From petrol to electric, small scooters to massive adventure bikes, there’s a lot headed our way this year.
It is a new year, and one that’s full of twos – 2022. And there’s a lot to look forward to, if you’re on the lookout for a new two-wheeler. The last year was a pretty eventful one for the bike market, but this year promises to be just as exciting if not more. So, here are all the new bikes and scooters you can look forward to in 2022.
This sort of thing usually comes down to a mix of guesswork and estimation, but in a rather strange move, Ducati has already told us exactly what bikes it will be launching in 2022, so we’ll start there.
Ducati
There are a few truly new bikes headed our way, as well as some model year updates, and some special editions, too. The all-new machines are the Streetfighter V2 – a stripped down version of the Panigale V2 supersport – and the extremely exciting DesertX, which is Ducati’s first truly hardcore adventure bike in a long time.
Among the updated machines, you have the Multistrada V2 – an evolution of the Multistrada 950 and the 2022 Panigale V4 – which has received a number of meaningful updates for this year, including changes to gearing, electronics and ergonomics.
Later in the year, the Panigale will also receive its more hardcore SP variant, and the Streetfighter V4’s own SP variant will also launch in India this year. The other bike in the V4 line-up, the Multistrada, will also see its Pikes Peak variant being launched here in 2022, which is a more sporty, street-focused machine than the standard bike.
That leaves us with the special editions, which are the Scrambler 1100 Tribute Pro, the Scrambler 800 Urban Motard, the Panigale V2 Troy Bayliss Edition and the XDiavel Poltrona Frau Edition, which will be built in collaboration with a luxury Italian furniture brand.
Aprilia
Ducati’s fellow rival, Aprilia, is expected to bring in the last remaining model from its new 660cc line-up, the Tuareg 660 adventure bike. This pukka off-roader uses a 21-inch/18-inch wire-spoke wheel combo and will join the Tuono 660 naked and the RS660 sport bike that are already on sale in India.
BMW
Continuing with the Europeans, BMW has a few models lined up for India as well. It rolled out a couple of new versions of its mega R 18 cruiser, the R 18 B and Transcontinental, both of which are more touring oriented and should arrive in India sometime in 2022. At the more affordable end of things, its F 750 and 850 GS adventure bikes have received emissions updates, too, and should make a return to the Indian market soon.
TVS
BMW’s Indian partner, TVS, has some models in the pipeline as well. The most exciting of these is a naked bike based on the 310cc platform co-developed with BMW. It’s likely to resemble a stripped down Apache RR 310, and should get similar bells and whistles. The Hosur brand also seems to be working on a new B2B electric scooter – spotted testing with a rear luggage rack in place of a pillion seat – as well as a neo-retro scrambler-style motorcycle resembling the Yamaha FZ-X.
Royal Enfield
Another Indian manufacturer with a lot in the pipeline is Royal Enfield. A lot of its upcoming products are quite well known already – we know there are one or two 650cc cruiser models on the horizon, perhaps called the Shotgun and the Super Meteor, as well as a more affordable bare-bones Himalayan that will probably be known as the Scram. There’s also the roadster-style bike expected to be called the Hunter, which is a lower displacement machine and has been spotted testing several times. And finally, we also have the chance that RE will update its legendary Bullet with the new J-platform 349cc engine.
Hero MotoCorp
The final Indian manufacturer whose plans for 2022 are quite clear is Hero MotoCorp. The brand will take a step into the unknown with the launch of its very first electric scooter in March. It’s also likely that the four-valve motor, which recently debuted in the XPulse 200 4V, will make its way into the Xtreme 200S as well.
Ather
Hero also recently made news by announcing yet another investment in Ather Energy, the Bengaluru-based start-up that is expected to roll out a more affordable e-scooter sometime in 2022, to take on the likes of Ola Electric and Simple Energy.
Ultraviolette, Bounce, Tork and Simple Energy
Elsewhere in the electric space, Ultraviolette Automotive will finally launch the electric motorcycle it unveiled quite a long time ago – the F77. Another electric bike that was recently launched is the Tork Kratos, whose deliveries are expected to begin in April.
On the electric scooter front, Bounce and Simple Energy both announced prices for their e-scooters in the latter half of last year, and deliveries are expected to begin this year.
Husqvarna and KTM
Swedish brand Husqvarna is also expected to launch its electric scooter, the Vektorr, sometime this year. As for its sister company, KTM, well, it has quite a bit in store for us. It will first roll out the new RC 390, which gets updates in line with the new RC 125 and RC 200, plus a new TFT display like the 390 Duke’s.
It has also been spotted testing an updated 390 Adventure featuring a slightly different wheel design, and the 390 Duke is due for a refresher, too, so expect these also. In addition to this, there is a small chance that the Austrian manufacturer could launch an e-scooter of its own. As for whether KTM will finally bring some more big bikes to India to follow up the 790 Duke, well, one can only hope because the company hasn’t hinted at doing this so far.
Kawasaki
Switching from orange to green, Kawasaki will bring us the updated Versys 650 in 2022, complete with a new look and a much-needed TFT display and a few other updates. It’s been a while since we heard anything about the W175, so the status of that project remains uncertain at this point. Perhaps Kawasaki is having second thoughts on how well it will do here.
Suzuki
One machine we do expect to certainly arrive is Suzuki’s new electric scooter, which will perhaps be based on the Burgman and called the Burgman Electric. The brand is also reportedly working on a V-Strom 250 adventure bike, which could borrow its engine from the 250cc Gixxers.
Finally, the Japanese manufacturer could expand its big-bike portfolio in India by launching the Katana, the new GSX-S1000 and its GT version, all of which are powered by the same 999cc inline-four engine. The updated GSX models were both launched internationally last year, with fresh styling and some added features.
Triumph
Another big player in the big-bike market is Triumph, which will bring us its Tiger Sport 660 – an adventure tourer based on the Trident 660. It’s likely to be quite affordable, possibly under Rs 10 lakh (on road). At the opposite end of things is another adventure bike, the new Tiger 1200, which has been comprehensively revised, with a new engine concept, chassis and electronics.
Benelli
Benelli’s plans include the reintroduction of the Leoncino 250, which shares its engine with the recently launched TRK 251. There’s also the highly-anticipated launch of the updated TNT 600, which is oh so popular in India, as well as the new TRK 800 adventure bike, which has not been on sale in India before.
Harley-Davidson
And finally, we have Harley-Davidson, from whom we should receive the updated 2022 Pan America, which gets a new colour scheme and some revisions to its TFT display. It also recently added a whole bunch of models to its global 2022 line-up, a few of which should launch in India this year.
Which new bike or scooter are you most looking forward to in 2022? Let us know in the comments below.
