Kawasaki Versys X 300 India Launch This Year, To Rival Royal Enfield Himalayan 450
Modified On Apr 26, 2024 11:47 AM By Govind
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The bike will be localised in India like the Kawasaki Ninja 300
Kawasaki is reportedly working on bringing the Versys-X 300 to India, with the launch likely to happen by the end of this year according to an online report. Furthermore, it is reported that the bike will be heavily localised in India itself making it the third Kawasaki motorcycle to be localised, after the Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Kawasaki W175.
The bike was spotted testing recently and judging by the images, it looks more or less the same as before, except for the fact that it will be updated to comply with the latest BS6.2 emission norms.
At the front it comes with a tall windscreen, wide handlebar, muscular tank extensions and a long single piece seat. At the rear, the taillight is tucked into the tail section. The bike also features a tail rack to mount a top box and panniers on the side. The bike is suspended on a telescopic fork at front and a linked monoshock in the rear. It rolls on what appears to be 19-inch front and 17-inch rear spoke wheels.
In terms of engine, the bike will likely come with the same engine as the Ninja 300, which is a 296cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine that produces 39PS and 26.1Nm. This is a peaky motor, and is ideal only for supersport. Sadly, Kawasaki hadn’t made any changes to the gearing in the older-generation Versys-X 300, so expect the same powertrain tune to continue in the upcoming ADV as well. The bike is unlikely to get new features, and is likely to continue with the semi-digital instrument cluster without smartphone connectivity.
The previous-generation bike was priced at quite a premium, Rs 4.69 lakh (ex-showroom). Considering the hefty localisation, expect the price to drop by around Rs 70,000. So even if the ADV is priced at around Rs 4 lakh (ex-showroom), it is still quite a bit expensive for such a dated motorcycle. For a more affordable price point, you can get the much more powerful, more feature-packed KTM 390 Adventure with spoke wheels.
There are also other cheaper, yet capable options in the market including the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, Triumph Scrambler 400 X, which make far better sense than buying the upcoming Kawasaki adventure bike. If you are looking to wait to buy a new 300-400cc ADV, you might as well wait for the upcoming 2024 KTM 390 Adventure, which is set to debut by the end of 2024. If you’re not willing to wait, and are looking for a twin cylinder adventure bike, then the Honda NX500 is the most affordable option at Rs Rs 5,90,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).
