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      Top 10 Motorcycles 200cc To 500cc Nov 2020 – Classic 350, Meteor, Pulsar 220

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      Image – Reshma
      Five of the top selling motorcycles for November 2020 in the mid-displacement category were Royal Enfields – with 75.6% market share

      The mid-premium motorcycle segment in India has been witnessing a lot of product launch activities in the recent years. This segment is populated with eclectic mix of feature-rich products which offer fine balance of cost and performance.
      While the volume-oriented commuter motorcycle space which is dominated by a few brands is more of less saturated, OEMs are betting big on the medium displacement segment, particularly the 200 to 500 cc sub-space.
      Top selling motorcycles – November 2020
      Royal Enfield, despite going through a bit of a rough patch, still dominates this niche by a huge margin. The immensely popular RE Classic 350 which is slated to be replaced by a next generation model sometime next year tops the sales chart in November 2020 with 35,951 units at a YoY decline of 8.73%.
      The long running Bajaj Pulsar 220 comes in at a distant second with a tally of 7,114 units. Interestingly, the old horse posted a YoY sales growth of 26%. Royal Enfield’s first of the new generation models, the Meteor 350 started off with 7,031 units, sealing the third spot. We expect the Thunderbird replacement to witness even better numbers as the company streamlines production in the coming months.
      Motorcycle sales 200cc-500cc segment Nov 2020 vs Nov 2019 (YoY)
      The obsolete Bullet 350 witnessed a slide of almost 50% but it still managed to capture 4th spot in the highly lucrative segment with 6,513 units on the board. Honda’s answer to Royal Enfield’s utter dominance, the H’ness CB 350, shows potential as evident from its sales performance of 4,067 units which is impressive considering that it is being retailed only through BigWing premium outlets. As Honda ramps up production and sets up more and more BigWing stores across the country, sales are only set to increase.
      Middle-order and tail-enders
      The Bullet Electra 350 is the 4th RE in the top 10 list 3,490 units to its credit and it is followed by the KTM 250 series (1,590 units) which receive a boost in the form of Adventure variant. Coming in at 8th is the 5th RE product, the Himalayan, at 1,550 units. Bajaj’s Avenger 220 and Dominar 400 finished 9th and 10th with 1,030 and 856 units respectively.
      Motorcycle sales 200cc-500cc segment Nov 2020 vs Oct 2020 (MoM)
      The Dominar 250 almost matched its bigger-engined sibling with sales of 835 units last month. KTM 390, Husqvarna 250, Suzuki Gixxer 250, Yamaha FZ25, TVS Apache 310 and Mahindra Mojo find themselves becoming a part of the also-ran brigade.
      Month-on-Month performance on decline
      While the total sales of the segment of 72,134 units represented a YoY growth of 11.44%, all products witnessed a MoM decline save for the CB350 and KTM 250, resulting in the segment’s degrowth of 8.93% compared to October 2020, the first festive month. More

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      TVS Sales, Exports Break Up Nov 2020 – XL Super, Jupiter, Apache, Ntorq

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      Image – The Bengal Rider
      TVS Motor reported growth in domestic wholesales and exports for November 2020

