Autocar Track Day: India's Best Riding Bikes 2026
Back to one of our favourite times of the year – the annual Autocar Track Day – and we headed down to the CoASTT High Performance Centre in Coimbatore once again. For the 2026 edition, as always, we had 11-time national champion Rajini Krishnan, who would be putting the machines through their paces, but there was a notable change this time around. The track now features kerbs, and using them properly can help with sightlines and carrying more momentum to put out an even faster lap. The few surface concerns from last year were also sorted, and as this was our third outing at CoASTT, Rajini came in with an even better understanding of the circuit. CoASTT remains a wide, fast, flowing track with elevation changes, and to set a strong lap time here, outright power still plays a crucial role.
With the previous leaderboard fresh in our minds, we brought along a mix of the newest, most exciting motorcycles launched in the past year. This included everything from a Yamaha XSR 155 to a Ducati Panigale V4 S.
The formula for our Track Day remains unchanged. Rajini heads out on each bike, pushing hard for a handful of quick laps before moving on to the next machine. Setup changes are kept minimal, with tyre pressures adjusted to his preference, typically much lower than standard road settings. If the bike comes with adjustable suspension, minor tweaks are made if needed. And as always, electronic rider aids such as traction control and ABS are dialled down to their least intrusive settings, or sometimes switched off entirely, allowing a pro like Rajini to extract maximum performance.
KTM 160 Duke
Lap time: 2m21.77s
Track rating: 6/10
The 160 Duke replaced the 125 Duke in India and is the most affordable KTM on sale. Rajini felt that the bike delivered smooth and predictable performance but lacked the outright power needed for the track. Its short gearing means you quickly run through gears, leading to awkward mid-corner upshifts at times. Its handling capabilities are also good, but Rajini needed to be in a higher gear to maintain better flow around the circuit.
The low-end torque delivery is stronger than the XSR, but more power up top would be needed to post a faster lap time. While the bike is capable and enjoyable, it is more suited to city slicking rather than outright performance on track. It was approximately 3 seconds slower than its closest rival at this year’s edition, and as things stand, it is currently in the final spot on our leaderboard.
Yamaha XSR 155
Lap time: 2m18.98s
Track rating: 7/10
The Yamaha XSR 155 was the smallest-displacement bike at this year’s track day. Sharing its chassis and popular engine with the R15 and MT-15, it packs quite the punch for a 150cc motorcycle. Rajini said it was easy to handle thanks to its light kerb weight, smooth cornering capabilities, while the flat seat and wide handlebar offered a comfortable and spacious riding position.
That said, its performance limitations were evident on this track, especially uphill in Sector 1, where the bike felt flat in sixth gear. The ground clearance was also not adequate for the track, with frequent peg scraping. It is still a fun machine to ride around the track, and thanks to the improved track conditions this year, Rajini managed to put out a lap time that was almost a second quicker than the lap time of the R15-M from 2024.
TVS Apache RTR 310
Lap time: 2m08.18s
Track rating: 7/10
The Apache RTR 310 has been around since 2023 but received some noteworthy upgrades in the last year. The 312cc engine in the updated model gets a forged piston, new piston rings, and updated ECU mapping for smoother throttle response. Additionally, it has also received features like keyless ignition, a transparent clutch cover, and launch control, among others.
After completing his fast laps, Rajini said that the handling is a clear highlight and the bike feels composed and confidence-inspiring through corners. However, the ABS intervenes quite aggressively even with the bike in Track mode, and this restricts confidence. Like the previous version, this bike has capability, but its ergonomics are better suited to city riding rather than outright track performance. In comparison to the Apache RTR 310’s lap time at the 2024 Track Day, this updated model was over 1.5 seconds quicker.
