as an option. Currently it is old wine in a new bottle. But still good wine!

Photos: Vivek Bhandwalkar & Ashish Kulkarni

The Adjustable Clutch Lever. Same is the case with the front brake lever.

The new RVM, with increased visibility of those you leave behind!

The rear brake remains the same, while the front disc is increased by 20mm

The pillion hangs onto these for dear life as you redline the bike!

Finishing looked good.

The rear brake, something I failed to use most of the time!

The confidence inspiring Metzelers

The plastic shrouds should help prevent dirt getting into the suspension

If you are 5’11”, that’s where your knees are going to reach. You might want to do something to protect the paint!

The redesigned narrower section at the bottom

The redesigned narrower section at the bottom

The saddle gets an extra 12mm of padding

The new side mounted exhaust

More plastic shrouds to help keep the dirt away

You might want to grab that …..

No change here. Except you get live fuel efficiency!

Riding Gear Courtesy: Spartan Pro Gear. MT Helmets and Orazo Boots

For those interested in knowing what the Chakan track looks like

The post First Impressions: 2017 KTM RC 390 and RC 200 appeared first on xBhp.com.

Going Green…

It is not everyday that a manufacturer calls us to ride 6 bikes at the same time! Bajaj was candid enough to admit that the there is no major change in the motorcycles for them to deserve individual attention! The biggest change was found on the bestselling Pulsar, the 150. The 135 saw it repositioned as a commuter rather than the sporty bike it was first targeted as. The 180 got improvements in the braking department, while the 220 didn’t get much. For all the NS lovers, the 200 is back, though without any changes, while the RS 200 just got new colours. The update that the entire range received was in greener technology, with all the Pulsars sporting the new BS IV compliant engines along with the Automatic Headlamp On (AHO) feature which is government mandated. Other changes included ‘bold new graphics’ which makes your bike go faster! Okay, maybe not. These updates have seen an increase of Rs. 1000-2000 across the Pulsar range.

With a global clarion call for reducing the carbon footprint, automobiles were understandably in the line of fire. Government regulations have mandated that all vehicles should comply with BS IV by April 2017. As such we have seen a slew of updates from all the manufacturers as they have gone about refreshing their motorcycle range. Along with going green, as a safety feature, manufacturers have also added AHOs to their vehicles, which will also be compulsory from April this year. As such you will see the headlamp on/off switch missing from all the 2017 Pulsars. What you will see added is the SAI (Secondary Air Injection) pipe on all the bikes. Up until now, Bajaj has relied on their Exhaustec, multiple plugs and catcons for reducing emissions, but for BS IV, SAI had to be added. This isn’t some new tech and has been around for ages, but is a first for Bajaj bikes. Simply put, SAI injects fresh air to the exhaust gases to improve combustion.

Pulsar 135 and 150

Starting with the smallest in the family; the 135 has been toned down radically. From a Light Sport as it was originally positioned, it has now been dumbed down to a full blown commuter, which begs the question, does it still deserve the Pulsar brand, which is synonymous in the Indian market with power and sportiness, unlike the Discover range of bikes. The 135 had been languishing in the sales chart, with little or no push from the company, so much so, that I haven’t seen a new 135 on the road in a very long time! Bajaj has refocused its energies on this model and have tweaked it. The changes include a taller visor, toe-heel shifter unlike the toe only shifter earlier, a single piece seat instead of the split seats, a one piece grab rail instead of the split and a terribly placed side-stand, which won’t allow you to lean more than 90 degrees! That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Bajaj’s intent to ‘commuterize’ isn’t. Why you ask? Because the game has moved on according to the company. Nowadays, even a 150cc motorcycle is considered a commuter, so it is rather difficult for a 135cc motorcycle to pose as a sporty offering. If you can’t beat them, join ‘em! A few months back, Bajaj had reduced the price of the 135 by a whopping 5000 to help with sales, maybe the commuter additions will help in that regard.

The earlier split seat is now a single piece seat

The split grabrails is now a single piece unit

The visor is bigger than the older bike

The toe only shifter is now a toe-heel shifter with the sidestand projecting out in an awkward fashion

The BS IV shenanigans

New Graphics

The 150 saw the biggest change. And for this reason we were provided with the outgoing and incoming motorcycles to ride one after another. And the difference between the two is like going from the Flintstones to the Jetsons (if you don’t get the cartoon reference, then you probably grew up watching Pokemon!). The biggest change is in the engine. The stroke has been increased and bore decreased, resulting in a 1 bhp decrease and 1 Nm increase. This makes the bike a better commuter, along with this NVH has been reduced by better damping on the engine-chassis interface and a change in engine internals in the bottom end. Work has also been done on the gearbox to improve shift quality; the exhaust has also been reworked. The new suspension also promises a plusher ride, though we couldn’t tell the difference on the smooth tarmac of the track. Overall the new bike is much smoother than the outgoing model, but still not at par with the Japanese manufacturers.

Reworked exhaust

Claimed plusher suspension

SAI

The chassis-engine interface has been improved to reduce NVH

New Graphics

The carbon fibre finish on the sides of the console

A much smoother gearbox

Flintstones Vs Jetsons!

Pulsar 180 and 220

The post The 2017 Bajaj Pulsars! Going Green… appeared first on xBhp.com.

A few years ago inspired by MotoGP riders, I took up cycling as a means to stay fighting fit for motorcycles. The Aprilia SR 150 was already fighting fit, and so it undertook the simpler task of wrapping itself in the same colours as its very distant cousin the Aprilia RS-GP, a motorcycle raced in the upper echelons of the biking galaxy. Last year with Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl and in 2017 with Aleix Espargaro and Sam Lowes. What could a little scoot (even with the word ‘power’ suffixed to it) have in common with those technological marvels?

What’s in a name? Racing Heritage!

We have seen the Honda CBR 250 get ‘Repsol’ colours as well as the Suzuki Gixxer SF. None of these machines might have anything in common with the factory MotoGP bikes, but it is still happily splashed on to your commuter, so that you remember the racing heritage which each of these companies boast. So while you potter along to the market to buy milk and bread, you can still feel like Marc Marquez and his ilk! And here the Aprilia SR150 Race looks the part.

Piaggio targeted that untapped segment of the market who wanted a the convenience of an automatic scooter along, but were not willing to compromise too much on performance. First unveiled at the Auto Expo 2016, it grabbed the attention of motorcycle enthusiasts. What with its quirky looks! It looked unlike any other scooter that was being sold here. Long before it set foot (or tyres if you please!) on Indian roads, there was tremendous interest and once the scoot was launched, it got a fair share of bookings, with most prospective buyers not having even seen it in the flesh. Later in 2016 Aprilia launched the SR150 at 65,000 ex-showroom Delhi and at that price point it was one of best things to happen to the Indian two wheeler industry.

Photo Courtesy: Vikrant Date

Photo Courtesy: Vikrant Date

Styling wise, the SR150 looks unlike any other scooter that you can buy in India. It has got razor sharp styling and oozes aggression and sportiness from every angle you look at it – be it the beaky front end or the upward pointing shortish tail with a split grab rail. The front is further enhanced by twin headlamps incorporated into the apron. Now the RACE version gets a MotoGP inspired colour scheme which looks plenty good when you get up close and personal with it.  The graphics have #beAracer written on it, probably not the best quote to an 18 year old weaving through traffic! Red wheels and a red rear suspension are the new additions to the RACE edition. The most striking thing about the SR150 is its meaty 120 section 14-inch tyres at the front and back, which gives it a very muscular look. The white background all analogue instrument console compliments the overall sport styling. The pillion footrests tuck neatly into the side panels and looks classy. Boot space is okay but not large enough to hold a full face helmet.

Photo Courtesy: Simran Rastogi

The Aprilia SR150 RACE uses the same 150 cc single cylinder, air-cooled engine that powers the regular SR150 and the Vespa 150 scooters in India. The difference between the two bikes lies in its suspension tuning we are given to believe. With the RACE getting a sportier setup! That probably should be interpreted as a tad firmer than the already firm suspension that the SR150 had. Since we didn’t have the older scoot to ride back to back, it was near impossible to notice any difference. But I would be willing to wager, even if you do ride the two bikes one after another, chances are slim that you will notice much. Which isn’t really a bad thing, the bike was good in the first place!  It touches the 100 kmph mark without any hiccups and can be ridden at 70-80 kmph with enough juice left in hand to overtake large vehicles. This engine feels smooth across the rev range; however, it isn’t among the most refined engines out there. It does do justice to the Aprilia SR150’s sporty looks and makes it a fun machine to ride. It accelerates quickly right from the word go and manages to pull strongly even in the higher rev range. The mid-range is meaty as well. Though while climbing the ghat sections we would notice at the first touch of the throttle, the bike would rev but not move ahead. A delayed telecast so to speak between throttle hand and rear wheel!

