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BMW Rumored to Reveal 350cc Enduro and 500cc Streetfighter Made in India

It looks like the rumor mill is spinning faster and faster when it comes to the first new bikes the German manufacturer BMW will produce in collaboration with its new Indian makes TVS. While we knew that BMW was going for the half-liter class and was most likely going to go under the 500cc mark, new whispers from the Indian industry now speak about a 350cc enduro machine which will be accompanied by a 500cc naked streetfighter.
2011 BMW R1200R 3 photos
Photo: BMW
2007 BMW G650X Country2011 BMW R1200GS
I have to admit it: having 350cc and BMW in the same sentence is truly awkward, but it’s the result of all the changes in the world motorcycling industry. The new bikes will be developed and engineered by BMW, and manufactured by TVS in India, and it looks like they will have Indian and European versions. The former will be most likely wearing TVS badge and will be sold in India and adjacent markets, while the latter will be marketed as BMW machinery and sold in the traditional markets of the Bavarian maker.

According to local industry rumors, the enduro model will be a downscaled version of the G650X. With a hefty dose of supermoto DNA, good street worthiness and also capable to tackle rough terrain, the new 350cc single-cylinder may be a do-it-all machine with high chances of massive success in the Indian market, provided that the price is right. At the same time, both Europe and North America are pretty good markets for such a bike, for both new riders and seasoned ones in search of a more economical all-rounder.

The 500cc-clas roadster is believed to be based on the R1200R machine, but also powered by a liquid-cooled single-cylinder lump, but with excellent streetability, too. This machine might chew at the cake other more or less similar bikes currently plan to share, and the KTM 390 Duke or the Harley-Davidson Street 500 are just two of them.

While at least one of the new BMW-TVS bikes is rumored to make appearance in late 2014, the machines are expected in 2015, with the Indian version shelved first, unlike KTM did when it launched the Western 390 Duke first and put Indian customers on hold.

Fact is, new BMW goodness is coming, and we’re waiting to see how the smaller bikes live up to the expectations.
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