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      2025 Suzuki Access 125 Facelift Spied For 1st Time – Activa, Jupiter Rival

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      Suzuki Access 125 FaceliftAll the new updates to Suzuki Access 125 facelift, will better position it against Honda Activa 125, TVS Jupiter 125 and Hero Destini 125One of the leading 2W manufacturers in India, Suzuki, has been riding on the wave of success generated by Access 125. This is a no-nonsense family scooter that often features in India’s top ten scooter list at 3rd position. We should soon see a facelifted version of this scooter as suggested by the recent spy shots.2025 Suzuki Access 125 Facelift – What’s hot?For starters, we can see a lot of design changes in the new facelift. The headlight cowl is now a little beefier and the front apron protrudes quite a bit forward, lending a more substantial feel to fascia. Front mudguard and its alloy wheels, front disc brakes and suspension setup look like they are identical to the current model.Suzuki Access 125 Facelift vs Current ModelWe can also see a front storage area that should prove handy in day-to-day usage. There’s a circular reflector attached at the side of this storage unit, which we often see on front forks. Or in the current Access 125’ case, on rear plastic mudguard. Speaking of, Suzuki has changed rear mudguard and we can see a new design for the exhaust heat shield.We can see more of the engine with newer Suzuki Access 125 and that is because of sleeker side body panels. Seat is a lot flatter than the current model and might be slightly more convenient where seat height for pillions is concerned.Suzuki Access 125 Facelift HeadlightWe can expect a bump in features to keep the product competitive. In that regard, Suzuki is offering hazard light feature that we can see in the video below. LED tail lights, LED headlights, a fully digital instrument cluster with navigation feature and smartphone connectivity with a proprietary app are some of the probable features of Suzuki Access 125 facelift.Features like a smart key would prove beneficial for Access 125 as its arch-rival, Honda Activa, offers it. Practicality seems to be similar to current model owing to a flat floorboard and we can expect a sizeable under-seat storage too.Access 125 Facelift Hazard Light2025 Suzuki Access 125 Facelift Spotted For The First TimeThe company intends to expand its sales horizon by launching a facelifted version of its best-seller. That’s where the new 2025 Suzuki Access 125 facelift spotted for the first time, comes into play. Looking at the test mules completely draped in camouflage, a full-fledged launch could be later than sooner.[embedded content]Where powertrain is concerned, we can expect the same 124cc single-cylinder air-cooled motor that is capable of generating 8.6 bhp and 10 Nm, mated to a CVT gearbox. When launched, Suzuki will implement a minor price hike too. Access 125 facelift will rival the likes of Honda Activa 125, Hero Destini, and Jupiter 125.Source More

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      Royal Enfield New Himalayan Long Term Review – More Negatives Than Positives?