On the handling front, the SR150 RACE impressed with its performance. It is quick and easy to manoeuvre and holds its lines well while cornering. Proving far more entertainment than should be legal on a scoot! The 120 section rubber does come into play here and makes things easier.  The job of braking is well taken care of by the 220 mm disc up front and the 140 mm drum brakes at the rear. The scooter comes to a halt from double digit speeds without any fuss even when the brakes are applied with a sense of urgency.

The seat felt plush and wide enough even for bigger riders and despite its compact size, it didn’t feel cramped. Though at 5’11”, there is no space left for a pillion, once the rider has made himself/ herself comfortable.  The flat footboard offers just enough space for me to place my size 11 sneakers, I doubt if my motorcycle boots would fit in that space. Of course, you also don’t have any footboard left to carry any larger bag. A backpack is the way to go with the SR150.

Aprilia has billed this RACE version as their ‘second’ crossover offering for India. We humbly disagree, there isn’t much different from the regular SR150 to consider this a separate bike. It is at best the SR150 with a racier paint scheme, and at a price difference of roughly 3k, it is worth it. At least for those MotoGP fans and everyone else who prefers this colour.

The 120 section front tyre from Vee Rubber

A rather narrow opening for fuelling

A full face helmet won’t go in, much less attempt closing the seat!

Though enough space for knickknacks and other odds and ends

If your battery ever runs out!

Front Brake by Bybre

The retuned rear suspension is now a bright red!

Neatly placed disc brake oil checking window

Switchgear feels like good quality plastic

Nothing better than a clean, clear console

It is quite slim and trim

The 14″ wheels and forks give it motorcycle like stability

Pillion Comfort? You first need to fit a pillion on!

And fast it will go as well…

The tightly packed footboard.

The 2016 Aprilia RS-GP raced by Alvaro Bautista Photo Courtesy: Aprilia

The post Aprilia SR150 RACE: MotoGP Inspired! appeared first on xBhp.com.

Look at these men. What do they have in common? They have a common posture, their eyes are more or less affixed to an inanimate object at more or less the same distance.

And in a few hours they will be again affixed to an inanimate object. Same positions, eyes glued ahead. The only difference will be that this time this inanimate object will be brought to life courtesy one of the most refined in-line three cylinder internal combustion engines made by man; to practice the last real urban sport left to mankind – motorcycling.

And when you have a motorcycle which makes every tunnel sound like a darn opera house, you know you have to rev it harder and push it further to enjoy the music.

I am talking about the new Street Triple 765 RS, the latest offering from a rejuvenated young man, all of 115 years, from Great Britain – his name is Triumph Motorcycles. The company got its first motorcycle on road in 1902, but it was in 1984 that John Bloor breathed a new lease of life into it. And he has turned out to be a fine Godfather, I say! 

MT Helmets by Spartan ProGear

Dispensing with the rhetoric, let’s talk about the real deal. Let’s talk business. My job is to tell you how a motorcycle is so you can put in your hard earned money on the motorcycle which will bring the widest grin on your face. It’s a big ask you know. Big responsibility when I can influence your decisions and ask you to put your faith and earnings in a product.

But there are so many factors which make it difficult. To start with each one of you is different. Each one of you probably has a different riding style, different magnitude of income and so on. Also what will be your primary application?

Use your common sense to answer the above questions before you decide to buy any motorcycle. There are plenty of motorcycles now available in India which specialise in a specific application – long distance touring, track, adventure touring, cruising or hyperbikes which  maximise narcissism.

To be very frank any modern motorcycle made by any manufacturer  of repute has been well researched with inputs from many people who have many years of combined experience in many fields. Besides the odd mechanical issue, they are perfect for their intended application.

What we ‘reviewers’ can do is share our experiences with you, which can be subjective. The specifications and figures are as objective as they can get. I strongly believe in WYFIWYR (What you Feel is What You Ride).

But I’ll base this ‘review’ on the premise that you have something in common with me – I earn my money the hard way through blood and sweat and I like my bikes to be fast and precise when I want them to be and sound like a million bucks. I also like to take my bikes on long hauls and on the track.

So let’s do this.

Some Background

 It’s been a decade since Triumph launched the original Street Triple and since then this has become one of the most popular models of the British marque.

From the time it was launched, the ST set a new benchmark in its segment. Not surprisingly, since it was derived from the fantastic Daytona 675. A year after the Supersport motorcycle was launched, in 2007; Triumph brought out the ST producing 105 bhp and weighed in at 189kg. In 2008, the bike got the ‘R’ tag with better brakes, suspension and a sportier setup. The bike had the classic twin-round headlamp till 2011. From 2012, the bike got a drastic makeover and the most prominent of which was the bug eyes! Fans and critics were divided on opinion, but sales numbers of the bike went only upward. To sweeten the deal, in 2013 the bike shed a whopping 6kg, making the already sweet handling bike even more flickable. Also a new chassis, ABS and low slung exhaust were added. The R version the same year got an improved suspension, brakes and sportier geometry. A couple of years back in 2015, the RX version was launched which got a quickshifter and the Daytona’s subframe and seat unit.

I would like to delve into an interesting product placement by Triumph in the year 2000 with the Mission Impossible: 2 Hollywood blockbuster.

Tom Cruise, arguably, one of the biggest superstars of Hollywood, rode the Speed Triple (same as the smaller Street Triple that we are talking about here for all practical purposes), for a substantial period of time in the movie doing things with it that are not entirely, well, impossible (excuse the pun).

I started motorcycling around the very same year with the humble Bajaj Pulsar 180 when I hit the age of 21. I had modified my bike to look like this:

See any similarities?

It was the most successful motorcycle product placements in a movie ever, affecting, even yours truly sitting in a room thousands of miles away in India. So that’s the legacy of the iconic Speed and Street Triples.

Coming back to 2017, it was now time for the younger sibling to get a major overhaul with the introduction of the 765.

And boy, did it impress.

First Impression: Looks

Let’s be honest. For most of us looks do matter. There is a saying that if you do not look back once, at the motorcycle you parked, then you haven’t got the right one. All the motorcycles that I own pass this test with flying colors.

I want to be able to look at them when parked at a gas station while having a  quick snack. I want it to beckon me to click a photo of it in exotic places and make beautiful photos and memories. I want it to look beautiful, yes.

So how does the new Triumph Street Triple 765 RS look to me?

It is a bike which looks like an amalgamation of a bug, a transformer and a motorcycle. It’s unique with its dual headlamps. This evolution has sharper lines doing away with too much of an organic design language. It likes to to show off its mechanicals and the engine, like a lean bodybuilder who knows he has got the right mass and cuts to flaunt in front of a big and discerning crowd.

Some do not like the styling, but I think it is one of the things which you fall in love the more you see it.

This is also the first motorcycle to feature an all color TFT instrument cluster whose angle can be adjusted to cancel direct sun or suit rider preferences. And it looks gorgeous in its 5 inches of glory. But the TFT is only on R and RS models.

The standard model gets a standard display

All said and done the bike does look good, but if you want a truly unruly burly streetfighter, look elsewhere. But I will be surprised if you’ll find an overall package as good as this in the amount of money that this will probably come in.

Aural Qualities

One of the first things which many people would do after buying a multi-cylinder bike is get a new louder and sweeter sounding exhaust. This is one of the rare times I actually fell in love with the sound of an in-line 3 over an in-line 4, and that too of a stock exhaust.  Fortunately, Triumph has a legit option which would get you more performance and sound right from the word go and won’t (we hope!) void any kind of warranty – the Arrow exhaust. The idling sound is almost like an in-line 4, however it turns into a real howl after 7,000 rpm. I was playing with the throttle just to hear that sound repetitively on country roads.

Ergonomics

Additional buttons, especially a five way (Left, Right, Top, Bottom and Push) have found their way on the one piece handlebar of the Street. There are a lot of things going on with the 5 inch TFT screen, however once you get  used to it, not only can you choose between different display styles on that beautiful console, but you’ll actually put all that data to good use. On the RS version you can even time your lap pretty easily in the track mode. The transition and animation between the different menu options is also fluidic.

The one piece handlebar mated with the rearset provide a decent sporty posture, however it is not harsh on the rider, unless perhaps if you are over 6’1” (I am 5’10”).

The bar end placements of the mirrors do make lane filtering in traffic a tad more of an issue but help to stay clear of elbow eclipse on the road.

Performance on Road

The entire Street range now features RbW (Ride by Wire ) tech, that means more precise and smoother throttle control. Along with the host of electronics like ABS and Traction Control, making it safer in all kinds of conditions and for all kind of riders.

I usually like to ride hard on the country roads in Europe where there is a certain degree of tarmac and road conditions dependability. The road circuit had around 200 kms of narrow sinuous country roads and some bits of the Autovia (the motorways in Spain). I had a particularly enthusiastic leader up front on a Tiger Explorer which kept me company as we usually stayed way ahead of the rest of the pack.

Conditions were very foggy and the road was more often damp than not. Knowing that some electronics are working to keep you safe is always a welcome psychological boost. If an inept rider has to to kiss the tarmac, he will. No amount of tech can save him.

