Honda Navi was without a shadow of doubt the highlight for two-wheelers at the 2016 Auto Expo that was held in Greater Noida. We list down the top 7 interesting facts and features of the new mini motorcycle from Honda for the Indian market

The Honda Navi isn’t what it was supposed to be. Let us explain it further. The basic guidelines given to Honda engineers were to make the most affordable Honda motorcycle in the India context. With this new product, Honda was planning to tap the rural market with a bare basic motorcycle. But during development stage, the officials came up with a new prospect. An idea of a mini motorcycle for the urban market which will be different from anything the Indian market has ever witnessed. Thus the Honda Navi was born and we are glad that higher rank Honda officials took a brave decision to give the Navi project the green signal. 

What is it?

With the new Honda Navi, the Japanese two-wheeler giant plans to kick-start an all new segment in the Indian market which is a brave move from Honda which is known to be conservative. The Honda Navi is a combination of motorcycle and scooter but in a scaled down avatar. Let us explain it further, the Honda Navi looks like a motorcycle with its riding dynamics similar to a normal commuter motorcycle. But the powerplant is automatic which means that it doesn’t have a manual gearbox similar to a conventional motorcycle. 

Power & Performance:

The Honda Navi is powered by the same automatic engine as seen on the popular Honda Activa scooter. The 110cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder motor churns out 7.9PS of power at 7,000rpm and 9Nm of peak torque at 5,500rpm. The motor is mated to a CVT transmission. Given our experience with the Honda Activa we can vouch for a fact that the engine on the Honda Navi will be extremely refined and reliable as well. Talking about performance, Honda claims that the Navi can hit a top speed of 81kmph which we feel is a conservative figure. Given the fact that it would be mostly used in cityscape the top whack of 81kmph will be satisfactory for daily commutes.

The Honda Navi used the same powerplant as seen on the Honda Activa so mileage numbers should be similar. But the Navi is almost 10kg (101kg kerb weight) lighter than the Activa which should help in becoming more fuel efficient than the highest selling scooter in the country. It also gets the mileage enhancing HET tech as seen on the Activa which reduced friction among the mating parts and improves thermal efficiency of the engine. While Honda claims 60kmpl for the Activa we feel the Honda Navi will have a mileage figure of more than 60kmpl but the above number needs to be verified and we shall be test riding the Navi next month. Fuel tank capacity is 3.8 litres which should result in a real world range of above 220km on a full tank. 

Suspension & Cycle parts:

Among the most striking feature of the Honda Navi is the employment of telescopic front forks. The telescopic front forks should result in a more comfortable ride quality on the Navi as compared to the Activa. The popular scooter uses trailing link suspension which has a tendency to judder while going through potholes. At the back a spring loaded hydraulic type suspension setup has been used. The frame is based on the Activa but has been redesigned specifically for the Navi and Honda calls it under born type frame. Tyre specs are 90/90 R12 at front and 90/100 R12 at the rear. Braking is done brakes on both the wheels.

Variants & Colour Options:

Apart from the stock variant, Honda plans to introduce the Navi in various avatars. The Honda Navi will be offered in three forms: Navi Street, Navi Adventure, and Navi off-road. Apart from the above variants, Honda plans to offer many customisation kits so that owners can customise the Navi based on their requirements. The Honda Navi will be available in total of five colour options – Patriot Red, Shasta White, Hooper Green, Sparky Orange and Black.

Price & Deliveries:

Honda has priced the Navi at Rs 39,500 ex-showroom Delhi. The above pricing is for the base variant of the Navi while pricing for the other variants hasn’t been announced yet. The Navi can be booked from the dealership or via an android app. The booking amount for the Navi has been set at Rs 1,000. But prospective owners have to be patient as deliveries for the first lot of Honda Navi will only start by March as Honda will start shipping the two-wheeler by end of February from its factory. 

Courtesy :  Zigwheels

The four-seater FF has been facelifted and reworked in its second generation, and now bears a new name – GTC4Lusso.

The Ferrari GTC4Lusso is essentially a facelifted, retuned and reworked-on-the-inside FF– the only four-seater supercar from Maranello. The new name is in line with Ferrari’s latest trend of borrowing monikers from its glorious past, as seen with the 488GTB and the F12 TDF.

The GTC4Lusso gets several improvements over the FF. It is now more aerodynamic, with Ferrari claiming that its drag coefficient is “substantially lower” than that of its predecessor's. The aerodynamic improvements include a new front grille with integrated air intakes, new air vents on the rear wing, a new rear diffuser and a roof-mounted spoiler.

Though the engine in the GTC4Lusso is the same one that powered the FF, it has been tuned to produce an extra 29bhp, bumping the power output to 680bhp, reached at 8,000rpm. Peak torque of 71kgm is produced at 5,750rpm, but as much as 80 percent of it is available from as early as 1,750rpm. The engine will be mated to the same seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The extra power allows the GTC4Lusso to reach 100kph from a standstill in 3.4 seconds – that is 0.3 seconds faster than what the FF managed; top speed is unchanged at 335kph.

