Point taken.

BUT...

1. As I have elucidated before I feel, riding on the roads on a "fancy" looking bike, even if it is just a 250cc, somehow infuriates 4wheel riders and with 27odd bhp, you get pushed. Even 40 is not bad, but you will still get pushed. There are a lot of bullies out there and we all have faced that in our riding lives with our crotch mopeds!

2. I do not know of too many 4 stroke 250cc inline twins that generate 40bhp.

Ken da, Beautiful analysis there, Great right up,

I personally feel, 600cc should be something to be looked out for, The sheer power and revy engine
it's one class where you feel you are not over powered like busa nor bulky, plus you can attend it's max at some point in indian roads. provided you have balls of steel to achieve that.

Hayabusa, the R1 awesome machines no comparison but i feel a different market segmentation is required for all levels here

Hayabusa, R1, Vmax 2009 CBR 1000s, Ducatis - Targeted towards supreme premium class segment celebs, Business tycoons, CEOs, entrepreneurs

R6-CBR600- Power enthusiast, they range from 5-7L and i think can be affordable to some one who can afford a honda city, if you can buy ford fiesta or honda city, you sure can by an R6 anyday. Provided we get finance options from our local banks.


Kawa 250- Middle level performance


Last but not the least:

R15 ,220, karishma: Entry Level Performance segment something to begin with, For the performance freaks who need a break through in the world of performance biking, where one gets to learn , Handling, braking, cornering, high speed stability. Which is affordable yet lighter on pocket for the masses.



I personally belong to entry level -Own a Red R15 amazing machine for a 150cc. which gives me all the doses of a superbike in small packages.

Long way to go for 600 but if Yamaha launches a parallel twin 250cc, that would be my next step up.

This has been one of the better if not the best Discussion thread in xBhp. All members have put across their points in a very sane, polite manner. Kudos to everyone who has contributed.

A very well written article, Ken. I still think, and was always thinking, along the same lines as you were in this article. Yamaha has pulled off a master-stroke. They have proved that there is a market for 1000cc+ machines in the Indian market. But as you rightly pointed out, that is not where the market stops. The huge void from 250cc segment to the 1000cc segment, the segment where the sport tourers would fill, is a segment that most of us would exist in.

600cc would have enough power to satiate most of us. When I say 600cc, I mean the CBF and the FZ and the CBs, not the R6 and the ZX-6Rs, which I say are in the same league as the 1000s, atleast in India. They cost nearly the same, and the speeds start differentiating after 200+ kmph. Really, other than bragging rights and personal satisfaction, I do not think owning a 1000 would any different than owning a extreme 600.

In a discussion with the xBhpians, I was discussing the same issue. The sport tourers are something that we should be really looking at. This is where I feel the P220 and ZMA have set the ball rolling. I truly believe that both these bikes are desi versions of sport tourers. Their built, or the intention behind their build is not only to go fast, but go fast when you want to, and cruise when you want to.

Thanks. But here I am NOT talking about R6 and 600RR kind of bikes in the 600CC segment. I am NOT interested in them coming here. I am talking about usable and "comfortable" 600cc vehicles. Like the Fazer600 or the Hornet 600 and such like machines if you get the drift.

You have somewhat got my point. I am glad

The Honda CB1000 (NOT the Hornet 600) is perhaps the ONLY other bike that I would trade an R1 for! But, if only it would see the light of the day, here in this "power starved" country.

That being said, if I had the moolah, I would not really think of the "practicality" involved in my decision to get the 'One right now. Yes, I might be a fool to go for a full blown litre class superbike, when my sole intention is to take it out each day, not to mention on the weekends for LONG rides. But then again, intelligence is something that has always eluded me and especially in this case, I would be glad that it did!

I say Hornet/ FZ are still far away from reality, with FZ being a bit closer. Even if we "REALLY" get the KTM Duke here, I'll be very happy! But, I like the article & I say that OEMs can really earn good by 600 in India, if they:-->

1. reduce bike cost by methods like Self Service Guide, DVD, Kit & Manual. Service the bike yourself bikers!

2. Use Alternative Service Centres: EXAMPLE, Honda can use it's Car Service Centres, as Hornet has a multi cylinder liquid cooled engine. Similar to a Honda Car! getting my point?

No extra training would be necessary to the bike mechanics & car mechanics can handle them better. They can have this tie up for common benefit. Cost Reduced!

3. Introduce Accessories & Tuning Changes by Service Centre. Say, I go inside the SC, pay them Rs. 400 and they re-gear my bike for say, highway rides. & try earning money on anything like this.

4. Market them Properly. R1/ Hayabusa are sold & serviced in 6-8 cities only?! Then they get patheic sales like 20-60 units total. I know, this is "one" reason among others too ...

What do you say about these suggestions, Ken bro? Trying with persistence, all these efforts can become a reality. and who know we might just have a 600 for below Rs. 3 Lacs ... (Personally, I would pay about 6-6.5 Lacs too.)

--
@ Aryan: Good choice mentioned! I saw it's power curve, it has some 25 bhp+ even below 3000 rpm! Combine this with the undergearing, and yeah, it's a Born City Lord!

Ken da,

Point taken , but I am really confused

When I made the segmentation , I thought about all the aspects hence I said 600 is something power enthusiast can go for , my personal choice R6

You said you are gunning on likes of Fazer 600 and Hornet 600


http://www.motorbikestoday.com/reviews/Articles/yam_fazer6_04.htm


http://www.carolenash.com/insidebikes/bike-reviews/honda/hornet-600/



Another eg:


But then I was thinking if I had a Kawa 250 same time, with 32horses compare to 48 of BMW, Kawa also does 155-160Max with 0-100 6-7Sec





Question is not what I feel??


My opinion a proper 250 parallet twin, from stables like Yamaha , Kawasaki and Honda, if not now in future. For all who are starveing for some performance- with price to afford





A technologically advanced 250cc of 21st century will out run 600 of past,

and a technologically advanced 600cc of 21st will out run...............lol

No four stroke road going bike is doing it currently, dont foresee that happening in future as well!

My point is, to build a culture, affordability is THE BIGGEST oppurtunity/obstacle in an economy and society like India's. 600s, the race replicas or the sport tourers, are way too expensive to really bring about any significant change. I firmly believe, it has to be a "bottom-up" approach, starting with the 250cc category!

Cheers,
Shamik

In traffic it would be harder for you to keep up with a R6, the radical riding position required much more input in terms of riding hard. A Naked will give anything a run for its money in 95% of the conditions we encounter in India. The FZ6 comes with a quarter faired model which does its job quite well. The big ones are weekend toys even for the serious enthuisast and will rarely be taken out. I would rather know I am using 80% of the bike most of the time rather then brag to my mates that I touched the triple ton on a litre on a weekend ride.

IIRC, there was this Kawasaki Balius-II pumping out 40 horses from it's inline 4 250cc mill. The Jap market also gets a Honda Hornet 250 that puts out 40 horses. I think, these crotch rockets can easily show a finger to our MUVs and SUVs on the highways. IMHO, these 250s, if priced sensibly will sell well and will also kickstart the leisure biking culture in a big way. 600cc motorcycles coming at 8L plus are still way too unaffordable to most of the bikers here who are primarily in the <30 age group. I vote for the 250s. Now, I'm getting a little selfish, how about a CBR400RR Honda?

Nice article there.