You are sitting in a traffic jam and there are 30 or so cars in front of you. Then out of nowhere you hear the purring of an engine and some two wheeler lane splits and in a matter of second disappears into the traffic filtering in between cars. As you sit there contemplating what just happened two or more bikes wheeze past you, by the look of them they are not your ordinary bodaboda bikes, these are mean looking sweet sounding machines. Well that’s the biker community in Kenya, a very fast growing society as the market gets saturated with all kinds of bikes. That sexy looking bike that just overtook you could be only 150cc or 200cc. Here are 5 common bikes under 200cc on our Kenyan roads.
TVS Apache RTR180
A very common commuter bike on our roads, it has a 180cc overhead cam engine. It’s a beast for its size and it does have a mean and aggressive looks. You can easily spot one with a top box or as a bodaboda, they are very comfortable and can take a load. The bike is also famous in the private bikers scene due to its speed and agility. This is possibly the most expensive and fastest bodaboda on our roads. The factory top speed of the bike is said to be 124kph but we have riders doing up to 140kph on the same bike. The price tag is a whopping 245,000 for a new one at Car and General, you can get a second hand one for slightly below 200k
Lifan/Skygo KPR 200
This is a sport bike with 198cc displacement. The bike has a nice exhaust note and is capable with its Single overhead Cam engine. It has an adjustable mono-shock in the rear making it comfortable or sporty depending on how you want it. It has a liquid cooled engine making it ideal for long rides. It does bear a mean look coupled with a sporty curve. It has a factory rated speed of 120kph but just like the apache, the bike can do higher speeds. It comes with a price tag of 180k brand new from Lifan motors and slightly less for a used one.
Benelli TNT 150
Introduced in the Kenyan Market by Chinese Motorcycle giant Captain Motorcycles. The bike has received a cult following also being the cheapest bike in its class. The bike originally from Italy is assembled in China and does bear some technological advancements compared to some other bikes in this list. The machine is a mean looking street bike with its beautifully sculpted exo-frame. The bike has a top speed of 130kph but it is slightly slower in acceleration compared to other bikes in the list. The bike has a price tag of 160k new and a used one will set you back roughly 140k
Evalast Kuga
You probably have heard about the Kuga riders, the bike has the biggest cult following of any bike in Kenya. You will see them modified or stock all over. The bike is built in a cruiser design making it very comfortable for long road trips. The bike has very minimal vibrations which is very unique to the bike considering it has an overhead valve engine. The bike is powerful for a 150cc engine. The kuga’s top speed has been rated as 120kph and some riders have done 135kph on the modified versions of the bike. It has the lowest price tag in this list with a new one going for 100k and a used one going for around 70k depending on the maintenance.
Jincheng JC180
This is by far the best looking bike in this list. The company did invest in looks by trying to replicate the looks of the Kawasaki Ninja. The bike has a sporty look and a sport riding position. The bike is light weight and features dual disk brakes in the front and a single disk brake at the bike. It does have a 6 speed gearbox which makes it have a decent top speed of 130kph. The bike attracts a buying price of 180k brand new, but doesn’t seem to hold a resale value with some that are just a few months old going for 130k., although this seems to be slowly changing as it gets a fan base.
As cars increase on our roads, the ripple effect in terms of traffic jams is felt by all commuters except for the biker community since lane splitting and traffic filtering are both legal. Next time you see a bike squeeze past you in traffic don’t get annoyed, consider a switch to the iron pony…
