The Honda PCX Electric scooter is set to go sale in Asian markets in 2018.

Honda has taken the wraps off an all-new electric scooter at the Tokyo motor show, called the PCX Electric. The scooter is meant for urban environs and is 1,923mm long, 745mm wide and 1,107mm tall.

The electric scooter is powered by a 1.33hp electric motor and gets a detachable lithium-ion mobile battery pack named Honda Mobile Power Pack, which has been developed independently.

The Japanese two-wheeler brand also had the PCX Hybrid on display at the motor show. It possess an independently developed hybrid system that uses a high-output battery and ACG starter to assist the internal combustion engine.

Both the PCX Electric and Hybrid are expected to launch in Asian markets including Japan in 2018.

While there is no official confirmation from the bike maker, both scooters could find a place at the upcoming Auto Expo in New Delhi, where electric mobility is the theme of the hour. 

Courtesy : Autocar

The updated, Euro 4 Monster should make it to India after the international launch.

Ducati’s mid-sized Monster gets some design and equipment upgrades for 2018. The updated 821 borrows its headlamp from the Monster 1200, but one of the bigger upgrades comes in the form of a colour TFT instrument cluster. This is a feature that more expensive siblings like the Multistrada 950 and SuperSport don't get. Completing the visual changes is a new slimmer design for the tail section. The 2018 Monster 821 also ships in a lovely new shade of yellow, in tribute to the original Monster 900 that turns 25 this year.

The 821 continues with the same 821cc, 90 degree V-twin but it now makes slightly less power and torque on account of becoming Euro 4 compliant. Peak power is now 2hp down to 110hp while torque drops from 89.4Nm to 86Nm. Braking is handled by dual 320mm front discs slowed by powerful Brembo M4.32 callipers. The Ducati Safety pack continues to offer three levels of ABS, eight levels of traction control and three riding modes. However, the six-speed gearbox now gets a bi-directional quickshifter like we experienced on the SuperSport S.

Ducati was due to launch a BS-IV spec version of the Monster 821 by October in India. However, we have now discovered that India will get the latest-spec Monster 821 instead and you can expect it to be launched here after international sales commence. 

Courtesy : Autocar

Bookings have opened for the Triumph Street Triple 765 RS and the first lot of bikes has already sold out till February 2018.

The Street Triple 765 RS, launched at Rs 10.55 lakh (ex-showroom, India), is the highest-spec version in the Street Triple family and it sits above the Street Triple 765 S in terms of power and the quality of the cycle parts on offer. For Rs 1.84 lakh over the standard Street Triple S, the RS offers a number of high-performance upgrades.

For starters, the 765cc, inline, three-cylinder engine makes more power and torque than the standard bike. Power rises by 10hp to a total of 123hp and torque has increased by 4Nm to 77Nm. Both arrive at a slightly higher rpm, resulting in a harder-hitting top-end that will work well with its race track focus.

The second big upgrade comes to the suspension, which gets fully-adjustable Showa Big Piston forks up front and an Ohlins STX40 monoshock for the rear. Further, the front brakes now use Brembo’s fabulous M50 monoblock brake system while Pirelli’s super sticky, track-focused Supercorsa tyres ship as standard. All these features are usually seen in high-spec, litre-class sports bikes and are a segment first. At 166kg dry, it is already the lightest bike in its segment by a fair margin.

The electronics see a boost too. The RS uses a lovely, high resolution colour screen that is a big step-up from the simple analogue-digital combination meter on the S. The RS also introduces three additional riding modes, taking the total to five. Finally, there’s a quick shifter that works on upshifts. 

Visual updates come in the form a body coloured rear seat cowl and two unique colours - Matt Silver Ice or Phantom Black metallic. The RS will retail out of all 14 of Triumph’s existing dealerships, a number the brand plans to increase to 17 this quarter with the opening of new outlets in Goa, Mangalore and Gurgaon.

