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2022 Kawasaki Vulcan S CruiserKawasaki currently offers Vulcan S in India at a price of Rs 6.04 lakh (ex-showroom)
Kawasaki has launched an updated avatar of Vulcan S in the USA. While the middleweight cruiser has always been a piece of eye candy for retro bike lovers, the latest update makes it even more attractive. That said, the new Vulcan S only gets a wardrobe upgrade and no mechanical changes underneath.
The updates are purely aesthetic which consist of two new colour options namely Pearl Robotic White and Metallic Matte Graphite Grey. Apart from these new shades of colour, the Japanese bikemaker has also added a new Cafe variant which gets a handful of cosmetic tweaks and a new paint scheme over the standard model.
Updated Colour Schemes
Having said that, there aren’t any significant changes to the new Cafe trim. It wears a unique triple-tone paint scheme comprising Ebon, Pearl Robotic White, and Candy Steel Furnace Orange colours. The bike also benefits from a short and dark tinted windscreen which lends it a sportier appeal. The standard model, on the other hand, is exactly similar to the outgoing model barring the new colour options.
The Pearl Robotic White paint scheme, as the name suggests, gets a predominantly white colour with cool blue livery on the fuel tank and radiator shrouds with blue/white pinstripes slapped onto the alloy wheels. The cruiser in this colour option looks icy sharp from each angle. Moving to the other option, the Metallic Matte Graphite Grey paint scheme wears a signature Kawasaki look with the use of black and green colours.
2022 Kawasaki Vulcan S Cruiser
Similar Styling & Features
Vulcan S continues to flaunt its signature styling elements such as an inverted triangular headlight, a teardrop-shaped fuel tank, underbelly exhaust muffler and black rearview mirrors which match with the bike’s frame. The cruiser remains an ergonomically friendly bike as riders can adjust the handlebar, footpegs, and seat according to their preference.
The middleweight cruiser gets a semi-digital console that features an analogue tachometer and an LCD display for readouts like speed, odometer, trip meter, ABS status, fuel gauge, etc. Sadly it does miss out on a TFT instrument console like other modern Kawasaki bikes which is offered with smartphone connectivity.
Mechanical Specs
2022 Vulcan S is still powered by the same 649 cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine that delivers an output of 60 bhp at 7,500rpm and a peak torque of 62.4 Nm at 6,600rpm. This unit is paired with a six-speed gearbox. Suspension duties are handled by 41 mm telescopic forks at front and a 7-step preload adjustable off-set mono-shock at rear.
Kawasaki has priced the updated Vulcan S starting at $7,299 (approx. INR 5.5 lakh) for the standard trim while the Cafe variant comes at $7,899 (approx. INR 5.9 lakh). While there are no updates as of now, we can expect the latest iteration of Vulcan S to hit Indian markets by the end of this year. More

Image – Rawat KKTM India has increased prices of all their motorcycles – Except for ADV 250, prices of which have been reduced instead
Bajaj is on a mission, to reduce the prices of their 250 cc motorcycles by a huge margin. And this too at a time when everyone else is increasing prices. Including Bajaj, who has increased prices of all their motorcycles – except for the Dominar 250 and now KTM 250 ADV.
Dominar 250 got a massive price cut of Rs 17k last week. And now, KTM 250 ADV price cut has been announced. Price of KTM 250 ADV was Rs 2.55 lakh, ex-sh. This has been its price since the time it was launched late last year. Now, around 9 months post launch, prices have been lowered to an all time low. Price of 2021 KTM 250 ADV now starts at Rs 2.3 lakh, ex-sh.
Who Are Eligible For New Price
All customers who buy KTM 250 ADV before 31st August 2021, will be eligible for the new price. Those who have already bought the KTM 250 ADV at older / higher price – will not get any benefit or offer to compensate the price cut.
For now, KTM 250 ADV and Duke 250 are almost similarly priced. This is a massive 9.8% price cut. In comparison, prices of other KTM motorcycles on offer in India have been increased by up to 12k or 6.4%. Below is the detailed price of all KTM motorcycles on sale in India.
KTM India Price List – July 2021
KTM 250 Adventure design & features
250 Adventure borrows most of the design and styling features from KTM 390 Adventure. Some of the key features include sleek headlamp, matte finished fuel tank, glossy side panels, dual-purpose tyres, upswept exhaust and short tail.
However, one key change is the halogen headlamp, an obvious move to cut costs. If we compare to 250 Duke and 390 Adventure, both are equipped with LED headlamp. Excluding the headlamp, 250 Adventure has an all-LED setup including DRLs, front and rear turn indicators and rear tail light.
