Bikes for 2008

Here's the link of a story carried in the Sunday edition of Mail Today (http://www.mailtoday.in/), a daily newspaper circulated in Delhi NCR. It talks about the bikes due in 2008. You can click on the 'you' section and then click on pages '14-15' & '16' to view the article.

Here's what it says btw...


The past year hasn’t been a great one for two- wheeler manufacturers. Sales growth, thanks to higher interest rates and stricter disbursement measures, continued to be negative year-on-year. But this year promises better prospects riding on new launches from almost every two-wheeler maker in the country. Here’s what’s in store for you.sprint to drive 125cc segment

Bajaj Auto unveiled two motorcycles and a scooter at the Auto Expo 2008. The Discover 150 DTS-i uses the drivetrain from the Pulsar 150, pumping out identical power and torque figures of 14bhp and 12.8Nm respectively. Design-wise, too, the bike is different from the earlier Discover, though the makeover isn’t all that great. The idea behind this launch is to ensure that Discover eventually replaces the Pulsar 150 and to move the Pulsar brand to a more performance-oriented nice.
The more important of the two bikes, though, is the XCD Sprint because the company is working hard to give the sporty 125cc bikes a distinct identity, rather than keeping them as wannabe 100cc offerings, which is also the reason why the segment hasn’t picked up. Extra engine capacity must lead to extra performance, so the new Sprint gets a 4-valve head, and although the engine capacity remains identical to that of the older XCD, the reworked engine now produces a max of 12bhp, which is a 3bhp increase. Bajaj has also sorted out the design deficiencies that plagued the older bike. The styling of Sprint is sharper and more contemporary, helped immensely by the bigger LED tail lamp and the new tank cladding. Expect to pay a premium for the new offering.
The scooter to watch is the Blade 125. Bajaj, as is well- known, hasn’t done too well in scooters after it shifted focus to motorcycling. The company is now banking on Blade, which is targeted at college-going male students, to stage a comeback. It has a 125cc engine with similar power and torque figures as the Sprint, but is coupled to a CVT. So, you can expect the performance and fuel efficiency of Blade to be a few notches below that of Sprint.
The surprise for the year, though, will be the all-new, 4-valve, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled 300cc Pulsar. The bike will kickstart yet another segment in performance biking. Expected to sport an exhaustive features list, it is tipped to set off the next wave in motorcycle styling. The bike will retail cheaper than the Kawasaki Ninja 250, which Bajaj will import and sell at its Probiking outlets.fuel-injected karizma soon?

Hero Honda, the largest player in the motorcycle arena, will continue to push its strategy of introducing refurbished models. A restyling job for its premium-end bike, the Karizma, is expected during the year with the possibility of a fuel-injected version making its debut as well. Needless to say, the fuel-injected variant will command a premium in the range of Rs 3,500-Rs 6,000 over the carburetted model, with the upside being an improvement in rideability and fuel efficiency.

Honda will begin the year with the nationwide introduction of its new scooter, Aviator. The new scooter, a successor to the Activa, will continue to sell along with it till it is well-accepted in the market. It uses the same 102cc engine as the Activa but sports up-rated cycle parts, like a telescopic front suspension for better ride and handling, and a front disc brake on the options list.
The company will expand its motorcycle portfolio as well in 2008 with a sporty 125cc bike to take on the TVS Flame and Bajaj XCD Sprint. The CBF concept shown at the Auto Expo could well be a teaser of what to expect from the Japanese major.

Suzuki is all set to introduce another scooter based on the recently introduced 125cc Access, but it will be styled to appeal to a younger audience. The company will also launch a new motorcycle in the 150cc arena, which, according to its executives, will lead the way in performance and styling. Suzuki may also roll out high-end bikes and look at assembling them here to get a price advantage.

TVS Motor, which has been the worst hit by the sales slowdown, will kickstart the year with the nationwide launch of its new 125cc bike, Flame, followed by the introduction of the fuel-injected Apache RTR. The company will launch aftermarket performance kits for the RTR to fit the carburetted models for starters. The kit, which will include an aftermarket end can (exhaust), high lift cams and a tweaked control chip, is expected to raise the 160cc bike’s performance to the level of 180cc motorcycles (read Pulsar 180 DTS-i).
TVS will launch a new 180cc motorcycle from its own stable in the course of the year. The bike, which is essentially intended for export to markets like Indonesia, will have improved styling, in addition to LED tail lamps, an LCD display, rear disc brake option and fuel injection. The company will also move the Star brand to the executive segment with the introduction of a fuel-efficient 125cc variant. The bike will be pitched squarely against the Bajaj XCD.

The most talked-about company in the last quarter of 2007, Yamaha Motor India, will launch three motorcycles spanning the 150-250cc segment, two of which were showcased at the Expo.The YZF R15, being positioned as a scaled-down R1 with the same attributes, uses a 4-valve, single-cylinder, fuel-injected and liquid-cooled 150cc engine. This high-revving engine, coupled to a close-ratio, 6-speed box, is capable of pumping out 18-20bhp, and should re-define performance in the lower rung of premium biking. When the bike hits the showrooms in June, it’ll cost the moon by Indian standards, its price being close to Rs 1,00,000.
For the less-enthusiastic biker, Yamaha also showcased the FZ150. The brute-looking naked offering will be powered by a derivative of the Gladiator’s 125cc engine and displace 150cc. Unlike the R15, the FZ will use a 5-speed gearbox and be more rideable as well, thanks to peak power and torque coming early in the rev range. The engine will trace a flatter torque curve as well, helping both city riding and enabling overtaking on the highways. Although Yamaha has not announced the pricing of the FZ, expect it to cost close to Rs 60,000. The company, in all probability, will launch its 250cc offering this year. The bike will complete against the Kawasaki Ninja 250.