The single-cylinder motor lies at the very heart of motorcycling’s Big Bang. The first-ever motorcycle, the Daimler Reitwagen built in 1885 by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, was powered by a single-cylinder motor. And even more than a century later, the single remains the most versatile motorcycling platform for an overwhelming majority of the world. Commuters use it to extract maximum efficiency, while dirt bikes use it to lighten themselves as much as possible. India, having its eye firmly on the former outcome, has always been the land of single-cylinder motorcycles. We hardly had a choice. But now we do.
The KTM singles are a lot of fun, but they aren’t for everyone; their single-minded focus and hard edge keeps many people away. However, if you’re tired of being single (never mind the KTM crowd), twins are a lot of fun. They carry within themselves the feel of greater reciprocating and rotating masses, pleasing sensations that physically manifest themselves as a result of additional engineering. And these three motorcycles are perfectly placed to serve as upgrades into the world of multi-cylinder motorcycles for us Indians, your best options to get more pistons between your legs. Parallely, of course. Two of these are Japanese, while the third holds an Italian passport even though it was born in China.
The oldest of this lot is the Kawasaki Ninja 300, the benchmark of nearly every small-capacity motorcycle for decades around the world. Next up is the Benelli TNT 300, the sonorous motorcycle made by the oldest Italian motorcycle maker that now makes its bikes in China. And finally, we have the Yamaha YZF-R3, the motorcycle that has the Ninja 300 firmly in its sights. Agreed, the TNT 300 is a bit out of place here. However, being a 300cc parallel twin sees it being dragged into the fight. The more, the merrier, right?