The bike is very light (166 kgs dry) and hence feels incredibly nimble. With 123 Bhps it actually feels more like a Daytona with raised handle bars than a street naked.

It is only at very high speeds that you start to realise the importance of aerodynamics and full fairings. But then the Daytona is not exactly a intercontinental tourer or your everyday machine!

I just had to adjust once in the beginning to figure out the exact declutching and acceleration mix to prevent over revving or bike stalling at ultra low speeds. Beyond that everything was perfect – the power delivery, fuelling and of course the quick shifter – which I thoroughly enjoyed using on the road as well on the track…

Performance on Track

I love riding on racing tracks, but I end up doing only one or two track days in a year. That’s because I am mostly touring in some part of the world. Understandably I was very excited to be able to do a track day at Catalunya, where so many great battles have been fought by the  fastest men in the world. I was literally imagining Valentino taking those turns when I first hit this track on the Street Triple 765 immediately after our road ride.

I have also been fortunate enough to have ridden on tracks like Jerez, Valencia and Navarra on a rather inappropriate adventure motorcycle in 2013.

Out of the pits and into the first right – I was getting used to the bike at high speeds and more lean angles. It was confidence inspiring. The sky was clear, the track was a wee bit on the colder side but the tyres shod with amazing rubber (Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP) were preheated for us and the bike was set in the track mode.

Soon enough I was thrashing the bike around the track and enjoying every bit of it. The chassis had very little flex and the ‘gullwing’ swingarm seems to be working for the bike under hard accelerations, especially in reducing the compression of rear suspension out of corners.

I remember seeing a figure around 220 on the speedo. I am sure the bike went faster, but I was too busy prepping for late braking into the right corner after the main straight for obvious reasons.

Riding the 765 on track made the appear to be a bikini clad superbike!

MT Helmets by Spartan ProGear

Bang for your Buck and when can I buy it in India?

 Triumph says the Street base model will land in July. It is to be seen when the RS model will come. The good news is that it is going to be a CKD, hence the cost should be relatively less, but I do not see it being less than 10 lacs.

So who is this for?

 If you want to go to Leh ? Yep. With a bit of mods, maybe an underplate.

If you want to go to office daily? Yep.

If you want to go on the track and be reasonably fast ? Yep.

If you want to ride across country? Yep. Maybe with a better fly screen.

If you want to just ride to your local McDonald’s with your favourite superbiking group each Sunday. That too!

The bikes packed up and ready to say Good Bye!

Mr. Vimal Sumbly , Managing Director, Triumph Motorcycles India

The Boring (or from the brochure)

Developed from the celebrated race bred ‘Daytona’ engine, the new 765cc Street Triple engine delivers a major step up in power and torque. With more than 80 new parts including new crank, pistons and Nikasil plated aluminium barrels and an increased bore and stroke. The result is a significant advance in performance, particularly low-down and in the mid-range.

Each of the new models come with their own unique engine set-up, ECU and tune, each tailored to deliver the character, power and performance best suited to the bike’s style of ride and rider.

The ‘S’ tune provides up to 6.6% more peak power than the previous generation with 113PS @ 11,250rpm and delivers a 7.3% increase in peak torque at 73Nm @ 9,100rpm.

The ‘R’ tune, with its own model-specific cam shaft, increases peak power by up to 11.3% over the previous ‘R’ model, delivering 118PS @ 12,000rpm, and delivers a 13% increase in peak torque at 77Nm @ 9,400rpm.

The ‘RS’ tune delivers the highest level of performance ever for a Street Triple, with a power increase of up to 16% over the previous model, delivering 123PS @ 11,700rpm and a peak torque increase of 13%, providing 77Nm @ 10,800rpm.

There are riding modes on all models to help the rider better harness the increased power and torque in every riding condition. A richer sound track, from a lighter, free flowing exhaust and revised airbox delivers an intoxicating and more distinctive induction howl.

Stronger than ever acceleration and slicker gear changes are achieved through a combination of revised gearbox geometry and shorter 1st and 2nd gear ratios. In addition, on the R and RS models, a new slip and assist clutch set up delivers lighter clutch action and reduced lever effort for more control and riding comfort.

Rider focussed technology

The new Street Triple line up represents a major evolution in state of the art rider focussed technology for maximum control and safety.

Ride-by-wire For a crisper, more precise and more accurate throttle response, with improved on/off throttle transition. Enabling different throttle maps, which combined with the ABS and traction control settings give up to 5 riding modes.

Riding modes  Linked to the ride-by-wire system all models have new riding modes, which adjust throttle response, ABS and traction control settings
- Street Triple S featuring 2 riding modes: Road and Rain.
- Street Triple R featuring 4 riding modes: Road, Rain, Sport and Rider Programmable.
- Street Triple RS featuring 5 modes: Road, Rain, Sport,

 Rider Programmable and Track.

Full colour adjustable   The Street Triple R and RS feature all-new, angle adjustable

TFT instruments  Colour 5” TFT instruments for riders to access the new on-board computer. There are three different screen display styles to choose from, pre-set to the riding modes and changeable easily on the move. To ensure that the screen is readable in all weather and light conditions, each of the three styles can be selected with ‘High’ or ’Auto’ contrast.

The Street Triple RS comes with an additional set of 3 more screen display styles. The second set presenting a more dynamic display theme and includes a lap timer that is exclusive to the ‘RS’.

On the Street Triple S there is a fully revised LCD instrument pack, as featured on the latest generation Speed Triple. This allows the rider to select the riding modes, on the move or at a standstill, and access key information from the on-board computer, including odometer, fuel gauge, trip meter and journey distance.

New on-board computer  For the ‘S’ model this delivers a speedometer, rev counter, riding mode symbol, gear position display, fuel gauge, odometer, trip meter and journey distance.

On the ‘R’ and ‘RS’ models this presents additional features including two trip displays, average and instantaneous fuel consumption, range to empty, riding mode selection, display style and contrast settings, service information, coolant temperature, warning symbol information and also for the ‘RS’ model only a lap timer.

New switch cubes  To navigate the new instruments on the Street Triple R and RS there are with 5-way joystick all-new switch cubes with an intuitive 5-way joystick control that have been ergonomically optimised to be easy to use.

The Street Triple S features the revised switch cubes set-up from the latest generation Speed Triple.

ABS Switchable on the Street Triple R and RS through the ‘rider programmable’ riding mode, which can be adjusted to suit (with road and track ABS settings) or can be turned off completely if desired.

Switchable On the Street Triple S traction control settings can be managed via the traction control instrument menu, by selecting ‘road’ or ‘rain’ riding modes, each with a dedicated level of traction control built in.

On the Street Triple R and RS traction control is managed through the ‘rider programmable’ riding mode, by selecting the desired traction control setting either ‘road’, ‘rain’, ‘track’, ‘sport’ or ‘off’.

Quickshifter The new Street Triple RS is fitted with a quickshifter allowing for clutchless upshifts that are up to 2.5 times quicker than a skilled rider using a standard clutch upshift. This can be added as an accessory option on the Street Triple S and R.

DRL Headlight  The new Street Triple line up all feature new headlights designed for a more aggressive stance.

The Street Triple R and RS featuring new distinctive LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL*). These bring an eye catching new light profile that makes the bike more easy to see out on the road and a lower energy consumption for greater long term durability. The DRL is an amazing 28x brighter than the previous generation bulb sidelight.

The Street Triple S features new LED position light headlights, with the LED position light 4.6x brighter than the previous generation bulb sidelight.

*Please note that the DRL function is not available in all markets – please check with your local Triumph marketing representative.

Gear position indicator The Street Triple R and RS feature a useful gear position indicator, accessible through the 5” full colour TFT instruments.

Suspension

The Street Triple S comes with Showa upside-down ø41mm separate function front forks with 110mm travel and a stepped preload-adjustable piggyback reservoir monoshock rear suspension unit.

The Street Triple R comes with ø41mm upside-down fully adjustable Showa separate function big piston front forks with 115mm travel for improved riding comfort without compromise and a Showa piggyback reservoir monoshock rear suspension unit.

And the Street Triple RS comes with the highest-specification Showa big piston ø41mm front forks, adjustable for preload, rebound and compression damping. The rear suspension unit is a premium Öhlins STX40 piggyback reservoir monoshock.

Brake set-up

The Street Triple S model is fitted with Nissin 2-piston sliding calipers on the front and a Brembo single piston sliding caliper on the back.

The Street Triple R has Brembo M4.32 4-piston radial monobloc calipers that deliver greatly improved stopping power over the previous Street Triple R and a Brembo single piston sliding caliper on the back.

The Street Triple RS has range topping Brembo M50 4-piston radial monobloc calipers on the front delivering class leading stopping power, with ratio and span adjustable lever and a Brembo single piston sliding caliper on the back.

Tyres

The Street Triple S and R models are fitted with premium Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tyres which deliver sharp and precise handling as well as excellent stability and grip on the road.

