It is no secret that Royal Enfield is currently ruling the 350cc motorcycle segment of the country. The company is selling multiple bikes in the 350cc category including the Hunter 350, Classic 350, Meteor 350 and the Bullet 350. Honda, Jawa and Yezdi also sell their respective retro styled motorcycles in the same segment; however, they failed to generate volumes. Now, Hero-Harley JV and Bajaj-Triumph JV are now planning to launch quarter-litre motorcycles in our market.
The new Hero-Harley and Bajaj-Triumph bikes will be positioned against the Royal Enfield bikes. The Bajaj-Triumph motorcycle will be a scrambler and is expected to be launched before the end of this year, most probably around festive season 2023. Similarly, the Hero-Harley first motorcycle could be launched sometime in 2023-24.
Bajaj-Triumph Scrambler
Bajaj has recently announced that it will handle all sales and service operations for Triumph in India. The JV is co-developing new entry-level mid-capacity Triumph motorcycles, which will be manufactured by Bajaj at its Chakan facility. In fact, a new Triumph Scrambler motorcycle has been spotted testing on the Indian roads. The new motorcycle is expected to be priced somewhere around Rs 3 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh.
The first Bajaj-Triumph motorcycle will receive a liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine that is expected to displace about 300-400cc. The performance figures for the motorcycle is likely to be similar to the KTM 390 Adventure. The spotted model also has a double-barrel exhaust system, which is also likely to be offered on the production bike.
The motorcycle will be based on a new architecture with the headstock and the downtubes to feature a single-piece design. It will come fitted with upside-down front forks and rear monoshock for damping duties. The bike will ride on 19-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear wheel. The design elements will be inspired from the bigger Triumph bikes including the Bobber styled headlamp unit. It will have an LED lighting system, a semi-digital instrument console, dual-channel ABS, etc. The motorcycle could also receive traction control or a quickshifter.
Hero-Harley Motorcycle
The first images of the upcoming Harley-Davidson entry-level motorcycle were recently leaked on the Internet. This motorcycle is developed in collaboration with Hero MotoCorp. The new motorcycle will be powered by a new air-/oil-cooled 400cc or a 440cc single-cylinder engine. The new Hero-Harley bike design is inspired by the old XR1200 roadsters. The motorcycle looks big, featuring a wide and muscular-looking fuel tank.
The new Hero-Harley roadster gets a USD front fork and twin shock absorbers at the rear. It has Bybre disc brakes on both ends and dual-channel ABS as standard. It will get a fully-digital instrument unit, LED lighting system and bigger front wheel, etc. The new motorcycle is expected to be priced somewhere around Rs 2.5 lakh, which makes it slightly more expensive than the RE Classic 350.
