2016 India Bike Week India Bike Week(IBW) fever was flagged off by the Chai and Pakoda Breakfast run last month. The signature on-ground event was celebrated by bikers from over 23 biker clubs. The schedule of the upcoming Chai and Pakoda runs is as follows: 20 December 2015 – Nagpur-Wardha-Amravati 27 December 2015 – Kochi 10 January 2016 – Pune-Ahmednagar-Aurangabad 17 January 2016 – Surat-Baroda-Ahmedabad 17 January 2016 – Hyderabad 24 January 2016 – Bengaluru 12,000 bikers from across India and overseas are expected to participate in IBW’s main event which is scheduled on the 19th& 20th of February, 2016 at Vagator in Goa.The new additions to the IBW’s event line up are as below: A Moto Trials Show will feature the international undisputed King of Trials, Dougie Lampkin. The trials biking legend will debut at the IBW with his skill show. The 2016 IBW will premiere India’s first Hard Enduro event. An open to all official Enduro challenge will test man and machine to their limits. The winner of the challenge will be awarded with a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 75,000. The IBW Main Street event will be the ‘Rio Carnival’ for bikers. Participants of India Bike Week will get a chance to parade with their machines on the street that never sleeps. The streets will be energized with camera flashes, bike revving, and DJs on bridges suspended overhead. The IBW Film Festival will be among the first’s to take place at the main event. Movies showcased will be featured across three categories, Heels on Wheels (films highlighting unique take on women riders), Milestories (travel & adventure films beyond biking experiences) and Two-wheeler Talkies (films based around the passion of motorcycles and a love for the roads). The event will be judged by a panel and prizes will be announced. For everyday adventure movie makers there are separate categories, Ride with my Pride (films focusing on biking clubs) and My Ride Video (short videos on solo rides). The curated collection of bikes and bike culture inspired art, the Moto Art Collective, will be exhibited at a gallery style space at IBW. Biking gear & accessories by designer-biker Arjun Khanna and bike builders Vikram Bawa and Ronnie Sequeira will be showcased too. Apart from these new additions, the traditional action packed events like the Bikini Bike Wash, the National Custom Bike Build-Offs, National Stunt Championship, Biking Legends and Honour Roll session, International Bike Expo and the Vintage & Classic Bike Concourse will keep participants entertained.
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) introduced a digital element in their Hornet’s marketing strategy by launching an exclusive CB Hornet 160R app for android devices. For the first time bookings for a Honda two-wheeler are exclusively being taken through an app. Honda has extended CB Hornet 160R’s availability from planned 21 cities to 53 cities as downloads of the app have reached close to 10,000 mark in a matter of one week.
Benelli TNT 25 India launch: Happening Now The much awaited single cylinder powered motorcycle from Benelli, the TNT 25, also the smallest displacement model from the Italian two-wheeler brand in the sub-continent, will make its debut on Indian shores today. Unveiled at the the 2015 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, the new TNT 25 will represent Benelli in the 200-250cc segment and will lock horns against the much successful KTM 200 Duke, the Honda CBR250R and the heavily tested Mahindra Mojo. The Benelli TNT 25 draws power from a 249.2 cc, single cylinder, liquid cooled DOHC engine. This single-cylinder puts out a peak power of 28.15 bhp at 9,800 rpm and a maximum torque of 21.61 Nm at 8,000 rpm and comes mated to a 6 speed transmission. While the naught to 60 kph time are not yet available, the claimed top speed stands at 145 km/h. The motorcycle also gets a massive 17 litre fuel tank.
Price Details Announced The motorcycle will be available in two variants, based on the tyres installed. The base variant, equipped with MRF tyres, is priced at Rs 1.68 lakh while the Metzeler installed variant costs Rs 1.75 lakh (both prices are ex-showroom Delhi). DSK-Benelli says that the prices will stay the same at least for the next 12 months. Buyers can choose from three set of decals. The motorcycles are yet to receive ABS but Benelli has said that the ABS equipped models will reach the showrooms in next six-eight months. Benelli has also said that it will be developing its own ABS system.
Benelli also claims that the TNT 25 has received improved exhaust note and ground clearance for the India spec models. More than 250 units have already been booked and the Italian two-wheeler brand expects to sell 6,000 units of this motorcycle.
Confirmed: Adventure Tourer Benelli TRK 502 will be launched in India A month after the surprising unveil of the TRK 502, an all new middleweight tourer from Benelli at the EICMA 2015, news about its India launch have started to surface. Soon the TNT product portfolio of DSK Benelli will be updated with the Benelli TRK 502. Following the EICMA event unveil, the new Benelli TRK 502 was anticipated to hit the Indian markets in the second half of 2016, further updates were to be expected from the upcoming 2016 Auto Expo. The Adventure tourer, TRK 502 is powered by a 499.6cc twin-cylinder liquid-cooled engine equipped with electronic injection. The engine spouts 48 PS at 8,500rpm and the maximum torque of 45 Nm at 4,500rpm. The power is sent to the wheels through a 6-speed gearbox with hydraulic clutch. The whole engine is fitted into a trellis frame and a large 20ltrs fuel tank is housed under the seat. In order to support the adventure capabilities of the bike, it is loaded with a host of features that will keep the astride adventurer game on! There is adjustable suspension tech with upside down fork at the front, while the rear is armed with monoshock. As for the braking kit, the TRK 502 is equipped with 320 mm disc on the front with two-piston floating caliper unit, and a single 260mm disc at the rear. The off-roader TRK 502 will ride on 17-inch spoke wheels, but it’s ‘more’ off-road version with get a 19-inch front wheel. The wheels are fixed in Pirelli Angel tyres.
Benelli Tornado 302 India launch expected in June 2016, to be equipped with ABS If the reports are to be believed the new Benelli Tornado 302, that was unveiled at the 2015 EICMA show in Milan, is now on its way to the Indian market. The Tornado 302 is the fully faired sibling of the TNT300 and is expected to reach Indian shores sometime around June 2016. The Tornado 302 will also feature ABS in view of the upcoming safety norms that are due to be implemented in 2017. Shirish Kulkarni, Chariman, DSK Motowheels said that the TNT 302 is expected around June while ABS will be included on the motorcycle. It is still not decided whether ABS will be a standard feature or not he added while talking to auto portal Bike Advice. The Tornado 302 is powered by the same engine as the TNT300. The motorcycle is propelled by a 300cc inline twin cylinder, 4 stroke, liquid cooled engine which delivers a peak power output of 35.3 PS and a peak torque of 27 Nm. This engine sends power to the rear wheel via a 6 speed transmission. Suspension duties are taken care of by 41 mm upside down forks upfront and swing arm with central shock absorber at the rear end. Braking duties are performed by 260 mm double petal disc brakes upfront and a 240 mm single disc at the rear. Coming to the dimensions, the bike measures 2,175 mm in length, 746 mm in width and 1,146 mm in height while the wheelbase measures 1,410 mm. Ground clearance of the Tornado 302 stands at 180 mm. It has an unladen weight of 180 kg and a fuel tank of 14 litres. Once launched, the Benelli Tornado 302 will lock horns with the likes of the Yamaha R3 and the Ninja 300. DSK-Benelli did not comment on the pricing front but expect the Tornado to carry an ex-showroom tag in the range of Rs. 3.15 – 3.20 lakh.