Triumph Thruxton 400
Lap time: 2m06.50s
Track rating: 7/10
The Thruxton 400 is a racer and the sportiest motorcycle in the single-cylinder Triumph line-up. After pushing and trying to extract all that he could from the bike, Rajini managed to extract quite an impressive lap time. Despite this, he felt that it wasn’t a particularly engaging experience in this environment and said that he expected a bit more punch from a 400cc motorcycle. Ground clearance was another limitation, with frequent scraping of the footpegs. He also felt some vibrations through the handlebar when pushing harder.
Overall, it managed to set a good lap time that’s actually quicker than the Yamaha R3’s, although the Thruxton benefitted from improved track conditions, while the R3 was held back by its tyres. Nevertheless, quick as it may be, this cafe racer is still a road bike at heart, and while it can perform at the track, this isn’t its happy place.
Ducati Multistrada V4 S
Lap time: 1m57.57s
Track rating: 7/10
The Multistrada V4 S proved to be pleasantly capable on track. This is a big, 240-plus-kilo bike, but it still broke well under the 2 minute mark. The Multi produces a massive 170hp, but Rajini found the power delivery smooth and predictable. However, despite running the sportiest suspension damping, it still felt too soft in the first outing. Switching the electronic preload to the firmest Rider + Pillion + Baggage setting significantly improved things and Rajini immediately shaved off 1.4 seconds from the first session. Gear shifts mid-corner were manageable, and ground clearance was mostly sufficient, with only occasional scraping.
The brakes also performed well but Rajini felt that the ADV-style rear tyre limited outright pace. With grippier road-focused tyres, he believes there’s up to 3 seconds more pace to unlock, which is mighty impressive.
Ducati Multistrada V2 S
Lap time: 1m56.87s
Track rating: 8/10
The Multistrada V2 S proved the value of lightweight by being quicker than the V4 despite having 55 fewer horsepower. With its electronic suspension set up in a similar way to the V4, Rajini said that it felt more flowing through corners and easier to carry speed. The power delivery was smooth and responsive, but gearing in second and third didn’t always suit the nature of this track.
Grip levels offered by the tyres were also strong, allowing it to hold lines better than expected. This bike ran the same Pirelli Scorpion tyres as the Multi V4, but they were able to cope better with the lower power output.
Tighter corners exposed its limitations, with frequent footpeg scraping. Even so, the V2 was surprisingly fun and capable on track. The fact that this bike could then go on a nationwide tour after setting such a fast lap time is what makes it so special.
Ducati Panigale V4 S
Lap time:1m46.22s
Track rating: 10/10
The Panigale V4 S is the first full-on superbike we’ve brought to the Autocar Trackday since we moved to CoASTT. Ducati even went as far as sending the bike to us with full slick tyres; a Pirelli Supercorsa SC1 at the rear and an SC2 at the front. Rajini told us that this would have improved the lap time by around 1.5 seconds over the stock road-legal Supercorsa SP tyres.
The slicks take about 30 minutes on the warmers to get up to temperature. While the Öhlins suspension can be run in a Dynamic mode, Rajini preferred having it in a fixed setting, where he could select the individual damping setups.
With everything in place, Rajini hit the track and spent more laps getting up to pace compared to the other bikes – understandable given the Panigale’s 216hp fury. After a few fast laps, he’d already smashed our previous two-wheeler record by nearly ten seconds, but he felt there was more to be unlocked.
After a short break and a few electronic tweaks, he hit the track once more and managed to shave another second to set a 1:46:22, a time so far bested only by two McLarens and the mega Porsche 911 GT3 RS. It’s also worth bearing in mind that this is a track built to reward high-downforce cars, and the Panigale could only hit a top speed of 228.59kph here. At a faster circuit like the BIC, the bike would have been hard to beat.
The Ducati Panigale V4 S is at the pinnacle of performance for a road bike. This is not an easy motorcycle to push to the limit, but Rajini was able to quickly unlock its pace. Give him more time with the bike and expect to see the lap time fall even further. Ultimately, this is a benchmark that will take something special to topple in the years to come.
from Autocar India https://ift.tt/UMa0eFy
Comments
Post a Comment