Reference Auto

Bajaj Auto has just given itself (and the Kawasaki brand name) a fillip in the high-end motorcycles market by introducing an upgraded version of the Kawasaki Ninja 650R sports tourer superbike for less than Rs 5 lakh, and this move is going to give Bajaj a price advantage for sure.

Propelled by a four-stroke, DOHC, eight-valve, Parallel Twin engine (which is BS III compatible), the Ninja 650R can reach from 0 to 60 km per hour only three seconds and can touch 100 km per hour in 8.1 seconds. The top speed the Ninja 650R can achieve is 176 km per hour, which is commendable for a low-end superbike.

Amit Nandi, vice-president of the probiking division at Bajaj Auto, averred, “The new green monster from Japan’s Kawasaki comes with competitive pricing of Rs 4.99 lakh (in Delhi).”

Bajaj Auto is in marketing as well as production pact with Kawasaki in India and sells Kawasaki Ninja 250R and Kawasaki Ninja 650R (introduced in June last year). And now, the new model will give a further fillip to Bajaj’s and Kawasaki’s plan to roll out superbikes.

Nandi added, “The new Ninja 650R motorcycle has significant upgrades such as sharper styling and improved handling dynamics. Also, the new model gets better low-end as well as mid-range power delivery.”

The new Ninja 650R will be assembled at Bajaj’s facility in Chakan, Pune, from completely knocked down (CKD) kits, which will be imported from Thailand.

The motorcycle will be sold through Bajaj’s 53 probiking dealerships across the country and may be available from October.

“We have sold over 3,000 bikes till date from the Ninja family,” Nandi said.

Besides the Kawasaki Ninja 250R and the KTM 200 Duke bikes, the new Kawasaki Ninja 650R will be the third premium motorcycle rolled out by Bajaj Auto in the country.

Bajaj Auto will vie with the likes of other superbikes above 650 cc categories, like the Harley-Davidson, BMW, Hyosung and Ducati, some of which are priced above Rs 10 lakh.

However, for beginners the Kawasaki 650R may seem okay, but the real pros would not seek anything less than a Harley-Davidson or a Ducati.

But Bajaj Auto and Kawasaki, by pricing the 650R below Rs 5 lakh, has carved a low-end category for superbikes. So, if some wannabe biker, who cannot afford Rs 10 lakh or Rs 15 lakh superbikes, aspires to own a high-end bike, he will most probably flock for the upgraded Kawasaki Ninja 650R.

So, this price bracket (the below Rs 5 lakh category) will be a new segment in itself (offering a price advantage), with aspiring bike buffs helping spur sales of the Kawasaki Ninja 650R and with India’s roads not being among the best (except for those in the National Capital Region or NCR), buying a 650 cc category bike would make more sense than picking a 1000-cc motorcycle.