Over the period of last 5-6 years, India has developed into a wonderful bike industry, especially for bikes with higher capacity engines and displacements. We have already seen the rise of companies like Kawasaki, KTM, Honda, Yamaha and many more, and also other premium companies like Hyosung, Benelli, Ducati, etc. are setting up shop in the country as they know how feasible and fruitful the market is. So apart from the litre class bikes which everyone ogles at all the time, the segment which actually sees greater action is the middle-weight one, i.e. bikes with displacement between 600-800 cc. The reason being the cost factor, and secondly these bikes being good touring machines and also have enough power on hand for fast drives, make them a logical option for a country like India with the huge population and amazing amount of traffic that has to be faced.
So here is the list of all the middleweights coming to India in the year 2015-16.
1. Ducati Scrambler:
Let’s kick start the list with something which we know is coming 100% real soon. The Ducati Scrambler is touted to be the cheapest Ducati yet and that means this Scrambler is going to earn a lot of takers. It completely loaded with all the bells and whistles and comes in four variants depending on its usage types. It gets a lovely retro design to it with an aluminum handlebar and a round headlight making this beauty look like an old menace but always ready to kill the miles. At the heart of it is the Monster borrowed L twin 803 cc powerhouse churning 75 bhp and 69 Nm of torque making it a perfect bike for the street, for touring and also to go the occasional off-roading as well.2. Honda 650 Twins (CBR 650F & CB 650F):
In the recent reports released by Honda, we have an official confirmation that the Honda CBR 650F faired and the CB 650F naked versions are officially coming to India. That means the Kawasaki Er-6n and the Benelli 600 TNT and GT finally have some competition to make with in their segment. The best part about the bikes is their engine, the sweet sounding 649cc inline 4 which will make everything else sound a bummer while outputting 87 bhp and 63 Nm. Add to that the Honda reliability and butter smooth and stress free engine operations will make sure your regular riding as well as the occasional track days will be really memory worthy.3. Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R:
After the Er-6n, Kawasaki is bringing in the faired version of their 600 cc monster which is a good play because after all India is a country obsessed with faired bikes. Apart from all the green, the bike gets a 636cc inline four with output figures of 130 bhp and 70 Nm of torque which is proof enough that this is going to be a real scorcher of a bike. It also gets all the advanced electronic toys to keep the bike in check like the slipper clutch, KTRC Traction control, ABS and the works. This is something the Honda twins need to take a good look at.4. Kawasaki Versys 650:
If you are a touring fan and you don’t have many options in the 600cc category apart from the Benelli 600GT, then the Versys 650 is here to saw the day. Kawasaki knows how much India has evolved into a bike touring nation, and hence they are finally getting the Versys 650 here. Now no more craning your back and wrists on a sports bike while touring, you can have the same amount of power as any other sports bike and yet be comfortable. The Versys 650 comes with a 649 cc Parallel twin and gets all the touring accessories as well. There is also an ECO mode given to save fuel on those longer runs.5. Kawasaki Vulcan S:
Kawasaki is going all out with all the segments in the bike market. After the Naked, the faired and the tourer, it is even getting its Vulcan cruiser into the mix. No surprise that even the cruiser gets the green, but apart from that it comes with a lovely 649 cc liquid cooled parallel twin which makes this a power cruiser. The engine is tuned for better low end and mid-range, but you could expect this mean green to thrash the Harleys when it comes to straight line speed.6. BMW F700 GS:
The Germans are killing it out there in the four wheeler segment and now they are here even on 2 wheels. Though BMW does not make smaller capacity bikes, they have tied up with TVS in India to develop powerful small capacity bikes. And now they are even getting their other bikes to India and one of them is the BMW F700 GS. The GS is a total all-rounder; it is made for any terrain. It gets spoke wheels as option and a longer suspension travel making it a worthy off roader and also the water cooled inline twin can churn out loads of power at 75 bhp and torque at 77 Nm for blazing the highway on fire. It gets loads of electronic toys like Traction Control and Electronic Stability, ABS, and suspension adjustment on the go.7. KTM Duke 690:
If you thought the 390 twins from KTM are easy to tame, then think again. KTM is finally planning to get the Duke 690 to our Indian shores as well. The Duke 690 is said to be a really apt tourer. It has touring accessories to be bought and its single cylinder 690cc motor is real lively one with 64 bhp and 66 Nm of torque. The naked mean machine has all the power to throttle the bike at higher speeds and its very light frame and chassis gives the bike an unearthly power to weight ratio. It also gets all the electronic gadgetry like an airplane cockpit type dash, ABS, slipper clutch, Ride by Wire system and many more. It also gets a very tall 6th gear for cruising at higher speeds and increased fuel economy.8. Suzuki Gladius SFV 650:
Suzuki did not have much success with its modest Inazuma due to higher cost and its only commuter segment seems to be doing a bit satisfactory in the Indian market. Now Suzuki again is back with its SFV 650 to have a piece of the middleweight sports bike action. The bike gets a 645 cc V-Twin churning out 69 bhp and 60 Nm of torque. The bike gets a trellis frame and the suspension is pretty good to take all the regular bumps on the road with ease even at faster speeds.9. Royal Enfield 750:
We have has spy shots of the Continental GT fitted with a Twin cylinder engine, and though a 500cc twin would make not much sense since they already have a 535 cc single, Royal Enfield is surely working on a 750 cc or near bouts twin cylinder engine. Now we can expect the engine to be plonked on a new bike and enter the market soon enough and we are really excited to see how it pans out to be.10. Hero Hastur:
With some help from the American Erik Buell Racing (EBR) guys, our very own Hero has developed the 600 cc Hastur concept. Now in the latest reports, Hero is working on getting the Hastur into Production form and it is expected that the bike to launch in late 2015 or early 2016. If looks are to be considered, the bike looks like a real mean machine and Hero has claimed that the bike will be clocking 240 Kmph top speed. Now that is a WOW figure from the 620 cc parallel twin churning out 79 bhp and 72 Nm of torque.In India we already have the Triumph Street Triple, Daytona 675, the Triumph Tigers, Benelli TNT 600 and 600 GT and the Kawasaki Er-6n among many others who already have their presence in the segment and now with these upcoming bikes, we are sure to be spoilt for choice soon enough; and we are not complaining either.
By: Pratik Patole
