Honda Bikes

New Honda CB150X. Image – AutonetmagzWhile styling is similar to CB200X, the new Honda CB150X gets a more sophisticated powertrain and a higher 181mm ground clearance
A number of interesting models have been presented at the ongoing 2021 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS). One of them is the Honda CB150X which has now been officially launched in Indonesia. It has become the first 150cc adventure tourer from Honda.
CB150X beats the India-made Honda CB200X to become the smallest motorcycle in the CBX lineup of the Japanese brand. Just like CB200X, the new CB150X is based on its naked streetfighter counterpart, in this case, it is CB150R Streetfire. The CB150X is more of a tourer bike in a clothed avatar with a semi-faired body upfront.
New Honda CB150X – Design
Like CB200X, the CB150X is an ADV bike on paper with no mechanical credentials to support any off-roading abilities. It flaunts the same design language of the X line of ADVs from the Japanese bikemaker. Therefore, it gets a signature ADV-style front beak along with a sculpted fuel tank with long shrouds and a short windscreen. Honda has even provided CB150X with a bash plate to protect the engine bay.
Unlike CB200X, the tank shrouds in CB150X are functional which protect the bike’s radiator from any debris. The motorcycle offers an upright seating posture with a turned in straight line handlebar and centre-set footpegs which should result in comfortable riding ergonomics, thus embracing its touring DNA. Other styling highlights include a tall windscreen, a single-piece saddle, a raked-up tail section, an upswept side-on exhaust and a beefy fuel tank.
New Honda CB150X
Mechanical Specifications
Honda hasn’t yet revealed the exact specs of CB150X but it is expected to borrow the 149cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine from CB150R. This motor is capable of delivering an output of 16.5 bhp at 9000rpm and 13.8Nm of peak torque at 7000rpm. The engine paired with a 6-speed gearbox should return identical engine output as the CBR150R mentioned above.
However, tuning of this power plant might be tweaked slightly in order to suit its touring abilities. CB200X sits on a familiar diamond-type frame suspended onto 37mm Showa USD forks at front with 150mm of travel, and a mono-shock at rear. Braking hardware comprises single disc brakes at both ends complemented by ABS.
Further, CB150X gets a ground clearance of 181mm, which is 14mm more than the CB200X. That said, the saddle of the former is more accessible at 805m in comparison to the seat height of 817mm in CB200X. The same 17-inch multi-spoke alloys seen in CB150R have been employed on the baby adventure tourer. Take a detailed look at the first look, credit to Autonetmagz.
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Price
In Indonesia, CB150X has been priced at RP 32 million (approx. INR 1.67 lakh) and goes up to Rs 35 million (approx. INR 1.83 lakh). This makes it Rs 21,000 dearer than the India-spec CB200X. Therefore, Honda is unlikely to bring this motorcycle to India shores anytime soon. More

Honda CB350 ECU Update. Image – Deep Ranjan SachanHonda Motorcycle and Scooter India have notified owners of CB350 and CB350RS of an ECU update to enhance performance
Honda CB350 was launched in India back in Oct 2020. This was followed by the launch of CB350RS earlier this year. Together, these two motorcycles are aimed to rival Royal Enfield, who has more than 90% market share in the segment.
In terms of sales, the CB350 range had a good start. Initially selling about 5k motorcycles per month. But that has now come down to about 3k. This could be due to the global supply shortage. Sales of Royal Enfield motorcycles have also come down drastically due to the same reason.
Honda CB350 ECU Update
Many owners of Honda CB350 and the CB350RS motorcycles who were regularly travelling to high altitude region, complained loss of power in their motorcycles. The performance of the Honda CB350 range reduced in high altitude regions.
To solve this, Honda has now rolled out an ECU update for all their CB350 range customers. This will be carried out at authorized dealerships across India – at no charge. Yes, the ECU update will be done free of charge. Honda claims that this new CB350 ECU update will enhance the performance of the motorcycle in high altitude region.
Honda CB350 ECU Update to enhance performance
What powers the Honda CB350
The new Honda CB350 is offered in two variants – DLX and DLX Pro. Both are powered by the same 348cc, single cylinder, air cooled engine. This engine delivers 21 hp power at 5,500 rpm and 30 Nm torque at 3,000 rpm mated to a 5 speed unit with slip and assist clutch.