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      Royal Enfield New Himalayan Long Term ReviewWhile there are a lot of praise-worthy attributes on Royal Enfield New Himalayan, almost all of them were prone to negatives, taking overall experience downHimalayan 411 has always been the de facto motorcycle for many Indians craving a motorcycling journey filled with touring, off-roading and adventure. After a successful run, Royal Enfield retired the legendary Himalayan 411 and launched New Himalayan debuting the Sherpa 450 powertrain. After spending a long time with the review sample Royal Enfield provided, this is our long-term review of the New Himalayan.Royal Enfield New Himalayan Long Term ReviewYou must be wondering how we found more negatives than positives with the New Himalayan. It is sort of like James May starring in a Bengali TV serial. Hard to believe, but true nonetheless. So, is the motorcycle bad? Is it a lemon? Not at all. Almost everything on the Royal Enfield New Himalayan is praise-worthy. However, almost all of those praises come with caveats, taking the overall experience down.Royal Enfield New Himalayan Kamet WhiteWill the motorcycle stay this way forever? We hope not. We think Royal Enfield will iron out most of these negatives in the future, considering how Himalayan 411 was launched and how it evolved towards the end of its life cycle. But as it currently is, New Himalayan 450 aims to be the jack of all trades. Is it a master in any? Let’s take a look.Design & AestheticsNew Himalayan sticks to its design roots and maintains an overall similar silhouette as Himalayan 411. That said, New Himalayan has bulked up quite a bit and looks and feels like a big bike. When you’re on the saddle, this visual bulk lends a feeling of riding a much bigger motorcycle than it is. Fatter tyres at the rear, a large fuel tank along with USD telescopic front forks at the front lend a substantial feel. We love the way Royal Enfield integrated brake lights within rear turn indicators. Cool stuff.Royal Enfield New Himalayan Front QuarterThat said, I didn’t like the beak and the pattern on Kamet White colour, which is subjective, though. Objectively, Tripper Dash console clamp could have been tidied up. Especially with a transparent windshield, this unappealing setup is on full display. Rear luggage rack is sharp around the edges. Our driver nicked his hand when cleaning around this area. Other than that, we didn’t see any other sore points like exposed wiring, ugly welds and other attributes that might be termed deal breakers.Ergonomics & ComfortRoyal Enfield New Himalayan gets two-step adjustable seat height – 825mm and 845mm. I’m a 182 cm long individual and I found the taller seat height more appealing. I could even flat foot easily with the taller setting. Riding ergonomics of Himalayan are spot on and Royal Enfield has nailed the rider’s triangle. At least for my body composition. Riding posture is upright and lends great comfort in the long hauls. Standing and riding while off-roading feels like second nature. Heel plates are perfectly positioned too, offering good leverage to control the motorcycle.New Himalayan 450 ErgonomicsI had initially planned a 3,000 km long travelogue with New Himalayan. But that plan faded with every kilometre I clocked on this motorcycle due to the hard seat. While my shoulders, back, knees, ankles, neck and other parts were fatigue-free on longer hauls, my bottom wasn’t. And I constantly had to take a break every 100 km or so and switch positions every 50 km. 3,000 km of this pain? No sir. Maybe If Royal Enfield had given me the bike with Touring Seat accessory on, that would’ve been a different story.Powertrain & PerformanceThis is by far the juiciest part of the New Himalayan debuting Sherpa 450 engine. This is the first-ever Royal Enfield motorcycle to feature liquid cooling and a DOHC 4V head. Also, the first-ever single-cylinder Royal Enfield to feature a 6-speed gearbox, a slipper clutch and a ride-by-wire throttle. Performance metrics from this 452cc engine are 40 bhp peak power at 8,000 RPM and 40 Nm of peak torque at 5,500 RPM.Royal Enfield Sherpa 450 Engine100 km/h comes up in under 7 seconds and this is easily one of the most fun to ride Royal Enfield ever. Acceleration is addictive and is almost KTM-like in the way it builds pace. I liked the vigour and gust with which this machine accelerates. This new Sherpa 450 is not a thumper and sounds like any other liquid-cooled motorcycle would. Which is just fine, if you ask me.What isn’t fine, are those weird vibrations starting around 95 km/h and making their presence known till 120 km/h. Post which, engine smoothens again. These vibrations numbed my wrists and could be felt around fuel tank and footpegs. This is quite a bummer because 100 km/h to 120 km/h is kinda the sweet spot for this machine and that’s exactly where these vibrations are.Himalayan 450Also, the Royal Enfield personnel who briefed me about this motorcycle, said that the engine has high tappet noises and is quite normal for Sherpa 450’s high-compression nature. In my experience, I didn’t face any abnormal tappet noises at all. However, there were harsh and loud crackling noises from the engine at higher RPMs with our unit. I don’t wanna say knocking noises, but that’s how they sounded.Fuel Economy & Running CostsIn the first impressions review, I mentioned a 34 km/l fuel efficiency which turned out to be inaccurate as the bike’s fuel gauge is hilarious. More on it later. I did a proper tank-to-tank range test and the actual fuel efficiency turned out to be between 26 km/l to 28 km/l. For a 196 kg motorcycle hitting 100 km/h in under 7 seconds, that might look impressive. However, these figures I mentioned are best-case scenarios and if you wring the throttle more often, this engine gulps down fuel at a faster rate.Royal Enfield New HimalayanIf I take my commute needs and try to fit the New Himalayan in it, I was not impressed with bike’s high running costs. The 90 km commute between my home and my farmhouse on the New Himalayan commanded Rs. 650 to Rs 700 worth of fuel for a round trip. If I shell Rs. 100 to Rs. 150 more, I can just take my car. My car might be around 5 seconds slower to 100 km/h than New Himalayan, but it has a 4-cylinder engine displacing 1.5L and lugging a 4.4m long SUV weighing 1.4 tonnes along with 5 occupants and their luggage.Ride, Handling & DynamicsIf there is one area where New Himalayan didn’t show me any negatives, it is the bike’s ride and handling dynamics. The unit I was given had its triple tree misaligned, despite never falling once. In this sense, handlebar is always tilted towards exhaust side, while going straight. Also, there were strong rattles from the triple clamp area on my unit too.Royal Enfield New HimalayanDespite that, the way New Himalayan handles Indian roads is its strongest flex point. Suspension setup is significantly overhauled when we bring Himalayan 411 into the equation. We have USD telescopic front forks, first ever on any single-cylinder Royal Enfield. They do a fantastic job of absorbing bumps and ondulations. I often found myself carrying more speed onto bad patches of road and trusting the suspension and large 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels to do their thing. Which they did beautifully. When riding with a pillion, potholes or cavities made their presence known, but nothing sinister.Chassis is beautifully engineered on the New Himalayan. There is good cornering clearance, although, New Himalayan is not a corner carver. Lending more grip and confidence is the 140-section rear tyre as opposed to 120-section on its predecessor. Steering is not very quick, especially with the large 21-inch front wheel. But it is par for the course and lends a sense of stability and security.Royal Enfield New Himalayan SeatRiding Experience1. City – Royal Enfield has lowered the kerb weight on New Himalayan when compared to Himalayan 411 by 3 kg. At 196 kg, New Himalayan is still not a light motorcycle in any sense of the world. Further dragging the city riding experience is a rather heavy clutch. Especially in large cities like Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai