Honda Bikes

Honda CB350 In India – For reference
The recently launched CB350 in India competes with the likes of Royal Enfield Classic 350, Jawa and Benelli Imperiale

Honda has been reaping benefits from the introduction of H’Ness CB350 introduced a couple of months ago in the India market. Despite being available in limited numbers through its premium chain of dealerships BigWing, it has found a decent amount of buyers.
Now, the Japanese auto giant is looking to expand its popular CB range of bikes. Patent images of a new motorcycle possibly of the new CB250 have leaked and surfaced on the internet. Going by the images, it resembles closely to CB300R which is slated to launch in India soon.
Design Expected
Although it seems to share most of its working components with its elder sibling CB400 SF including its frame and bodywork. The frame in discussion here is a conventional double cradle type and the swingarm seems fairly simple. Lots of focus has been put into the rear suspension setup which gets a mono-shock unit and has been mounted directly in the swingarm with no rising-rate linkage.
Thus the cycle part is mounted on the frame directly behind the machine’s fuel tank, something which is common to more modern Honda motorcycles. Rest of the components are similar to the CB400 SF like the seat, wheels and tail section.
Honda CB 250cc patent leaks
Development on this seems to be in nascent stages since details available are very limited. However, it looks Honda might be serious about this because if it weren’t so important a more generic image of this could have been drawn.
CB250 legacy
The first generation of CB250 came out in the 1970s with its latest incarnation coming out in 1992 and staying in global markets until it got replaced by CBF250 in 2003. Despite its modest power and torque figures, it performed its duties without any complaints and became one of the most popular middleweight classic motorcycles.
Honda 250cc engine patent
Chances of production & arriving in India
As of now, Honda’s CB range extends from the entry-level CB125R to top of the line CB1000RR which recently got updated. Question arises whether this bike will indeed see a production version soon and if it will arrive in India or not. Honda is surely looking to expand its premium range of motorcycles in India and the new CB250 could be an enticing option since the much loved and endeared CBR250R got discontinued earlier this year.
Currently, Honda premium range of BigWing motorcycles starts from the new H’Ness CB350 and the new CB250 could be placed under it. The challenge for Honda will be to heavily localise this bike just like it did with the CB350 which is claimed to be more than 90 percent localised in India.
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Hamsa Honda
December 2020 offers from Honda Two Wheelers is in the form of cashback on card purchases

It’s no surprise that as the year comes to a close, those awaiting December discounts and offers usually find an end of year purchase to be one that suits the pocket. With the new year almost here, 2021 vehicles but naturally dated as MY21 ones.
As such, the need to sell MY20 stock by 2020 end is a major focus area for manufacturers. And the excitement around such a purchase is fuelled by time bound December deals.
Honda Two-wheelers cash back offer
Honda two wheelers has curated special offers for a number of its products this month. This comes with 5 percent cashback up to Rs 5,000 on credit card/ debit card EMI. Ease of purchase is outlined with no requirement for a down payment, no documentation, and no hypothecation. The easy process is made possible by the fact that the purchaser already has a verified bank account.
Purchases are obviously defined by bank balance, and/or credit card limit, and quite naturally the purchase amount is converted to EMIs. With multiple finance partners on board, terms and conditions would be applicable as per preferred financier’s guidelines. The above offer is certainly available for the ever popular Honda Activa, and new Hornet, and CD110 Dream Deluxe.
Honda Activa 6G Cashback
Honda Activa isn’t just a product that’s evolved with vehicle lifecycles, but it has kept toe to toe with everything the larger market offers. So much so, that having led from the front from its first innings, it continues to rule the roost in its latest avatar. The journey has spanned two decades, and only last month the manufacturer launched a special edition to celebrate its 20 glorious years.
Last month, the company reported wholesales at 4,33,206 units, at just under 10 percent growth from 3,96,399 units sold a year earlier. Though not comprehensive, retail sales data provided by FADA puts numbers at 3,80,088, down 17.33 percent from 4,59,774 units in Nov ‘19. And it goes without saying that such numbers are possible only because Honda Activa is an unchallenged bestseller.
Honda Hornet Cashback Offer
Q4 2020 Cashback and offers
In essence, the cashback offer is part of the manufacturer’s ‘Super 6’ offer that was on offer until end of November, 2020 as a special bouquet offer to augment festive season sales. That included saving of upto 11k, 100 percent finance with low-interest rates, 50 percent discount on EMI plan, cashback up to Rs 5,000 on a credit card or debit card EMI, or upto 2.5k in benefits for purchases through Paytm.
End of year sales, especially one with a clearly outlined benefit makes sense considering new MY21 vehicles will be costlier, even if marginally. It can be expected that in January 2020, product portfolios across manufacturers will see a price revision on account of various aspects including input costs. As such, knowing the prices will rise, buying a vehicle in the next few days presents a clear monetary benefit from a purchase made in three weeks time.
Honda CD110 Cashback Offer More