When you consider all the additional equipment on offer, Triumph has done a great job with the pricing, keeping it below Rs 2 lakh. For the rider who wants a street bike that can also be an effective weapon on the track, the Street Triple RS looks like an excellent option. When we rode the RS in Spain earlier this year, it wowed us with its performance on the track but it did seem a bit firm on the road, so we’re eager to see what it feels like here at home.

Buyers seem to agree with the value of the RS and Triumph has announced that the first lot of bikes (the company won’t clarify how many that is) is already pre-sold and bookings have been accounted for till February 2018.

Courtesy : Autocar

Royal Enfield fans would probably know about the fabled Carberry Enfield, a motorcycle with a 1,000cc engine that was created by fusing two existing Royal Enfield 500cc engines in a V-Twin format. After talks with Royal Enfield did not bear fruit, Paul Carberry, the man responsible for the Carberry V-Twin, tied up with Jaspreet Singh Bhatia from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh in India, and shifted operations here last year from Australia.

Priced at Rs 7.35 lakh, bookings for the Carberry Enfield are now open and deliveries are expected to commence within the next four to seven months. This new version fuses two 500cc blocks from the newer Royal Enfield UCE engine, as opposed to the original Carberry Enfield which utilised two of the older cast-iron engine blocks. The 55-degree V-Twin runs a dual carburettor setup. However, a fuel-injected version that will be BS-IV compliant is also under development in India. The engine is mated to a five-speed gearbox with a seven-plate clutch and high-strength primary chain. It also gets a heavy duty starter, while the lifters and oil pump run in their own housing that can protect the engine from wear and damage. The new 1,000cc Carberry V-Twin produces about 53hp and 82Nm of peak torque.

Currently, this engine cannot be fitted onto pre-owned bikes; the engine and bike will be sold as a complete package. Carberry already has test mules of a new bike, dubbed the Double Barrel 1000, running with this engine, in the process of homologation. Unlike the previous Carberry bike which used a heavily modified version of the existing Royal Enfield chassis to deal with the increased load and stresses, the Double Barrel has a brand new double-cradle frame. The bike will also feature front and rear disc brakes with ABS, as well as a two-into-one exhaust system.

Courtesy : Autocar

The Street Triple 765 is a highly impressive motorcycle, one that recently won our comparison review with the Kawasaki Z900. It also performed incredibly well at the 2017 Autocar Track Day, setting a lap time just 4s off a new-age litre-class sportbike. However, all of this is has been achieved by the entry spec Street Triple S model. Internationally, Triumph sells the Street Triple in three trims, but only the Street Triple S is currently available in India. That's about to change soon with the introduction of the range topping Street Triple 765 RS. 

The Street Triple 765 RS not only comes with significantly more kit than the base S model but it also gets a higher state of engine tune. Where the S produces a  healthy 113hp and 73Nm, the RS makes 123hp and 77Nm. Complementing the extra power is a set of range topping Brembo M50 brakes, commonly seen on high-spec, litre-class superbikes. Suspension sees a big upgrade as well, with Showa’s Big Piston forks up front and an Ohlins rear shock. Triumph is clear that the Street Triple 765 RS is as serious about track riding as road performance and proves it through the use of super-sticky, Pirelli Supercorsa tyres which are also usually reserved for the most high performance motorcycles.

Visually, the 765 RS gets a quite a few differentiators that go beyond the lovely frozen matt colour scheme. The first of these is a rear seat cowl, but the bigger upgrade comes in the rich, full colour LCD instrument screen facing the rider. The bike also offers five riding modes and multiple viewing modes for the digital display.

When we first rode the Street Triple 765 RS in Spain earlier this year (LINK) Triumph suggested that all three models would eventually make it to India. However, it now appears that Triumph will only bring in the RS as it currently doesn't see the space for the mid-spec R model. Considering all the top shelf components on offer, expect the Street Triple 765 RS to cost significantly more than the S, which retails at Rs 8.7 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai. An ex-showroom price at around the Rs 10.5-11 lakh mark is fair to expect.