India’s economic slowdown in the second half of 2019 has had a trickle-down effect on the automotive sector. Even the recent sales figures released by two-wheeler manufacturers portray a gloomy picture for the industry.
Despite that, two-wheeler manufacturers are entering 2020 with the hope that things get better. What’s exciting for customers is that there are slew of motorcycles to look forward to, most notably in the entry-level, adventure and premium segment with some new entrants expected to make their mark.
Here’s a look at some of the motorcycles that are launching in 2020.
KTM 790 Adventure
Adventure bike lovers in India have been waiting for this one with bated breath. The KTM 70 Adventure was introduced at the EICMA 2018 and it has finally made its way to the Indian shores at the India Bike Week which was held in Goa in December 2019.
The company has confirmed that the 790 Adventure will be launched in India soon and many are excited to find out what KTM has to offer in the ADV segment.
The KTM 790 Adventure borrows the same engine from the ‘Scapel’ (790 Duke) which is capable of delivering 43 bhp at 9,000 rpm and 37 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm.
It also gets a 6-speed transmission gearbox with a slipper clutch assist bundled with switchable traction control.
Added to this package is a TFT-colour display which will also show various riding modes. The KTM 790 Adventure is expected to be launched in April this year priced between Rs 8,00,000 to Rs 9,00,000.
Husqvarna Motorcycles
Another duo that was talked about at the India Bike Week are the Husqvarna’s, precisely, the Husqvarna Svartpilen and the Vitpilen 250. Husqvarna is owned by KTM, which is again partly owned by Bajaj.
This could be the reason that both these motorcycles are based on the KTM Duke 250, hence sporting the same 248cc single-cylinder engine. This liquid-cooled engine is capable of pushing out 30 bhp of max. power at 9,000 rpm and 24 Nm of peak torque at 7,500 rpm.
The design of both these bikes are very similar to the better specced Husqvarna twins which come with a 373cc engine. These bikes are expected to be launched in February this year with pricing to float somewhere around Rs 2.5 to 3 lakh.
Triumph Tiger 900
British Motorcycle maker Triumph is all set to introduce its new lightweight adventure motorcycle in India, the Tiger 900. This new series will replace the current batch of the Tiger 800 globally.
The new Tiger gets an all-new 888cc inline three-cylinder engine with a new chassis. The biggest highlight of this bike is the design, which is now lighter and sports a much sharper design philosophy.
The new Tiger 900 will be offered in three colour variant although it’s not certain that all these variant will come to India. It is expected that the new Tiger 900 will be launched in India in the first half of 2020.
2020 Royal Enfield Classic
Royal Enfield is all set to launch a new range of bikes with updated BS6-emission norms compliant engines. Many test mules with the new engine have been spied across the country.
The Royal Enfield Thunderbird and Classic series of motorcycles will get updated single-cylinder 350 cc engines featuring many changes to make the old thumpers BS6-emission-compliant models.
In addition, the Classic and Thunderbird motorcycles will also get design changes and a double-cradle chassis. There are rumours that Royal Enfield may do away with the 500 cc line-up, pushing buyers instead to the 650 cc twins.
You can expect the new Royal Enfield to be priced somewhere around Rs 2.5 lakh.
2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin
Honda (under its silver wings brand) is all set to launch the updated version of the Africa Twin in India. The 2020 version of the bike will feature a bigger 1.1-litre parallel-twin engine that will put out a maximum power of 101 bhp at 7,500 rpm, and 105 Nm of peak torque at 6,250 rpm.
In terms of the features, the new Africa Twin will come with wheelie control, cornering ABS, rear-lift control with a new 6.5-inch TFT display compatible with Apple CarPlay.
The 2020 version is said to receive cruise control as a standard.
The company is expected to launch both the variants of the bike that can carry a hefty price tag of around Rs 12 lakh in India.
Benelli TRK 251
Benelli might not have a very strong presence in India but it’s looking to change that in 2020 with an entry-level adventure motorcycle dubbed the TRK 251.
The TRK 251 comes with an imposing design and is powered by a 250cc single-cylinder engine which is the same that you find in the Leoncino 250.
You can expect a max power out of 25.5 bhp at 9,250 rpm and peak torque of 21.1 Nm at 8,000 rpm. It features 41mm upside-down forms that offer 60mm of travel.
We can expect the bike to arrive in India by early 2020 with prices somewhere between Rs 2 to 2.5 lakh.
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