In comparison to its bigger sibling that has full-colour console, 250 Adventure comes with black & white instrument panel. The display unit has a premium look and feel and it shows a range of information such as speedometer, fuel gauge, rpm, gear indicator, and odometer. KTM 250 Adventure is designed for comfortable rides, made possible with its tapered handlebar, wide seat, wide footpegs with rubber inserts, and adjustable windshield.
KTM 250 Adventure engine
Engine option for 250 Adventure will be the same as currently in use with 250 Duke. The 249 cc, liquid cooled, single cylinder engine can generate max power of 29.6 bhp at 9,000 rpm and peak torque of 24 Nm at 7500 rpm. The bike will have a 6-speed gearbox.
KTM 250 Adventure will ride on steel-trellis frame, suspended on 43mm WP Apex forks at the front and WP Apex mono-shock suspension system at the rear. Front suspension offers 170 mm of travel and rear units come with pre-load adjustability function.
Talking about the rubber, 250 Adventure has MRF Mogrip Meteor FM2 tubeless tyres. Braking duties are performed by 320 mm front disc and 230 mm rear disc. Dual-channel ABS is offered as standard. KTM 250 Adventure is equipped with a 14.5 litre fuel tank.
In the company’s line-up, 250 Adventure sits above KTM 250 Duke. It is expected to be priced at around Rs 2.4 lakh. KTM 250 Adventure will rival the likes of Hero Xpulse 200 and BMW G 310 GS. Being around 1 lakh cheaper than 390 Adventure, KTM 250 Adventure is expected to generate higher sale volumes. More

Bajaj Caliber – Render
Bajaj Auto is also looking to expand its Pulsar range of motorcycles in future
Back in the late 90s and early 21st century, Bajaj and Kawasaki had a partnership going in India. The joint venture came out with some of the most popular entry-level commuter motorcycles in the market. One of them was Bajaj Caliber. Originally launched in 1998, the entry-level commuter was a rage among the masses.
The bike also grabbed attention was one of its kind TV commercials which featured the buzzing tagline “Hoodibaba”. Caliber could possibly make a return to the Indian market after Bajaj Auto recently filed a trademark for the same. If development indeed comes true, it could make things very interesting in the entry-level commuter motorcycle space.
Caliber Details
Caliber 115 was built using Bajaj 4S as the base and was powered by a 111.6cc air-cooled motor developed jointly by the Indian and Japanese bikemakers. This unit produced a sufficient output of 9.5 bhp and 9.10 Nm of peak torque and was paired with a 4-speed gearbox.
The motorcycle could attain a top speed of 102 kmph which was a very big thing for any commuter bike back then. While performance was very strong for its segment, it didn’t return a favourable mileage which Indian buyers in this segment usually seek.
Bajaj Caliber Trademark Filed Again In 2021
Its suspension setup consisted of a hydraulically damped telescopic with rubber boots and a swing arm hydraulic shock absorber with coaxial 5 step adjustable spring at front and rear respectively. The bike carried a neat and simple design with some basic sticker graphics in the fuel tank and fenders.
Possible Outcomes & Specs
The trademark application states that the ‘Caliber’ nameplate could be used for two-wheelers-either IC engine and electrically powered. However, it seems unlikely that it will be used for a battery-powered motorcycle. That leaves Bajaj with two options- either a 115cc from Platina 110 or a 125cc motor from Pulsar 125.
Since TVS had trademarked the Fiero 125 moniker in November last year, we believe the possibilities of the new-gen Caliber getting powered by the 125cc unit is high. A 115.45cc, fuel-injected, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine derived from Platina 110 puts out 8.5 bhp at 7000rpm and a peak torque of 9.81 Nm at 5000rpm.
The 124cc single-cylinder, air-cooled, 2-valve SOHC unit powered the entry-level Pulsar 125. This unit delivers an output of 12 bhp at 8500rpm and a peak torque of 11Nm at 7000rpm. Both these units are paired with a 5-speed gearbox. Details at the moment are very scarce. It will be interesting to see which way does the Chakan-based manufacturer opts for. More

Image – swift lifestyleMaharashtra EV Policy outlines increasing new EV registrations to 10 percent of all purchases by 2025
Maharashtra government aims to increase new vehicle registration at 10 percent of all vehicles registered by 2025. Bombay alone will benefit from a network of 1,500 charging stations. 15 percent of MSRTC buses will comprise of en electric fleet. Alongside demand and supply side incentives, incentives are on offer to set up advanced chemistry cell battery manufacturing plants.