and Delhi NCR, with slow-moving traffic, one would crave more lightness in both these regards. But weight and heavy clutch were present in Himalayan 411 too.What hindered city riding experience the most, was this Sherpa 450 engine on New Himalayan. This engine has little to no bottom-end tractibility, which is completely opposite to the torquey character on Himalayan 411. I have stalled this bike in 3rd gear, 2nd gear and even in 1st gear. One will get used to it eventually, but not having low-end performance is not a good thing. What is a good thing, though, is the liquid-cooling setup on this engine. Even in peak Bengaluru traffic, it got warm. Never uncomfortably hot, though.Royal Enfield New Himalayan Rear Rack2. Off-Roading – The same negatives that bothered me in the city, also bothered me while off-roading. These are heavy clutch, lack of low-end performance and bike’s rather heavy kerb weight. There was another negative that bothered me more, punctures. In North Karnataka, there’s Jaali plant in excess and occupies around 75% of non-forest and non-agricultural land. This plant has lethal thorns, especially when dry. Local people use Jaali plant as firewood and spread these lethal thorns while cutting and transporting this plant.Still, I did three different hill climbs on this motorcycle and I even blasted it across beaten paths on my red-soil and black-soil farms. Just like in the city, negatives kinda fade away when you increase the pace. On more technical off-road bits, New Himalayan gets slightly cumbersome. I turned on rear ABS when on my red soil farms as the terrain was filled with loose stones. I wanted to try water wading in a stream but was sceptical owing to the stubby exhaust positioned lower than in Himalayan 411.Royal Enfield New Himalayan 21-Inch Front Wheel3. Touring – This is New Himalayan’s biggest strength. The motorcycle yearns to be unleashed on the highways. There are ample provisions for you to mount your saddlebags, panniers, top box and even a tank bag. High-speed touring is very comfortable on this motorcycle, only if you opt for the optional touring seat accessory, that is. Engine heating is well controlled at higher speeds and straight-line stability is commendable. However, the big negative here is the vibrations that creep in between 95 km/h to 120 km/h.SwitchgearRoyal Enfield New Himalayan shares quite a bit of switchgear components from other RE bikes. The right side switchgear is fine and works as intended with a Mode button and hazard light button. I’m not a fan of left switchgear where Royal Enfield has integrated pass light into the main headlight dial. Where passer switch was located on older RE bikes, we have a Home button for Tripper Dash.New Himalayan Left SwitchgearNew Himalayan Right SwitchgearTo use a passer/flasher on New Himalayan, your left thumb has to be an Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast and is very hard to reach when you’re wearing full leather gloves like I do. Passer/flasher had a 7/10 successful hit rate too. Which is not as bad as the joystick used to navigate Tripper Dash. This joystick is very flimsy and doesn’t feel like a quality item. When you want to go up, down, left or right, there’s no issue with 9/10 click rates. But pressing this joystick to select, had around 2/10 click rates and it almost always registered right function over select (press).It was quite a shocker to me when I figured that New Himalayan doesn’t have self-cancelling turn indicators on an almost Rs. 4 lakh (OTR, Karnataka) motorcycle. Also, there is no beeping sound to the indicators and I often forgot to turn them off. On a touring machine, that’s not a good idea. Round ORVMs look nice. But they’re not very practical. Around 50% of the real-estate was occupied by my riding jacket and these ORVMs are prone to vibrations. When cruising at around 100 km/h where the vibrations creep in, left ORVM tends to fall and right ORVM tends to face the rider. Also, I have caught ORVMs yanking loose on bad patches of road or speed humps on video.New Himalayan ExhaustTripper DashWith New Himalayan, Royal Enfield is offering the Tripper Dash, a bright circular colour TFT display that supports smartphone connectivity, Google Maps integration and music controls. When I first received the motorcycle, Bluetooth connection was established, but navigation and music control never worked with both IOS and Android. There was a FOTA update rolled out for New Himalayan Tripper Dash on 21st February 2024 consisting of five software packets.Post this update, both navigation and music controls worked, albeit only occasionally. I often know where I am going. So, I didn’t use the navigation feature as much. There are two negatives why I would be hesitant to rely on this navigation feature. Firstly, navigation feature drains my phone’s battery as it needs Wifi, Bluetooth, mobile data, location and my screen to be turned on at all times. Yeah! If you’re thinking that using the Type-C charger to charge my phone on a holder would solve this issue. But now my phone is exposed to direct sun (40+° C in North Karnataka) and it heats up, force shutting Royal Enfield app and navigation will turn off regardless.Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Tripper Dash UpdateSecondly, navigation feature doesn’t work all the time and randomly freezes when on the move. I used navigation feature once and it froze on the move and I caught it on video. If there were any turns and I had completely relied on the Tripper Dash’s navigation, I would have missed them all. Other than navigation, there are other features like dark/light mode based on ambient light, gear position indicator, detailed trip reports and other features that work flawlessly. What doesn’t work flawlessly, are the real-time fuel efficiency and DTE (Distance To Empty).Speaking of DTE, it is a good time to report about the hilarious fuel gauge. Initially, I thought Royal Enfield New Himalayan only showed more fuel than I was introducing it with. There is another behaviour where it doesn’t show any fuel on the meter, despite there being ample fuel inside. You never know if the gauge is showing more fuel than reality or less. Once, the meter was fully down and DTE was 0, the bike still covered 100 km with fuel to spare. You must have heard of range anxiety on an EV, I had range anxiety on this bike and carried a bottle of fuel in my bag, which is ridiculous in 2024 on a motorcycle that costs almost Rs. 4 lakh (OTR Karnataka).Himalayan 450 Tripper Dash Maps – When it doesn’t workLastly, we have to speak about the enthusiastic speedometer. One time, I was cruising at around 120 km/h and an esteemed gentleman on a 100cc Hero Splendor kept up with me for a long time, raising questions about whether the bike was really going at 120 km/h. I verified the variance in speedometer by matching it with my car’s cruise control. Then I took my GPS and accelerometer-equipped camera out and measured the variance. I don’t wanna quote numbers as they’re taken from consumer-grade electronics and not professional equipment, but there is variance. So, the 165 km/h top speed you might have seen on social media is likely to be way less than that in reality.ConclusionWe should not dwell on the negatives of Royal Enfield New Himalayan. To conclude this motorcycle, we have to take a few steps back and look at it from a broader perspective and we’ll realise that this is not a motorcycle at all. No. This is a statement. Royal Enfield is saying ‘Stand up, take notice, I’m making high-tech motorcycles now’. And what a statement this is! New Himalayan is a first-gen product and has a few niggles. But with some time, this platform is likely to be stronger than ever and will have fixed all or most of these niggles.Royal Enfield New HimalayanSure, we would like stronger lighting, a louder horn, self-cancelling turn indicators with sound alerts, cruise control as it has ride-by-wire throttle, reliable features and a hassle-free experience with a motorcycle that costs almost Rs. 4 lakh (OTR Karnataka). But we sure like the direction Royal Enfield is taking and are excited about the future products positioned on this new platform.Sherpa 450 Engine More

