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Is the Indian motorcyclist warming up to adventure-style motorcycles? Their growing number in the market suggests so. Adventure riding is a completely different style of riding where you must forget most of what you've learnt for street riding and can act as a great learning ground. It isn't however, limited to the Tigers and the Multistradas anymore. A budget of about Rs 1 lakh will get you a motorcycle worth the dirt. And the trend is only upwards, there are more heading to our market.
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Hero XPulse 200: Hero MotoCorp has for now removed the Xpulse 200 from its official website along with the other 200cc motorcycles but we reckon they will be back in their BS6 versions once the lockdown lifts. The BS6 model would get the same 200cc 2-valve OHC single-cylinder engine but with fuel-injection. Power and torque figures have gone down by a notch. The engine now produces 17.8 hp and 16.45 Nm compared to the previous 18 hp and 17.1 Nm which would not not much effect on the performance. Expect the new BS6 XPulse to launch as lockdown lifts with a slight bump in price.
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Royal Enfield Himalayan: This one on the list is already available in the market. Launched in January this year, the BS6 Royal Enfield Himalayan is powered by a 411cc single-cylinder engine that makes 24.3 bhp at 6,500 rpm and 32 Nm at 4000-4500 rpm. The BS-IV state of the engine put out 24.5 hp and 32 Nm. The Himalayan had already been fuel-injected in its previous version. The BS6 Himalayan carries a starting price tag of Rs 1,86,811 (ex-showroom).
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KTM 390 Adventure: And another one launched before the pandemic brought everything to a screeching halt. Powering the KTM 390 Adventure is the same 373cc, single-cylinder engine as the 390 Duke. The fuel-injected engine makes 43 hp and 37 Nm of torque. Transmission is a six-speed unit with a slipper clutch and it get a bi-directional quickshifter as standard. The 390 Adventure retails at Rs 2.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
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Yamaha WR 155R: Right, so the good people at Zigwheels have reported that Yamaha may be considering to bring the WR 155R to India. This will be powered by the same engine as the R15 which mean we already know we'll like the engine. It is, however, expected to be slightly detuned. In terms of price, expect the WR 155R to sit between the XPulse 200 and Himalayan. Having experienced all three engines, we reckon the WR 155R could strike the right chords as the XPulse is brilliant but lacks power and so is the Himalayan but it's too heavy for pure off-roading.
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Honda ADV150: Yes, the Honda ADV150 is a slightly different breed compared to the others here but it is off-friendly. It's powered by a 149cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine that puts out 14.3 hp (for perspective this the same as the Bajaj Pulsar 150) and 13.8 Nm and is paired with a variomatic transmission. So far, we don't have confirmation whether the ADV150 will make it here. India does love its automatic scooters and one with some appetite for off-road might be an attractive purchase decision for young buyers. Price tag would be above Rs 3 lakh but then , if Honda decides to bring it as a CKD and assemble it locally, price will go down dramatically.
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