The bike market has matured considerably in the last few years with addition of more powerful bikes with more features. Yet most people buying bikes use them as their primary daily transportation medium unlikely the West where bikes are for occasional use. That makes fuel efficiency an important purchase factor.
So, at Cartoq, we compiled a list of three most efficient bikes in each category:
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Daily commuters
Bajaj CT 110
Bajaj CT 110 is a newer motorcycle than CT 100 and it comes with a more powerful engine than the CT100 which returns more fuel efficiency too. Bajaj has given the motorcycle an LED Daytime-Running Lamp, Semi-Knobby tyres, fork gaiters, and alloy wheels. It is powered by a 115cc engine that produces 8.6PS and 9.81 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 4-speed gearbox. According to ARAI, the CT 110 returns a fuel efficiency of best in class 104kmpl. However, in real-world conditions, you should be able to get up to 80kmpl. Bajaj CT110 starts from around Rs. 46,413 ex-showroom.
TVS Sport
TVS Sport is the most affordable motorcycle that TVS offers and it is the most fuel-efficient too. TVS offers LED Daytime Running Lamps, alloy wheels, and an Econometer. It comes with a 109cc fuel-injected engine that produces 8.2PS and 8.7Nm. The engine is mated to a 4-speed gearbox. As per ARAI, the mileage of TVS Sport is 95kmpl. However, users have reported that they can extract a max of 77kmpl from its engine in real-world conditions. So, you should be able to achieve around 65-75 kmpl from it. TVS Sport price starts from Rs. 52,500 ex-showroom.
Hero Splendor Plus
The Splendor was launched in the way back in 1994 and since then it has been selling well and it is still on sale with a good number of sales in rural areas. The Splendor Plus gets tubeless tyres, alloy wheels, and engine cut-off at fall. Hero has equipped the motorcycle with a lot of sensors that ensure that the motorcycle keeps going efficiently and easily. Hero Splendor Plus specs come with a fuel-injected 97.2cc engine that produces 8PS and 8Nm of torque. The engine is coupled to a 4-speed gearbox. The ARAI claimed mileage of the Hero Splendor Plus is 80kmpl whereas in real-world conditions you should be able to achieve 65kmpl. Hero Splendor Plus starts from Rs. 59,600 ex-showroom.
Sports Commuters
Bajaj Pulsar 125
Pulsar might be the most known name in the motorcycles market of India. It has represented Bajaj for quite a long time and now there is a younger 125cc sibling of the Pulsar. The Pulsar 125 comes with the same angry and striking looking design as its elder brother, the Pulsar 150. Bajaj offers part analog-digital instrument cluster, alloy wheels, LED taillamp, and tubeless tyres. It also comes with Bajaj’s DTS-i technology. It is powered by a 125cc twin-spark engine that produces 11.8bhp and 11Nm of torque making it the most powerful 125cc motorcycle in India. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. As per ARAI, Pulsar 125 mileage is 62kmpl. However, in real-world conditions, it should return around 55kmpl. Bajaj Pulsar 125 starts from Rs. 69,997 ex-showroom.
Bajaj Pulsar 150
Bajaj Pulsar 150 is the highest-selling sports commuter bike in India despite the design not getting a major update for quite a long time. It strikes the perfect balance of fuel efficiency and performance on offer which makes it immense value for money. It gets the same equipment as the Pulsar 125 but you can get it with split seats, sporty graphics, matte paint scheme, twin-discs, and wider tyres. The main difference between the siblings is the engine. Bajaj Pulsar 150 gets a fuel-injected 150cc engine that produces 14PS of power and 13.2Nm of torque. Bajaj Pulsar 150 price starts from Rs. 85,536 ex-showroom.
Off-roaders
Hero Xpulse 200
Hero Xpulse 200 is the most affordable off-roader available in India. It is the successor to the Impulse which was discontinued in 2016 due to poor sales. Where the Impulse was a 150cc motorcycle, the Xpulse is a 200cc and it comes with more off-roading equipment as well. It is equipped with dual-purpose tyres, upswept exhaust, spoke wheels, long-travel suspension, bash plate, fork gaiters, LED headlamp, 14-litre fuel tank and high-rise mudguard. Hero also offers a digital instrument cluster that can be connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth for call alerts and navigation. Hero Xpulse 200 is powered by a 200cc oil-cooled and fuel-injected engine that produces 18.4bhp of power and 17.1Nm of torque. It is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. As per ARAI, Hero Xpulse 200 mileage is 42.75 kmpl whereas in real-world conditions you can expect a mileage of around 37kmpl. Hero Xpulse 200 price starts from Rs. 98,500 ex-showroom.
Royal Enfield Himalayan
It was the Royal Enfield Himalayan that brought back the trend of off-roaders in India. No one thought that the Royal Enfield can produce such a smooth engine but they did and the things have never been the same. The Himalayan comes with a 21-inch front spoke wheel and 17-inch rear spoke wheel shod with dual-purpose tyres, wind-screen, compass, upswept exhaust, and switchable ABS. Royal Enfield Himalayan is powered by an all-new 411cc fuel-injected and counter-balanced engine that produces 24.3 bhp of power and 32 nm of torque. It is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. According to users, you can achieve a mileage of around 30kmpl. Royal Enfield Himalayan price starts from Rs. 1.89 lakhs ex-showroom.
Naked tourers/cruisers
Bajaj Dominar 400
With the Bajaj Dominar 400, the Indian market has started taking touring motorcycles seriously and Dominar has been popular among people who go on long rides frequently. Dominar 400 is known to be a cruiser motorcycle that is comfortable on long tours and can do highway duties stress-free. Bajaj offers a dual-pod digital instrument cluster with loads of information, double-barrel exhaust, Up-side down forks, and machined alloy wheels. It is powered by the same 373cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine that is found on KTM Duke 390. The engine produces 40bhp and 35Nm of torque. It is coupled with a 6-speed gearbox that comes with a slipper clutch. The users claim that the Bajaj Dominar 400 returns a mileage of 27kmpl. Bajaj Dominar 400 has been priced at Rs. 1.95 lakhs ex-showroom.
Sport tourers
TVS Apache RR310
TVS introduced the Apache RR310 as a track motorcycle but apparently, it has a dual personality. As it turns out it can be a very capable touring machine too. This is because its engine has enough power, the engine does not heat so much and the riding position is not too aggressive. The suspension also being on a bit of a softer side tackles the uneven road and potholes quite well and the twin LED projector setup lights the road ahead nicely. There is a TFT coloured screen, riding modes, ride by wire, Up-side down forks, and Michelin Road 5 tyres. TVS has shared the 312cc engine with the BMW G310R and it produces 34PS and 27Nm of torque. It gets a 6-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch. The users who have done touring on the Apache RR310 claims that the motorcycle returned a mileage of around 30kmpl. TVS Apache RR310 starts from Rs. 2.40 lakhs ex-showroom.
So, here are the most fuel-efficient bikes in their category. Some categories may have more bikes than others but there is a bike for everyone in every segment which provides a good and balanced mix of performance as well as mileage.
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