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      2024 Bajaj Pulsar N160 For Latin Market Debuts – New Colours, Looks Upmarket

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      Latin-spec Bajaj Pulsar N160The Latin-spec Bajaj Pulsar N160 competes with TVS Apache RTR 160 4V, Hero Hunk 160 (Xtreme 160R), Honda X-Blade and Pulsar NS160Bajaj Auto in India has been on a launch spree bringing new Pulsars left right and centre. The company has recently updated Pulsar N160 in India along with Pulsar N150. There was a completely different update to Pulsar N160 globally which is a far more appealing proposition visually than what we got in India. Let’s take a look.Latin-Spec 2024 Bajaj Pulsar N160 DetbusOne of world’s leading 2W and 3W manufacturer, Bajaj Auto, has been serving many global markets shipping products manufactured in India. Latin American market is one of the largest markets that Bajaj caters to outside of India. Here, Bajaj sells a bunch of 160cc motorcycles in the form of Pulsar N160 and Pulsar NS160.Latin-spec Bajaj Pulsar N160Company’s strategy on a broader spectrum is to revamp the entire Pulsar portfolio in India in 2024. The new ‘Biggest Ever Pulsar’ is incoming too. In Latin market, however, the agenda is to offer more panache. In that regard, we can see dual-tone colours on Pulsar N160 that are not on offer in India.We get Pearl Metallic White, Polar Sky Blue and Brooklyn Black shades in India. In Latin market, Bajaj is offering two striking dual-tone shades – Khaki Green with Silver and Navy Blue with Silver. Along with that, Bajaj has gone overboard with stickers for Latin market. These stickers are in contrasting colours and they’re executed very nicely and almost lend a triple-tone effect.Latin-spec Bajaj Pulsar N160 – Old ClusterWe also liked the the new and stylish side body guard or engine guard or crash guard with a plastic cover that looks much more sophisticated. Especially when compared to the exposed bent steel pipe crash guard we get in India. The stickers on body panels covering rear subframe look nice.[embedded content]Wheel pinstripe and Dual-channel ABS stickers are finished in contrasting shade – a fluorescent neon yellow with Khaki shade and neon orange with Navy Blue shade. Because of these attributes, Latin-spec Bajaj Pulsar N160 looks like a different machine altogether, despite being the same bike as sold in India. The power of colours and stickers, eh?We want these colours too, Bajaj AutoLooking at the Latin-spec model, we wish Bajaj Auto gave these striking dual-tone shades with those funky stickers and the premium-looking crash guards to India-spec model too. Especially that Khaki Green shade and Silver with neon yellow contrasts. Rest of the componentry is identical to India-spec model.Latin-spec Bajaj Pulsar N160Where features are concerned, Latin-spec model lacks the new fully digital instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity that we got last month. The same 164.82cc single-cylinder oil-cooled engine with around 16 bhp and 14.5 Nm is seen with Latin-spec model, mated to a 5-speed gearbox as well. There, Pulsar N160 competes against TVS Apache RTR 160 4V, Hero Hunk 160 (Xtreme 160R in India), Honda X-Blade, Gixxer 155, Yamaha FZ and Bajaj’s own Pulsar NS160. More