      TVS domestic wholesales for November 2020 was reported at 2,47,789 units. Up 29.58 percent from 1,91,222 units a year earlier. Volume gain stood at 56,567 units. The manufacturer’s moped proved to be a big winner. And, sat atop the table. 70,750 XL units were sold at 22.94 percent gain. Wholesales grew by 13,200 units. Up from 57,550 units.
      The brand’s bestselling scooter, Jupiter was in the green. YoY growth was 52.72 percent at volume gain of over 21k units. Wholesales grew to 62,626 units. Up from 41,007 units. Both top performers collectively claimed over 50 percent of company dispatches. XL moped at 28.55 percent. And Jupiter at 25.27 percent.
      Apache series, the manufacturer’s wide ranging product triumphed at third spot. Wholesales were up 40.07 percent at 16.77 percent share. Volume gain stood at 11,889 units. Unit dispatches grew from 29,668 to 41,557.
      RR310, the largest cc offering is listed on its own, and accounted for 281 units. Though a small number, it’s a huge improvement on the 112 units reported a year earlier. Ntorq’s performance remained more or less flat. Dispatches gained 1,597 units. Up at 28,987 from 27,390.
      TVS Motor Domestic Sales Nov 2020
      TVS small volume two-wheelers
      Reported gain on Sport was the highest for Nov 20 owing to its low base number. YoY growth is 79.38 percent. Dispatch grew by 5,654 units, up at 12,777 from 7,123. Radeon gain is healthy on a low base number at 28.27 percent growth. Numbers are higher at 11,602 from 9,045. Volume gain was just over 2.5k units. Star City wholesales is up at 7,793 units from 5,105 units at a gain of 2,688 units.
      Of models on sale, Pep+ was the only product to report sales decline. Numbers fell to 6,870 from 8,439 units. Volume contraction stood at 1,569 units, following 18.59 percent decline. Zest posted single digit growth. At 8.17 percent, wholesales grew to 4,447 units from 4,111 units. Wego and Victor are not on sale now. iQube, TVS’ electric offering, iQube dispatches stood at 99.
      TVS Motor Exports Nov 2020
      TVS exports in November 2020
      While Star City is a lower volume product for TVS in the domestic market, its exports are most promising for the manufacturer. Star City and Star City 125 exports covered more than 70 percent ground in overseas markets. Star City numbers were reported at 62.12 percent gain.
      Exports grew to 24,660 units from 15,211 taking it to the top of the leaderboard at volume gain of 9,449 units. Star City 125 lost ground at 10.54 percent decline. Exports fell to 19,854 units from 22,192 units. Apache series exports grew 45.96 percent. Numbers grew to 9,115 units from 6,245 units.
      Sport exports fell 18.32 percent at volume decline of 985 units. Exports declined to 4,392 units. Down from 5,377 units. Ntorq growth was 54.24 percent. Numbers were just over 3k, up from 1,956 units at volume gain of 1,061 units. XL’s global performance is meagre at just over a thousand units. Exports declined by 37.53 percent. Down from 1,668 units.
      Victor and Wego are still being manufactured for overseas markets. Victor exports stood at 800. And Wego at 138 units. Radeon exports fell noticeably. Down to 120 units from 2,120 units. That’s volume loss of 2k units. 68 RR310 units were exported, and 12 of Jupiter. Total exports grew at 10.88 percent. Up at 63,218 units from 57,014 units. More

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      Himalayan Owner Modifies His RE With Suzuki 400cc Parallel Twin Engine

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      Royal Enfield Himalayan Parallel Twin
      Royal Enfield Himalayan is powered by a 411cc single-cylinder engine – Here is an interesting modification job

      Royal Enfield Himalayan is one of the most popular adventure tourer motorcycles in India. Apart from a decent experience on roads, its well proportioned dynamics provides a good off-roading experience. Although, its low power and torque output could be a slight bummer on rough terrains.
      Fans of Royal Enfield are of the opinion that Himalayan should be offered with a larger engine, probably a twin-cylinder unit like the Interceptor and Continental GT which utilize a 650cc parallel-twin engine. As per reports, a more powerful Himalayan is in the making. But it will not come anytime soon, hopefully it arrives in 2022.
      But before that, a workshop in Punjab has modified single cylinder Himalayan into a twin-cylinder Himalayan. Vlogger Abhinav Bhatt has shared a detailed video about this modified Himalayan Parallel Twin.
      Updated Powertrain
      The workshop has used a 400cc DOHC parallel-twin engine from a 1990s Suzuki GS400e. This engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox and returns an output of 39 bhp and 28 Nm of torque. That is 15 horses more than the stock Himalayan. Moreover, this unit is a lot smoother and refined than the 411cc single-cylinder unit despite being a carbureted machine.
      [embedded content]
      Plus the six-speed gearbox ensures a wider spread of torque which results in a linear delivery of power. According to Bhatt, this bike revs more cleanly and due to a twin-cylinder setup vibrations are almost nil. This modified bike gets two 36 mm Mikuni carburettors which ensures a better mixture of air and fuel.
      Better Performance
      Moreover, this twin-cylinder engine has been fitted into the same chassis with only minor tweakings to its dynamics. This bike now returns around 25 kmpl as average fuel efficiency. There is no alteration to Himalayan’s design what-so-ever barring the additional exhaust of the extra cylinder. Also, the exhaust note is throaty yet very refined and would definitely make for an effortless cruiser.
      Abhinav claims, this modified Himalayan can do 140 kmph easily, without any exaggeration. The owner claims to have clocked a top speed of 150 kmph on the twin-cylinder Himalayan. This is certainly a lot higher than what a stock Himlayan could achieve.
      2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan
      Royal Enfield has started testing an updated Himalayan, which is said to come with a more refined engine, minor updates on design as well as new features (tripper navigation). Launch is expected to take place by March 2020. More

