The 150cc segment is a tough one to master. In India it is the stepping stone to performance biking. Customers coming into this segment want to have the best of both worlds, the efficiency of a lower capacity bike and the premium feel of a higher capacity bike. The latest motorcycle to enter this segment is the new Honda CB Unicorn 160 that was launched in January this year. Honda are clear on what they want to do with the new CB Unicorn 160. They want to target the working youth looking for a reliable and serious motorcycle that will do its daily duty without any fuss. The other strong players in the segment are the new Gixxer from Suzuki and the new Yamaha FZ/FZ-S V2.0. Both these are extremely successful and quite stylish and sporty in design compared to the new CB Unicorn 160. We are still waiting for the test bike from Honda to review and test out where exactly it stands against the Yamaha and the Suzuki. Till then lets compare the specifications and see at least on paper where the new CB Unicorn 160 stands.
CB Unicorn 160 vs Suzuki Gixxer vs Yamaha FZ-S V2.0 spec comparison
| Bike name | Honda CB Unicorn 160 | Suzuki Gixxer | Yamaha FZ-S V2.0 |
| Engine type | Single cylinder – air cooled – 2 valve | Single cylinder – air cooled – 2 valve | Single cylinder – air cooled – 2 valve |
| Fuel delivery | Carb | Carb | Fuel injection |
| CC | 162.71 | 154.9 | 149 |
| Max Power | 14.5 HP at 8000 RPM | 14.8 HP at 8000 RPM | 12.9 HP at 8000 RPM |
| Max Torque | 14.61 Nm at 6000 RPM | 14 Nm at 6000 RPM | 12.8 Nm at 6000 RPM |
| Bore*Stroke | 57.3*63 mm | 56.0*62.9 mm | 57.3*57.9 mm |
| Compression ratio | 10:01 | -na- | 9.5:01 |
| Starting mechanism | Self and Kick start | Self and Kick start | Self start |
| No of gears | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Top Speed | 106 kmph | 119 kmph (watch video) | 116 kmph (watch video) |
| Mileage | 62 kmpl (company claimed) | 42 kmpl (IAMABIKER tested) | 46 kmpl (IAMABIKER tested) |
| Chassis type | Diamond | Engine mounted stressed on single downtube | Diamond |
| Front suspension | Telescopic | Telescopic | Telescopic |
| Rear suspension | Monoshock | Monoshock | Monoshock |
| Front tyre size | 80/100 – 17 inch – tubeless | 100/80-17- inch -tubeless | 100/80-17 inch – tuneless |
| Rear tyre size | 110/80 – 17 inch | 140/60-R17 inch | 140/60-R17 inch |
| Front brake type | Disc – 240 mm | Disc | Disc |
| Rear brake type | Drum – 130 mm | Drum | Drum |
| Fuel tank capacity | 12 litre | 12 litre | 12 litre |
| Headlight | 35/35 W | 35/35 W | 35/35 W |
| Seat height | – na – | 780 mm | 790 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1324 mm | 1330 mm | 1330 mm |
| Ground clearance | 150 mm | 160 mm | 160 mm |
| Kerb weight | 135 kg | 135 kg | 132 kg |
| Battery | 12 V 4 Ah | 12 V 3 Ah | 12 V 4 Ah |
| Price | Rs 74,414 for CBS version ex-showroom Delhi | Rs 72,199 ex-showroom Delhi | Rs 78,250 ex-showroom Delhi |
The upcoming Pulsar 150NS will soon be added to this list of comparison as it looks like it will provide all three of the above with good competition. But no news on a launch date. The 150cc segment surely is getting competitive and it won’t be long before players like TVS and Mahindra update/launch new vehicles into this segment.
