Hero XPulse to KTM 390 ADV: 7 new Royal Enfield Himalayan challengers launching soon

Indian motorcycle industry is going through a rapid change currently. Many new segments like scramblers, cafe racers etc are pegged to be launch in the affordable segment soon. Another category that has been on rise is the adventure tourer motorcycles.

Royal Enfield have played their game well by launching the Himalayan first and gaining the market. However, the company is going to face many new challenges now as different manufacturers are bringing in their own versions to take on the Himalayan. Let’s take a look at some of them.

KTM 390 Adventure

Expected Launch : Mid 2019

Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM has been long expected to launch its own adventure tourer rival for the Himalayan in India. Called the 390 Adventure, it is currently undergoing testing and would finally arrive in mid season next year in India. It will get longer travel suspension, with a few extras in terms of kit and spoke-wheel tyres.

The 390 Adventure will be powered by the same 373.2-cc engine that powers other KTM 390 series motorcycles and produces 43 Bhp of power along with 37 Nm of torque. Expect prices to be at a premium compared to the Himalayan but way less than the BMW G 310 GS, which retails at Rs. 3.49 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Husqvarna Svartpilen

Expected Launch : Mid 2019

The Husqvarna brand is owned by KTM, which sort of justifies the wild design language of the bike pictured above. The Svartpilen is a scrambler-adventure-street motorcycle that has been built to handle various roles with ease. The Svartpilen is based on KTM’s Duke 390 and makes use of the same 373 cc engine churning out 43 Bhp of power and 37 Nm of torque. It gets typical scrambler styled knobby tires, spoke wheels and short frame, all of which come together to make this motorcycle a looker.

Benelli TRK 250

Expected Launch : 2019

The Benelli TRK 250 is another motorcycle in this segment to look out for. It gets steel tube frame, 41 mm upside-down fork up front and an oscillating swing arm with 51 mm central shock absorber at rear. This beast is powered by a 249cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that churns out 24.5 Bhp of power and maximum torque of 21 Nm. As for the transmission duties, they are taken care of by six-speed gearbox. Upon its launching, it will lock horns with the KTM 390 Adventure as one of its main rivals.

Jawa Scrambler

Expected Launch : 15 November, 2018

Fans are rejoicing all over the country on the return of the iconic Jawa brand after a long gap. The company will be bringing in three different types of motorcycles based on the same platform at the day of the launch. One of them will probably be a scrambler version.

It will be powered be a 293 cc DOHC engine which features liquid cooling and fuel injection. The engine produces 27 Bhp and 28 Nm of torque which is sent to the rear wheel via a 6-speed manual transmission. It gets knobby wheels, spoked wheels, off road style fenders along with other scrambler touches like the high silencer and single piece seat.

Hero XPulse

Expected Launch : First Quarter 2019

The Hero XPulse is one of the most awaited bikes by the company. The company recently unveiled the bike at EICMA along with another variant, the XPulse 200T and 4 other concepts. The bike will play successor to the discontinues Hero Impulse that was first of its kind in India.

This one however will be more adventure focused and will come with some serious kit. It will be powered by a 200-cc single-cylinder engine probably producing 20 Bhp and 18 Nm of torque. Though the bike is low on power, Hero will make that up in terms of low weight and attractive pricing, which is expected to be around the Rs. 1.10 lakh mark.

UM 400 ADV

Expected Launch : Mid to End 2019

UM, aka United Motorcycles, currently offers a slew of cruiser motorcycles in the Indian market. The company is now working to bring an Adventure motorcycle which will be powered by a 400cc engine. The engine is expected to be a V-Twin water-cooled motor. The name of the motorcycle has not been made public yet and the motorcycle is expected to be launched in next six months.

Bajaj Dominar Adventure

Expected Launch : Mid-late 2019

While Bajaj has termed the Dominar 400 as a sports cruiser, the company plans to bring in a proper adventure tourer soon to take down the  Enfield. In May 2018, Bajaj registered the Adventurer name hinting at the arrival of an adventure tourer version of the Dominar 400, which is expected to use most of the same running gear as the cruiser. Changes on the new bike could include a load tray at the rear, suspensions with more travel and spoked wheels.