When TVS and BMW announced in 2013 that they will be tying up and collaborating for many future projects, they made it clear that their first release, a small capacity, will be a sub-500cc street bike, which will be released somewhere around 2015. Recently, some leaked photos from test circuits in Germany give a peek at what might be the new highly anticipated offering from the TVS and BMW.
TVS-BMW have been keeping mum about the technical specifications of the bike codenamed K03 but it is expected to come with a 4 stroke water cooled single cylinder 300 cc engine, which is expected to generate more than 40 PS of power. The motorcycle will come equipped with a six-speed gearbox to go with the 300cc engine.
The leaked images show that the K03 will be a naked street motorcycle and looks very similar to the Draken concept bike unveiled last year at the annual auto expo in the capital city. The recently leaked photos from Germany give a good look at what will be the naked roadster released by TVS-BMW later this year. The bike featured contains a single projector headlight unit in the front, with inverted forks and single disc brakes. The exhaust looks like a beefy version of the slung exhaust generally featured on the roadsters. The bike is expected to come equipped with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), at least as an option, and all other standard features.
The motorcycle sold by TVS will be competing against the likes of the Z250 and the KTM Duke 390 and is expected to be priced competitively. The BMW test riders in Germany were also seen taking the Duke 390 for a spin around the track, probably for comparison with their K03. BMW was always considered a premium brand in the country, and the German giants look set to change it with their partnership with TVS. BMW might end up using the same platform for a fully faired sports bike and a GS-like adventure motorcycle that will follow the 300 cc roadster into the Indian market.
