I currently ride a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 and wish to upgrade to a more powerful motorcycle within a budget of ₹ 10 lakh (on road). I will mostly be using the bike in the city, for weekend rides, and occasional long tours. I have a fascination for street naked bikes. What are some of my options? I was considering the Kawasaki Z900 or the Triumph Trident 660.
Charan, Bengaluru
The Z900 is great value for money, although it will probably end up costing slightly above ₹ 10 lakh (on road, Bengaluru). Among its rivals, the Z is the easiest to ride in the city because of its excellent heat management and very tractable nature. However, Kawasaki’s running costs are on the higher side and the Z900 is not the sharpest handling or the most exciting bike at that price. If that is what you are after, you will like the Triumph Street Triple R more.
The Triumph Trident 660 and the Honda CB650R are two other good options. The Honda, in particular, comes with the promise of strong reliability and low running costs, but the bike has been priced too high for what it is. We are yet to ride both those bikes, so we cannot give you a full picture yet. When it comes to the Z900 or Street Triple R, you cannot go wrong with either.
When is Honda coming out with its e-scooter in India?
Cherian Mathew, Kolkata
Honda has announced that it certainly has intentions to offer EVs in India in the future, but the company has not revealed any further details. It should be safe to assume that Honda will have some sort of EV, quite likely a scooter, on sale in India within the next one to two years.
(Hormazd Sorabjee is the editor of Autocar India. Mail your feedback and queries to roadshow@thehindu.co.in)