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      2021 KTM RC 200 Enters Production – Spied Undisguised For First Time

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      2021 KTM RC 200
      Ahead of its expected launch in Jan 2021, the all new KTM RC 200 has now entered production at the company plant in Chakan near Pune

      KTM has had a busy 2020, especially in India, where the brand launched Adventure 250 and 390 this year. Gave a minor facelift to Duke 250 and Duke 125. In comparison, the RC series did not get much updates. Except for a colour update a few weeks ago – they were more or less left untouched.
      But we knew, that something was brewing with the KTM RC range. There was a regular flow of spy shots – first from Europe, and then from South East Asia. Reportedly, KTM has been working on giving the RC 125, 200, 250 and 390 – a thorough update. From updates to the engine, to the design, as well as chassis – the 2021 model year KTM RCs will be a completely new machine.
      If it was not for the Covid19 pandemic, it is likely the new RC range would have already made their global debut – at the now cancelled 2020 EICMA. Just like how the 390 ADV made its global debut at the 2019 EICMA.
      2021 KTM RC 200
      First undisguised photo of the all new KTM RC 200 has now been leaked, thanks to Tushar – who has shared the photo on Rushlane Spylane Facebook group. The leaked spy photo of the 2021 KTM RC200 has been clicked on what looks like the production line. Considering that KTM RC, Duke, ADV motorcycles under 400cc are exclusively produced at the Bajaj plant in Pune – it is more or less certain that the photo is from the same plant in India. You can even notice Husqvarna motorcycles in the background.
      2021 KTM RC 200
      The lone spy shot gives a clear look at the front design. As noted in the spy shot, it gets a halogen unit – similar in design that is on offer with the Duke 200. The halogen unit is surrounded by LED DRL. There also seems to be a larger visor. Graphics are new, while the Black and Orange colour scheme is carried forward. Expect more colour options on offer as well.
      Design Updates
      If you notice closely, the disc brake setup in the front is different to the existing model. Instead of being attached to the wheel hub, the front disc is attached to the alloy-spokes. This is clearly noticeable in an early spy shot of new RC 200, seen below. In addition, there also seems to be a new rear subframe, side-mounted exhaust has been replaced by under-belly unit.
      2021 KTM RC 200
      In comparison to the current model, the changes mainly come in the form of a redesigned fairing, new set of wheels and larger windscreen. The fuel tank is noticeably bigger while the tail section is more ‘pointy’ than before. Of course, the TFT instrument console (probably with more functions) will be added as well.
      Engine
      Current KTM RC 200 engine in its BS6 form; is powered by a 199.5 cc single cylinder engine, rated to deliver 25 hp @ 10k rpm and 19.2 Nm @ 8k rpm. It is likely that the new RC 200 gets this same engine, as Bajaj – KTM has invested good enough in upgrading this engine to meet BS6 / Euro5 emission norms. This engine is mated to a 6 speed gearbox.
      We expect KTM to officially take the covers off the next-generation RC 200 in the coming weeks – most likely in Jan 2021. As has been the case most of the time, expect the bike to be launched first in India, followed by launch in other countries around the world. Prices are expected to start in the range of Rs 2.1 lakh, about Rs 10k more than the current RC 200. Later in the year 2021, expect the launch of updated RC 125, RC 250 and long-awaited RC 390 as well. More

