The recently announced Triumph-Bajaj partnership could be going straight for Royal Enfield’s jugular in India. According to Motorcycle News – a reputed international publication – the first bike product from Triumph-Bajaj will be a mid-capacity motorcycle displacing about 750 cc.
This bike is expected to take on the Royal Enfield 750 (due for launch later this year), and other bikes such as the Harley Davidson Street 750 and the Yamaha MT-07. It’s likely to be launched sometime in 2020. In terms of pricing, the new bike from Bajaj-Triumph could significantly undercut the cheapest Triumph motorcycle – the Street Twin 900.
Sharp pricing for the new motorcycle is a given as Triumph’s tie up with Bajaj is to leverage the latter’s strength of high quality-low cost manufacturing in India. In turn, Bajaj will benefit from Triumph’s extensive product development and technical knowhow.
So far, Bajaj has never produced a twin cylinder motorcycle . The partnership with Triumph could push Bajaj into building such bikes. Talking engines, the new bike coming out of the Bajaj-Triumph partnership is expected to feature a liquid cooled twin cylinder motor.
The bike could have significant localization levels with most parts manufactured in India. This means an affordable initial price tag, cheaper service and cheaper parts, a win-win for bikers here. For now, this is pretty much the wrap on everything we can anticipate about the new Triumph-Bajaj motorcycle.
Bajaj and Royal Enfield
Bajaj Auto is training its sights on Royal Enfield – a dominant player in India’s leisure motorcycle market. While the Dominar 400 was meant to lure Royal Enfield riders away from the brand, it hasn’t really worked for Bajaj. The latest partnership with Triumph represents a renewed stab at Royal Enfield. Only time will tell if the Bajaj-Triumph partnership manages to make a significant dent on Royal Enfield’s meteoric rise from relative obscurity to leisure motorcycle segment dominance.