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      2W Sales FY 24 vs FY 23 – Hero, Honda, TVS, Bajaj, Royal Enfield, Yamaha, Ola, Vespa, Jawa

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      Image – The Sameer VlogsTwo wheeler sales grew by 9.30% YoY in FY2024 as buyers showed particular preference towards electric modelsTwo wheeler sales in FY2024 as revealed by Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) touched a total of 1,75,17,173 units. This was a significant growth over 1,60,27,411 units sold in FY2023. A close look at this table shows particular growth by electric two wheeler OEMs Ola and Ather along with Greaves Electric, the latter which sees sales increase several fold.Two Wheeler Sales FY2024 – Led by Hero and HondaWith Hero and Honda commanding a combined market share of 55%, were at the helm of the two wheeler segment in FY2024. Hero MotoCorp sales improved to 53,95,924 units in FY2024, up from 51,35,129 units sold in FY2023. It was the company’s motorcycle segment that sold significantly higher units as compared to its scooter sales.Two Wheeler Retail Sales FY 2024The second largest two-wheeler manufacturer and largest scooter maker, HMSI, also posted YoY growth with its sales at 40,92,126 units in FY2024, up from 39,73,186 units sold in FY2023. Honda Activa, India’s best-selling scooter, drove up these sales figures and the company ended the past financial year crossing the 6 crore domestic sales milestone ever since it went solo in 1999.TVS Motor Company’s total sales for FY2024 stood at 29,65,744 units, a growth over 24,89,121 units sold in the same period of 2023. High demand for the Bajaj Pulsar range steered its maker Bajaj Auto Limited to record 21,08,049 unit sales in FY2024. This was a growth of 4,03,595 units over 17,04,445 units sold in FY2023. The company also has the Chetak in the electric segment that attracts a number of buyers. It competes with the Ola S 1 Air, TVS iQube and now the newly introduced Ather Rizta.Two Wheeler Retail Sales FY 2024Japanese subsidiary Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMIPL) has also emerged with good figures in FY2024 with 8,46,991 units sold during the said period. This was a growth of over 6,87,176 units sold in FY2023. The company currently commands a 4.84 percent market share, up from 4.29 percent it held in FY2023.Royal Enfield got good attention among buyers in India and led the company to register total sales of 7,80,904 units in FY2024. This was a significant growth over 6,98,117 units sold in FY2023, taking up market share to 4.460 percent YoY. Lower down the sale list was also India Yamaha Motors with 6,06,560 units sold in FY2024 relating to a growth of 50,252 units over 5,56,308 units sold in the same period last year.2W Sales FY2023 -Electric Two Wheeler GrowthElectric two wheeler makers Ola Electric has seen outstanding growth in FY2024 when compared to that of FY2023. Sales of its e-scooters (S1 Pro, S1 Air and S1 X+) improved to 3,29,237 units from 1,52,791 units YoY taking up market share to 1.88 percent.It was followed by Ather Energy with 1,08,889 unit sales in FY2024 from 1,52,791 units sold in FY2023. The new Rizta, a family oriented scooter, is set to take off with outstanding sales as it competes with Ola S1 Air, Bajaj Chetak Urbane and TVS iQube, scoring several points over its rivals especially in terms of range which is claimed at 123 kms.Thereafter sales dipped for two wheeler makers Piaggio (Vespa / Aprilia 35,811 units), Classic Legends (Jawa / Yezdi 30,881 units), Ampere (23,771 units) and Okinawa (20,873 units) while Greaves saw significantly higher sales at 31,273 units in FY2024 over just 1,032 units sold in FY2023. Other OEMs which also included EV makers contributed 1,40,140 units to total sales in FY2024, down from 2,89,105 units sold in FY2023. More

