Triumph motorcycles launch in India, prices start at Rs 5.7 lac

Triumph motorcycles launch in India, prices start at Rs 5.7 lac

Perhaps the most significant automotive launch of 2013 was the well-attended Triumph launch event held in Delhi on November 28. After an unfortunate series of events since they announced a slew of motorcycles at competitive prices at Auto Expo 2012, the company has finally begun India operations in earnest. And it’s not hard to forgive them for their radio silence thus far. Barring Harley-Davidson, Triumph seem poised to become the most serious large-capacity motorcycle manufacturer in the country.

Before considering the prices of the motorcycles themselves, it’s worth noting that the lineup itself has been expanded since 2012. From the original seven motorcycles, we will now be able to buy ten, including the big Tiger 1200 enduro and the T100 and Thruxton variants of the Bonneville. Of these, we believe that Triumph is committed to assembling six vehicles at their Manesar facility in North India: the Bonneville, T100, Thruxton, Street Triple, Speed Triple and Daytona 675R, which will come down from their Thailand plant as CKD (Completely Knocked-Down) kits. As expected, the Bonneville and its variants are a shot across the bow of Harley-Davidson with their aggressive pricing. In some ways, they both appeal to a similar customer — one that appreciates traditional, even retro styling in an upmarket, modern-ish package.

With these ten bikes, Triumph also becomes the first foreign motorcycle manufacturer to offer a lineup straddling motorcycling genres. There’s the upright Bonnie, the supersport Daytona, the hooligan Triples, the go-anywhere Tigers and the over-the-top cruisers in the Storm and Rocket. Combined with the ambitious CKD plans (Brazil is the only other country with an assembly facility), this represents a solid commitment to the Indian market. Even H-D started off with just two CKD models before expanding to the existing (at last count) 9 models assembled in India. Triumph promises seven dealers by year-end, with more coming in 2014. With the absence of serious competition in all but the cruiser genre, we expect Triumph to make out quite well.

Triumph’s India plans include an assembly facility in Manesar, which is well-known and a plant in Narsapura, Karnataka, which isn’t. At the launch event, company officials simply acknowledged that land has been acquired in the southern state and left it at that. Our friends at OVERDRIVE believe that Triumph will manufacture a small 250cc motorcycle at that plant, possibly for a global audience. Rideapart has some clear pictures of what appears to be a rather plain 250cc liquid-cooled single with some overt nods to the Speed and Street triple. However, a more recent spotting at oliepeil.nl suggests a small faired sportbike. Optimists that we are, we hope that Triumph — like KTM — will do both.

Slated for a 2015 launch, the smallest Triumph will go up against the Kawasaki Ninja 300, the Honda CBR 300, the KTM 390 Duke, Hyosung GT250R and potentially, the upcoming Yamaha R25 in production form.

Bonneville, T100, Thruxton

The Bonnie and its variants are obviously where Triumph expects volumes. You don’t have to be a vintage bike collector to appreciate just how much fondness we harbour for Brit iron. Just look at the enduring popularity of Royal Enfield. The traditional aesthetics and ergonomics of the Bonneville coupled with up-to-date mechanicals makes for a very attractive package. The Bonnie even gets fake carbs to cover up the unremarkable-looking EFI throttle bodies! The T100 gets cosmetic upgrades to the standard Bonneville including laced wheels and different colour schemes, while the Thruxton gets the trend du jour café racer treatment, complete with seat cowl, clip-ons, rearsets and a small bump in peak power. Ranging between Rs 5.7 and Rs 6.7 lac, the obvious market is that of Harley’s low-end SuperLow and Iron 883.

The launch price of the base Bonneville is barely above the Rs 5.5 lac announced at the 2012 Auto Expo. Considering the appreciation of the dollar since and the fact that the new price is less than 12% above the 2013 US price, we suspect Triumph is taking a hit on margins to ensure the Bonnie’s success. The upcoming Street 750, if priced well, should make things a bit harder for Triumph. 2014 will be an interesting year.

Tiger 800, Tiger 1200

Anecdotally, India loves going off the beaten path on two wheels. By now, Ladakh is a motorcycling pilgrimage few can resist, and most prefer to make it on Royal Enfields — not the ideal mount for when the tarmac ends. Save for the brief, unsuccessful run of the BMW F650, we’ve never had a proper enduro or dual-sport motorcycle available in dealerships. The Tigers will change this. Unfortunately, the twins will be imported via the CBU (Completely Built-Up) route, making the pricing relatively unattractive. At Rs 12 lac for the 800 XC and an eye-watering Rs 17.9 lac for the 1200, the Tigers will remain out of reach for all but the well-heeled, committed off-roader.

Kartikeya Singhee of Autocar India wasn’t happy:

The Tiger family starts at a pricey Rs 12 lakh for the baby 800XC, while the big boy 1215cc Tiger Explorer is priced at Rs 17.9 lakh! That’s neck and neck with BMW’s F650GS and R1200GS. In which case, I know what I would pick.

There are more than a few BMW F650GS and R1200GS on the road at similar prices, despite the somewhat tentative presence of BMW Motorrad in India. Triumph will offer prospective customers a wider dealer base and a solid tier-one presence in the country.

Street Triple, Speed Triple

Unabashedly brash, the Triples have taken the ‘hooligan’ tag and made it their own. The strange bug-eyed headlights, the short, stubby tail section and a bit of help from Ethan Hunt have made the Triples quite recognisable. Most importantly, we expect both to be assembled in India, making their prices more accessible. The Street Triple will come in at Rs 7.5 lac while the Speed Triple will clock in at Rs 10.4 lac. Of particular note is the smaller Street triple, which shares many components — including an engine — with the supersport Daytona 675, giving it plenty of cred on paper. We know more than a few folks who’ve been furiously juggling rainy-day funds and punching numbers to make the cut.

Daytona 675R

We’re not sure why Triumph decided to announce the R version of the highly-regarded Daytona 675 in India. Granted, the exotic bits on the vehicle come at a very reasonable premium over the standard version, and the lads at Fast Bikes magazine call it the best thing since chicken tikka masala every time they swing a leg over it. But at Rs 11.4 lac, Triumph has some convincing to do. That said, the Daytona 675R will rule a category of one. There are no other sportbikes available in India around 600cc.

Thunderbird Storm, Rocket III

While technically cruisers and by that definition, competitors to Harley-Davidson, Triumph’s offerings offer some differentiation. For starters, the Storm uses a decidedly non-traditional for a cruiser parallel-twin engine configuration with a 270-degree firing order. You still get a rorty stumble in the exhaust note, while making do with 98PS and 115 ft-lb of torque. The Storm is a bit like an ‘R’ version of the base Thunderbird (interestingly a brand owned by Royal Enfield in India), with more power and more menacing blacked-out looks. The closest competitor we can imagine is the H-D Fat Bob, but there’s little comparison in the bad-assness stakes. At the top of the Triumph range is the Rocket III. It’s a 2300cc, longitudinal in-line triple that makes 221Nm of torque. It costs Rs 20 lac. Where do we even begin?