DSK Benelli Launches 5 Bikes in India; Prices Start at Rs. 2.83 Lakh

The DSK Group first announced Benelli's impending arrival in India in October, 2014. And during the 2015 India Bike Week, the company announced that it will start retailing the bikes this year. Staying true to their word, DSK Benelli today launched 5 bikes - the TNT 300, TNT 600i, TNT 600 GT, TNT 899 and the TNT R 1130 - in India.

Finally bringing Benelli's 104-year-old heritage to India, the bikes are accompanied with competitive price tags. Here are the details:

TNT 300 - Rs. 2.83 lakh

TNT 600i - Rs. 5.15 lakh

TNT 600 GT - Rs. 5.62 lakh

TNT 899  - Rs. 9.48 lakh

TNT R 1130 - Rs. 11.81 lakh

The best choices which can be recommended is 300 and 600 and the pictures of them are below.

300:

600:

HYOSUNG GD 250r

The full-faired Hyosung GD250R has been confirmed for production and is expected to be launched in India by end of 2015.

Hyosung has confirmed its plans to launch a new 250cc sports bike christened as the ‘GD250R’ and the same was first showcased at the Intermot show last year. Essentially a full faired version of the India bound GD250N street-fighter motorcycle that was showcased at the Auto Expo this February, the new GD250R will go into production next year internationally and will head to Indian shores by the end of 2015. The new model shares its underpinnings with the GD250N and gets a new front fairing for an aggressive look.

The 2015 Hyosung GD250R gets sharp styling with an aggressive design language complete with twin headlights, split seats and a high tail section. In terms of mechanicals, the GD250R uses a 249cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine tuned to produce 27.6 BHP of power at 9500 RPM and 24.1 Nm of torque at 7000 RPM, paired to a 6-speed gearbox. Suspension duties are performed by 37 mm USD forks at the front, while the rear gets an offset monoshock set-up that adds to the aesthetic appeal of the bike. Stopping power comes from the single 300 mm front disc brake, while a 230 mm disc does duty at the rear. The motorcycle comes with a dry weight of 155 kgs. There is no news of ABS though.

Speculations suggest that Hyosung will be retiring the GT250R with the new GD250R. However, while the former uses a twin-cylinder engine, the GD250R uses a single-cylinder motor and we believe both the models could just co-exist in India. In addition, the single-cylinder will be relatively cheaper against the GT250R. When launched in India, the full-faired Hyosung will be competing against a plethora of offerings including the Honda CBR250R, KTM RC 200 and Kawasaki Ninja 300.

The Hyosung GD250R has been confirmed for launch in South Africa in early 2015 with a price tag of Rs. 2.47 lakhs and we expect a marginally lower price tag when it hits Indian shores. 

Yamaha’s upcoming 250cc naked motorcycle rendered

Yamaha’s upcoming quarter-litre streetfighter based on the YZF-R25 was recently spotted undergoing trials in Indonesia. Based on these spy shots, an Indonesian website has rendered the motorcycle, which is expected to be christened ‘MT-25’.

With a muscular fuel tank flanked by air scoops on both sides and an exposed frame, the MT-25 is expected to be styled along the lines of the bigger MT-07 motorcycle. Going by the spy shots, the rear section including the tail lamps and panels will very similar to the ones on the R25.

Being based on the R25’s lightweight diamond-type semi-trellis steel frame, the MT-25 is expected to share many mechanical components with quarter-litre supersports motorcycle. The MT-25 will be powered by the same 250cc parallel-twin engine that churns out 35.5bhp and 22.1Nm of torque, though it might be retuned to suit the naked motorcycle’s character.

The Yamaha MT-25 is expected to be globally unveiled in the second half of this year. It will compete with the Kawasaki Z250, KTM Duke 200 and the Benelli TNT 250.