Keeway will make its debut in India by launching the K-Lite cruiser, it will rival the likes of Royal Enfield, Jawa and Yezdi
Hungarian brand Keeway will set its foot in the Indian market for the first time with the launch of K-Lite. The cruiser is set to make its debut in the country on 17 May 2022 as the company has shared a Block-Your-Date invite. Though Keeway has its origins in Hungary, it is now owned by Chinese auto giant Qianjiang Group.
The latter also owns Italian motorcycle brand Benelli. In recent times, reports of QJ and Benelli developing a new set of powertrains have surfaced online. It has come to light that QJ has patented several new engines and motorcycles which are reportedly inspired by KTM’s units.
Keeway Cruiser India Launch
Keeway is known for manufacturing small cruisers, scooters, naked street bikes and adventure tourers predominantly powered by a 125cc power plant. Designs of its cruisers are inspired by roadsters from Harley Davidson although the ones from the Hungarian brand are much smaller in comparison. The iconic American brand is famous all over the world for its retro-style cruisers and bobbers.
Coming back to the invite, it features a small sketch of a bike’s rear section that confirms it is indeed the K-Lite cruiser. However, since it teases a twin-barrel exhaust, reports suggest that this bike will not be featuring a 125cc engine. Instead, it could be powered by a larger 500cc, twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that performs duties on Benelli 502c.
This engine kicks out 47 bhp and 46 Nm of peak torque in Benelli. In the upcoming cruiser from Keeway, this engine could be tuned slightly differently compared to the one offered in Benelli. There is another possibility that Keeway could use a 374cc, single-cylinder motor that is seen in Benelli Imperiale 400. This motor produces 20.7 bhp and 29Nm of peak torque.
Design
Getting into its design, the upcoming Keeway cruiser draws inspiration from the Keeway K-Light series and could come with similar styling, albeit with a larger 500cc parallel-twin engine. It gets a traditional low-slung cruiser stance with a single-piece seat. The motorcycle features a slim fuel tank that ends with a panel on each side followed by a short mudguard.
Following Harley’s retro styling, K-Light receives a round headlight and circular turn indicators at both ends. The sketch on the teaser reveals that it gets a flat tail section with split grab rails and a rear tyre hugger. This should go with a flat handlebar and mid-set footpegs that will offer comfortable riding ergonomics.
Expected Mode of Arrival
As of now, it is unclear if the motorcycle will be made in India or assembled in the country via CKD kits. It can also be the case where the entire bike is fully imported under the CBU route since there have been no reports of Keeway setting up any production base in the country. Pricing will be key if Keeway ought to take on segment leader Royal Enfield.
