[mail4ajo]

Rachit, what is your height and inseam length? You are almost tip toeing. The inner part of the seat is very narrow. I was comfortable in that position. Way better than the Ninja for me.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Then there is a shady practice of undervaluing(or sometimes overvaluing depending on circumstances) shipment bills and evading hefty duties in the country of import, then adding a premium on that ex showroom price to just be competitive in that market so you can have a respectable sales figure and rake in a big premium per model sold.

That's sounds like a really serious offence and I recall you mentioning one particular manufacturer by name in the other thread. If you do have the required proof, I request that you bring this to the attention of the authorities to ensure that justice is served. In my limited experiences, I have noticed Indian government departments have email addresses and a contact us section where you can share all the details of wrongdoings, if any.

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

The 5.5 lakh 600i sells for 3.8 lakhs in Italy and SA(despite being exported from China) but not as Benellis but as Keeways. The same bike is also sold under so many other brands depending on where you are as QJiang QJ600, Generic GSR600, KSR Moto GRS600, Zanella FJ600 etc.

The bike is worth as much as a N300 to them but in other countries they are sold at N650 prices and that's a hefty premium being charged just like every other manufacturer. The additional 1.7 lakh being paid in India is for the replacement of badge from Keeway to Benelli which is what you said about brand perception.

To me, there are 2 separate factors at play when one discusses the relative success of Benelli in India - brand perception & perceived value of individual products. They would've been staring at a sales disaster if they
a. Leveraged the premium brand name & priced their products exorbitantly
b. Used one of the other brand names like Kee Way and priced their products smartly
Since they are looking at volumes in a very value conscious market, they picked the right combination of brand name and pricing.


I feel Honda went with option A as its not after volumes, 365 bikes a year (assuming one shift a day) is peanuts considering the number of bikes the behemoth churns out every year in India. Yes, businesses exist to make profits (tidy ones even, considering the CBR650) but one cant make profits unless one sells their products. I strongly feel Honda will have a tough time pushing CBR650s out of showrooms at this price though many of my riding buddies think otherwise.

[nytsky]

This was a long awaited launch and turned out to be thoroughly disappointing. Read somewhere that Honda has planned for about 14% localisation for CBR650F and yet the pricing is so steep

After knowing OTR price in Bangalore, I don't even want to give it a second thought. Benelli or Kawasaki seem a better bet at this price range and engine capacity. However I'm unable to understand the rationale being this pricing? Can someone explain?

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Rachit, what is your height and inseam length? You are almost tip toeing. The inner part of the seat is very narrow. I was comfortable in that position. Way better than the Ninja for me.

I am 5 feet 6 Inches. Yeah, If I tried to put both feet on ground than I was tiptoeing, but if I tried one it was comfortable. Sorry, don't remember the inseam length. I guess it was around 27-28 inches.

CBR650F although felt better than the Daytona and Ducati 899 Panigale. With the Daytona, placing one feet on ground was also slightly tougher and Ducati was much tougher.

Regards
Rachit

[Axe77]

For the informed folks, what is a superior product. A Ducati monster 795/6 or a honda 650? Also, does anyone know what the bbay on road price of the Honda 650 is? The monster is around 9-9.5 on road.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

I am 5 feet 6 Inches. Yeah, If I tried to put both feet on ground than I was tiptoeing, but if I tried one it was comfortable.

Thanks, I think with your riding boots, should be better. Will it not give you another inch or so?

Originally Posted by Axe77

For the informed folks, what is a superior product. A Ducati monster 795/6 or a honda 650? Also, does anyone know what the bbay on road price of the Honda 650 is? The monster is around 9-9.5 on road.

Not an expert to say which is better, 795 is a L twin cylinder naked and is the previous generation. The new gen is 821 which is considerably more expensive (9.3L ex BLR) but more high tech with Traction Control, riding modes, ABS.

CBR on the other hand is an inline 4 cylinder, fully fairing middle weight sportsbike. Not very high tech, but has 2 channel ABS which is missing on the 795. OTR price in Chennai is 8.06L.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by nytsky

After knowing OTR price in Bangalore, I don't even want to give it a second thought. Benelli or Kawasaki seem a better bet at this price range and engine capacity. However I'm unable to understand the rationale being this pricing? Can someone explain?

