Game Changers of the Month: February 2019

February 28, 2019

game changers of the month motorcyclediaries — Game Changers of the Month: February 2019

Benelli TRK 502, Hero Tech Center in Germany are among the Game Changers of the Month: February 2019

Quite a lot of hustle happened in the Indian Bike Market in the month of February 2019. Benelli launched affordable Adventure motorcycles in the country and Honda launched much awaited 300 cc motorcycle in India, CB300R. Hero has gone international by inaugurating State-of-the-Art Technical Center in Germany. Here are the Game Changers for the month of February 2019.

Benelli TRK 502 launched at Rs 5 Lakh

benelli trk 502 motorcyclediaries — Game Changers of the Month: February 2019 – Benelli TRK 502

Benelli attacked the middleweight Adventure Bike segment by launching TRK 502 Adventure Tourers in the country with a starting price of Rs 5 Lakh ex-showroom. The off-road focused 502X is priced at 5.4 lakh ex-showroom. We feel that Benelli has upped their game in the market with these motorcycles as there is no motorcycle present in the price range with a 500 cc twin cylinder engine.

Also Read: Benelli TRK 502X vs Kawasaki Versys 650

Speaking about the specifications of the bikes. The parallel twin 499 cc engine puts out 47 bhp and 46 Nm torque. The liquid-cooled motor has enough grunt for munching miles on the Indian roads. A 6-speed gearbox is good for a top speed of around 175 kmph. Ground clearance of 190 mm and 220 is available in 502 and 502X respectively.

Honda CB300R launched in India

Honda CB300R motorcyclediaries.in — Game Changers of the Month: February 2019 – Honda CB300R

Another Game Changer for the month of February is Honda CB 300R. This 300 cc motorcycle, in our opinion, will change the game of Honda in India. The bike which is overpriced by at least Rs 40,000 due to CKD assembling and carries a price tag of Rs 2.41 Lakh ex-showroom Pan India. If Honda decides to manufacture it in the country in near future, the Neo Sports Cafe motorcycle will steal the deal for the Japanese bike maker. CB 300R could also be the gate for the introduction of CBR 300R in India. With more power and better performance, CBR 300R will find a lot of buyers in the country which loves faired bikes more than anything.

Hero inaugurates Tech Center in Germany

hero motocorp motorcyclediaries — Game Changers of the Month: February 2019 – Hero Tech Center Germany

Hero is trying hard to keep its Market Share stable in the country. The Largest bike maker in India does not have a presence in the performance segment as Karizma is difficult to move out of showrooms and newly launched Xtreme 200 is selling in low numbers. Hero has its presence in the commuter segment mostly in tier 2, tier 3 cities, and rural areas. Above 125 cc the company does not have anything exciting to sell. To get the performance segment covered, Hero inaugurated a Tech Center in Germany.

Also Read: Upcoming Hero Bikes in India in 2019

Hero Tech Center Germany GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hero MotoCorp Limited. The Tech center is located at Stephanskirchen near Munich in Germany and will operate in tandem with Hero’s global R&D hub, the Center of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The Splendor maker wants to focus on the global customer base as well as to tap into the huge pool of resources which are easily available across Europe. They even want to merge with other tech suppliers and manufacturers to benefit their Research and Development at CIT, Jaipur.

All in all, this move by Hero MotoCorp could turn out to be a big Game Changer for the company in the coming years as most of the Indian manufacturers are shaking hands with international brands to make their products stand apart in the Indian Market.

Bajaj Pulsar 180F – 220F Copy Cat

game changers Feb motorcyclediaries — Game Changers of the Month: February 2019 – Bajaj Pulsar 180F

Bajaj Auto is a big player in the Indian market. Moreover, the Pulsar maker has been awarded the prize of revolutionizing the Indian Two-Wheeler market by changing focus from fuel-efficient bikes to performance bikes. The company is gearing up to launch their flagship bike, 2019 Dominar 400 in the month of March. But before this, they had done something surprising, the Pulsar 180F.

The faired version of bikes are popular among Indian buyers, you can see the same in the sales of Pulsar 220F and RS 200 both sell more than 200 NS. Bajaj wants to repeat the success of Pulsar 220F with all-new Pulsar 180F. However, the bike looks almost similar to its larger sibling but misses out on the fat exhaust muffler. This motorcycle will give the feel of Pulsar 220F without drinking up the fuel as this bike will provide better mileage owing to its smaller engine.

Also Read: Upcoming Bajaj Bikes in India in 2019

Not to forget the fact that the Pulsar series of bikes are still the largest seller in the country. The Pulsar 180F will change the game for Bajaj as the bike looks stylish and now has aerodynamic half-fairing for higher top speed.

So, these are Game Changers of the Month: February 2019. If you think we missed out anything or you want to add anything, just comment it out.

Ride Safe, Ride Hard, and always wear a helmet while riding. Stay Tuned for more from the world of motorcycling.