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      2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 Compared With Rivals – Best Price:Performance Ratio!

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      2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 Compared With RivalsWhen 2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 compared with rivals, it strikes a better price:performance ratio against Apache RTR 200, Hornet 2.0, Gixxer 250 and MT-15In a calculated move, Bajaj Auto is giving its indigenous 250cc platform a major boost with a recent update. Launched yesterday, 2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 strikes a much higher VFM quotient with the introduction of a ton of new cycle parts, features and technology at a negligible price increment. But how does it compare to rivals?2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 Compared With RivalsIf it was up to us, we would have compared the newly launched 2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 with Suzuki Gixxer 250, Honda CB300F and Bajaj’s own Dominar 250. Except for Suzuki Gixxer 250, Bajaj doesn’t seem to be considering the other two as immediate rivals for the new Pulsar N250. Instead, Bajaj is positioning Pulsar N250 against Honda Hornet 2.0, TVS Apache RTR 200 4V, Yamaha MT-15 and Suzuki Gixxer 250.Starting with engine displacement, both Gixxer 250 and Pulsar N250 have the edge here with Yamaha MT-15 being the smallest engine. MT-15 has the least amount of torque at 14.1 Nm and Honnet 2.0 has the least power. If we take raw performance, it is Gixxer 250 that packs 26.5 bhp and 22.2 Nm, both best in this comparison.Bajaj N250 develops 24.5 bhp and 21.5 Nm, not far off from Gixxer. But Bajaj’s performance metrics are achieved earlier in the rev range than Gixxer, which might prove to be an advantage. MT-15 proves to be quite a screamer making its peak performance at much higher revs. When compared to Apache RTR 200, N250 has more power and torque and at lower revs. Bajaj doesn’t show gearbox stats in their table because N250 gets a 5-speed gearbox, while Gixxer 250 packs a 6-speed unit.2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 Compared With RivalsWheelbase is the longest with Hornet 2.0 and shortest with MT-15. Apache RTR 200 scores some brownie points for offering the highest 180 mm ground clearance. Where Kerb weight is concerned, nothing can beat Yamaha’s MT-15 weighing just 139 kg, whereas the just-launched Pulsar N250 is in fact the heaviest at 164 kg.At the front, only Hornet 2.0, Pulsar N250 and Gixxer 250 offer 110-section tyres, while MT-15 offers 100-section and Apache 90-section. Where rear tyres are concerned, Gixxer offers the fattest 150-section tyre and Apache packs 130-section tyre, whereas others including N250 pack a 140-section tyre. N250 packs the biggest fuel tank at 14L, which is always appreciated.Pulsar N250 has best Price:Performance ratioBraking hardware is the most promising only with N250 and Gixxer 250 with 300 mm front disc. N250 has a larger 230 mm rear disc, though. Except for Hornet 2.0, all the vehicles offer dual-channel ABS. Except for Gixxer 250, all the vehicles offer a slipper clutch. N250 just offered Traction Control, while MT-15 was the only one to offer it.2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 ColoursTVS loves to showcase a fatter brochure, hence Apache RTR 200 is the only one to get riding modes and ABS modes. With 2024 update, Pulsar N250 now gets three ABS modes too. Bajaj is the only one to offer a USB socket as standard. Honda Hornet lacks any sort of Bluetooth connectivity, while others offer it in varied functionality.MT-15 and Gixxer 250 can’t accept and reject calls, whereas Apache and Pulsar can. Only N250 and MT-15 have DTE (Distance To Empty) readout. A glaring omission in MT-15 is the lack of navigation, something with Pulsar N250, Gixxer 250 and RTR 200 offer. Bajaj wants to draw your attention towards the price-to-power ratio of Rs. 6,156 per PS and the price-to-torque ratio of Rs. 7,015 per PS. Both of them are lowest in segment, striking a stellar VFM proposition.Where pricing is concerned, Bajaj Pulsar N250 costs Rs. 1.51 lakh (ex-sh) and is not as affordable as the TVS Apache RTR 200 at Rs. 1,46,820 (ex-sh) and Honda Hornet 2.0 at Rs. 1.39 lakh (ex-sh). However, it is a better proposition when opposed to Yamaha MT-15 at Rs. 1.72 lakh (ex-sh) and Suzuki Gixxer 250 at Rs. 1.81 lakh (ex-sh). More

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      Bajaj Pulsar 400 Launch Date 3rd May – To Be Priced Below Dominar?

