Best of 2018: The top ten motorcycles launched in India this year
As 2018 draws to a close, we're finally looking to heave a little sigh of relief â€" no more launches for this year! It's been an action-packed year for us, as over two dozen motorcycles were launched in 2018 â€" that's an average of two motorcycles launched per month, or more! We were constantly zipping across the country (and even abroad!) to ride them and it's almost like our bags were packed perennially to ride one motorcycle after another. It was hard to whittle the list down to the top ten, considering that motorcycles were launched across various segments and price ranges, but here's the list of the motorcycles that we think deserve to be called the top ten launches of 2018, in alphabetical order.
1.        BMW G 310 R and BMW G 310 GS2.        Hero Xtreme 200R
Another long wait came to an end with this one. The 200R in fact also marked Hero MotoCorp's return to the performance arena, right into the segment that's easily one of the most popular ones in the country, the 200cc naked streetbike category. Powered by an engine that started life as a 150cc unit powering the Hero Achiever 150, the Xtreme 200R does come across as an interesting proposition if in the market for a 200cc, near 20PS motorcycle
3.        Jawa Motorcycles Jawa and Jawa Forty-Two
The Jawas are back and how! Classic Legends launched the motorcycles amid much fanfare and interestingly, the Jawa looks exactly like the original, while the Jawa Forty-Two is a relatively more modern take on retro-classic motorcycles. Both machines are powered by the same, 293cc, 27PS single-cylinder engine. The response has been overwhelming to say the least and in fact Jawa has had to close online bookings for both motorcycles till September 2019 owing to the number of bookings received
4.      Kawasaki Ninja 400
The Ninja 400 broke cover as a replacement to the ageing Ninja 300 globally in 2017 and has received accolades the world over for what it brings to the table as a premium sportsbike. But despite being assembled by Kawasaki in India, the bike has been priced a little too high in India for it to appeal to prospective buyers. While it an interesting addition to its segment, Kawasaki India clearly needs to rework its pricing strategy for the bike to become more lucrative as a package
5.        KTM 125 Duke
The 125 Duke was a bit of a surprise package. Many didn't see it coming, but KTM India strongly believes the market for a premium, sporty and fun to ride 125cc motorcycle does exist in India. So they've taken the plunge, into a segment that has always been looked upon as one that prefers conservative design and fuel efficiency over sporty styling, handling and performance
6.        Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 and Royal Enfield Interceptor 650
The Royal Enfield twins had thousands drool right from the day engine details were given out at the 2017 EICMA. And when we rode them both â€" first in the USA and then in India â€" we came back impressed, not just with the engine performance but also the build quality and fit-finish levels
7.        Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT
8.        Triumph Tiger 800
9.        TVS Apache RR 310
10.        Yamaha YZF-R15 V3
What do you think of the above motorcycles? Let us know in the comments!