Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, the second largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India made several major announcements this past week, with five new models hitting the market.
The Honda CBR 650F, a fully faired sports bike priced at Rs 7.4 lakh, was the headlining act. The 650F, which is powered by a 16-valve in-line 4 cylinder DOHC engine, makes 87PS of power and 62.9Nm of torque. This puts it ahead of the Kawasaki Ninja 650- currently the most prominent bike in the class- in terms of pure power.
The bike comes with Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI), Anti-Lock Braking (ABS) and Honda’s proprietary electronic anti-theft system as standard fitments. The CBR 650F will be available exclusively through Honda’s network of Wing World dealerships across India.
Honda also revealed another brand new model, the CB Hornet 160R, which is a aggressively styled premium commuter. The Hornet, which is expected to be powered by the same 163cc engine that is in the CB Unicorn, replaces the CB Trigger in Honda’s India lineup. It will compete with two highly successful bikes in the Yamaha FZ and Suzuki Gixxer, which are the current leaders in the segment. Honda is yet to reveal details regarding the pricing and availability of the Hornet.
In addition to the new launches, Honda confirmed the release of its entry-level 110cc commuter Livo, which was announced earlier this month. Both the Livo and the Hornet feature Honda Eco Technology (HET), which according to the company, makes for a smoother transmission and increased mileage. The Livo is available in two variants- with and without disc brakes which are priced at Rs 58,489 and Rs 55,989 respectively. The company also showed off refreshed versions of their CBR 150R and CBR 250R. Both bikes have only received cosmetic upgrades, with the mechanical components and tuning remaining exactly the same as last year’s models.