Honda Bikes

Honda 2Wheelers India reports 30 lakh units in cumulative exports in 21 yearsImage – WheelCruzeFor Honda 2Wheelers, the company is in its 21st year of operations in India. In this time, Honda 2Wheelers India cumulative exports have surpassed the 30 lakh unit mark. This strengthens Honda’s position as the topmost scooter exporter of India. The achievement is spearheaded by Dio. Honda Navi, a more recent launch saw sales in India dwindle but continues to enjoy great demand as a topmost export for Honda in recent months.Export opportunities have increased manifold in recent years. By 2016, the first 15 lakh exports took a 16 year time period. The remaining 15 lakh units benefitted from accelerated export growth, and has been achieved in under 5 years. This is at more than 3 times the earlier speed.Honda Two Wheeler ExportsOver time, Honda has expanded its export portfolio. Starting with Activa in 2001, Honda now exports 18 models. While the Activa scooter has advanced over time reaching new milestones each year in the domestic market, its exports have never reached such great heights.Honda’s performance in the domestic market backed largely by Activa places the company securely at second place in the sales list. Accolades in the export market are reserved for Honda Dio. Growth has been furthered not only by product portfolio expansion but also an increase in global footprint.Honda Exports Jan 2022Honda has entered advanced markets with exports to more than 29 export markets today. Some of the top two wheelers exported by Honda from India in recent months include the likes of Navi, Dio, X-Blade, Dream, CB Shine, Hornet, Unicorn, Activa and even the CB350 Hness.In 2020 Honda Overseas Business Expansion business vertical was started. The manufacturer has expanded its global exports footprint. This includes developed markets like the United States, Japan, and Europe among others. In recent times, HMSI has started manufacturing global engines at its 4th factory at Vithalapur, Gujarat.HMSI exports expansionAtsushi Ogata – Managing Director, President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, ‘Such milestones are a shining testimony of HMSI’s sustained efforts in expanding Honda’s footprint in global exports. Last year we flagged off our global engine production line at Vithalapur plant in Gujarat, thus strengthening our export capabilities further. As we make further inroads into developed markets, our reinstated focus on exports expansion takes HMSI one step closer to become a ‘Manufacturing Hub for the World’.”Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Director – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “In the last two decades, Honda has delighted more than 30 lac two-wheeler customers through exports. Led by Dio Scooter, we are expanding our export portfolio including both scooters & motorcycles. To establish high quality and efficiency, matching global standards, HMSI raised a dedicated Overseas Business vertical in 2020.” More

Honda CL250 and CL500 will be based on underpinnings and powertrains of their cruiser siblings- Rebel 250 and Rebel 500Honda Scrambler 500cc Render. Credit – Young MachineIn the past few years, popularity of scramblers, especially in the entry-level space has shot up very high. Hence, many bikemakers are planning to utilise their existing mid-displacement motorcycle platforms to develop new scramblers. It was recently revealed that Honda will be adding two new scrambler motorcycles to its lineup.Previous reports mentioned that the upcoming scramblers will be available in 250cc and 500cc guise, both based on the brand’s entry-level cruiser offerings Rebel 250 and Rebel 500 respectively. This will help Honda reduce development and production cost of its new scramblers.New Honda Scrambler 500cc Patent LeaksIn a recent development, patent drawings for the upcoming 500cc scrambler from Honda have been leaked on a Japanese website. These patents date back to March 2018 and show a scrambler-like motorcycle based on Rebel 500’s engine and body. Based on this patent, a render has been created which imagines CL500 Scrambler in its full production form.From the leaked patent drawings it is clear that CL500’s frame would share a resemblance with its