Top 5 premium bikes in India under ₹5 lakh: Royal Enfield, Aprilia, Harley & More

But the rise of such an era can make the task of finding the right bike akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. The increased participation of manufacturers within the segment has spawned an expansive catalogue of cruisers, streetfighters, tourers, and sport bikes, all vying for your hard-earned money. If you are interested in premium bikes under ₹5 lakh, here are our picks for the top 5 options in India:

Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650:

If you want a big and burly cruiser, the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 can be considered at ₹3.68 lakh (ex-showroom). With its low-slung seat and wide handlebars, the bike requests a more laidback approach to riding, but with its 648 cc parallel-twin, it proves to be no slouch. The Super Meteor 650 is quite the looker with its large teardrop tank and twin-sided exhaust pipes, and it offers a tall windscreen and a pillion backrest for long-distance touring comfort.

The hardware comprises USD front forks and pre-load adjustable twin rear shocks, which hold up a steel tubular spine frame. It rides on 16-inch alloys with a 320 mm front disc and a 300 mm rear disc, complemented by dual-channel ABS. The bike also gets a digi-analogue LCD with a Tripper pod.

(Also Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP returns to India at ₹28.99 lakh. What’s new?)

BSA Gold Star 650:

Known for being among the fastest bikes in its era, the BSA Gold Star was originally sold between 1938 and 1963. Made in 350 cc and 500 cc versions, the cruiser found new life under the Classic Legends banner as the BSA Gold Star 650. Priced from ₹2.99 lakh (ex-showroom), it is the first model from the British name to be sold on our shores, driven by one of the largest displacement single-cylinder engines in our market.

The Gold Star 650 comes with telescopic forks at the front and twin rear shocks. Disc brakes are fitted all around with dual-channel ABS as standard.

Aprilia RS 457:

Priced at ₹4.20 lakh (ex-showroom), the RS 457 brings Italian flair into the premium sport bike segment. While it fetches more than the Yamaha YZF-R3, Aprilia offers a package more in line with current buyer expectations. The sport bike derives power from a larger 457 cc parallel-twin engine paired with a 6-speed gearbox, with a quickshifter available as an option.

The RS 457 is based on a twin-spar aluminium frame with USD front forks and a rear monoshock. Disc brakes are fitted at both ends and supported by dual-channel ABS. On the tech side of things, the bike is equipped with a five-inch coloured TFT display and features ride-by-wire, three levels of traction control, and three riding modes.

(Also BMW G 310 RR & C 400 GT get more affordable by up to ₹92,000 after GST cuts)

Aprilia Tuono 457:

If the bolder look and ergonomics of naked streetfighters are more of your thing, the Tuono 457 is a great alternative to consider. This is basically a stripped-down RS 457 with wide handlebars that do not demand much for an upright riding posture. Priced at ₹3.95 lakh (ex-showroom), it is ever so slightly cheaper than the RS 457, while carrying over the same internals. It is powered by the same 457 cc parallel-twin that is fitted within a twin-spar frame, suspended by USD forks and a monoshock. However, Aprilia has increased the rear sprocket size by one tooth, which makes the Tuono quicker off the line. This is the more city-friendly option out of Aprilia’s parallel-twin duo, which may make daily rides more enjoyable.

Harley-Davidson X440:

The Harley-Davidson X440 is the first product born out of the Hero-Harley partnership and is also the most affordable Harley in India. Its range starts at ₹2.39 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Denim variant with spoke wheels, while the two higher variants both come wearing alloys instead. The X440 is driven by a 440 cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that is positioned as the stressed member of a trellis frame. It rides on USD forks in the front with a twin-shock layout in the rear, and it comes with a 3.5-inch TFT cluster with Bluetooth connectivity for music controls and turn-by-turn navigation.