The GTC4Lusso retains the four-wheel-drive layout of the FF, but it also gets rear-wheel steering. The new and improved system has been christened 4RM-S. It has Ferrari’s Slip Slide Control setup integrated within it, and works in conjunction with the car’s electronic differential and dampers to improve handling and control.

The GTC4Lusso's cabin has also received several upgrades. It gets a new infotainment system developed by Delphi that has Apple CarPlay and a 10.25-inch screen. It gets Ferrari’s dual cockpit display, with the addition of a G-force meter in the instrument cluster. The steering wheel is smaller than that on the FF, and features more ergonomic controls. It also receives a recess in the centre console designed specifically to hold the key.

The GTC4Lusso will officially make its debut at the Geneva motor show, which is when we expect the carmaker to reveal information on the price.

Courtesy : Autocar

Force India protege Jehan Daruvala picked up his third victory in the 2016 Toyota Racing Series, going from fourth to first in a four-way battle on the restart to steal the win at Taupo.

The 16-year old Mumbaikar headed M2 teammates Lando Norris and Guan Yu Zhou.

Devlin DeFrancesco’s eighth place in Race 1 gave him reverse-grid pole position for Sunday's first race, but the Canadian's bid was over almost instantaneously – as he dropped behind Brendon Leitch off the line and subsequently slipped to the back of the field.

As Leitch took over out front, Daruvala settled into second, but was deposed by Ferrari junior Zhou on lap three.

By that point, Leitch was firmly in the lead with a three second advantage, but four laps later, the race was neutralised with a safety car for Rodrigo Baptista spinning off and coming to a halt.

The race got back underway with six laps remaining and Daruvala, running in fourth place behind Norris, subsequently sneaked past the trio ahead to take a surprise lead.

The Indian then proceeded to pull away from his chasers and was handed the win when a red flag soon after ended the race prematurely.

Courtesy :  Autocar

Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India dropped a bombshell at the 2016 Auto Expo by announcing that the new CRF1000L Africa Twin will be locally assembled and sold in India later this year

Last year, Honda answered the prayers of enthusiasts worldwide when it launched the CRF1000L Africa Twin internationally. The Africa Twin, a name that has attained cult status in the adventure touring world, is finally back after a hiatus of three years, and Honda has showcased the motorcycle at the 2016 Auto Expo.

But, more than just showcasing the Africa Twin and promising to launch it in the country later this year, HMSI went one step further and gave everyone a pleasant surprise by announcing that the bike would be assembled locally in the country too. This will make the Africa Twin the second large-capacity Honda to be assembled locally, the first being the Honda CBR650F, both a part of Honda’s “Make in India” campaign.

To recap, the 2015 Africa Twin is the spiritual successor to the XRV750 that, in turn, was the successor to the 4-time Paris-Dakar rally champ, the Honda NXR 750. Powered by a 998cc parallel-twin motor the Africa Twin makes 95PS of peak power and 98Nm of torque. That might not sound like particularly high numbers for a litre-class engine, but keep in mind that this is an adventure motorcycle. Honda has extensively tuned the engine for strong and linear power and torque along with instantaneous response throughout the rev range.

Internationally, Honda offers the Africa Twin with two gearbox options: a six-speed manual and a DCT dual-clutch automatic affair, the latter with buttons on the handlebar switchgear for manual shifting of gears. Honda has also provided the Africa Twin with Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) which offers the rider three levels of control, traction control, and switchable ABS for the rear wheel. The 18.8-litre fuel tank gives the Africa Twin a range of 400km.

Suspended by long travel USD forks upfront and adjustable rear monoshock at the rear, the CRF100L Africa Twin is built to take on any sort of terrain the rider can throw at it. Seat height is 870mm, something that can be daunting to most Indians of shorter heights, but it is adjustable by a fair bit, and the ground clearance is also a whooping 250mm. Mooring it to the ground are 21-inch front tyres and 18-inch rear tyres, anchored by 310mm front discs with four piston calipers upfront and 256mm single piston caliper at the rear.

When it is assembled and launched here later this year, the Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin will compete against the likes of the Triumph Tiger series and the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 in India.

Courtesy :  Autocar

Yamaha MT-09 has been priced at Rs 10.2 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Will come to India as a CBU.

Yamaha India has added to its big bike line-up with the launch of the MT-09 at the 2016 Auto Expo. The MT-09 will be brought into the country as a full import and has been priced at Rs 10.2 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The MT-09 is a middleweight sportsbike that was launched internationally in 2013. Power comes from a three-cylinder, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, 847cc engine that makes 83bhp at 10,000rpm and 8.9kgm at 8500rpm. An aluminium chassis forms the backbone of the MT-09 with USD forks up front and an alloy swingarm with monoshock setup at the rear.

A relatively low seat height and light kerb weight are elements which should help the MT-09 be an easy big bike to ride.   

Courtesy : Autocar