cruiser sibling Rebels, although there are some differences towards the rear section of the chassis. The digital illustration borrows styling inspirations from Honda’s C series bikes launched between 1960s and 90s, especially Dream CL72 Scrambler.Honda Scrambler 500cc – Patent leaksIt also looks a tad similar to the India-spec CB350 RS which is essentially a pseudo scrambler. Highlights from this rendered design includes a relatively straight and flat saddle with a minimalistic profile, a high-mounted horizontal exhaust muffler, black fork gaiters and larger alloy wheels. In addition, the illustration takes inspiration from the leaked parents and gets a squarish fuel tank.CL500, C250- Powertrain SpecsPowering CL500 will be the same 471cc parallel-twin DOHC 4-valve engine that propels Rebel 500. In the cruiser, this motor dishes out 46 PS of power at 8,500rpm and 43 Nm at 6,500rpm.This unit will be paired with a 6-speed constant mesh gearbox. Other than chassis and engine, CL500 Scrambler is also likely to borrow the suspension setup of Rebel 500 which comprises telescopic forks upfront and dual shock absorbers at rear.Honda Scrambler 500cc – Render based on leaked patentThe less powerful CL250 Scrambler will be based on its equivalent quarter-litre cruiser. Powering the scrambler is a 249cc DOHC, 4-valve, single-cylinder motor that pumps out 26 PS of max power at 9,500rpm and 22 Nm of peak torque at 7,750rpm. This unit will also be mated to the same 6-speed constant mesh gearbox.Some overseas media reports have confirmed that CL250 could get an official debut toward the end of this year with CL500 to follow sometime in 2023. Both bikes are, however, unlikely to be launched in India anytime soon. More

Quite a few styling bits for Hawk 11 appear to have been borrowed from CB4 Interceptor Concept that was showcased in 2019New Honda Hawk 11 Cafe Racer. Image – AutoByIn global markets, Honda Africa Twin’s platform has been utilized for other popular bikes such as Rebel 1100 and NT1100. To ensure choices are not limited to tourer, cruiser, ADV segments, Honda has unveiled an entirely new 1100cc bike.Named Hawk 11, the bike was unveiled at the 2022 Osaka Motorcycle Show. This new Honda motorcycle will work to fill the gap that’s been left with the recently discontinued CB1100.New Honda Hawk 11 Cafe RacerA neo-retro cafe racer, Hawk 11’s most distinguishing feature is its Monza fairing. As it is similar to that of CB4 Interceptor Concept, it provides a clue about the level of similarities that could be there between the two bikes.Other key highlights include circular headlamp with DRL and chrome surround, compact windscreen, round rear view mirrors, spear-shaped turn indicators, low-set handlebar and sculpted fuel tank. A single-piece seat will be used for Honda Hawk 11. Images are credited to Young Machine.New Honda Hawk 11 Cafe RacerWhile the CB4 Interceptor Concept had 4 exhaust pipes, making their way under the seat, this one features a more practical design for the exhaust. The bike has minimal fairing and much of the chassis is similar to Africa Twin. A few changes have been introduced to suit its cafe racer profile. Hawk 11 is an all muscle, with the massive twin-cylinder engine highlighting its beasty nature.New Honda Hawk 11 Cafe RacerHonda Hawk 11 specsPowering Hawk 11 will be the same 1082.96 cc engine used with Africa Twin. The liquid cooled motor generates 100 ps of max power at 7,500 rpm and 103 Nm of peak torque at 6,000 rpm. The bike is offered with manual as well as DCT transmission option.Hawk 11 has a semi double cradle steel frame with USD front forks and monoshock rear suspension. It’s likely that suspension will be stiffer to ensure optimal performance on the tarmac. The bike has disc brakes at both ends, integrated with dual-channel ABS as standard.New Honda Hawk 11 Cafe RacerLike Africa Twin, Honda Hawk 11 comes with a range of advanced features. It includes heated grips, cruise control, throttle by wire system, selectable and cornering ABS and wheelie control. Multiple ride modes will be on offer including user customizable options. These make adjustments to power delivery based on riding conditions.The bike gets a full-digital touchscreen instrument console with Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. Users will be able to access their smartphones for calls, text, music, etc. While cafe racer motorcycles are gaining popularity in India, it’s mostly in the middle-weight segment. High price of the Honda Hawk 11 may limit its prospects. NT1100 has a better chance of getting here, as it has been patented in India. More