Suspension is via telescopic front forks and twin hydraulic shocks at the rear and braking duties are handled by 310 mm front and 240 mm rear disc brakes with dual channel ABS. Honda CB350 is the company’s third BS6 compliant model to be sold via the BigWing dealerships in the country. It is also their most affordable offering under the BigWing brand and is priced from about Rs 1.9 lakh, ex-sh.
Segment First Features
Honda has introduced 5 segment first features so as to allow the Honda CB350 to stand apart in competition. Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) – allows the rider to mitigate rear wheel slip in the event of abrupt throttle grip. It can be switched on and off via a button on the left side of the meter.
Honda Smartphone Voice Control system (HSVCS) – this allows the rider to connect his smartphone with the bike via Bluetooth for access to navigation, music, phone calls and incoming messages along with weather and traffic updates. The information is relayed to the rider via the speaker in the helmet headset.
Assist and Slipper Clutch is another segment first feature offering smoother gear shift with reduced clutch lever operation load giving the rider better comfort and less fatigue from frequent shifting. The Advanced Digital-Analogue Speedometer presents information and integrates details such as HSTC, ABS, side stand, ECO indicator, HSVCS, gear position and battery voltage. Another segment first feature is the full LED lamps at the front and rear. More

2022 Honda RSXNew 2022 Honda RSX ticks all the right boxes in terms of style, comfort, performance and advanced features
Underbone-style two-wheelers are quite popular in Malaysia and other south-east Asian markets. Their design can range from a standard looking moped to something far more radical and sportier like Honda RSX. In Malaysia, 2022 RSX has been launched at a starting price of RM 8,688. This is approximately INR 1.55 lakh.
2022 Honda RSX styling and features
Honda RSX blends in sporty looks of a motorcycle and comfort and convenience available with a scooter. The bike has a pointy nose with aggressive dual LED headlamps and sporty LED DRLs. It looks muscular and dominating, especially when viewed from the front. Handlebar cowl has a central air intake, which also works to enhance the bike’s sporty profile.
Other key features include trendy rear-view mirrors, sleek turn signals, blacked-out engine, ergonomic seat, split grab rails, and upswept exhaust. Honda RSX has a full digital speedometer that displays a range of information such as gear position, fuel level, rpm, etc. The bike has a comfortable riding stance with centrally placed foot pegs.
Colour options include Trico Edition, which is essentially a blend of red, blue and black. Candy Carribean Blue Sea utilizes blue against black whereas Lemon Ice Yellow combines yellow and black. All three colour options get body-coloured front fenders. Coloured wheels would have further enhanced the bike’s look and feel, but that’s not available currently. Wheels are wrapped in standard black paint.
2022 Honda RSX
2022 Honda RSX engine and specs
Powering Honda RSX is a 149.2 cc, liquid cooled, PGM-FI, DOHC motor. It is capable of generating 15.8 hp of max power at 9,000 rpm and 13.6 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. It is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with multiple wet clutch. The bike utilizes a twin tube frame with telescopic forks at front and monoshock suspension with preload adjustability at rear.
It has 17-inch alloy wheels at both ends, shod with 90/80 front and 120/70 rear tubeless tyres. Both wheels have disc brakes and single-channel ABS is offered as standard. The bike has curb weight of 122 kg. Fuel tank capacity is pretty low at just 4.5 litres.
Honda RSX India launch?
It is unlikely that Honda RSX will be launched in India. Here, the closest match are mopeds that register strong sales every month. They are one of the most affordable two-wheeler options available in the country. Mopeds are fuel efficient and can carry significant amount of load.
Products like RSX will not meet expectations in terms of local styling preferences, price and fuel efficiency. In Rs 1.50 lakh price range, most users in the country would prefer performance-oriented bikes. For scooter lovers, the options could be products like Aprilia SXR-160 and recently launched Yamaha Aerox. Underbone two-wheelers like Honda RSX are an entirely different breed and their viability is limited to select geographies. More

New Honda ActivaHonda’s top selling product was once again the Activa scooter while CB Shine, Grazia and Dio also added good numbers
In October 2021, HMSI announced a crucial milestone that it has achieved. Sales crossed the 5 crore unit mark in India since 2001 and a major player to allow the company to achieve this was the Honda Activa scooter. Honda claimed that it took a total of 16 years to reach the first 2.5 crore target while the next 2.5 crores was achieved in just 5 years.
