Honda used the recent Revfest platform to unveil a new motorcycle in the market, the Honda CB Hornet 160R. We say unveiled and not launched because, Honda has not announced the Honda CB Hornet 160R price yet. Up front and technically speaking this new motorcycle is essentially a cosmetically redesigned Honda CB Unicorn 160 CBS that we recently reviewed. But like we all know, design plays a very important role on the final product and in that department, the new Honda CB Hornet 160R sure looks to be a winner. The massive new tank design gives you a totally different feel for the bike from the existing Unicorn and Trigger. It almost gives a big bike feel. This massive tank design looks big when you are on the bike but pick any side profile and the design is all about compactness and flowing lines. The headlight almost looks a bit tiny but images do not do justice. It looks much better and in proportion in person. The short stubby exhaust definitely compliments the naked bike feel but the highlight of the tail section is the ‘X’ shaped super bright tail light and the 140 section rear tyre. It is very eye catching and aggressive looking, words that we thought we would never use for a Honda.
Another interesting thing that is new for a Honda in this segment is the petal discs at both end. It sure adds to the sporty visual character of the Honda CB Hornet 160R. On the down side though as usual Honda has given crappy switchgear without an engine kill switch. Moving on, being a carbureted engine Honda has managed to keep the kick start option, which should make a lot of prospective customers happy. And speaking about the engine and the drivetrain, it is exactly similar to that on the Honda CB Unicorn 160 and that means you have 14.5 HP @ 8000 RPM and 14.61 Nm @ 6000 RPM at your disposal. Also you can expect the mileage of the Honda CB Hornet 160R to be the same, at about 45 kmpl. It will mostly have CBS (combi braking system) as standard and that should help with the braking efficiency.
It’s clear that Honda wants to take on the Gixxer and the FZ. We think that this was the design that Honda should have had all along. The Honda CB Hornet 160R definitely has what it takes to take on segment leaders if priced right. But knowing Honda our confident guess is that it will be a good 5K higher than the Gixxer and the FZ. So expect an on-road price very close to the one lakh mark.
Honda CB Hornet 160R images
