A few weeks back, we told you about Bajaj’s ongoing efforts of developing a 250cc (or close) parallel twin engined motorcycle to redefine the performance benchmark for ‘made-in-India’ motorcycles. We have recently got more information from our sources about this new bike! However, like any news story, there is a good side and a bad side to it. The good side is that the chassis prototype is ready! Yes, the beam frame chassis that we told you about and its related suspension components are ready and the parallel twin engine has been bolted in. As per our sources, with these basics in place, Bajaj is getting ready to make the first prototype of the vehicle to commence testing at their private test track in Chakan. Once the endurance testing of the chassis, engine and suspension components is done, the company will turn its attention to other components like wheels, tyres, body panels etc.

*Representative image, does not show the actual vehicle

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So whats the bad news then? Click on the next page for more info…

Speaking of wheels and tyres, some of our sources have hinted towards the development of the a soft compound tyre for the new bike and is being sourced from not one, but two tyre manufacturers. We expect the tyre size to be a 130 or a 150 section with a 60 or 70 section profile. As far as the body goes, there is no news whether the new vehicle will sport a full fairing to attract crowd or not. However we speculate the vehicle to continue the Pulsar’s street-fighter form with a quarter-fairing being the best bet. So the bad news is, the bike will take atleast one more year before it makes a public appearance, with component testing, endurance testing and finally ARAI approval still in the pipeline. We speculate a Diwali 2011 launch for the bike, but we won’t be surprised if Bajaj holds it back till Auto Expo 2012.

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Why would Bajaj develop a 250cc motorcycle when they already have the Ninja 250R? Head over to the next page for the answer…

We would like to put some light on the query which cropped up every now and then when we last told you about the new multi-cylinder Bajaj motorcycle: Why would Bajaj launch a competing product against the Ninja 250R? The answer is simple. Kawasaki is just a collaborator with Bajaj for the Indian’s brand’s off-shore ventures. Unlike the earlier decades, Bajaj today does not rely heavily on Kawasaki for technical know-how. The Ninja 250R is being sold via the Pro Biking showrooms, not because Bajaj wants to quench your thirst for high performance bikes, but because Kawasaki thinks there is a lucrative market for their products in India. Since Bajaj sells its products like the Wind 125 through Kawasaki’s dealerships in other developing countries, Kawasaki is following the same practice to sell its wares in India. Creating a home-grown 250cc motorcycle will not only mean a better product portfolio for Bajaj as compared to its rivals, but also better profits in the premium motorcycle segment – a market where the Pune-based manufacturer truly excels. Hence, when the motorcycle finally rolls out of the production plant, it will play a second fiddle to the Ninja 250R. While the Kawasaki will be marketed as a niche product, the Bajaj 250 will stick to the bike-maker’s ‘value-for-money’ philosophy – the profits of which won’t have to be shared with the Japanese bike-maker.