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      New Bajaj Pulsar Teaser OutWhen launched, Bajaj Pulsar NS400 can emerge as the most affordable 40 hp, 400cc bike in the countryOver the last few months, Bajaj has been busy updating its Pulsar range. It’s imperative since the Pulsar range contributes more than 2/3rd of the company’s domestic sales. Pulsar bikes are also popular across international markets. Share in exports is more than 25 percent.Bajaj Pulsar NS400 launch date confirmedEarlier this year, Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj had talked about the upcoming launch of the biggest Pulsar ever. While it was easy to guess a 400cc Pulsar, an exact launch date was not provided. It has now been confirmed that the biggest Pulsar NS400 will be launched on May 03. In the company’s lineup, the Pulsar NS400 will be positioned below the Dominar 400. It can be the most affordable bike in its class at the time of launch.New Bajaj Pulsar Teaser OutBajaj Pulsar NS400 – Specs, performanceOne of the possibilities is that Bajaj Pulsar NS400 could be built on the perimeter chassis in use with Pulsar NS200. It is capable of handling higher capacity engines. Moreover, the chassis is likely to be further strengthened to support the bigger engine. Talking about performance, Pulsar NS400 will be using the older 373cc single cylinder engine in use with Dominar 400. Even KTM 390 Adventure and RC 390 have the same engine.On the Dominar 400, the 373-cc engine delivers 40 PS and 35 Nm. Onboard the KTM bikes, the output is higher at 43.5 PS and 37 Nm. Whether Pulsar NS400 will choose to match the KTMs or stick to the lower state of tune remains to be seen. The engine will be paired with a 6-speed gearbox.New Bajaj Pulsar Teaser OutPulsar NS400 will be equipped with a slip and assist clutch. However, in view of the affordable pricing strategy, it is not certain if a quickshifter will be offered as standard. Expected to be lightweight in comparison to Dominar 400, upcoming Pulsar NS400 will deliver an agile performance.Some of the key features that will be offered as standard with Pulsar NS400 include USD forks and dual-channel ABS. The bike will have a full digital instrument console with Bluetooth connectivity. Users will be able to pair their smartphones to access a range of features and functionalities. Turn-by-turn navigation could be part of the tech package.Bajaj Pulsar NS400 launch priceThere are multiple options available in the 40 hp, 400cc club. Apart from Dominar and KTM bikes, there’s Triumph Speed 400 and 400X. Pulsar NS400 could be the most affordable option in this segment. As of now, the Dominar 400 is available at a starting price of Rs 2.31 lakh. The arrival of Pulsar NS400 could dent sales of Dominar 400. The latter hasn’t been performing as per expectations. Percentage share in sales in February was a minuscule 0.43 percent. Such factors put a question mark on the future of Dominar 400. More

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      Electric Scooter Price Hike April 2024 – Ather, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, Hero Vida

