Two-wheeler Launches In March: Royal Enfield Bullet 350 BS6, Bajaj Dominar 250, Suzuki Gixxer BS6, And More

From humble mopeds to big, burly ADVs, this month witnessed a slew of launches!

This month witnessed quite a number of launches, particularly in the first half, with the deadline for selling BS4 stock just around the corner. However, the second half was a different story altogether with coronavirus wreaking havoc in the world. Incidentally, the Supreme Court has also granted a 10-day extension to sell the remaining stock of BS4 vehicles. Here are all the launches that transpired this month:

Royal Enfield Bullet 350 BS6:

The world’s oldest production motorcycle became future-proof (at least for the time being) with the launch of the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 BS6. The motorcycle comes with the same engine as the Classic 350 BS6 and the underpinnings have remained unchanged. 

The most interesting bit is that the Forest Green colour variant has made a comeback. It was earlier offered in the Bullet 500 and now Royal Enfield has chosen to provide this colour option to the kick start variant of the Bullet 350 BS6. And before you ask, yes, it is road-legal! Here’s how much it costs.

Jawa BS6 range:

BS4-compliant model shown for representation

The Jawa BS6 and the Jawa Forty Two BS6 were launched on March 2. The BS6-compliant iterations are around Rs 5,000 to Rs 9,900 dearer than their BS4-compliant counterpart. Interestingly, different colour schemes command different pricing. While the company hasn’t released the exact power and torque figures, it has assured us that the bikes will have similar power and torque numbers. For reference, the BS4-compliant Jawa and Jawa Forty Two make 27.3PS and 28Nm. Earlier, Jawa announced that the bikes will be available from April 1 onwards but then again, due to the pandemic, it has been delayed.

155cc Suzuki Gixxer BS6 twins and Intruder BS6:

After their debut at Auto Expo 2020, Suzuki finally launched the 155cc Gixxer BS6, the Gixxer SF BS6 and also the Intruder BS6. All the three motorcycles are about Rs 12,000 dearer than their respective BS4-compliant versions. Apart from the cleaner motor, what else has Suzuki offered to justify the steep hike in price? Head here to know for the 155cc Gixxer BS6 twins and check this out for the Intruder BS6.  

Bajaj Dominar 250:

In a bid to allure more budget-conscious touring enthusiasts, Bajaj launched the more affordable Dominar 250 in India. It is priced at Rs 1.60 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), making it a whole Rs 30,000 less expensive than the flagship model, the Dominar 400. As expected, it carries the same genes as the KTM 250 Duke but has a more relaxed, touring-oriented demeanour. The motorcycle generates 27PS and 23.5Nm, making it 3PS and 0.5Nm less powerful than the quarter-litre Austrian hooligan.

The good news is that Bajaj has ensured that it gets the same premium cycle parts as the Dominar 400. This means the Dominar 250 gets an inverted front fork, rear Nitrox monoshock and even dual-channel ABS as standard. Head here for more intricate details about the motorcycle.

TVS Apache RTR 180 BS6:

The age-old TVS Apache RTR 180 has finally been upgraded to comply with BS6 emission norms. Apart from the environmentally friendly fuel-injected engine, it also gets a nifty Glide Through Traffic feature that helps it crawl at low speeds by simply using the clutch alone. 

The better news is that it is slightly more powerful without any decrease in torque! That’s really surprising considering the norm of losing power or torque in favour of cleaner emissions. Here are the pricing and other details.

TVS XL100 BS6:

TVS also launched the BS6-compliant iteration of its humble moped, the XL100. It is available in three variants: Comfort i-Touch Start, Heavy Duty i-Touch Start and Heavy Duty i-Touch Start Special Edition. With a starting price of Rs 41,975 (ex-showroom Delhi) for the Heavy Duty i-Touch Start variant, it is the most affordable fuel-injected two-wheeler you can buy in India. Head here for more details.

Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin Adventure Sports

Honda launched its flagship ADV, the CRF1100L Africa Twin Adventure Sports, in India at Rs 15.35 lakh for the manual variant and Rs 16.10 lakh for the DCT version. The new bike gets a bigger, Euro 5/BS6-compliant motor which generates 102PS of power and 105Nm of peak torque. 

The motorcycle also comes with a host of electronic aids such as traction control, cornering ABS, wheelie control and even Apple Car Play along with Bluetooth compatibility. On the flip side, the seat height has gone up from 820mm-840mm to 850mm-870mm. But at 140mm, the seat is narrower than before, which should help shorter riders to a certain extent. More details this way.