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      KTM 490 Duke, Adventure Confirmed By CEO – To Be Made in India By Bajaj

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      Image for reference
      This will be the first time that Bajaj Auto will be developing a twin-cylinder engine in India

      Ever since Austrian bikemaker KTM joined its hands with Indian two-wheeler giant Bajaj Auto, Indian biking community has been treated to a plethora of new products for over a decade now. In Bajaj, KTM has found a reliable partner that manufactures and assembles the former’s bikes in India.
      The company’s majority stakes are held by PMAG. Recently, in an interaction with an automotive website, PMAG majority owner and KTM CEO Stephan Pierer confirmed that it is developing a new 490cc platform in association with Bajaj in India.
      Bajaj-KTM Partnership
      Currently Bajaj Auto develops and manufactures 125cc, 200cc, 250cc and 390cc single-cylinder units for KTM motorcycles. The last three units are also used Husqvarna twins- Svartpilen and Vitpilen. All of these motorcycles are manufactured by Bajaj at its facility in Chakan near Pune in Maharashtra. For reference, Swedish bikemaker Husqvarna is a subsidiary of KTM Industries.
      Earlier this year, we had reported that KTM was in discussions with Bajaj to develop a new 490cc parallel-twin engine that could be used for Duke and Adventure range of motorcycles. This powertrain could also power future Husqvarna models as well.
      KTM 790 ADV India launch next year
      Currently, the high displacement twin-cylinder models using 790cc and 890cc units are imported from overseas. In fact, this new engine is set to be a lot more refined and powerful than the current 390cc unit. It is likely to have a similar format and architecture as 790cc and 890cc units.
      Prospects of the new 490cc powertrain
      Pierer revealed that the company will target its consumer base who want to upgrade from its 390cc bikes such as RC390, Duke 390 and Adventure 390. He further revealed that this new platform is still under development and the first motorcycle to be based on this platform is likely to be launched in 2022. As mentioned before, this new platform will be developed and used for a streetfighter, an adventure motorcycle and a fully-faired bike.
      The report further goes on to mention that these bikes will be fully developed at Bajaj’s R&D centre in Pune and supported by KTM’s R&D. Pierer further adds that these motorcycles could also be developed in China by their partners CFMoto. The bikemaker started building its new manufacturing facility 18 months ago and is completely ready now with production to commence from 2021.
      The 490cc bikes will bridge the long gap between the 390cc and 790cc products in terms of specs, power as well as price. The performance gap between the current 390 and 790 stand at 43 bhp and 105 bhp. Going by the KTM’s thirst for manufacturing performance-oriented bikes, we can expect these new 490cc motorcycles to be class-leading in their segments.
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      Ather 450x Electric Scooter Gets Performance Improvements Via OTA Update

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      Ather electric scooter
      Ather regularly rolls out OTA updates – The latest one also delivers performance upgrade