Maybe their market research said they they will only sell a handful since the market is limited in numbers. Maybe they are too busy focussing on becoming the number 1 manufacturer in the country and they know the CBR650 will do virtually nothing to help them achieve it whatever be the pricing. Maybe their pricing division looks at their internal Honda Pricing 101 manual (which I have heard is just a one pager since it has only one point) which states all Honda products have to be priced at a premium in India because the manual says so.

There are two ways of looking at this
1. Honda will sell some of these bikes because they are Honda.
2. Honda will sell some of these bikes despite being Honda.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Thanks, I think with your riding boots, should be better. Will it not give you another inch or so?

Yeah, I think you are right. These shoes are very flat and have a thin sole. The riding boots should atleast give half an inch.

[shan_ned]

Originally Posted by Axe77

For the informed folks, what is a superior product. A Ducati monster 795/6 or a honda 650? Also, does anyone know what the bbay on road price of the Honda 650 is? The monster is around 9-9.5 on road.

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Not an expert to say which is better, 795 is a L twin cylinder naked and is the previous generation. The new gen is 821 which is considerably more expensive (9.3L ex BLR) but more high tech with Traction Control, riding modes, ABS.

CBR on the other hand is an inline 4 cylinder, fully fairing middle weight sportsbike. Not very high tech, but has 2 channel ABS which is missing on the 795. OTR price in Chennai is 8.06L.

Superior ? In terms of fun, Monster will be superior ... The monster has loads of torque throughout the RPM range and 650F will get it at the higher RPM only. In terms of Build quality - I haven't seen both .. In terms of maintenance, 650F will have an upper hand.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

There are two ways of looking at this
1. Honda will sell some of these bikes because they are Honda.
2. Honda will sell some of these bikes despite being Honda.

Well said. Add another point here that Honda will sell 650F as long as KTM doesn't come out with it's 500/800CC bike . It is applicable for others as well, but more for Honda.

Note from Support - Dots between words have been removed. Kindly avoid submitting dotty posts as it affects readability.

[pratap.pratu]

650 fanatics.. enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLppeR2lUD4

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by pratap.pratu

650 fanatics.. enjoy

Sometimes I really wonder how do showroom managers allow this creature to enter their showrooms and ride their bikes with utmost recklessness. Blot on motovlogging.

[mail4ajo]

Service details for CBR as confirmed by dealer: 6000kms/6 months. Approx cost 4K.

Also any idea on the stock setting of the rear suspension? Read somewhere its on step 2. It has 7 steps.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Service details for CBR as confirmed by dealer: 6000kms/6 months. Approx cost 4K.

Also any idea on the stock setting of the rear suspension? Read somewhere its on step 2. It has 7 steps.

Yup, First service at 1000Kms or 1 month and then every 6000Kms or 6 months.
Average service cost to be between 4K-6K.

You are correct. The rear suspension has 7 Pre-Load settings and by default it is at position 2.

Regards
Rachit

[loki]

Visited Silicon Honda today. They've got a display bike and a Test ride bike (both which werent registered as yet). Test rides will be given from Monday onwards. Started the bike and revved it a little. Loved the sound! Seemed much more throaty than all the vids of the stock exhaust I've seen on Youtube. Also oberved that the Ground clearance is slightly lower than expected. Anybody else observed this?

Only 5 bookings so far in Bangalore. Any idea whats the scene with other cities? I'm sure Delhi will have atleast 10. So net net, Honda will just be able to sell their 30 odd bikes which they have brought in CKD kits for. Is that what they originally intend to sell?

I'm willing to wager that if Honda reduce the price by 50k, they will sell 50% more volumes. Reduce price by 100k, and actual volumes should go up by 100%. OK I made the numbers up - but I'm sure many people agree with me.

Can someone infiltrate HMSI HQ and get their volume forecasts for the bike? If you are doing so, please also punch the guy/ girl who conceptualized Revfest. What a sham! Or maybe Honda are trolling us here :(

[junkishya]

Online review / comparison between Kawasaki, Honda and Yamaha .. this coming from a mag like Motorcycle.com, I would tend to believe it ...

https://youtu.be/LwwXYYH6ToE