During the month of October 2021, HMSI also released a new TVC campaign for the Activa and CD110 Dream Deluxe. Especially for the festive season, ‘Aap aur Activa – India Ke Do Pahiye’ campaign portrays emotions of the Indians who are back again following the pandemic embracing a new normal situation in the country. The CD110 Dream Deluxe campaign “KMPL” i.e. “Kamaal Per Litre” shows off the superior mileage offered on the motorcycle along with its outstanding features and performance.
Honda Oct 2021 Scooters, Motorcycles
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) has detailed their sales numbers (domestic and exports) for October 2021. During the past month, the company sold a total of 4,32,207 units. This included 3,94,623 units in domestic markets a de-growth of 20.19 percent over 4,94,459 units sold in October 2020. Honda also suffered a MoM decline as compared to 4,63,679 units sold in domestic markets in September 2021.
A total of 37,584 units were exported last month. Exports saw a 14.86 percent YoY growth over 32,721 units exported in October 2020. The company has been noting a gradual increase in demand and the festive season with Dhanteras and Diwali could bring in better results for November 2021.
Honda Two Wheeler Sales Oct 2021
HMSI also expanded its BigWing network and inaugurated new outlets in Aluva, Mangalore, Karnataka and in Worli, Mumbai, Maharashtra exclusively for mid-size motorcycle segment. A Road Safety campaign was also initiated in the past month with special emphasis on road safety and safe riding habits.
This was held in association with Bengaluru Traffic Police and Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran and celebrated the first and fourth anniversaries of their safety driving education centers in Bangalore and Karnal respectively.
Electric Two-Wheeler Segment Next FY
With greater emphasis on the electric two wheeler segment, HMSI also plans to enter the arena with launch of an electric scooter next financial year. Honda has not announced details about the electric scooter they plan to launch first, but it could be the BENLY e.
It was spied on test at Automotive Research Association of India in June this year. Honda’s first electric two-wheeler will compete with the like of TVS iQube Electric, Bajaj Chetak, Ather and soon to be launched Suzuki Burgman Electric and Hero’s electric scooter. More

Image – MS AutoVlogsHonda Unicorn 150 recorded the highest YoY growth of 1700 percent in exports – While Unicorn 160 registered highest decline in domestic sales
Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) is the second-largest two-wheeler brand in India. However, like most other automakers in recent months, Honda has been facing a production slowdown thanks to a shortage in supply of semiconductor chips.
The Japanese bikemaker was able to dispatch a total of 4,63,683 two-wheelers in September this year as opposed to 5,00,888 units sold during the same period last year. This led to a YoY decline of 7.43 percent. The sales chart was topped by Activa as usual with a total sales volume of 2,45,352 registered last month.
Honda Sales Breakup Sep 2021 – Activa & Shine leading the way
However, a YoY decline of almost 5 percent was recorded since the company sold 2,57,900 units of Activa during the same month last year. Activa was followed by CB Shine with a total registered volume of 1,42,386 units last month instead of 1,18,004 units sold in September last year. This led to a 20.66 percent YoY growth.
Honda sold 34,557 units of Dio which recorded a YoY growth of 2.73 percent. Dream occupied the fourth spot with 15,210 units sold in September this year. During the same period last year, Honda sold 19,667 units of the 110cc motorcycle which has translated to a YoY decline of 22.66 percent.
Honda Domestic Sales Sep 2021
The OEM sold 11,213 units of Livo which was 5,681 units less than September 2020. This resulted in a 33.63 percent. A total of 11,213 units of Grazia were dispatched across the country which led to YoY growth of 8 percent.
Honda launched CB350 retro motorcycle last year which has witnessed decent success. The bike recorded a sales volume of 2,995 last month. It was trailed by Unicorn 160 with 1,390 units which recorded massive YoY degrowth of 95.55 percent. Unicorn was closely followed by the brand’s latest addition CB200X with a registered volume of 1,387 units. Hornet 2.0, on which CB200X is based upon, raked in a volume of a mere 75 units.
Honda Exports Sep 2021 – Dio, Navi, X-Blade Popular Overseas
As far as exports are concerned, a total of 18,225 two-wheelers were shipped to overseas markets by Honda in September this year. During the same month last year, the company dispatched 25,978 units which resulted in a YoY decline of almost 30 percent. Dio was the highest dispatched two-wheeler with a total volume of 4,874 units shipped overseas.
