The gradual convergence of bikes intended for the India and those sold in more traditionally ‘developed’ markets is an ongoing theme at the moment. Not only are we seeing European firms like BMW, KTM and Triumph doing production and R&D deals with Indian companies, but bikes developed for India are looking increasingly credible for a worldwide market.
Think of things like the Royal Enfield Himalayan - coming in Euro4-spec to the UK soon - or the upcoming twin-cylinder Royal Enfield retro models, which look set to be budget alternatives to a Triumph Bonneville. How about the Bajaj-built KTM Duke 390 and RC390? And then there’s the TVS-built BMW R310R and R310GS, not to mention the soon-to-be-launched RR310S sportsbike.
Now Yamaha has launched the new Fazer25, spied in near-finished form earlier this month, onto the Indian market.
While the air-cooled, single-cylinder 250 is probably a bit too underwhelming to ever get a release outside India – its peak power of 20.9hp at 8000rpm isn’t going to get many pulses racing – it’s not a million miles from the performance of Suzuki’s new twin-cylinder GSX250R. The Suzuki musters 25hp but tips the scales at 181kg, which is a full 27kg more than the Yamaha’s claimed 154kg curb weight. That difference could more than offset the simpler Yamaha’s power deficit.
Of course, the Suzuki is an ABS-equipped, Euro4-legal, water-cooled machine. The Fazer25 is currently an India-only model with no ABS and an air-cooled motor that might struggle to meet Euro4’s stringent emissions limits. Yamaha is expected to add ABS to the Indian market Fazer25 in the near future, but it’s still exceedingly unlikely to ever be offered in Europe.
Even so, it remains another indicator that India’s enormous bike market is getting ever more mature, and will one day truly converge with that in Europe. That day may be sooner than you think.