Honda Africa Twin is one of the most premium adventure touring lineup currently available in the Indian market2022 Honda Africa TwinThe Indian motorcycling community has found a thing or two for adventure motorcycles in recent years. Keeping that in mind, Honda has updated its flagship ADV lineup. The Japanese brand has launched Africa Twin Adventure Sports in India at a starting price of Rs 16.01 lakh (ex-showroom).It will be available for retail exclusively through Honda’s BigWing Topline showrooms across India. Bookings of the updated ADV twins have commenced from today onwards. Interested buyers can book the 2022 Africa Twin either by visiting any BigWing Topline dealerships or by booking the same through Honda’s BigWing website.2022 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports LaunchedThe latest iteration will arrive in India as a CKD (Completely Knocked Down) import. Honda is offering 2022 Africa Twin Adventure Sports in two variants- a manual gearbox and a DCT gearbox.Both variants are offered with a single paint scheme namely Pearl Glare White Tricolor and Matt Ballistic Black Metallic respectively. The latter with a DCT gearbox has been priced at Rs 17.55 lakh (ex-showroom).2022 Honda Africa TwinPowertrain Specs & FeaturesPowering the adventure tourer is a 1083cc Liquid-cooled, OHC, 8-Valve parallel-twin engine that pumps out 98 PS of power at 7500 rpm and a peak torque of 103 Nm at 6000rpm. It is paired with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission.Complementing the engine are a host of electronics that aid riders such as a six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and HSTC (Honda Selectable Torque Control). Both MT and DCT variants get four default riding mode settings including TOUR, URBAN, GRAVEL and OFF-ROAD to cover most riding conditions. In addition, it also features two customizable USER 1 & 2 settings.Honda has made some adjustments to the rally-style positive LCD instrument console for better visibility while riding. In addition to the pre-existing Apple CarPlay, the console is now also equipped with Android Auto as well. It also comes with dual LED headlights with integrated LED DRLs and Cornering Lights. Other notable features on offer include Bluetooth Connectivity and an adjustable seat.2022 Honda Africa TwinHardware SpecsGetting into details about hardware configurations, Africa Twin is underpinned by a semi double-cradle steel frame that is suspended on telescopic forks at front and a pro-link mono-shock unit at rear. It rides on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoked wheels that can be shod with dual-purpose tubeless tyres. Braking is handled by twin 310mm disc brakes at front and a 256mm disc at rear. More

Honda Two Wheelers domestic sales continue to decline in Jan 2022 – Exports have registered 100% growthHonda CBR150R trademark filed in IndiaTwo wheeler sales took a dip in Jan 2022 – rising fuel prices being the primary reason. Taking top 6 two wheeler makers Hero, Honda, TVS, Bajaj, Suzuki and Royal Enfield, sales dipped 19.43 percent on a YoY basis with each of these automakers, except Suzuki, posting a decrease in sales.Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has seen a de-growth in terms of domestic sales to the tune of 24.36 percent. Sales which had stood at 4,16,716 units in the January 2021 period dipped to 3,15,216 units last month. Every product in the company lineup posted de-growth with the exception of Dream commuter bike.Honda Domestic Sales Jan 2022Honda Activa scooter claimed a top spot on the sales charts. Sales dipped 32.33 percent YoY to 1,43,234 units, down from 2,11,660 units sold in January 2021. The Activa currently commands a 45.44 percent share in the company lineup. Not only was the Activa the best-selling scooter in the company lineup but also in the country, finishing ahead of TVS Jupiter and Suzuki Access.Honda CB Shine was at a No. 2 