Honda Exports Sep 2021
Last year, this figure stood at 3,807 units which led to YoY growth of 28 percent. Honda exported 3,450 units of the monkey bike Navi as opposed to 5,452 which resulted in a 36.72 percent YoY decline. The company exported 2,295 units of X-Blade which translated to YoY growth of 213.52 percent. Grazia recorded a volume of 1,319 units which led to YoY growth of 37.40 percent. More

2022 Honda Rebel 250cc Cruiser
Honda Rebel 250 has been positioned as an entry-level cruiser in Honda’s lineup
Honda has taken the covers off from its latest cruiser offering Rebel 250. The new Rebel 250 will sit at the bottom of the Japanese brand’s cruiser motorcycles lineup. Other models in this range include Rebel 300, Rebel 500 and Rebel 1100. The 2022 Rebel 250 comes wrapped in a new Pearl Spencer Blue colour option in Japan.
2022 Honda Rebel 250cc – Typical Cruiser Styling
However, this paint scheme has been reserved for the top-spec Rebel 250 S Edition. The bike is seen wearing a dark blue metallic paint which is prominent on its fuel tank as well as the rear fender. Rest of the parts including the motorcycle’s engine and gearbox assembly and hardware setup have been painted black.
This creates a nice sporty contrast that looks bold and fiery This premium variant of the cruiser bike also comes with diamond-stitched split-style seats, fork gaiters and a headlamp cowl as standard fitments.
The standard edition of Rebel 250 is still available with a matte grey shade and tan brown seats. Some other highlights include a round headlamp, a stubby rear fender and circular rearview mirrors. No other changes have been made to the bike.
2022 Honda Rebel 250cc Cruiser
Features & Specifcations
In terms of features, the new Rebel 250 has been equipped with full LED lighting with a quad projector headlight and a fully digital circular instrument cluster. Suspension duties on the motorcycle are carried out by conventional telescopic forks at front and twin shock absorbers attached to the swingarm at rear. Braking duties are handled by single disc brakes at both ends with calipers from Nissin. This is aided by a dual-channel ABS.
Powering Rebel 250 is a 249cc single-cylinder engine that delivers an output of 25.6 bhp and 22 Nm of peak torque. This motor is mated to a 6-speed gearbox. Rebel 250 gets an extremely low seat height of 690mm and forward-set footpegs which offer a very relaxed and comfortable riding posture. The bike tips the weighing scales at 177 kilos.
Rebel in India?
The new Rebel 250 goes on sale in Japan starting January 20, 2022 with prices starting at about Rs 4 lakh. This bike is unlikely to make its way to India shores. However, there have been rumours of Honda bringing the more premium Rebel 500 to India this year, unfortunately, its launch has been delayed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Honda doesn’t offer a single cruiser motorcycle in India but instead has found success by launching a retro-style classic roadster in the form of CB350. This bike is currently available in two derivatives- H’Ness CB350 and CB350RS. Honda could launch the Rebel range in India under their BigWing network as a CBU. More

2022 Honda NT1100Honda NT1100 will be available in two derivatives 1100A and 1100D offering manual and automatic transmissions respectively
Honda has officially taken the wraps off from its upcoming sports tourer NT1100 for global markets. As many have already guessed, the upcoming NT1000 is a road-biased iteration of CRF1100L Africa Twin which is a proper adventure tourer. The styling of NT1100 clearly reveals that it shares its DNA with Africa Twin.
While CRF1100L has been developed to take on challenging trails, NT1100 has been designed to gobble long distances. It will be positioned to bridge the gap between the 750cc touring range and the flagship Gold Wing in Honda’s global lineup. As of now, it has only been offered in European markets but is expected to be shipped to other parts of the world soon.
2022 Honda NT1100 – Design
Like many other contemporary sports tourers, NT1100 shows shades of an ADV bike in its styling. It flaunts a twin-beam LED headlight setup with integrated LED DRLs and a heavily faired front end. On top of that, it features a large windscreen that is five-way adjustable for height and angle, and it’s aided by wind deflectors on either side.
Other styling highlights include split-style seats, a single-sided twin-barrel exhaust, a single-piece grab rail that extends into a luggage mounting rack and a pannier box on each side which is available as standard. The motorcycle will be offered in three paint schemes namely Matte Iridium Grey Metallic, Pearl Glare White, and Graphite Black.
