Two-wheelers That Were Discontinued In 2019

These two-wheelers were affected by poor sales as well as the new safety and emission norms 

2019 has been a difficult year for bike makers. Not only have sales been going down, but bike makers have also had to equip their products with either ABS or CBS, which meant some models were destined to be axed. Lastly, more two-wheelers are expected to join this list once the new emission norms come into effect next year. But before we get into that, here’s a list of motorcycles that were discontinued in 2019:  

Bajaj Pulsar 180:

The Pulsar 180 was one of the first Bajaj motorcycles to quietly go off the shelf. According to our sources, Bajaj silently pulled the plug on the Pulsar 180 in April this year. But soon the Pulsar 180 was replaced by the Pulsar 180 F. In summation, the Pulsar 180 F carried over the same mechanicals as the 180, but dressed as a 220F. If you’re looking for more details of the bike, head here. 

Bajaj Avenger 180: 

The Pune-based bike maker applied the same philosophy with the Avenger 180 as it did with the Pulsar 180 but with some changes. For instance, Bajaj has plonked the NS 160’s engine into the Avenger 160’s chassis, and brought down the final asking price by around Rs 6,000! Head here to find out the difference between the Avenger 180 and the Avenger 160.  

Bajaj V15:

Yes, there’s another Bajaj on this list -- the last one. Although the bike is visible on Bajaj’s website, its sales are on a downhill and as per the October sales report, it found not a single buyer. As of now, there’s no official statement from Bajaj, but with sales figures like these, we might soon get news from the bike maker. 

UM Motorcycles:

UM Motorcycles shut down its entire India operations in 2019. The JV between UM Motorcycles and Lohia Auto going south was the main reason behind UM leaving our shores. The conflict between the two companies has left UM’s dealerships helpless. The American bike maker had four cruisers from the Renegade family in India between Rs 1.59 lakh and Rs 1.95 lakh (ex-showroom).

Cleveland: 

Cleveland was the other manufacturer to shut its shops in India. The bike maker had two motorcycles on offer: Misfit and Ace, which failed to meet the new safety norms. Besides, both motorcycles were very expensive at Rs 2.23 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh (ex-showroom), making it quite difficult for the bike maker to sell these bikes in India that too with a (very) limited reach. 

Hero Achiever 150:

Hero hasn’t officially made an announcement but the Achiever is failing to rake in numbers for the bike maker. As per the October sales report, Hero sold zero units of the Achiever! Apart from dismal sales, the fact that it wasn’t updated with new ABS/CBS could be one of the reasons for its poor performance. Although the motorcycle is visible on Hero’s website, we believe the bike maker could be manufacturing only a small number for export purposes. 

Hero Xtreme Sports: 

Ever since the Hero Xtreme 200R came into the picture, its smaller cousin, the Xtreme Sports failed to set the sales chart on fire. Consequently, the CB Unicorn and the Pulsar 150 were charging the lead in the 150cc segment, making it quite difficult for Hero to sustain the Xtreme Sports. And in February this year, the motorcycle was quietly taken off the shelf from most dealerships across the country. 

Honda Cliq: 

The quirky-looking Cliq was another victim of poor sales. In the sea of Activas, Jupiters and Dios, the Cliq failed to impress the masses. Powering the Cliq was a 110cc engine that made 8PS and around 9Nm of torque. Its braking hardware consisted of 130mm drum brakes both at the front and the rear, assisted by Honda’s Combined Braking System (CBS).

Honda Navi:

Speaking of quirky, welcome to the quirkiest two-wheeler in this list - the Honda Navi. Although the Navi got quite a bit of attention at the start, it fizzled out within the first few months itself. As the demand for the Navi was low, Honda didn’t think of updating it to meet the new stricter BS6 emission norms. 

Honda Unicorn 160: 

Currently, the CB Unicorn is Honda’s start child in the 160cc segment and the Unicorn just failed to create the same kind of success as the Unicorn. Due to low demand and considering the overall low sales that Honda was witnessing, it didn’t seem logical for the Japanese bike maker to update the motorcycle to meet the new BS6 norms. 

Yamaha Fazer 150 and SZ-RR:

The Japanese bike maker pulled the plug on the SZ-RR And Fazer 150 a few months back because they were not updated with ABS. Although the Fazer 150 was based on the popular FZ series, it never set the sales chart on fire like its cousins. So, it didn’t make sense for Yamaha to update the Fazer 150 with ABS down the line. And as far as the SZ-RR is concerned, the Japanese bike lost to the Honda CB Unicorn in terms of sales. What’s more, it didn’t sell even a single unit in May 2019!