spot with 1,05,159 units sold last month, down 9.52 percent over 1,16,222 units sold in January 2021. The CB Shine holds on to a 33.36 percent share. These were the only two models in the company lineup to see sales above the 1 lakh unit mark.Honda Sales Jan 2022A YoY volume decline was also seen in the case of Honda Dio scooter. Sales dipped 3.72 percent to 27,837 units in the past month, down from 28,914 units sold in January 2021. Sales growth was reported in the case of Honda Dream which increased 40.04 percent YoY to 13,021 units, up from 9,298 units sold in January 2021.Thereafter, sales of Unicorn 160 (11,349 units), Livo (5,408 units), Grazia (4,761 units) and CB350 (3,212 units) all posted a YoY de-growth. CB350 got new colour options. The recently launched CB200X and CB300R saw sales of 472 units and 252 units respectively while Hornet 2.0 (248 units) and X-Blade (225 units) also suffered a 94.73 percent and 86.79 percent YoY de-growth respectively. Honda also saw CB650 add 20 units to sales along with the CB500 of which 18 units were sold last month.Honda Exports Jan 2022Honda exports last month increased significantly. It was a 100 percent YoY increase to 39,013 units from 19,467 units shipped in January 2021. Unlike its domestic sales, Honda exports saw every two wheeler report positive YoY growth except for Grazia and Aviator.Honda Exports Jan 2022Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India launched the Navi in US markets at the end of last year. It is this Navi bike that made it to the top of the export list last month with 10,348 units exported, up 71.67 percent over 6,028 units shipped in January 2021. At No. 2, Honda Dio sales increased 70.87 percent to 7,069 units last month, up from 4,137 units sold in January 2021. Exports of Honda CB Shine also increased 102.62 percent YoY to 5,183 units while Dream exports were at 3,868 units.At No. 5 was Honda X-Blade with 3,104 units shipped last month, up 34.54 percent over 2,342 units sold in January 2021. Livo (2,600 units), Hornet 160R (2,040 units) and CB 350 (1,440 units) also posted YoY growth in terms of exports. Activa exports were at 1,080 units, up 196.70 percent over 364 units shipped in January 2021 while Unicorn 160 shipments were at 960 units in the past month along with 200 units of the Unicorn 150. Sales de-growth was seen in the case of Honda Grazia down 26.75 percent to 920 units and for the Aviator which was down to 200 units from 600 units shipped in January 2021. There was only 1 unit of Honda CB300R exported last month. More

2022 Honda CB 350 RS New ColourHonda offers same engine and cycle parts on both CB350 H’Ness and CB350RS, however, styling and riding ergonomics are slightly differentLaunch of the Honda CB350 range- H’Ness followed by RS, opened doors of the modern classic segment of motorcycles for the Japanese brand in India. The space which is largely dominated by Royal Enfield soon saw a worthy rival to bikes such as Bullet 350 and Classic 350.The CB350 range has been raking decent monthly volume on a regular basis despite its limited availability. It should be noted that both H’Ness and RS are retailed through Honda’s premium chain of dealerships called BigWing not available in every corner of the country. Meanwhile, Honda has recently made some updates to the CB350 lineup.Honda CB350 – New Colour OptionsHonda has launched one new colour option on H’Ness and RS each. Although these new paint schemes haven’t been listed on Honda’s official BigWing website for India, they have appeared on units dispatched to dealerships. For instance, H’Ness is now available in a new Matte Grey paint scheme as per the latest spy images.This new colour option joins pre-existing single-tone shades like pearl night-black metallic, precious red metallic and matte marshal green metallic. Other than these, H’Ness is also offered in dual-tone paint options like Matte Steel Black Metallic With Matte Massive Grey Metallic, Blue Metallic with Virtuous White and Night Star Black with Silver Metallic.2022 Honda CB 350 New ColourComing to CB350RS, the bike will be offered in a new monotone blue shade. It joins the pre-existing colour palette comprising colour options including Black with Pearl Sports Yellow and Radiant Red Metallic