2022 Honda NT1100
Hardware Configurations
NT1100 is underpinned by a chassis that comprises a steel, semi-double cradle frame and a bolt-on aluminium subframe employed in the Africa Twin. However, suspension setup has been tweaked a little which offers 150mm lesser travel on both ends in comparison to Africa Twin. It features 43 mm Showa USD forks at front and a Showa mono-shock at rear.
Further, NT1100 rides on shorter 17-inch front and rear wheels instead of larger 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels on its ADV sibling. This has resulted in a lowered saddle height of 820mm which provides more comfortable riding ergonomics. Braking is handled by 310 mm twin discs with radially-mounted calipers up front and a single 256 mm disc at the back. These are accompanied by a dual-channel ABS.
Features & Powertrain
In terms of features, Honda has provided NT1100 a 6.5-inch TFT touchscreen display that offers Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity options. It also features a plethora of rider aids such as Wheelie Control, Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), three default riding modes- Urban, Rain, Tour and two customisable riding modes.
2022 Honda NT1100
Powering the new NT1100 is a familiar 1,084cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine which also propels CRF1100L. This unit pumps out 101 bhp at 7,250rpm and a peak torque of 104 Nm at 6,250rpm. The engine gets the same 10.1:1 compression ratio and 270° phased crankshaft but air intake has been revised a little to suit highway cruising.
Honda will be offering NT1100 in two derivatives- NT1100A and NT1100D, the former is slightly more affordable at £11,999 while the latter carries a price tag of £12,999 in the UK market. This is because the A trim is available with a 6-speed manual gearbox while the D iteration comes with a DCT automatic gearbox. The sports tourer is expected to go on sale across Europe by early 2022 while its launch in India is uncertain. More

Image for referenceIn the next few years, most mainstream two-wheeler manufacturers are expected to launch their electric models
Although volumes are still low, things are moving in the right direction for electric two-wheeler segment. With huge subsidies, increased range and massive investment in charging infrastructure, consumers are willing to shift to electric. More momentum is expected in coming years, as established players like Hero MotoCorp, Honda, and Yamaha enter this space.
Honda new electric scooter
India’s second largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) is expected to launch their first electric scooter in India in 2022-23. Although details about the scooter are not available, the plans have been confirmed by HMSI president Atsushi Ogata. It is known that the company is currently testing the BENLY e electric scooter.
However, it is not certain if BENLY e is the product that will be launched in India. The scooter was showcased in 2019 at Tokyo Motor Show. BENLY e has been positioned as an electric two-wheeler for commercial use. So, the one meant for India could be an entirely new electric scooter. Globally, Honda Motor has plans to launch three new electric two-wheelers for personal use by 2024.
Eye on global markets
Along with domestic sales, Honda will be aiming to introduce its made-in-India electric scooter to international markets as well. The plan is to achieve a high level of localization. Honda is currently carrying out discussion with various component suppliers. Ogata said that due to its global plans, the launch has been shifted to next financial year. If the electric scooter was to be sold only in domestic market, it could have been launched this year itself.
Honda Benly e Electric scooter
An advantageous factor for Honda is that it already has the expertise and knowhow to develop an electric two-wheeler. The company is likely to use the Honda Mobile Power Pack (MPP) for its electric two-wheeler. MPP is environment friendly in the real sense, as it uses electricity produced though renewable energy sources such as solar power. MPP can also be used for other electric products such as e-rickshaws. Demand for the latter has consistently increased in India.
Talks with dealers
Honda is likely to hold discussion with its dealers to ensure that their business is not adversely impacted with the entry of electric two-wheelers. Since electric two-wheelers require relatively less service and maintenance, it could impact dealer profitability. To avoid such issues and protect its dealer network, Honda is working on various solutions.
One possibility is to equip dealer facilities with battery charging stations. This will create a new revenue source for dealers. It will be beneficial for users as well.
With localization, it is expected that HMSI will be able to launch its electric scooter at a competitive price point. If it has ample range and features, Honda electric scooter could emerge as another bestseller. The biggest success story so far in electric segment is that of Ola Electric. The company had registered bookings worth Rs 1,100 crore in just a 2-day sale period. Other scooters it will rival include Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, Ather 450X and many more. More