The Street Triple RS comes with range topping Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tyres, that deliver advanced sporting performance for road and the occasional track use.

Colour options (we are not sure which ones will make it to India)

Street Triple S       –     Diablo Red or Phantom Black (Metallic)

Street Triple R       –     Jet Black (Gloss), Matt Aluminium Silver or Crystal White

Street Triple RS    –     Matt Silver Ice or Phantom Black (Metallic)

The post 765, the new 321 & Go!: Triumph Street Triple 765 Ridden! appeared first on xBhp.com.

The Quarter Meister: KTM 250 Duke Ridden

Soon after the Yamaha FZ 25 laid down the gauntlet in January this year, KTM have taken up the quarter litre challenge wholeheartedly with the new 250 Duke. The model is new to India only, as it has been selling in many Southeast Asian countries where the 390 could not be sold. In those markets this bike is the flagship product for the company. In India though we get the 2017 triad of motorcycles, the 390, 250 and 200 Dukes.

At the Chakan track we got a taste of the 250, with the 200 being the side salad! And as any foodie will testify, when you have a delicious main course, the salads and soups get side-lined! Fork and knife ready, let’s dig into the 250.

The new bike is quite the lean, mean, ‘been on a diet’ kind of a motorcycle. It’s angular and sculpted looks grab you by the (eye)balls and irrespective of whether you like it or not, you surely can’t ignore it. The headlight design is somewhere between the 200 and 390. LEDs as pilot lamps, while the main bulb is a traditional halogen, unlike the new 390 with its split LED headlamp. The console isn’t a TFT like the elder sibling, instead you get the regular console with additional information like live fuel efficiency. The same as what we saw on the RC390. In the 250, the kill switch doesn’t kill the display unlike the 200. The tank is redesigned with a larger 13.5 litre capacity, and it is steel. Tank bag lovers, go celebrate!

The LED pilot lamp and AHO

The 13.5 litre steel fuel tank with good knee recesses

The KTMs are always ready to race, even without TFT consoles!

The seats are wider and made of a new material. The saddle is firm and gives your posterior ample support. One of the better saddles I have seen on Indian motorcycles.

Wider Saddle with new material

The chassis is a two piece trellis unit and to ensure that you notice this detail, it is painted two different colours, front black and rear orange! The rear frame can be seen going below the pillion seat and the way the mechanicals are flaunted, makes it exceptionally attractive. That’s how a naked bike should be. In your face! Tyres on the bike are from the same manufacturer and tread pattern, though of a slightly softer compound as compared to the 200. Consequently expect a shorter lifespan for this rubber. The exhaust now has a side-slung end can, while the muffler is still housed in the belly, keeping the weight low and centred, helping maintain a favourable CoG. And I mustn’t forget to mention that the bike sounds lovely now, much like the revised RC 390.

Call me stupid, but I couldn’t stop staring at the way the steel tubular frame disappears under the pillion seat. Beautiful!

The side mounted exhaust for your aural pleasure and of course going green!

MRFs, pretty sticky, even if not comparable to the Metzelers

Other useful features have been carried over from the RC twins we rode last month, like the plastic shrouds for the forks and rear suspension. The forks also get improved seals to keep the dirt out. The open cartridge type forks can also be adjusted by 7-8mm, and expect an adjustment knob on the WP forks in the future. Higher up, the RVMs are now wider than earlier, so expect to see more than just your bulging biceps in the mirrors! This is apparently across the KTM range in India.

The new fork seals and shrouds

The rear suspension also gets the plastic shrouds to keep the mud out

The only section of the motorcycle not pleasing to the eye is probably the tail. The tail light, number plate holder and seat, all appear to be going on a different trip. That sense of flow and cohesion doesn’t come across.

The tail. Sticking it to the competition. Hopefully, not literally!

Where the 250 gets short changed over the 390 is in the RBW, tyres, headlamps, ABS and front disc brake size. The last being the only inclusion I would want to see trickle down to the 250.

And that’s all you need to know about the motorcycle before you throw a leg over it. And once you do, you realize you don’t know the motorcycle at all from the spec sheet. If you are expecting it to be a 200 + 50, it isn’t. The ergonomics itself ensure that. The 200 seems a bit laid back in comparison! On the 250, you feel as if you are sitting on the front wheel, and the steering is completely ‘within’ your control. Before you have thought it, the bike has done it. The only thing that the rider needs to do is grab it by the scruff of its neck and throw it around like a rag doll, without any fear of getting ejected! The 9mm shorter wheelbase as compared to the 200 shows up in the flickability of the bike, easily hiding the extra 13 kg of wet weight that the 250 has. The increased weight is neutralised by the 5 Ps and 5 Nm of increased power and torque. The power to weight ratio increases marginally in the 250 as compared to the 200. But what is worth noting though, is that peak power comes in at 1000 rpm lower and peak torque at 500 rpm lower, making it that much easier to ride in urban traffic.

The clutch is light, and easily workable with gloves on a track. Though only in stop and go urban traffic can we know for sure how user friendly it is. Gear shifts were super smooth, though finding neutral was a bit of a task. This could possibly be because of the bikes being brand new and having been properly thrashed around the Chakan track. The slipper clutch on the 250, is as smooth and helpful in mid-corner downshifts as we found on the RC 390 last month.

The bike wants to pop the wheelie question in the first couple of gears and being over enthusiastic with the throttle might spell trouble for a less experienced rider. Braking is good; it would have been great with the use of the larger disc from the 390. Some of our media brethren did complain about a not so responsive rear brake, a problem I didn’t face, since I make minimal use of it.

The top speed I hit on the 1.2 km main straight was around 130 kmph, fully tucked in behind the 4 inch console! Others reported a top whack of 136-138 kmph. While sitting completely upright, the bike managed 118 kmph. The MRF tyres have a speed rating of around 170 kmph we were told, well above the speeds this bike will manage.

With the 250, what you see is what you get. A purpose built motorcycle which is a perfect stepping-stone from a 150cc commuter. Though initially it would be prudent to keep your head firmly screwed onto your shoulders as you get used to the razor sharp handling and crisp throttle response. A motorcycle which can be very rewarding for the rider looking to improve his skillset, yet deadly for those who don’t take it seriously.

Let’s get back to the forgotten hero, the 200. A motorcycle which opened up a whole new level of biking for the Indian junta. The 2017 200 Duke just like the RC 200 doesn’t get much. New paint and graphics, a BS IV engine, wider mirrors and Automatic Headlamp On (AHO) feature. Though we aren’t complaining, since the 200 is going to be sold at the exact same price as earlier. Every other motorcycle upgraded to BS IV has seen a price hike of 1000-2000. Though we would have been happier if the fork and suspension shrouds had been provided on the 200 as well.

So which of the two should you buy? If you already have the Duke 200 (or any similar capacity motorcycle), the 250 will not be an upgrade. If you are looking to upgrade from a 150cc motorcycle, then we suggest you pony up the extra monies for the 250, you won’t be disappointed. The quarter is here to help you master the streets, at least until the competitors bring in a sizzler!

Photos: Arjun Dhavale

The key isn’t on the handlebar as is in the 200

The missing Headlight switch

The new fabric seats for rider and pillion

Things remain the same here

The wider mirrors , reducing the blind spots

The differently designed belly pan as compared to the 200

Brakes from Bybre. A 320mm disc would have been preferred.

On the fly fuel efficiency. 0 kmpl at standstill!

Will a pillion be comfortable? Not if you pop a wheelie!

The awkwardly placed coolant cap. Some dexterity required for topups!

Riding Gear by: Spartan ProGear and MT Helmets

Ridden by: ‘i, The Biker’!

The post The Quarter Meister: KTM 250 Duke Ridden! appeared first on xBhp.com.

Yamaha FZ 25 Review: The Gentleman’s Game!

There are motorcycles and then they are refined motorcycles. This piece of sweetness belongs to the latter. The Yamaha FZ 25 ain’t no hooligan, it is a sedate machine which will do absolutely everything you need, without breaking a sweat!

Yamaha organised a media ride in the lovely state of Goa, which is actually a perfect setting for this motorcycle. Twisties, undulating terrain, potholes, gravel and all two-lane highways! The road plays to the motorcycle’s strength and masks its limited weaknesses.

The bike is good looking, I don’t think there will be many who disagree with that. It carries over the successful base design from its younger sibling sold in India and adds a touch more muscle. In fact, it does feel like a more grown up and mature version of the FZ-S. The prospective buyer will find the design familiar as well as refreshingly different. Face first, the LED headlamp makes you sit up and take notice. The only 250 in India with this setup Yamaha boffins proudly tell you. The LED lights have two bulbs in the centre for the low beam and one bulb in the lower half of the dome for the hi-beam. 13+13+9 Watts together consuming 35W with the hi-beam in play. Unfortunately we rode in bright sunlight and have no clue on the effectiveness of these new lights.

