The Hero Karizma XMR 210 will be launched tomorrow while the Yamaha R3 and Aprilia RS 660 are expected to be introduced this festive season
The motorcycle space is getting all busy once again as an assortment of new launches are waiting to arrive within the next two to months. In that time period, as many as three fully-fired supersport motorcycles are coming our way and the launch timeline of two of them has already been confirmed. Here we take an in-depth look at them:
1. Hero Karizma XMR:
The Hero Karizma XMR 210 will go on sale tomorrow in India and it takes design inspiration from the original Karizma. It will sit on a brand new platform and will be powered by a 210 cc liquid-cooled DOHC engine delivering around 25 bhp. It will be packed with features such as dual LED headlamps, an LCD instrument cluster with Bluetooth and navigation, and so on.
It will come with conventional telescopic front forks, monoshock rear suspension, split seats, LED tail lamp, clip-on handlebar, LED turn indicators, dual-channel ABS system, etc. The XMR is expected to cost around Rs. 2.05 lakh (ex-showroom) and will compete against Bajaj Pulsar RS 200, Yamaha R15 V4.0, KTM RC 200 and Suzuki Gixxer SF 250.
2. Yamaha R3:
The forthcoming Yamaha R3 will take on KTM RC 390, TVS Apache RR 310, BMW G310 RR, Kawasaki Ninja 300 and others. It will be launched this festive season and will derive power from a 321 cc parallel twin-cylinder DOHC engine developing a maximum power output of 42 PS and 29.6 Nm of peak torque. It will be paired with a six-speed transmission.
The R3 used to be a fan favourite but the arrival of more stringent emission standards resulted in the Japanese brand discontinuing the motorcycle. It will be accompanied by its naked streetfighter sibling, the MT-03. Other YZF-R and MT series models are waiting in the pipeline as well.
3. Aprilia RS440:
Spotted testing a number of times already on Indian roads, Aprilia will likely launch the all-new RS 440 faired supersport this festive season as well. Recent spy images indicate that the motorcycle is in its final development stages and is heavily influenced by the design of the larger RS 660 ensuring an aggressive attire. It will be equipped with a 440 cc parallel twin-cylinder liquid-cooled engine, which is expected to kick out around 48 bhp.