Upcoming Bajaj-Triumph 350cc Bikes Spotted Testing Overseas
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Not one but two different bikes – a neo-retro naked and a scrambler – have been spotted
Both the bikes will be products of Bajaj and Triumph’s partnership. Will be sold under Triumph’s brand name. Expected to feature a 350-400cc, single-cylinder engine.Back in 2020, Bajaj and Triumph formally signed their alliance and had announced that they are developing a range of entry-level premium bikes. Now, the first offering of this partnership has been spotted testing.
Two motorcycles have been caught testing and they give us some interesting insights on the path the Anglo-British partners want to pursue. Let’s take a look.
Engine
These bikes feature a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine, a first for Triumph. We believe the engine capacity will be somewhere between 350-400cc, which is a highly lucrative segment in Europe and Asian markets.
Since this will be sold under Triumph’s name, the engine is expected to feature a six-speed gearbox, liquid-cooling, and a slipper clutch rather than a rudimentary five-speed setup, and air-cooling. The power and torque figures could be around 35-38PS and 30Nm.
What Will Be The Price?
The big news was that Bajaj and Triumph had announced that the most affordable bike from this partnership will cost around Rs 2 lakh. But we believe the bike spotted testing in Europe is a more premium one, aimed at the premium sub-400cc neo-retro segment of bikes, which includes the Honda CB300R, KTM 390 Duke, Yamaha MT-03 and the BMW G 310 R.
We say this because both the Triumph-Bajaj bikes boast a TFT instrument cluster, USD fork, and even liquid-cooling, all of which are top-shelf bits. Even the design, paint finish, and swingarm seem to have high levels of quality.
Considering all this, we expect the Triumph-Bajaj 350cc bike to retail at around Rs 2.25 lakh (ex-showroom), right in the ballpark of its rivals.
The Scrambler
Along with the neo-retro model, a scrambler-type bike has also been spotted. This is based on the neo-retro model, but gets a 19-inch front wheel and split seats, instead of the other bike’s 17-inch tyre and a single-piece seat.
Moreso, it features handguards, a small visor, a bash plate, a tall mudguard up front, and even dual-purpose Metzeler Karoo tyres, all pointing towards its scrambler nature. This doesn’t come as a surprise, since Triumph has already done this with the Street Twin and the Street Scrambler.
Thanks to all the extras, the baby scrambler could cost slightly more than the neo-retro model, around Rs 2.50 lakh (ex-showroom).
What About The Sub-2 lakh Bike?
As promised, Bajaj and Triumph’s partnership will also fruit a more affordable cruiser-type bike, which will rival the likes of the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and the Honda H’ness CB350. This bike will feature a similar 350cc motor but could bear more conventional bits and bobs to keep it under Rs 2 lakh (ex-showroom). And with Bajaj’s extensive localisation, this shouldn’t be too big a deal.
When Are They Coming?
Finally, let’s talk about the expected timeline. Bajaj-Triumph had earlier announced that their products would arrive in 2022. However, due to the pandemic, there’s been a delay.
Nevertheless, we expect the bikes to be unveiled next year, closely followed by an India launch in the first half of 2023.
Punya Sharma