Riding Gear By: Spartan ProGear and MT Helmets

Switching from the lights we go to the switch gear. Quality finish and everything falls naturally to the rider’s hands. The pass switch though isn’t activated by your index finger, instead by the thumb. Which brings me to a pet peeve, why can’t these basic things be standardised across motorcycles! I have a tiny brain and don’t want to use it. Let muscle memory handle mundane things like this please!

Quality Switches

The Pass Switch is activated with your thumb and not the index finger

Your leg muscles gladly grab onto the beefy fuel tank. The plastic is neatly sculpted and the recess provides you sufficient grip for all regular riding conditions. The saddle is oh so plush, you almost forget to mention it. That’s how good it is. My pillion for a couple of kilometres vouched for the pillion saddle as well. The ergonomics are spot on for my 5’11” frame and I would gladly ride the length and breadth of this country on the FZ 25, if given a chance! The bike is neither excessively commuterish nor sporty, just skimming the sweet spot between the two.

The lovely 14 litre tank!

Plush!

The gearbox is super smooth, the handling of the bike is neutral. It’s neither in a hurry nor sluggish, one can ride it at ones comfort level. The motorcycle is overall very forgiving, you don’t feel as if sitting on pins and needles at all times. Make a mistake mid-corner and you can still reel it in without your pants turning brown! MotoGP racer Pol Espargaró had described riding the Yamaha YZR- M1 as a motorcycle which the harder you push, the slower you go. To go faster, you got to be smooth. That description holds true for the FZ 25, even though the two motorcycles exist in different galaxies!

Meditate to go fast!

The brakes on the bike are satisfactory, very gradeable, but if you grab a fistful, the tyres will protest. The MRF rubber on the FZ appeared quite capable, but not something you want to go kamikaze with! The bike doesn’t have the safety net of ABS, so discretion is the better part of valour!

282 mm front Bybre brake and disc

The 220mm rear with MRF tyres on this one

140 section doesn’t seem so wide anymore with the competition upping the ‘phat’ tyre game!

One of the strongest points of the Yamaha is its gem of an engine, equipped with the ‘Blue Core’ technology. The marketing term to describe an engine which extracts maximum power without being excessively thirsty. Departing from media ride convention, Yamaha laid bare it’s heart and soul, quite literally! A variety of components from the engine internals were kept on display for enthusiasts to drool over. From the light weight piston, thinner piston rings, cylinder head block with oval combustion, the nickel and silicon plated sleeve, the muffler with multiple expansion chambers for the smooth sound, the 10-hole injector and a cross-section of the headlight. All this weight saving helps keep the weight down to a measly 148kg. Another figure the tech guys are proud to bandy about. This low weight aids handling considerably and the bike would be a different beast if it were 10 kg heavier. The torque from the engine might be scoffed on paper, but in real world riding conditions it’s wonderful. Peak torque coming in at 6000 RPM, ensures that frequent gearshifts are not required and a bit of throttle will see you comfortably sailing past traffic. The bike does struggle for breath at the top end and we don’t expect high speed runs. But riding at near around the triple digit mark is comfortable with no vibes coming in at any point. For those wondering about top speed, frankly Goa isn’t a place you want to risk life and limb to attempt it, and with a brand new engine, your findings wouldn’t be very accurate either.

The best bit, is that big bit!

Oil cooling pipes

Along with the engine tech, Yamaha also showcased its aftermarket capabilities. On display was their diagnostic tool which is hooked into the ECU and all information about the various sensors of the motorcycle is provided to you. These are compared to set parameters which then allows the mechanic to clean/ replace any parts. There was also a fuel injector cleaning unit, in which Yamaha recommends the injectors to be cleaned every 6000km. Service intervals are set for 5000km so you would want to get it done at every service. All Yamaha SVCs will have these tools at their disposal to ensure a satisfactory service.

Under the burning sun

Hmmm… Can I ride the bike to that rock on the horizon!

LED. Shining bright!

FZ 25 vs Duke 250

For starters, the bikes are very different and shouldn’t be compared! So why am I doing so? Because someone will go ahead and ask me this question, so I will grab the bull by the horns!

The KTM Duke 250 is a busy motorcycle, which requires the constant attention of the rider. The bike begs a thrashing. The FZ 25 is calm, mature and gentlemanly and forgives the rider’s mistakes and imperfections. The FZ is lighter in absolute weight and will be lighter on your pocket as well! The Duke is razor sharp and boasts around 10 bhp more. The Duke and FZ should have a similar tank range, though the former comes with a metal tank, while the latter has a plastic one (weight saving). The Duke has a more aggressive and purposeful riding posture, while the FZ is more relaxed. Both bikes come equipped with MRF tyres. The bikes should also get similarly decent after sales and service. And therefore…

…the bike of choice should depend entirely on the character of the rider. The hooligan for the hooligan and the gentleman for the gentleman!

Photos: Thulashi Dharan J and Avinash Noronha (The Monk)

Sand, beaches and motorcycles. Life!

A pretty behind!

Enlightenment!

The beefy forks

L. E. D. Say it slow, till you fall in love with it!

The simple, yet pleasing display

LED tail lamp

Pillion shouldn’t complain much

The software used to train SVC mechs, so that you can get into the engine, without actually getting into the engine!

Transformer?

You can zoom into any part of the bike for more info… …not here. In the software!

Useful mirrors, which don’t vibrate!

That yellow thing keeps you happy!

Good grip for your shoes

At the Yamaha Tech Centre where very many things were explained. Here’s the LED headlight

The old injector alongside the new injector. 10 holes and not a golf course!

Thin piston rings for the 25.

The items on the right and left weigh the same. Almost!

Once again, the right and left weigh the same! And the finish is superb on the FZ 25

6-step injector cleaning

The process being explained by the Yamaha guys

The post Yamaha FZ 25 Review: The Gentleman’s Game! appeared first on xBhp.com.

2017 KTM 390 Duke Review: Rioters!

Riding Gear By: Spartan ProGear and MT Helmets

What a riot! That was the thought spinning through my head, heart and body as I twisted that throttle harder and harder, trusting that fantastic machine to deliver on its promises as I rode around the Chakan track.

The completely new 2017 KTM Duke 390 is a paradox. It is wild, it will scare you, yet you are forever in control of its every movement. The Austrians haven’t built a machine, as much as they have built an extension to the rider’s body. As we the media rode the new 390 at the Chakan track, KTM was testing their MotoGP machines at Qatar before the season opener with Pol Espargaró and Bradley Smith. So while half my attention was at the job at hand, the other half was wondering about the fate of this very ballsy company at the highest echelon of motorcycle racing.

According to the KTM factory riders, their RC16 is a fierce bike to ride, needing to be muscled and manhandled around every corner. That maniacal ethos trickles down to the new 390. It is modelled after the most powerful naked ever, the 1290 Super Duke. The company boffins tell us that the bike is new from the ground up. Earlier, the 390 was a larger version of the 200, not anymore, there is nothing in common between the 200 and 390 now.

When the 390 was rolled into the pit garage, the first thing that the assembled junta commented was that the bike looked big. The full LED headlamp visually doesn’t end at the front, but extends right up to the fuel tank. The LED cluster is an intricate design in itself. The bottom two LEDs are for the high beam, the centre two LEDs are the DRLs, the top two LEDs are the low beam and AHO, while the LEDs on the side are the parking lights. A bit confusing yes, but pretty nonetheless. Total wattage on high beam is 45W, though the illumination is apparently more than a halogen of the same wattage. But once again, I have my doubts over the white lights efficiency in fog, rain and other poor visibility conditions. If only the DRLs are on, then the headlamp will automatically switch on in the dark, for example if you enter a tunnel. The sensor for which is on the TFT display which rests above the headlamp, the first time ever in this price range. Bringing the future here now. We will go in depth with the TFT screen later. The 43mm beefy forks are open cartridge adjustable by 8mm with plastic shrouds to help keep the dirt out. The front disc brake increases in size to 320 mm for better braking. This change gives the bike the stopping power it has always deserved.

The front end of the bike also sees wider mirrors, now standard across the KTM range and adjustable brake and clutch levers. You also get hand guards as standard fitment. The switchgear has been tweaked to accommodate the TFT screen, with the pass switch, hi and low beam switch now being activated with the index finger. The rest of the space is occupied by the toggle switches for operating the TFT display. The right hand continues to have the familiar switches, except the headlamp on/off switch is missing with AHO becoming mandatory. Throttle control also gets more precise with the incorporation of Ride-by-Wire. Lower down, the radiator guard does seem a bit inadequate, with a gaping hole in the centre, a bit more protection would be required, especially if one is planning a ride to places like Spiti and Leh. The 390 also has a slipper clutch, which helps substantially while pushing the bike on track.

Adjustable clutch and brake lever

Hand guard is standard fitment

Wider mirrors

A radiator which should be better protected from flying stones!

