UM Renegade Duty 230 ABS to Launch in India by April 2019

UM Renegade Duty 230 can be a game changer for the Indian arm of United Motorcycles. They are struggling hard to get a four-digit sales number, which can be achieved through the launch of Duty in the country. A recent report confirms that the launch of Renegade Duty has been delayed for the Indian market, and the bike will now launch by April 2019 with ABS as a standard feature.

Renegade Duty was officially unveiled at the Auto Expo in February 2018 with an ex-showroom price tag of INR 1.10 lakh, but one can consider adding INR 12,000-14,000 in this figure to compensate for the ABS being planned for the Duty series. The motorcycle will arrive in two variants, both carrying the safety feature as standard. The primary rivals would be the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and the recently launched Jawa Standard 300.

In comparison with the existing range of cruisers, Renegade Duty Ace and Duty S will use a 223cc, single cylinder engine, producing 17hp of maximum power and 17Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. UM should have branded these two bikes as independent cruisers initially as the fame that Classic 350 owns is hard to break in 2019. Also, the engine and performance difference makes the Renegade Duty more focused on the Avenger 220.

Bajaj Avenger comes with a 220cc engine, produces a comparable amount of power and comes with a light body design as UM Duty. The 140 kg overall weight of Duty S makes it an impressive competitor with added equipment like thicker tires and 41mm front forks. The availability of alloy wheels as standard on both models further make them great among existing bikes. UM Duty series comes with 15-inch rear wheel, 120mm front tire, and an analogue-digital instrument console. The styling factor will make them far more popular than the expensive options available in the company lineup.