UM Motorcycles India Launch At Auto Expo 2016
For those who remember the Auto Expo 2014, then you will remember the motorcycle manufacturer called UM Motorcycles. A motorcycle brand that has its origin in the US and founded by the Villegas Family. While they displayed a lot of motorcycles at the previous Auto Expo in an effort to get feedback from the Indian market; the Auto Expo 2016 will see them launching two motorcycles into the Indian market. Both the motorcycles will be cruisers and of the Renegade series. The entry level cruiser segment is India is still pretty nascent and has only the Bajaj Avenger series currently available. Earlier we had the Yamaha Enticer, but its production stopped long ago.
UM has in its kitty what it takes to give the cruiser section in India a much needed push. The UM motorcycles that will initially see its launch in India are the UM Renegade Commando and the Renegade Duty.
UM Renegade Duty
This UM motorcycle comes in two variants and is powered by a 124cc and a 149cc single cylinder four stroke engine. It is fed by a carburettor and is of course air cooled. The 124cc engine produces 11.85 HP @ 7773 RPM and 9.81 NM @ 6657 RPM while the 149cc engine produces 12.92 HP @ 7630 RPM and 11.32 NM @ 6360 RPM, definitely respectable numbers in the segment. We in India will mostly get the 149cc version. UM is most likely to place this cruiser right in competition to the new Bajaj Avenger 150.
UM Renegade Commando
This is the better looking UM motorcycle. While the Duty looked a bit skinny and a bit disproportionate, the UM Renegade Commando looks like a proper cruiser. Again there are two versions of these available internationally, a 149.4cc version and a 223cc version. We are most likely to get the 223cc version. This engine produces 18 HP @ 8000 RPM and 15.5 Nm @ 5500 RPM. Now we really wish UM had given this cruiser a bit more torque to play with, at 15.5 Nm it is going to be a tad bit difficult to do some cruising.
What is our verdict on UM Motorcycles India? Well, the main USP for UM internationally has been the pricing of their motorcycles and if UM can achieve the same here it will definitely attract some attention. Looks wise, to be brutally honest the Renegade Duty looks homemade and does not have the finish of a proper factory made machine. But we will reserve the rest of our comments till we have seen the motorcycles in the flesh and after a proper test ride review.
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