The new toggle switches for the TFT display

Power remains the same at 43.5 PS, but torque is up by 2 Nm to 37 Nm, one more than the RC 390. The bike is BS IV compliant, even with the increased torque. That is thanks to the aluminium side-slung exhaust, though the muffler remains placed in the belly to keep the weight as low and centred as possible. This keeps the CoG low and helps in going around corners faster. Though all of this has increased the kerb weight of the new 390 to 163 kg. This is also thanks to new fuel tank, which is now steel with a 13.5 litre capacity, which should see an increased range by 100 kilometres.

The refined mill with more torque

Like the Duke 250, the 390 also gets a split trellis frame, which is powder coated in two different colours. The advantage of this is better weld points and finish for the frame and sub-frame says the company. And in the unfortunate case of getting rear ended, repairs will also be cheaper. Not something we suggest you try out! The saddle, as on the 250, is wider and employs a new material, which I found very comfortable. The saddle height has also been increased which could be problematic for shorter riders. Pillion comfort remains suspect though! The new tank shape and saddle position allows the rider to move around more easily. The ergonomics also get a bit more aggressive with the foot pegs pushed further back and higher up. This is excellent for corner carving, but makes me question the level of comfort over a full day’s ride. To help in change of direction, the new 390 also gets a shorter wheelbase over the older version.

The split trellis frame in orange and white

The easier to grip larger steel fuel tank

Saddle gets new material and is wider for extra comfort

The rear WP 10-step adjustable suspension remains the same, and the Metzelers are H rated, with a speed rating of 210 kmph, well above the speeds the bike can attain. I managed a top whack of 160 kmph on the 1.2 km straight fully crouched, while seated upright, the bike still hit 150 kmph on the speedo. The lower spec tyres are substantially cheaper than earlier, while at the same time will have a longer life. The corner connoisseurs might of course want to upgrade! One thing which is a bit unnerving is the manner in which the rev-limiter kicks in. It is far too sudden. Making the rear skip along with your heartbeat! Which is unfortunate, since the bike begs to be redlined! The brake light is an LED unit, the brightness of which seemed inadequate in bright sunlight.

The longer lasting Metzelers are easier on your pocket!

Brake light isn’t bright enough in bring sunlight

Sticky enough rubber

So how does the bike feel to ride? Slot the bike into first gear, grab a handful of throttle, dump the clutch and grin like an idiot. If you lean ahead, the rear will spin and slide before launching you forward, lean back and watch as the bike wants to wheelie. Either ways, you will be stupidly ecstatic! The bike accelerates like the rocket it has built to be and you tend to push it hard, knowing fully well that you have excellent braking at hand along with the safety net of ABS. The weight distribution of the bike is excellent and you can make the motorcycle do anything you want, except daydream. Do that and the 390 will snap you back to reality. As I got more comfortable with the bike, I could brake later and deeper into the corners. Purposely braking later than ideal also was forgiven, as you can tip the bike on a whim and see it glued to the line, as if on rails. The wild side of the older 390 is tempered here. At no point of time you feel out of control, the new 390 is much more forgiving. Slow speed manoeuvres are also easy peasy, you can easily take a U-turn without putting a foot down. The RBW and slow speed handling make the bike perfect for a motorcycle gymkhana and therefore everyday urban traffic. The bike didn’t heat up during our ride, but we wouldn’t want to judge it, till we ride it in ‘proper’ traffic!

Through the extremely slow speed corners of the track, the bike isn’t as nimble as the 200, we suspect due to the heavier front end, but on the sweeping bowl, I was exiting the corner a good 10+ kmph faster than what I managed on the RC 390. That may in part be due to the fact that I have gotten to know the track better since then. On the main straight, the Duke shows its naked qualities as it gets scary when hitting the top whack of 160 kmph, for those few seconds, the planted feeling on the RC is sorely missed. At the end of the straight, I tried out-braking myself multiple times to see if the ABS will kick in. It didn’t. Which shows how mechanically stable the bike is, even without the electronics, it is forgiving. The ABS though is switchable with three options. ‘On’ will see the ABS work on both wheels, ‘Super Moto’ will see only the front wheel have ABS, while the rear can be slid and smoked to glory, while on ‘Off’ mode, the ABS won’t work with either wheel. And the display will have a warning message stating ‘this is illegal’! Irrespective of what your last ABS setting was, when you start the bike it will automatically go back to the default ‘On’ mode.

Even with the raised and setback foot pegs, I found myself scraping it on the long sweeping bowl, which isn’t exactly unexpected on a street naked. Gripping the new tank while braking hard is also much easier than on the older bike. The new 390 is a grown up, matured version of the older bike and is more comfortable, forgiving and smoother. Gearshifts are butter smooth, the engine feels more refined and the aural note from the side-slung exhaust is much better. Overall, a significant update over the previous iteration.

Let’s now get back to the biggest new toy on the bike, the TFT display. As is visible in the photos, there is a whole lot of information available to the rider at the touch of a button. On the side of the TFT, you get standard LEDs for the Neutral, high beam and the remaining tell-tale lights. The TFT displays the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature, gear indicator, and clock. Besides this, it also displays 8 more customisable data. You can select the 8 out of a choice of 15. The display also connects to your smartphone through Bluetooth and you can see who is calling you and change your song from the toggle switches on the handlebar. Neither of these we advise using, as the rider’s concentration should be on the road ahead and this is an unnecessary distraction. The TFT display changes colour depending on whether it is day or night.

The rider gets to choose from 5 available languages. You also get all the information about servicing and if there is any part malfunction in the motorcycle. On the home screen, warning signs like the side stand and engine kill switch is displayed on the top in yellow, while malfunctions are displayed at the bottom in red. Though it might appear to be information overload, the user interface is very easy and after one use, it will feel natural. But I wonder, once the novelty factor wears off, how much tinkering is an owner liable to do! Even smartphones with fancy features get used only once when it’s brand new, after which it is forgotten! One thing I found missing was the font size adjustability; I found all the information a tad too small to read while riding and taking precious extra seconds to read. But the software on this will be updated in the SVC as and when newer versions are rolled out, so hopefully that is something that KTM will address.

Side stand indicator and engine kill switch will be displayed in yellow at the top

KTM’s genes

The tacho goes from blue to red as the revs rise

Connecting your smartphone through bluetooth

ABS gets three modes, On, Off and Super Moto!

You can customise what you see by clicking on the quick selector buttons

Tailoring the display to the riders preferences

At Rs. 225000 ex-showroom Delhi, the 2017 KTM 390 Duke is very well worth the monies. It gives you everything you would want from a fun bike and tops it up with fancy gadgetry and futuristic electronics! And there is practically no competition to this motorcycle in the country. Therefore, you get colour options of orange and well… err orange to run riot!

Photos: Arjun Dhavale

Plastic shrouds to keep the dirt out!

The coolant cap is very awkwardly placed

Pass, Lo and Hi Beam switch rolled into one

The missing headlamp switch

The key goes at the top of the tank and not on the handlebar

The rearset and slightly higher placed footpegs are good for the track

The rear suspension also gets plastic shroud protection

Adds to the weight, but also the aural quality

Protrusion!

The saddle is much more comfortable now

A motorcycle like this and a corner like that. Heaven!

Ridden by: i, The Biker

Riding Gear By: Spartan ProGear and MT Helmets

The post 2017 KTM 390 Duke Review: Rioters! appeared first on xBhp.com.

Sometimes less is more. That is the philosophy that the Triumph Bobber believes and excels in. This is the only motorcycle available in its class in India sans certain versions of the Ducati Scrambler and Harley Davidson, more notably the Iron 883. But none of them have the clean look of a floating seat, which makes this bike stand apart from everything else.

I rarely assign a superlative to a motorcycle, but I have no qualms in calling this one of the most charming motorcycles out there. Note that I do not use the often used word ‘beautiful’, because it is more than that. Triumph has managed to mate function and form into a rare synchronicity. From the neatly hidden catalytic convertor to the rear monoshock – the design language is consistent and fluidic, which pleases the eye. The prettiest angle would be the side view. The silhouette of this bike is unmistakable and unlike anything in the market. The fit and finish of the bike is top notch and there are pretty nifty mods which change the character of the bike and make it into a cafe racer and more. 

I admit that I was very excited to swing my leg over this bike and also photograph it. This has happened to me after a very long time. 

The Bobber falls under the Bonneville family and you might be wondering why I am talking about the looks so much. It is because the main selling point of the bike is its style. However, along with the style it’s a got a meaty motor to boot. A 1200cc mill that sounds good. Another thing which surprised me was the fantastic handling in the corners. Switch off traction control and you can do some great wheelspins and rolling take offs from red lights adding fun and character to your urban rides.

The bike does tend to get a tad hot and the positioning of the key warrants you being careful, especially in Indian summers. Another key aspect for you to consider is that this is an outright urban bike. You can probably create a sub frame at the rear to mount luggage or carry a heavy backpack yourself, but that’s like reverse engineering the Bobber to become a cruiser again! So this bike would be perfect if you want to stand out in a crowd and on the road, especially on weekend rides. Sure go ahead and do a long trip on it – just be ready to be very stingy with the things you carry or do some substantial modifications for it to be able to carry more stuff. And yes – keep re-fuelling! 