      India’s leading electric scooter manufacturer, Ather Energy has rolled out an update for its app on Android and iOS. This update is primarily a patch that has performance improvements as well as bug fixes. This update will be applicable for 450X and 450 Plus owners. One of the fixes is that the colour and name will now be displayed correctly in the app.
      For Android users, the update is already available on Google Play Store. iPhone users may have to wait a couple of days, as the update is pending review on the App Store. Apple team will be on Christmas holidays till December 27, which has resulted in delay.
      Ather expansion plans
      In terms of numbers, Ather Energy is currently placed at third place in the list of bestselling electric scooters. It trails behind Hero Electric and Okinawa. Ather is ahead of other rivals such as Revolt, Ampere, Benling, and Pure EV. In April-Sep 2020, Ather had sold a total of 941 units. In comparison, the numbers for Hero and Okinawa were 2,629 and 1,836, respectively.
      To boost sales, Ather is currently working to expand operations across the country. In addition to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, Ather now has presence in Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. Other cities on the radar include New Delhi, Kolkata, Kochi, Coimbatore, Calicut and Kozhikode.
      Ather electric scooter test rides are now available in many new cities
      In phase II, Ather electric scooter will be launched in several other cities such as Jaipur, Chandigarh, Surat, Noida, Lucknow, Nasik, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Hubli, Mysore, Vijayawada, Guwahati, Nagpur and Siliguri. If things progress as planned, Ather would have expanded operations to 27 cities by end of next year.
      Ather’s new plant
      As Ather expands its footprint across the country, demand is expected to increase significantly in the future. To fulfil that, Ather has setup a new manufacturing facility at Hosur in Tamil Nadu. This plant is much bigger, spread across an area of 4 lakh square feet.
      Its estimated production capacity is 1 lakh units per annum. When this new plant becomes fully operational, Ather would have catapulted to an established two-wheeler manufacturer from its current status of an EV startup. Ather has already discontinued production at its Bengaluru facility.
      In every city where Ather has presence or will launch its electric scooter in the future, the company will be adding more charging stations. Availability of charging stations takes care of range anxiety, which is a crucial step for motivating customers to switch from standard petrol scooters to electric scooters. Ather 450X true range is 85 km on a single charge. It comes with fast charging and has ride modes of Eco, Ride, Sport and Warp. More

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      Bajaj Buys IP Rights Of American Motorcycle Brand Excelsior-Henderson

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      Excelsior-Henderson Super X. Credit – pinimg
      Bajaj has reportedly purchased the IP rights to the long defunct US-based premium motorcycle brand

      Bajaj Auto has filed a second trademark for Excelsior-Henderson with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on December 15, 2020 under the clothing category which includes riding apparel and gears. It is to be noted that earlier in 2018, the Indian two wheeler major filed a trademark for the aforementioned brand under the motorcycle design class which covers vehicles, spare parts and service.
      Excelsior-Henderson – A brief history
      Excelsior-Henderson is an ancient two wheeler brand which ceased to exist in its original form in 1931 during the Great Depression. Its origins can be traced back to an entity which was founded in 1876 under the banner Excelsior Supply Company as a cycle and parts manufacturer.
      As it entered the new century, the Chicago based company progressed to making motorcycles, and in 1912, an Excelsior became the first motorcycle in the world to be officially timed at 100 mph (160 kmph). In the same year, Excelsior was bought by another Chicago-based cycle maker Schwinn who also bought Henderson Motorcycles in 1917 and merged the two subsidiaries.
      As the Great Depression was projected to continue for several years, Schwinn shuttered Excelsior-Henderson’s motorcycle division abruptly in 1931 despite a full order book and shifted focus on the core business of bicycles. After several decades, in 1993, Hanlon Manufacturing Company revived the Excelsior-Henderson marque with its base in Minnesota.
      Bajaj buys IP rights of Excelsior-Henderson motorcycles
      The first production model of the new era was named Super X, a homage to the company’s early 20th-century history. Production commenced in 1999 with retro classic styling. In 1999 and 2000, the company produced a total of around 1,950 units before failing to secure additional funds to keep the operations going.
      Future plans
      Though Excelsior-Henderson ceased to exist as motorcycle OEM, the company still exists and owns intellectual properties. Photo from the trademark office confirms that Bajaj Auto has purchased the IP rights to the brand.
      Given that other Indian two wheeler OEMs are attempting to revive vintage motorcycle brands as a gateway into international markets, Bajaj Auto could also be working on a similar strategy with Excelsior-Henderson. For example, TVS Motor Co recently purchased British marque Norton, and Mahindra-backed Classic Ledgends has revived Jawa and is reported to be working on bringing Yezdi back to the fore as well.
      It is too early to speculate about what the trademark filings would eventually lead to, but it would be exciting to see Bajaj set up Excelsio-Henderson as a boutique motorcycle brand with exquisite designs and limited production runs. More