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      TVS iQube electric scooterWith the new EMPS (Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme) in effect from April 1 all leading electric two-wheeler makers in India have resorted to price hikesElectric scooter makers in India have announced price hikes across their offerings with effect from 1st April 2024. This segment sees elevated sales each month despite the fact that it entails higher acquisition costs. It is the saving on fuel and lower maintenance costs that forms a major attraction to buyers in this segment.Why the price hike?Electric scooter price hike is in view of a new Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) that has been introduced by the Government of India, as the FAME II scheme ended on 31st March 2024. This EMPS scheme is directed towards incentivising EV adoption so that it does not adversely impact sales in any way.Unlike FAME II, subsidies under this new EMP scheme the subsidy is capped at Rs 10,000 per electric scooter which is significantly lower than what was offered under the FAME II scheme. Electric two wheeler makers Ather, Bajaj, TVS and Vida have announced price hikes while Ola Electric, a leading electric two wheeler OEM is holding current prices of its e-scooters till 15th April 2024.New Prices – Ather, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, Hero VidaAther Energy, TVS, Bajaj Auto and Vida (Hero MotoCorp’s electric arm) have announced price hikes by Rs 3,000 to Rs 16,000 depending on model. The highest price revision is seen for the Ather 450S. It was earlier priced at Rs 1.10 lakh but now revised to Rs 1.26 lakh, an increase of Rs 16,000. This is the highest price hike across the electric two wheeler segment.Electric scooter price hike April 2024On the other hand, Ather 450X (2.9 kWh) gets a price hike of Rs 3,000 from an earlier Rs 1.38 lakh to Rs 1.41 lakh. The 450X (3.7kWh) sees prices revised by Rs 10,000 from Rs 1.45 lakh to Rs 1.55 lakh. Ather has also just introduced the new Rizta electric scooter. It is presented in three variants with the Rizta S priced at Rs 1.09 lakh, Rizta Z (2.9 kWh) at Rs 1.12 lakh and Rizta (3.7 kWh) at Rs 1.44 lakh. All prices ex-showroom.Bajaj, TVS, Vida Price HikeBajaj Auto has the Chetak e-scooter as its only offering in the electric segment. This e-scooter sees a price hike of Rs 8,000 on its Urban variant which now goes up to Rs 1.23 lakh from an earlier Rs 1.15 lakh. The more exclusive Premium variant of Bajaj Chetak carries a Rs 12,000 price hike to new pricing of Rs 1.47 lakh. TVS iQube and iQube S see prices hiked by Rs 3,000 and Rs 6,000 respectively. The new prices now stand at Rs 1.37 lakh and Rs 1.46 lakh.Hero Vida V1 Pro which was initially priced at Rs 1.46 lakhs is now higher by Rs 4,000 to Rs 1.50 lakhs while the V1 Plus is higher by Rs 5,000 to a new pricing of Rs 1.20 lakh. Ola Electric, the leading electric two wheeler maker in India, that plans to go public in the coming months, has decided not to increase its prices till April 15, 2024. More

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      Electric Motorcycle With 8 Lakh Kms Warranty – New Benchmark in eMobility

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      Ultraviolette F77 Sets New Benchmark in Electric MobilityA warranty of 8 lakh kms for a duration of 8 years is the highest being offered on any electric two wheeler thus setting new standards in EV ownershipUltraviolette Automotive, a trendsetter in both electric vehicle platforms and battery technology, has announced extended warranty on their flagship electric motorcycle F77. This warranty sets new standards in the industry as it is something that has yet to be experienced in the electric two wheeler arena.Industry First, Segment First Ultraviolette 8 lakh km Warranty PackageEncompassing an impressive 3 to 8 years and 60,000 to 8 lakh kms, this warranty structure involves 3 separate packages – UV Care, UV Care+ and UV Care Max and is exclusively offered for existing F77 model owners only both within the country and in global markets.Ultraviolette F77 Sets New Benchmark in Electric MobilityThis global first 8 year warranty package being offered by Ultraviolette on the F77 electric motorcycle sees the km coverage on UV Care and UV Care+ doubled under the new warranty structure. Under UV Care, the earlier 3 year warranty was for 30,000 kms which is now extended to 60,000 kms on the Original trim.UV Care+ includes a 5 year warranty extended from an earlier 50,000 kms to 1 lakh kms on the F77 Recon trim. Setting itself apart is the UV Care Max pack being offered by Ultraviolette which offers an 8 year warranty with range extended from 1 lakh kms to 8 lakh kms on the Recon variant.Ultraviolette F77 Sets New Benchmark in Electric MobilityNiraj Rajmohan, CTO and Co-Founder, Ultraviolette, stated, “Being the global pioneer in battery technology and offering an extensive warranty is a testament to Ultraviolette’s commitment to revolutionizing the electric mobility landscape. The introduction of the new warranty structure for battery and drivetrain is underpinned by rigorous efforts in battery engineering, including meticulous validation processes spanning five levels of safety, and future-ready battery technology. Ultraviolette’s extended warranty reaffirms the uncompromising quality and reliability of our electric motorcycles.”Ultraviolette F77 – 307 kms on IDC RangeUltraviolette’s latest battery and drivetrain warranty framework is validated by a remarkable achievement: one of the F77 test motorcycles has surpassed 100,000 kilometers while maintaining over 95 percent of its initial rated capacity. Recent assessments conducted at ARAI further underline this feat, with the same motorcycle demonstrating an exceptional IDC range of 304 kilometers on a single charge.This not only underscores the durability of the F77 but also underscores Ultraviolette’s dedication to surpassing customer expectations. Noteworthy is the fact that during its on-road durability testing, this motorcycle has generated fuel savings worth INR 441,000.F77 can accelerate from 0 to 60 km/h in 2.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 150 km/h, powered by a motor that offers 30.2 kWh power and 100 Nm torque. An updated and faster version of the Ultraviolette F77 electric bike is expected to be launched on April 24, 2024. Where features are concerned, it could borrow some from the F99 which was showcased at the EICMA 2023 Show. As on date, the Ultraviolette F77 is priced between Rs 3.80 – 4.55 lakh while we can expect the faster version to come in at a significantly higher price. More