Overall it is a fresh new design for the Indian motorcyclists and I would have loved it to be a bit cheaper, after all it is going to be the secondary motorcycle for most people. For example a Triumph Tiger 800 with the Bobber in the garage would take care of most things in life.

Bobbers are for minimalists and those who like to meet the Spartans! The idea of customising one’s motorcycle to be called a Bobber or a ‘Bob-job’ (not to be confused with the other job that ramp models undertake!) has been around for some time now. The idea is simple enough. Strip off any and every thing on your motorcycle which adds weight and doesn’t help in going faster. That includes throwing off your pillion as well! Of course hacking parts off your motorcycle doesn’t guarantee that it will look good or even not becoming a motoFrankenstien! And this is where Triumph has done a fantastic job. The designers have given the motorcycle a minimalist look, without sacrificing an iota of its street presence. A lot of thought has gone into the smaller details to give it a classic bobber look. Though of course due to motorcycle norms, the front fender cannot be removed and rear covers the entire wheel, but that only gives an enthusiast the opportunity to try his hand at a hacksaw!

You realise how gorgeous the Bobber is only when you park your bike under a nice shady tree and sit to admire it. The floating seat is thanks to the rear suspension being concealed, giving it a hardtail look, without the discomfort of a hardtail. The saddle can also be adjusted to the rider’s preference. The slash cut stainless steel exhaust adds to the beauty when you look at it from the rear three quarters.

You realise how gorgeous the Bobber is only when you park your bike under a nice shady tree and sit to admire it.

Old school looks doesn’t mean old technology though. The Bobber is equipped with all the electronics that you would expect from motorcycles in this segment. Ride-by-Wire, torque assist clutch, switchable traction control and ABS are standard. Prospective owners would be happy to know that the bike comes with a 16000 km service interval.

Even though the Bobber looks very different from any motorcycle currently in the market, there will still be some who want to customise it further. To that end, Triumph has 150 aftermarket customisation parts for you to mix and match to give your bike the personality to match that of the rider. For others there are two inspiration kits, the ‘Old School’ and ‘Quarter Mile’ Bobber.

The 1200cc engine produces a healthy 77 Ps of power and 106 Nm of torque. The good thing is that peak torque comes in at just 4000 rpm. You needn’t push this bike hard, just a gentle roll of the throttle will have you moving in quick time. Interestingly, the chassis and suspension has been developed specifically for the Bobber and not shared with its siblings. That would have required quite some redesigning of this motorcycle from Triumph.

The 1200cc engine produces a healthy 77 Ps of power and 106 Nm of torque.

The Triumph Bobber is a wonderfully thought out and put together motorcycle. It looks great, handles well and is fun to ride. But it is motorcycle built for urban fun, rather than long hauls. If you can have two motorcycles in your garage, then one of them being the Bobber would make a lot of sense. If not, you can always get one of those 150 accessories to be able to carry panniers on a long ride. Either ways, you will love having this machine in your garage and on the road.

The post Stripped – Triumph Bonneville Bobber Review appeared first on xBhp.com.

The Ducati Multistrada 950 Review: Mr Traveller Jr.

The Ducati Multistrada 950 Review. We ride the newest and smallest Multistrada in the Canary Islands. 

Fifty hours of international travel for ten hours of motorcycling. Well, true passion does usually exist beyond the ordinary but the time equation just mentioned definitely goes further. Of course there were reasons – two of them. 1) The locale – Fuerteventura, the second largest of the exotic Canary Islands, a Spanish province off the Moroccan coast. 2) The machine – Ducati Multistrada 950.

A handful of auto-journos from across the world were invited to experience the Multistrada 950 and admittedly there couldn’t be a better place to ride. The island is big (some 1600 sq. km) and the Ducati boffins had charted a 200km course for the day’s ride. We got every kind of tarmac to roll the wheels. It was fun and a large percentage of that fun came from the bike itself. 

The Multistrada series started as a 1000cc adventure bike for road use in 2003. It had a stance and ergos like a dirt bike but shod with 17 inch tarmac spec rubber. It was new and novel, comfortable for day long rides, handled well and sold in good numbers. Healthy commerce usually drives the upward evolution and the Multistrada 1000 evolved into the 1200. The 1200 had the power to rival most superbikes, amazing handling and bristled with enough tech to be almost capable of auto-riding! Of course this came at a price. And the ‘price’ along-with the power when combined with that tall stance made it intimidating for anyone but the well-moneyed and skilled riders.

Ducati wanted to spread that customer base and so they watched, analysed and acted. With the Multistrada 950 they’ve delivered a bike that preserves the versatility and road presence of the Multistrada series while being easier on the pocket and rider.  

The 950 looks similar to its brawnier sibling and rides on the same frame (the one on the 1200 Enduro). But that’s where the similarities end. The 937cc engine is the same that powers the Hypermotard and the front fork comes off the Desert Sled version of the Scrambler with slightly stiffer springs. The newer bits include a 19 inch front rim which gives it that slight edge off pavement, the 2-1-2 type exhaust with a lateral silencer and a manually adjustable front screen.

The bike looks good, very ‘Multistradish’ to coin a new word. Fit and finish is great. Swing a leg over the saddle and if you stand anywhere above 5’ 7” you’ll be instantly comfortable with the seat height. The bike is heavy at 227 kilos wet but once vertical and on the roll, the weight isn’t an issue. The instrument console is the simpler LCD version of the older Multistrada and takes you through a self-test when the ignition is switched on.

Thumb the starter and the engine fires quick enough and settles into a steady idle. The liquid cooled L-twin feels responsive to blips of the throttle and sounds quite like the Panigale! That’s a bonus eh! Pull in the light cable-operated clutch (yes it is a slipper clutch) and shift into first with a muted thunk. Get rolling and as you move up through the gears, the first thing that hits you is the seamless fuelling of the 937cc Testastretta 4-valve Desmodromic engine. Throttle response is great and the engine responds precisely to the right hand.

Making 113 bhp @ 9000 rpm and 96.2 Nm @ 7750 rpm, the beauty of the engine lies in its strong mid-range. Some 80% of the peak torque is available from as low as 3500 rpm which makes riding the torque curve such a pleasure. Especially on the twisty bits of tarmac. The engine runs smooth across the rpm band right till its 10,500 rpm redline. Some vibration does creep in past the 5k mark but it is not something that cannot be damped by the soft hand-grips and the rubber shod foot-pegs.

Being geared to do about a 100 kmph in top gear at 4000 rpm keeps things smooth when you’re cruising. Adding to the rideability are the selectable 4 engine modes (Sport, Touring, Urban and Rain) that effectively turn one Multistrada 950 into 4 different bikes! The first two modes let through full 113 bhp though engine response is sharper in the Sport mode. Urban and Rain modes limit power output to about 75 bhp. Needless to say we did try all modes for comparison purposes but were in Sport through almost the entire ride.

The 950 has ‘sedate’ front end geometry – 25.2 degree rake and 105.7 mm trail which when coupled with a longish wheelbase at 1594 mm makes it an utterly stable tourer. Which of course is not to say that it cannot be spiritedly ridden on the really twisty bits. Flickability is great and the well set-up suspension gives one the freedom to pick the choice of pace and pavement. Both front and rear have 6.7 inches of suspension travel. Beefy 48mm dia Kayaba fully adjustable upside down forks up front and the fully adjustable Sachs monoshock with a double sided swingarm doing duty at the rear offer a ride that’s plush while being firm when the pace is amplified. The rear shock is remote adjustable for spring preload, a useful feature especially when adding a pillion mid-ride.

Courtesy: http://cycle-ergo.com/

Courtesy: http://cycle-ergo.com/

Courtesy: http://cycle-ergo.com/

The 19 inch front and 17 inch rear wheels come shod with Pirelli Scorpions, 120/70 and 170/60 respectively. The stock or ‘comfort’ suspension settings did leave the front fork soft enough in compression to sharply dive a couple of inches under hard braking though this was something  that needed the right use of a flat-head screwdriver to change for the better.

Brakes on the Multistrada 950 were great. Period. Two 320mm discs with 4-piston 2-pad callipers up front and a 265mm 2-piston floating calliper at the rear were right up there for retardation duty. Couple this excellent Brembo hardware with a 3-level adjustable Bosch ABS and one gets safe and controlled stops. Factor in the 8-level Ducati Traction Control, (both ABS and DTC settings can be memorized) and you get a package that you can customize to the level of riding and response that you like the most. The combo is aptly called the Ducati Safety pack. Setting up either was not straight-forward and could have been made easier.

