Honda CRF190L will be more adept in handling off-road challenges than its road-biased sibling CB200X
Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI) has been on a spree to file design patents in the country in recent times. The two-wheeler division of the Japanese auto giant has registered design patents for a couple of models including NT1100 and CBR 150R in India.
The company has now filed patents for a new motorcycle in the country which by the looks of it seems to be CRF190L. The baby adventure bike made its global debut in September last year and is an entry-level model in Honda’s adventure lineup which is positioned above CB150X.
Honda CRF190L Design Patents Leak
Starting with its design, CRF190L draws major aesthetic cues from CRF1100L Africa Twin with rugged Dakar-a-like styling. The core silhouette and riding stance of CRF1100L is uncannily familiar to that of the flagship adventure bike.
It gets a similar side fairing and a flat headlamp cowl with a tall visor mounted on top of it. Other visible highlights include a rectangular double-stacked headlamp and circular rearview mirrors.
CRF190L comes with a large single-piece seat and a pillion grab rail integrated with a luggage rack. Highlighting its ergonomics, CRF1100L comes with mid-set footpegs, an upright handlebar, and a commanding seating position which offer comfortable riding posture for both road-biased daily urban commutes as well as for off-road adventure weekends.
Expected Powertrain, Hardware Specs
Powering CRF190L is a familiar 184cc single-cylinder, air-cooled motor that also propels Hornet 2.0 and CB200X in the Indian market. This motor is good enough to dish out 17 bhp at 8,500 rpm and a peak torque of 16.1 Nm at 6,000rp and comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
Unlike CB200X, which is essentially a road-biased tourer with some additional clothing wrapped around it, the CRF190L is more adept at handling rough terrains. The bike is underpinned by a tubular steel cradle frame which is suspended on upright telescopic forks at front and a mono-shock at rear. While it does miss out on adjustable and upside-down forks as CB200X, the ones in CRF190L are expected to offer a higher travel of around 180mm.
Further, it gets a ground clearance of a whopping 241mm which makes it pretty easy to overcome any obstacle. Weighing at just 145 kilos, it is lighter than all its nearest adversaries. The bike rides on 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wire-spoke wheels that are shod with knobby dual-purpose tyres.
Chances of India launch?
There are very high chances of CRF190L actually making it to the Indian market since the entry-level adventure touring segment has been gaining popularity over the past few years. Honda’s experiment by launching a road-biased tourer CB200X might not have worked in the company’s favour as the sales charts indicate very humble numbers. Therefore, CRF190L could become a worthy rival to Hero Xpulse 200.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
