Carbon fibre chassis technology has been present in racing motorcycles and special limited edition production bikes. But until now carbon fibre chassis has been a niche technology owing to its higher production cost and is among the first features to be equipped in limited edition machines. BMW Motorrad though plans to change this scenario soon. The German brand is the pioneer in the automotive industry when it comes to this miracle material. It is the only manufacturer that has cracked the code of mass production of carbon fibre structure for the BMW i8 and i3 cars. 

The German manufacturer wants to expand this knowhow of carbon fibre mass production into the world of two-wheels. According to reports BMW Motorrad is developing new carbon fibre chassis to replace aluminium and steel frames in its range of motorcycles. Patents have leaked for the next generation frame designs along with the manufacturing procedure. The benefit of carbon fibre is its lightweight nature. Weight is the biggest enemy for any performance machine and engineers strive their level best to shed as much kilograms from a motorcycle. Carbon fibre is used extensively in the world of racing for the fact that it is almost 40 per cent lighter than its metal equivalent. BMW Motorrad is working on a carbon fibre beam frame which would be employed in its performance range of machines.

Expect the carbon fibre frame to make its presence felt on the next generation BMWS 1000RR and the BMW S1000. The Bavarian manufacturer will be using the “pultrusion” to produce the beam frame section. The second frame will be the carbon fibre trellis frame which is a bit more tedious to manufacture as in conventional trellis frame the tubes are welded together while in carbon fibre construction it would joined with cast junction blocks. The trellis carbon fibre frame would be used on the mainstream range of BMW Motorrad motorcycles. Mass production of carbon fibre frames would be a giant leap in the world of production motorcycles and we sincerely hope BMW Motorrad is able to pull of this technology advancement. 

Courtesy :  Zigwheels.

The Kinetic Group has signed a partnership to retail MV Agusta motorcycles in India; first launch slated for November 2015.

Indian two-wheeler and engine manufacturer Kinetic has confirmed that it has signed an agreement with Italian sport and superbike brand MV Agusta to sell its motorcycles in India.

In our last report we had said that both parties were interested in signing an agreement to bring the Italian brand to Indian shores. The Kinetic Group will be establishing showrooms for the brand in top cities across the country to retail as well as service the Italian manufacturer’s offerings.

The first offering from MV Augusta is slated to launch sometime in November 2015 with the rest of – or at least part of – the company’s international portfolio to follow in the coming two to three years. In international markets, the MV Agusta portfolio consists of a range of high-performance machines such as the Brutale, Rivale, Turismo Veloce, F3 and the range-topping F4. Some of which could make their way to our shores.

MV Augusta motorcycles will be imported into the country as completely built units (CBUs) or in the form of semi knocked-down (SKD) kits. Kinetic says the prices for the offerings are expected to range from Rs 12 lakh to Rs 33 lakh.

This is not the first collaboration between the two brands, with Kinetic having designed and manufactured a 125cc engine and aluminium frame for MV Agusta’s sister brand Cagiva.

Courtesy : Autocar

With celebrating Independence Day, the 15 Harley-Davidson owner groups also came out in support of various causes.

The Harley Owners Group celebrated Independence Day by hosting a ‘Freedom Ride’ that saw the participation of 15 owners groups across 18 cities. Ever since its inception in India, the Harley Owners Group has been organising the ‘Freedom Ride’ to celebrate the occasion in their own way.

As part of the ‘Freedom Ride’ the groups from multiple cities rode in support of various causes. Two Rivers, Harley-Davidson (Pune) took the initiative and rode for the cause of safety of riders; Nine Bridges, Harley-Davidson (Ahmedabad) and Diamond City, Harley-Davidson (Surat) rode to the Sabarmati Ashram to promote the use of khadi.

Other groups from Chandigarh, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kochi hoisted the national flag at their respective local dealerships and set off to various destinations such as McLeodganj, Lonavala, Vagamon, Ooty and Agra.

Courtesy : Autocar

The Activa is the first scooter in the country to reach this milestone.

Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Pvt. Ltd has announced the record-breaking sales figure achieved by the Activa scooter brand. With cumulative sales crossing one crore units, the Activa is the first scooter in the country to achieve this milestone.

The Activa was launched in 2001, as the first model in Honda’s portfolio. In its first year (FY 2001-02), Honda sold around 55,000 units of the scooter, which increased to 21 lakh units in FY 2014-15. Strong sales of the Activa brand over the years, has been one of the key reason for Honda's 59 percent market share in the scooter segment. Currently, there are three variants of the Activa on sale - the Activa 3G, Activa i and the Activa 125.

Speaking about the occasion, Keita Muramatsu, president and CEO, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd said, “This achievement is more significant since Activa (an automatic scooter) has gained the trust of one crore happy families in India. From reactivating the scooter segment in India in 2001 to leading the 'scooterisation' of industry today, Honda’s iconic Activa has changed the way Indians ride. We thank our valued customers and families who have made Activa the most preferred choice for commuting in India.”

Courtesy : Autocar

The Benelli TNT 25 faces its toughest competitor, the KTM Duke 200, in the battle of specifications.

The Benelli gets a 249.2cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that puts down 24.1bhp at 9,000rpm. The Duke 200 makes a marginally higher 24.7bhp at 10,000rpm from its 199.5cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. With the larger engine, the TNT25 generates 2.1kgm of twisting force, while the Duke 200 makes a slightly lower 1.94kgm.

The TNT 25 is slightly longer, measuring 2,080mm, while the KTM measures 2,002mm. Here the KTM is the broader one, at 873mm, while the Benelli measures 805mm. The KTM Duke 200 is also taller at 1,274mm, and the TNT 25 stands at 1,090mm. As one might expect, the KTM is lighter too, weighing 136.4kg on the scale; almost 15kg lighter than the Benelli that weighs 150kg.

Suspension on the motorcycles are in the form of USD forks up front and mono-shock springs at the back. The KTM Duke 200 gets an alloy swingarm, while the Benelli TNT 25 gets a box section one. Both the motorcycles are brought to a halt using disc brakes, and don't get the ABS feature. At the front, both the motorcycles have 280mm disc brakes. While the Benelli gets a 240mm at the back, the KTM gets a 230mm unit.

The pricing for the Benelli TNT 25 is not known yet, but it is likely to be anywhere between
Rs 2.5 - Rs 3 lakh. However, the Austrian manufacturer has priced all its products very aggressively, and same is the case with the Duke 200. It retails for Rs. 1.45 lakh in Delhi.

Courtesy : Autocar