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New Bajaj bikes on horizon </STRONG></FONT>
OVERDRIVE has spied two new motorcycles on test with Bajaj Auto.
Our exclusive pictures show a fully faired motorcycle with twin exhausts, definitely suggesting a multi-cylinder format. For reasons of cost and simplicity, we believe it to be a parallel twin, of quarter litre capacity.
A lot of effort has been lavished upon the cycle parts; the swingarm is a modern alloy item, operating a monoshock. The drive features a heavy duty chain and sprocket with a disc brake on the rear wheel to boot. The front obviously features a disc brake, with a rotor larger than the Pulsar’s. The bike also sports twin cans to satisfy all those wannabes with their dummy silencers, who abound in cities all over India. Rounding off the package are good tyres, with the rear a 130 section radial. The instrument cluster is modern, with the tachometer prominent as it should be on a performance-oriented motorcycle. The switchgear is of good quality, as much as we could make out from a quick peek.
Nice effort? Not really, since what you see in these pictures is a baby Ninja, a Kwacker ZZR250. This motorcycle definitely has grunt, compared to anything else in the market evident in the manner the test rider tried to outrun our ardent snapper. The bike should comfortably clock 100kmph in under 14 seconds, with max velocity (hopefully) in excess of 130kmph. However, given India’s preoccupation with fuel efficiency, this bike should manage 30kmpl or thereabouts.
Questioned during the Probiking launch, Rajiv Bajaj was forthright: “We have a long standing collaboration with Kawasaki. However, you cannot make money out of someone else’s hard work. But we are indeed looking at introducing another segment.” Which brings us to the crux of the issue. Is this the bike Bajaj will build for Kawasaki given the understanding between the two manufacturers wherein the Japanese manufacturer will outsource production of its small capacity bikes to Bajaj, given the Indian manufacturer’s cost-effectiveness? Or is this the bike that will be sold in the Indian market? Remember we spied two bikes. The second bike which we had barely a glance at looked more like a single but more contemporarily styled.
Pricing of either bike could be around the lakh rupee mark. Our sources predict this bike should hit the roads in three months or so. But there is no disguising the fact that Bajaj intends pushing the performance envelope further with this machine, which given the Bajaj flair could put quite a bit over the Karizma. Remember, the Pulsar crippled sales of the CBZ and Hero Honda might be left eating humble pie all over again.