colour options. Apart from additional colour schemes, no other changes from either of the motorcycles have been reported.CB3050 Engine SpecsBoth H’Ness and RS share the same mechanicals and underpinnings. They are powered by the same 348.3cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, fuel-injected engine that kicks out 20.8 bhp at 5500rpm and a peak torque of 30 Nm at 3000 rpm. This motor is paired with a 5-speed gearbox. Both bikes feature telescopic forks upfront and twin shock absorbers at rear.Recently, Honda announced that the CB350 range will now be available for sale in select Canteen Store Department (CSD) stores under the Ministry of Defence. The bikes will be priced Rs 26,000 less than their corresponding regular prices in the market. CSD beneficiaries will be able to purchase these Honda motorcycles by registering themselves on the official CSD website.Honda ScramblersIn other developments, it was recently reported that Honda will be developing two new entry-level scrambler motorcycles based on Rebel 250 and Rebel 500. It is yet to be confirmed if these bikes will be launching in India. If launched, these bikes will be positioned on either end of the upcoming Royal Enfield Hunter 350.Source More

Honda Scrambler 250cc RenderHonda new scrambler motorcycles will be based on Rebel platform and could borrow styling bits from CL Series bikesWith growing preference for scrambler motorcycles, Honda may be planning to aggressively target this space. It is rumoured that Honda may be working on at least two new scrambler motorcycles, a 250cc bike and its larger 500cc sibling. These will be based on Rebel 250 and Rebel 500, respectively.Honda 250cc, 500cc scrambler designHonda Rebel 250cc and 500cc were launched internationally in 2017. Since then, these have emerged as popular options in their respective segments. To reduce development and production cost, Honda may have plans to use the Rebel platform to launch its new scrambler motorcycles. These will be launched first in Honda’s home market Japan and other Asian countries.While the hardware for Honda 250cc / 500cc scrambler will come from Rebel bikes, design and styling will most likely be inspired from Honda CL Series bikes that were popular several decades earlier. CL Series styling has already been used with CB350 and CB350 RS. Some of the popular Honda CL series bikes launched during the 60s – 90s include Dream CL72 Scrambler, Dream CL250, Dream CL450 and CL400.Honda CL Series bikes were loved for their classic, minimalistic profile. Honda may be looking to recreate the magic once again with its new 250cc and 500cc scrambler motorcycles. Even when launched several years apart, Honda CL series bikes continued to have quite a few common features.Honda Scrambler 500cc RenderThese include round headlamp and rear view mirrors, twin pod instrument console, tear-drop shaped fuel tank, fork gaiters, tall and wide handlebar, flat seat design and wire spoke wheels. Honda CL series bikes made liberal use of chrome on the fenders, engine and exhaust. The dual under seat exhaust was a signature feature and its design continued to evolve over the years.Honda 250cc, 500cc scrambler specsEngine and most other hardware bits will be borrowed from Rebel 250 and Rebel 500. The smaller Rebel is powered by a 249cc DOHC, 4-valve, single cylinder motor that generates 26 ps of max power at 9,500 rpm and 22 Nm of peak torque at 7,750 rpm. It is mated to a constant mesh 6-speed transmission. Rebel 500 utilizes a 471cc motor that makes 46 ps at 8,500 rpm and 43 Nm at 6,500 rpm.Features common to both Rebel bikes include 4-eye LED headlamp, LED turn signals and taillamp and LCD instrument meter packed in retro casing. Both bikes have disc brakes at front and rear. Suspension system comprises telescopic forks at front and swingarm type rear suspension.Honda Scrambler 250cc RenderIf launched in India, Honda’s new 250cc and 500cc scrambler motorcycles will primarily rival upcoming Royal Enfield Hunter 350. Earlier, prior to launch of CB350 in India, it was being speculated that Honda will launch either Rebel 300 or Rebel 500 to take on Royal Enfield. However, the company surprised everyone with H’ness CB350. Later, its scrambler version CB350RS was also added.Source More