We’d Do ANYTHING To Have These 5 Sportbikes In India

Supersports: It’s a genre of bikes that India is obsessed with. But then who wouldn’t? Their killer looks, sharp handling and power-packed performance is addictive. Entry-level supersports, especially, are perfect for a growing market like India, since they’re thrilling but have performance that’s quite usable for everyday life too. It is, hence, not surprising that the Yamaha R15 has been selling like hot cakes even 14 years after its launch. 

So here we’ve compiled a list of five of the most droolworthy sub-500cc supersports that India really deserves: 

1- Honda CBR150R

This beautiful CB is Honda’s reply to the R15. Its 149cc liquid-cooled heart making 17.1PS and 14.4Nm means it’d be the perfect bike to challenge the R15’s supremacy in the entry-level liquid-cooled supersport segment. 

2- Aprilia GPR250

India has always been devoid of the smaller capacity pocket-rockets from Aprilia. The GPR250, in particular, sounds perfect for India. 27.87PS and 21.5Nm from its 250cc liquid-cooled engine sounds friendly enough for the beginners to hone their skills on. Matching the potent engine is premium hardware and looks that are similar to the company’s flagship RSV4.

The GPR250, then, sounds like a great bike to learn a knee-down on. As a quarter-litre track-ready supersport, the GPR250 could take up the role of the RC 250 we never got! 

3- Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR

The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR is the modern embodiment of a wild idea from the 1990s: an inline-four 400cc screamer. With a redline that’s nearly double of my own Passion XPro and an exhaust note that’s melodic to the ears, the ZX-4RR could very well give bigger supersports a run for their money. What wouldn’t we do to have it here! 

4- Aprilia RS125

This baby RS will make you forget the KTM RC 125. With 15PS and 11.2Nm on tap, it’s more powerful than the KTM, while being almost on power in terms of torque. But that’s hardly scratching the surface. 

What’s impressive is what the RS125 packs underneath. A twin-spar aluminium frame, beefy swingarm, disc brakes (with dual-channel ABS) and a fully digital console (with Bluetooth connectivity). Heck, there’s even an optional quickshifter! The RS 125 is undoubtedly a head-turner and looks anything but entry-level. 

5- Honda CBR300R

The Honda CB300R’s 286cc liquid-cooled engine impressed us when we rode it. It’s tractable enough to take on city duties while being a lot of fun when you want it to be. So putting the same package in a beautiful supersport cladding sounds like a win-win situation to us. It’d also be the perfect rival to the TVS Apache RR 310 and the BMW G 310 RR.