With the recent amended Motor Vehicle Act, the government has proved that it is in no
mood to take lives and pollution as a joke. They’re tightening the regulations to keep tight
checkpoints ensuring citizens follow the traffic rule and get a little serious against pollution.
From 1 April 2020, Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) all over India to keep a check on pollution caused
by vehicles. However, before the implantation of the stage, automobile companies have
introduced advanced motorbikes. Let’s have a look at these motorbikes, but before let’s
understand what BS6 is all about and what to expect from it.
What is BS6?
Bharat Stage Emission Standards, also known as BSES, is an institution that’s governed by
the Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
India is about to take a leap from present BS4 to BS6. With this leap, India is expected to
control pollution emissions and will be on par with the West. BS6 will have major
technological modifications and will be mandatory for all vehicles.
India needed this leap as its 10 cities are amongst the most polluted ones in the world.
After signing the Conference of Protocol, which is widely known as the Paris Climate
Agreement, Indian is obliged to bring down the carbon footprint by 33-55% in the coming
12 years. This called out for stricter rules and regulations, hence BS6.
The outcome of BS6 over BS4:
The authority has ensured that BS6 matches Euro6 norms, which is already implemented in
all European Countries. The new BS6 will have the following benefits:
1. It is expected that NOx emission will reduce by 25% in petrol engines and around
68% in a diesel engine.
2. By making the On-board Diagnostic (OBD) a mandate, it will help in monitoring the
pollution in real-time.
3. Along with NOx, PM emission is expected to reduce by 80% in a diesel engine.
4. As per BS6, particulate will be measured in number standard rather than mass
standard. This will help regulate fine particles.
5. With Real Driving Emission (RDE) it will be easy to measure emission in the real
world instead of under controlled conditions.
As we now briefly understand what BS6 is and how it is going to help control pollution
caused by vehicles, let’s have a look at 2-wheelers that are compliant with this upcoming
norm.
2-Wheelers Complaint with BS6:
Technology innovation indeed is pushing automobile companies to innovate and come up
with robust solutions for age-old problems. Before the implementation of BS6, automobile
manufacturers have introduced BS6 variant bikes in the market. Let’s have a quick look at
these bikes and their prominent features.
1. Hero Splendor iSmart 110
Hero is known for its foresightedness and innovation. To welcome the new BS6 compliance,
they’ve recently launched Hero Splendor iSmart 110. It has got an innovative fuel-injected
technology that gives an effective result. Most of the features remain the same, except for a
few alterations. This newly introduced bike has a new frame along with its patented ‘idle-
stop-start’ system. The automobile manufacturer has added six senors with i3S technology
to enhance its overall performance and efficiency. This BS6 compliant bike has a 113.2cc
engine that produces 9bhp and torque of 9.89Nm. Hero MotoCorp’s Splendor iSmart 110 is
the first bike to get a BS6 certification in India.
Price – Rs 57,620 onwards
2. Honda SP 125
After Hero MotorCorp, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is the second 2-wheeler
manufacturer to introduce the Honda SP 125 BS6 compliant bike in the Indian market. This
bike has a new 124cc engine that’s fuel-injected. That's not all, the bike has got a plethora
of amazing features that make it stand out. It has got fully-digital instrument cluster,
engine start-stop switch, silent start with ACG Motor, LED DC headlamps, amazing new
body graphics, new colors, and the list goes on. The bike is programmed with Honda’s
Enhanced Smart Power (eSP). The 124cc engine generates 10.7bhp and 10.9Nm of torque
and has a five-speed gearbox.
Price: 74,072 onwards
3. TVS Apache RTR 160 4V & RTR 200 4V
TVS Motor Company has also launched BS6 compliant bikes. However, they’ve launched two
bikes, RTR 160 4V and RTR 200 4V, as opposed to its competitors. Both the bikes are
equipped with RT-Fi technology, which is Race-Turned Fuel Injection. TVS’s RTR 4V is the
first BS6 compliant bikes from the company. The RTR 160 4V is powered by a 159.7cc
single-cylinder that produces 16bhp and 14.1Nm of torque. The RTR 200 4V is powered by a
197.75cc engine that produces 20bhp and 16.8Nm of torque. Both the bikes are equipped
with LED light, GTT technology that eases the commute during traffic, dual-channel ABS,
and feather-touch start.
Price: RTR 160 4V – Rs 99,950 ; RTR 200 4V – Rs 1.24 lakhs
4. Yamaha FZ V 3.0 & FZ S V 3.0
Yahama’s FZ Fi is the first bike that’s BS6 compliant and FZ FI V3.0 is the second one. The
FZ has a 149cc engine with a single-cylinder that produces 12.2bhp and 13.6Nm of torque.
It is also fitted with a five-speed gearbox. The FZS-Fi has a 149cc single-cylinder with a
power of 12.2bhp and 13.6Nm of torque. This also comes with a five-speed gearbox. Both
the bikes have amazing body graphics, engine guard, chrome trim on the tank and a lot
more.
Price: FZ V3.0 – Rs 99,200 ; FZ S V 3.0 – Rs 1,01,200
5. Honda Activa 125
Honda Activa 125 is the first BS6 compliant 2-wheeler introduced a couple of months ago.
The scooter has ‘Silent Start Technology’ that increases its demand in the market. As per
the manufacturer, the engine is 13% efficient than the older one. Apart from BS6
compliance, the scooter has got some amazing features, such as idle-stop-start system,
real-time mileage, distance to empty and others. The non-gear bike has a 124cc engine that
produces 8.1bhp and 10.3Nm of torque.
Price: Rs 69, 923 onwards
6.TVS Jupiter
TVS introduced its first BS6 compliant scooter, TVS Jupiter, in the market recently. Apart
from being a BS6 variant, this scooter includes ET-Fi fuel-injection that is to enhance the
fuel efficiency, a new pocket in the front with a USB slot to charge the smartphone on the
go, and tinted visor. The scooter is powered with a 109.7cc engine with a single-cylinder
that produces 7.8bhp and 8Nm of torque.
Price: Rs 55,572 onwards
