Top 5 Two-Wheelers That Made A Difference In 2016

As 2016 approaches its end, we take a look at what this year offered to the Indian motorcycle enthusiast. Many motorcycles were launched in the year, but there were a few that really made a difference. A few manufacturers took a leap and introduced some new genres of bikes that were well-received. Here’s a list of the top five:

Royal Enfield Himalayan

One of the most anticipated bikes of 2016, the Himalayan gave offered to riding enthusiasts the coveted option of an affordable adventure tourer. With a commendable ground clearance of 220mm, the Himalayan can pretty much glide over anything the terrain throws at it, except, of course, an extreme off-road patch as the motor doesn’t have enough juice. However, Royal Enfield had explained in the past that the Himalayan is there to fill the gap in its portfolio of an adventure tourer, which its exciting bikes were not able to offer. The bike ticked the right boxes for quite a few buyers and the manufacturer got a decent response.

Royal Enfield also broke its engine stereotypes by introducing the LS400 motor with an overhead valve system – a first from the company. The motor has achieved better levels of NVH, which RE engines have failed to achieve in the past. Moreover, the service interval of the engine is considerably more than that of an ordinary RE engine and it also gets an oil cooling system. The first home-grown adventure tourer bike delivers everything that a buyer desires barring for engineering finesse. 

Honda Navi

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The adorable- (or weird-, depending on how you look at it) looking Honda Navi was impossible to ignore when it made its official debut at the 2016 Indian Auto Expo. The unusual set-up of the scooter led people to wonder whether it was a bike or, like I said, a scooter. Oh wait, it’s a bike? Well, I guess the jury on this will be out till eternity.

The little dimensions of the Navi help the rider to manoeuvre it into tight traffic. You can even ride one into your bedroom and you mum probably won’t hit you for this. The large bug-headed headlamp, a small tank, long seat, smart storage space, and telescopic suspension up front makes up for its unique looks. 

The Navi is powered by a tried-and-tested 110cc single cylinder which has powered the Activa for a very long time. The motor seems more than enough to haul the Navi’s bantamweight of 101kg! This translates into a fast-accelerating city hauler, which also gives a good mileage by scooter standards and the aggressive pricing hikes its appeal further. The huge sales numbers registered by Honda stand testimony to its popularity. The only shortcoming we feel is the puny fuel tank and lack of storage. 

Aprilia SR150

Next in the scooter race is the Aprilia SR150. Unlike the Navi, it doesn’t confuse anyone with its styling. In fact, though its design screams ‘SCOOTER’, it can put many motorcycles to shame with its performance. Reason? Aprilia.

As the name suggests, the SR150 is powered by an air-cooled single-cylinder motor which produces 11.5PS of power and 11.5Nm of torque. To make the most of these figures, it uses 14-inch wheels wrapped by grippy tyres, both at the front and back. To top it off, it also gets a 220mm front disc brake which will let you do this (see image below) more easily than all of the scooters on sale in India currently. And what really surprised us was the killer price tag for a 150cc scooter!

Yes, its sales figures are not as good as the Navi’s or the Royal Enfield’s, but it sure gets our vote for making a difference in the Indian two-wheeler space. The Aprilia SR150 makes a statement that’s scooters can be also be fun to ride. 

The Apache RTR200 4V

Now you might be wondering why an Apache RTR200 4V has made it to the list at all. The bike is a first for TVS in several ways. It is the first production TVS to flaunt a four-valve system as opposed to the dual-valve set-up. One also notices a drastic change in the styling of the bike. While the previous Apaches had a bulky mask, the RTR200 4V carries a lean and mean, street-fighter look.

TVS has produced a jewel of a bike with serious race engineering going into it: something the company is said to have learned over its long motorsports presence. The 197.75cc single-cylinder oil-cooled unit produces 20.05PS of power with the carburettor and 21.0PS with the electronic fuel injection. This lends the bike an acceleration figure of 0-100kmph in just 3.9 seconds. Furthermore, the RTR200 4V gets a race-tuned split cradle chassis, KYB rear single shock unit and optional Pirelli tyres. And the best part is that all the above is offered at an affordable price point something the youngsters will appreciate. 

Bajaj Dominar 400

Last but not the least is the Bajaj Dominar 400. The home-grown manufacturer broke the Internet with the reveal of the new power cruiser at an astonishing price of Rs 1.36 lakh for the base variant, whereas the top-end one was priced at Rs 1.50 lakh. The latter gets dual-channel ABS, whereas the former is deprived of the system. 

Bajaj also revealed other details about the bike and they are as impressive as the price. To name a few, it features all-LED lights, slipper clutch, dual-instrument console, large 320mm and 240mm front and rear disc brakes, and perimeter frame.

We don’t have any booking numbers as of now, but we are quite confident they are going to be tremendous. We will wait till 2017 for the figures to arrive after the deliveries start in mid-January. The Dominar 400 sure made a difference in 2016, simply because it offers too much for the asking price and even undercuts less powerful bikes, such as the CBR250R.