The 950 comes with a 20 litre fuel tank. Considering Ducati’s claimed mileage figures at about 18 kmpl, this gives an effective range of a little over 350 km. Not bad for a 950cc multi-capability tourer. Service intervals are a high 15000 km while valve inspection need be done only every 30,000 km! The lights are bright and even though we did not get to ride after dark, switching them on at night on a static bike did give a fair idea of their brightness and effectiveness. Switchgear is top notch and a pleasure to operate though for India one will definitely need a louder horn! The bike comes with a USB charging port and a DIN socket for accessories. The LCD display shows a speedometer, fuel gauge, clock, trip computer and gear indicator.

The seat and ergos are spot on for long hours on the saddle. Seat height is not adjustable but accessory seats that can vary the seat height (standard is 840mm) between 820 – 860mm. The manually adjustable windscreen moves some 4 inches up and down and did help keep buffeting of the head low though it was a trifle narrow for my wide shoulders. The wide handlebars provide enough leverage to make the bike light on turn-ins and the rider retains enough controllability even when riding standing on the pegs. Ground clearance is a healthy 185mm which coupled with large suspension travel promises good off-road capability.

The Ducati Multistrada is one of the most versatile and user friendly motorcycles to come from the Italian marquee. It is an approachable, affordable and competent machine that is as comfortable to use for the daily commute as it is for a trans-continental jaunt. The engine feels unstressed, the frame rigid and robust, the ergonomics tailored for long rides and simplicity in use make this an amazingly practical and adaptable motorcycle for a rider who loves to ride his machine everyday, whether to work and back or to chase the horizon.

Ducati Multistrada 950 Review: Features

Bosch ABS – Level 1 adapts ABS intervention to off-road use: there is no intervention on the rear wheel and no rear wheel anti-lift. Level 2 sees the ABS act on both wheels but rear wheel anti-lift remains deactivated. The highest Level3 setting provides maximum braking stability and rear wheel lift-up prevention.

Ducati Traction Control (8 level selection) Level 1 minimizes system intervention and is, together with level 2, best suited to off-road use. Level 8, instead, maximizes ABS intervention and is ideal on wet roads. Ducati sets DTC levels for each of the four Riding Modes; however, these can be personalised to meet riders’ specific needs and saved on the individual menu settings.

Ducati Riding Modes

Ducati Riding Modes first introduced on the Multistrada in 2010, let riders select different pre-set modes that optimise bike behaviour according to their individual riding styles and road conditions. The Multistrada 950 has four Riding Modes (Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro); each programmed to act on the electronic Ride-by-Wire (RbW) engine control system and the ABS and DTC levels. Riding Modes can be changed on the go.

Touring

Touring Riding Mode delivers 113 hp with progressive Ride-by-Wire throttle twist response, DTC is set higher (level 5) as is the ABS (level 3).

Sport

This Riding Mode is characterised by a direct Ride-by-Wire throttle twist response, a low DTC setting (level 4) and low ABS setting (level 2) with no rear wheel lift-up prevention and 113 hp.

Urban

Urban Riding Mode delivers a maximum power of 75 hp with progressive Ride-by-Wire throttle twist response; DTC is set to an even higher intervention level (level 6) and the ABS setting is at level 3.

Enduro

Enduro Riding Mode gives the Multistrada 950 a maximum power of 75 hp with progressive Ride-by-Wire throttle twist response; DTC intervention is suitable (level 2) for off-road use and the ABS setting is low (level 1), deactivating rear wheel lift-up prevention.

Ducati’s Official Accessories

Ducati Multistrada 950 Review: Tech Specs

Photos Courtesy: Ducati

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The BMW G 310R Review!

BMW G310 R Review. We ride the eagerly awaited made in India German motorcycle in Australia! Read what we think of this lightweight roadster.

BMW Motorrad has been going all guns blazing in almost every segment of motorcycling. But there was something missing. That final piece in the jigsaw puzzle was the introduction of the BMW G310 R. An entry level motorcycle for developed markets, which would see the young ‘uns jump straight out of their prams and onto the saddle of the 310.

The icing on the cake for us Indians is that the BMW G310 R is built in India by TVS Motor! 

The Partnership

BMW and TVS had announced their partnership in April 2013. It’s been four years since and we should soon have this bike on Indian roads as well. BMW states that the bike has completely been designed by the German manufacturer, but the production is done by TVS. This allows the bike to be manufactured at a much lower price than if it were in Europe. 

In fact it is the first BMW to be produced outside Germany. 

Testimony to the manner in which the Indian motorcycle market has grown in leaps and bounds. Add to it the fact that it is far from being unsaturated compared to the developed world.

Before we get carried away about this fact we should remember that Indonesia makes bikes like Yamaha MT 03,  Thailand bikes like Kawasaki Z300 and Honda CB 300F and CB500F for developed markets like the USA! While these two countries were probably chosen to reduce the cost of manufacturing, none of them have what India has. Millions of young testosterone laden ready to be bikers from the strongest middle class in the world AND a country so vast, diverse and beautiful, ready to be explored on two wheels! 

BMW Motorrad had first unveiled its bike at the EICMA show in 2015. As expected it immediately grabbed attention the world over. In the developed markets it is a motorcycle which would get youngsters on the saddle of a very capable bike and build brand loyalty from the beginning. In developing markets like India, this would be the perfect upgrade for many a tourer/ city slicker/ speed freak!

The Competition

This is the Bavarian manufacturer’s foray into the sub-500cc segment and neighbouring Austrians are in their crosshairs. The KTM Duke 390 better watch out, the Germans are coming!

It’s the way between the two Ms – Mattighofen and Munich. 

Understandably so, the immediate comparison of the G310 R is the KTM Duke 390. Leaving everything else aside – both are made in India by Indian motorcycle companies for European stalwarts. However unlike KTM, TVS doesn’t own any shares of BMW, at least not that we know of. 

Let’s compare both the bikes:

Visually the BMW is a gentleman while the KTM is that ultra flashy teenager. Almost all equipment on the Duke has more street presence than on the BMW. The full LED headlamp, the colour giant TFT screen with gizmowizardry like Bluetooth and then the flashy orange of course. The design of the Duke would be suitable for a concept bike, while that of the BMW is subdued and to the point. 

Though on its own, the BMW is an eyecatcher. Especially in the White with blue and red that we rode. One of the reasons it garners so much attention is that from certain angles it does look bigger than a 300. It looks pretty, but an LED headlight would have added a touch of modernity to the front. 

The biggest difference perhaps comes from the fact that the Duke 390 is a full 10 Bhp more than the BMW G310 R. 

So what propels the bike forward to plaster that grin on your face?

 A 313cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine with four valves and two camshafts, producing a healthy 34 bhp at 9500 rpm and 28 Nm at 7500 rpm. Figures which are not going to set your heart aflutter, nonetheless it will get the job done. Added to that is the 158.5 kg weight and you have a lightweight roadster ready to fight traffic!

The bike power wheelies in first gear, which is fun in traffic! Acceleration from standstill is excellent and you always have power on tap for your everyday urban riding.

Once out of the city, the 300cc mill doesn’t disappoint. 100 kmph on the speedo is at 7000 rpm in 6th gear. And a top whack of a speedo indicated 137 kmph was achieved, which was 5% more than what the GPS showed. 

Handling

The sweet handling of this bike is thanks to the rigid tubular steel frame, the rear is a bolt on subframe. Add to that the longer swing arm and you have a motorcycle which is confident through corners and stable as if on rails in a straight line. Braking is taken care by a 300mm disc at the front and 240mm at the rear. ABS is standard. The good brakes would have been great brakes with a larger disc at the front. Stability in hard braking is excellent with the 41mm Kayaba USD forks.

A rather unique feature of the G310 R is the engine mounting, where the intake is at the front and the exhaust is at the rear, allowing the engine to be mounted further ahead. This frees up room, which allows the bike to utilise a longer swing-arm without increasing the overall length.

The end result of which is that the bike is intuitive in its handling. You think and the bike has done it already. Not just corner carving, but urban riding is a lot of fun as well. 

The saddle on the G310 R didn’t seem particularly comfortable, though that could be because I had just got off a Ducati Multistrada! 

Forward Thinking!

The advantage of developing a solid engine from the get go? You can use the same one, albeit with minor retuning and fit it into different style motorcycles. The GS310 is due to be released in a few developed markets soon this year. It will be an adventure motorcycle with the same engine, however geometry and equipment suited for taking the bike offroad. For example a 7 odd inches increase in front suspension travel, larger 19 inch cast alloy front wheel and maybe tyres like the Metzeler Tourance. And of course – the beak! 

Along with the naked ( G310R ), adventure ( GS310 ) BMW sure can come up with  S310RR  ( which incidentally matches the name of the upcoming TVS full faired bike – the Akula). 

BMW have now stated that the bike will be launched not before 2018. The company wants to set up their dealer network before launching the motorcycle here. Which makes sense. Though many enthusiasts will be disappointed with that news. When it does come, it would need to undercut the Duke 390 by 10 odd percent for it to properly challenge the Austrian!

BMW G310 R Review: Video Review

BMW G310 R Review: Tech Specs and Comparison

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