The state is also keen on a 1 giga watt battery manufacturing plant. Incentives are set at 5k per kWh of battery. Max incentive for electric two-wheelers (scooters, motorcycles, bikes) is capped at Rs 10k, and for electric three-wheelers at Rs 30k. EVs will be exempt from road tax, and registration costs. Maharashtra is also working on car scrappage incentives.
EV Policy revision
Following a revision in FAME II policy, states have been quick to announce a revision to their own policies. States are taking a similar yet unique approach to the policy. Following Delhi, and Gujarat, Maharashtra has chosen to make allocations. Thus far, a large number of states have chosen not to make an announcement yet. With most states still chalking out details, for now, new strategies and approaches aren’t all too clear to understand. Further revisions too can be expected as governments get into nitty gritties, or else this could all come to nought.
Benefits of the programmes are projected to be quite modest to start with. For now, it remains unclear when the outline of FAME II policy will meet its goals. This is especially true, considering initial draft goals were not met in entirety despite revisions.
Ather Electric Scooter in Pune
EV industry incentives
Reducing carbon footprint and attaining green goals for a better environment is top priority. If these goals are to get closer to reality by the end of the decade, then changes need to be enforced in quick time. An initial approach focuses on incentivising the process. This would mean the government aligns with incentivising production as well as purchase.
On the one hand, focus could likely be on tax breaks for investments made in sustainable technologies and on the other hand to impose disincentives for those that employ unsustainable ones. But this approach can’t go hand in hand under current circumstances. Transition to wider acceptance of electric vehicles can’t be at the cost of penalising an age old and established industry that contributes greatly to GDP.
However, current policy revisions being initiated encourage the general outlook wherein automotive businesses will be concentrating on cutting down their carbon emissions. Over time, businesses could be given beneficial credits if they undertake projects that cut down carbon emissions by a certain percentage. Although these schemes are meant to be incentive based, there is an inherent drawback. Following the initial period of enthusiasm, what will sustain EV industry growth in the short term?
Ather Energy On Maharashtra EV Policy July 2021
“The Maharashtra government’s new EV Policy is extremely comprehensive and has taken into account the entire EV ecosystem. The incentives offered for both the demand and supply side will accelerate the adoption and the manufacturing of EVs in the country. In addition to demand incentives, the policy also incentivizes buy-back, and vehicle scrappage. Early bird incentive is a great mechanism to jump start things, as well as to drive festive sales. Ather Energy is geared to cater to the rising demand in Maharashtra through its retail outlets in key cities like Mumbai, Pune and plans to expand to Nashik and Nagpur soon. Such progressive policies introduced by the state governments have the potential to drive faster adoption of electric vehicles in the country.”
Hero Electric On New EV Policy in Maharashtra
Mr. Sohinder Gill, CEO Hero Electric & Director General, SMEV said, “The Maharashtra government policy grants us the privilege to reach out to our potential customer base in the state. With the amendment of FAME 2 by the central government and now the individual state policies like this one have only encouraged the adoption of electric vehicles in India. The added subsidies from the government on batteries and overall vehicles apart from encouraging battery makers to invest in the state will only aid to the growing interest among investors and companies looking to make an entry into the manufacturing of parts for the segment. At Hero, we are looking forward to this new phase of Electric mobility that will be driven with the states and the consumers who are looking up to a green, clean mode of transport.”
Mr. Naveen Munjal, MD, Hero Electric said, “With the announcement of revised EV policy by the state of Maharashtra, we expect the shift towards EV mobility in the country to gain more traction in the coming few days. The policy that aims to convert 10% of their overall EVs by 2025 and install 1500 charging station across the state, will only make EVs an attractive option for mobility in the state. Hero Electric is committed towards such initiatives and we are elated to further expand our reach with government support. We are extremely bullish about achieving our targets of 1 million scooters on road over the next few years.”
Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) On Maharashtra EV Policy July 2021
The announcement by the Maharashtra government is not only encouraging for the EV industry but also solidifies India’s vision of becoming a global EV hub. These much-awaited measures offer to bridge the chasm between awareness and consumer sentiment towards e-mobility. We hold steadfast optimism towards states announcing a revised policy with a special focus on demand creation. An inclusive and pragmatic approach to E-mobility and charging infrastructure is imperative to boost innovation and increase uptake among consumers. We thank the government for the EV Policy, which will create a positive impact and help in the acceleration of green vehicles in the state. More