Top 5 Affordable Two-wheelers That Now Cost Over Rs 1 lakh

The addition of ABS or CBS as well as BS6 updates and inflation have resulted in the prices of some of our favourite bikes shoot up!

As the years progress, the level of technology improves but at the same time, more often than not, inflation rate goes up too. The recent years have witnessed stratospheric price hikes thanks to initiatives like BS3 to BS4 and now BS6 transition and mandatory ABS/CBS safety norms. It pains us enthusiasts to see two-wheelers that once offered the most value-for-money now cost over Rs 1 lakh on-road because of these factors. Here’s our list:

TVS Apache RTR 160 4V FI:

The TVS Apache RTR 160 4V is one of the best 160cc nakeds you can buy in India. Launched at Rs 89,990 for the fuel-injected front and rear disc brake-equipped version, it was also reasonably priced for its segment. It features a refined and peppy engine which was good enough for your everyday runabouts and also the weekend rides. It was not only powerful but was also quite fuel efficient. In our tests, the carburetted motorcycle returned an impressive 50.94kmpl in the city and 56.1kmpl on the highway.

But thanks to the safety regulations, compulsory five-year insurance and the recent BS6 emission norms, the motorcycle’s price has gone up to Rs 1.32 lakh (on-road Chennai). Though the BS6-compliant version has witnessed a slight drop in power and torque (now makes16.02PS and 14.12Nm), the difference is barely felt in the real world.

Bajaj Pulsar NS200:

After Bajaj teamed up with KTM, it was obvious for the Pune-based bikemaker to trickle down its learnings with the Austrian bikemaker into its own legendary Pulsar lineup. And that’s how the Pulsar NS200 was born. It was the first Pulsar to get a proper KTM 200 Duke-derived liquid-cooled engine with a 6-speed transmission. Pair that with modern Transformers-like looks and you’ve got a lovely motorcycle with the looks and the brawns to do it all. It also offered staggering value for money at a launch price of Rs 85,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).

But now with the Pulsar NS200 BS6 version, its price has touched the Rs 1.24 lakh mark (ex-showroom Mumbai). Add five year insurance, road tax and the cost for registration and you’re looking at a motorcycle that’ll set you back by around Rs 1.45 lakh (on-road). But even with the inflated price, it still remains the most affordable 200cc naked motorcycle with a liquid-cooled engine.

Bajaj Pulsar 220F:

Now, the Bajaj Pulsar 220F has been in the market since 2009, so it would be fair to consider a 5-year time-span for its pricing trend. In 2015, the motorcycle cost Rs 86,699 (ex-showroom Delhi). Over the years, it received some changes, including the addition of a fuel injection system much before the norms required it to have one.

And now, we’ve gotten our hands on the price of the Pulsar 220F in its BS6-compliant avatar. It costs a staggering Rs 1.45 lakh (on-road Mumbai)! The Bajaj Pulsar 220F was known to be one of the best value-for-money enthusiast’s motorcycles for years and its consistent sales despite looking more or less the same over the years is a standing evidence to the bike’s popularity. But even though the baseline prices of all the two-wheelers is bound to go up because of the upcoming norms, the Pulsar 220F seems to have lost its value at such a high price.

Aprilia SR 160:

The Aprilia SR 150 really put the spotlight back into the 150cc performance scooter segment after the Kinetic Blaze. It was launched in 2016 with an introductory price of Rs 65,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). It offered impressive performance and the scooter was a hoot to handle on curvy roads. 

Recently, Aprilia renamed the BS6-compliant version of the scooter as the Aprilia SR 160 and it now features a fuel injection system. It now costs Rs 1.25 lakh (on-road Hyderabad), which is a lot of money for a scooter. Fortunately, it makes slightly more power. From 11PS in the SR 150, the new SR 160 makes 0.4PS more.

Pulsar 150:

The Bajaj Pulsar 150 really helped kick-start the budget performance segment in India. This motorcycle has been around even earlier than the Pulsar 220F. In 2015, the bike was priced at around Rs 68,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). Over the years, it has remained more or less the same and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as customers quite liked its familiar design. In fact it reflected well on the bike’s consistent sales numbers too. 

However, in the recent past, Bajaj equipped the venerable Pulsar 150 with a fuel-injection system to help it comply with the BS6-emission norms. However, along with the tech, the price of the motorcycle also ended up increasing. At Rs 1.12 lakh (on-road Delhi), the Pulsar 150 is in fact slightly more expensive than the Apache RTR 160 2V BS6!