The biking industry in India is in for some exciting new launches. For some strange reason I, for quite some time now, have had the urge to see beyond the seen. And, I can say the time is now. Apart from the usual fare of Bajaj, Hero Honda, Honda, etc. there are some cool new bike manufacturers which are eyeing the Indian market. DSK Benelli, for one, recently launched a series of bikes for the Indian market. And, I must say it’s a confident step considering the pricing of the bikes. But the question is, has the Indian bike market evolved to reach the next level? The level of superbikes?
Well, DSK Motowheels, an established superbike seller, has joined hands with the Italian major Benelli. This joint venture has now come up with its TNT series bikes. For now, there are five different superbikes on offer. But Shirish Kulkarni, Managing Director, DSK Motowheels, informs us, “This is not the end of the launches. DSK Benelli will introduce some more bikes in the course of this year, thus showing how serious they are about the Indian market.”
The bikes launched are TNT 300 for Rs.2.83 lakh, TNT 600i for Rs.5.15 lakh, TNT 600 GT for Rs.5.62 lakh, TNT 899 for Rs.9.48 lakh and TNT R 1130 for Rs.11.81 lakh.
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The entry-level TNT 300, which is expected to be more popular, is powered by a 300cc, liquid cooled 4-stroke 4-valve engine producing a 37 bhp at 11,500 rpm and 27 Nm of torque at 9000 rpm. The bikes are powered by a six-speed gear box. The TNT 600i and TNT 600 GT are propelled by a 600cc engine that brings in a good 82 bhp and 52 Nm and 55 Nm of torque, respectively.
The TNT 899 is powered by an 899cc liquid-cooled engine that produces 121bhp of power and 88Nm of torque. The last big machine and the most elite offering is the TNT R 1130 which comes with an 1131cc liquid-cooled 4-stroke 4-valve engine that is capable of producing a massive 158 bhp of power at 10,200 rpm and a peak torque of 120 Nm at 8400 rpm.
The designing of each of these bikes it seems is unique. For, I find them bulky, muscular and high on style. They are certainly different from the usual offerings of the Indian bike market.
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But it still remains to be seen how they perform on the Indian roads. Still, joy lies in the unseen. For there are new entrants taking some confident steps. And, save for pricing they have things going for them.
For now, it is a wait and watch policy that DSK Benelli would adhere to after dishing out a few superbike models.