Image – MRD Vlogs
This is a limited edition model priced at Rs.2,000 over the standard variant

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. has launched two new Repsol editions. One of these is of the Hornet 2.0 commuter bike while the other is of the Honda Dio scooter. As the name suggests, the Honda Hornet 2.0 receives MotoGP inspired body graphics and orange coloured wheels similar to that seen on the Honda’s MotoGP RC 213V.
Though the motorcycle was launched a few days ago, it is only now that the motorcycle has started to arrive at dealer showrooms. Youtube channel MRD Vlogs has shared a detailed first look walkaround of the new Hornet Repsol edition.
Features and Dimensions
2020 Honda Hornet 2.0 Repsol Edition only receives racing badging and paint schemes to set it apart, while all other features remain unchanged. The decals pay tribute to the racing credentials of the bike with ‘Repsol’ badging emblazoned across its bulky, forward leaning, 12 liter fuel tank.
It also receives a fully digital, blue back lit liquid crystal meter with gear position indicator, battery voltmeter, service due indicator, etc. The seat is in a sporty split design while there is LED lighting at the front and rear with X shaped tail lamps.
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Honda Hornet 2.0 Repsol comes with 140mm wide rear tyre offering both superior road grip and easy handling along with a hazard switch in case of an emergency. It receives dual petal shaped disc brakes and 1 Channel front ABS for better control of brake especially over slippery road surfaces and also to prevent the wheel from locking. A first in segment feature is the golden upside down front fork for superior and advanced suspension.
In terms of dimensions, the Honda Hornet 2.0 Repsol Edition stands 2,047mm in length, 783mm in width and 1,064mm in height. It gets a wheel base of 1,355mm and ground clearance of 167mm with kerb weight of 142 kgs. Seat length is at 590mm while fuel tank is of 12 liter capacity.
Mechanicals remain unchanged
The Honda Hornet 2.0 naked roadster is powered by a BS6 compliant 184.40 cc, single cylinder, air cooled, fuel injected engine that produces 12.7 kW power at 8,500 rpm and 16.1 Nm torque at 6,000 rpm. Suspension is via upside down fork in the front and pre load adjustable monoshock at the rear.
Honda has not revealed the number of units of this limited edition motorcycle it plans to release into markets. However, the bike is now available at all company dealerships across India and bookings have also commenced with deliveries promised soon.
The price of the Honda Hornet 2.0 Repsol Edition is at Rs 1,28,351 ( ex-showroom Gurugram), a premium of Rs 2,000 over the standard model. Its launch is specially in honour of the brands racing team with its recent 800th MotoGP win. More

Honda Dio Repsol Edition
The Honda Dio limited edition inspired by Repsol Honda racing team gets orange coloured graphics and designs with orange wheel rims

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. has launched two special editions with which it seeks to attract a younger and more race oriented segment of buyers in the country. The company has unveiled Repsol Honda editions of Hornet 2.0 motorcycle and Dio scooter for racing aficionados in India. Both are limited edition models and priced at a premium over their regular counterparts.
Honda Dio Repsol Edition
With the tag line ‘Keep Dioing It” the Honda Dio gets a sporty and aggressive design with race inspired graphics from the Honda Repsol team’s MotoGP bike RC 213V across its front and rear body while it sits on Repsol Honda orange coloured alloy wheels. The Repsol badging can be seen on its front apron, side panels and on its tail gate.
Apart from these stickers and Repsol Tri-Colour Theme of Red/White/Orange, the Dio Repsol edition is identical to the Standard and Deluxe variants of the scooter BS6 model which was launched earlier this year. It sports a stylish muffler protector and split grab handles while key highlights include LED headlamp, all digital console, combi braking system, tubeless tyres and a wide seat.
The Honda Dio measures 1,808mm in length, 723mm in width and 1,150mm in height with a wheelbase of 1,260, ground clearance at 160mm and kerb weight of 103 kgs. Seat length is at 640mm and fuel tank is of 5.3 liter capacity. Take a look at the official TVC of Honda DIO Repsol edition, featuring Marc Marquez.
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The BS6 compliant Honda Dio scooter is powered by a 109.9cc, fuel injected, PGM-FI HET (Honda Eco Technology) engine that makes 7.65 hp power at 8,000 rpm and 9 Nm torque at 4,750 rpm. It gets telescopic forks in the front and 10 inch monoshock at the rear. The scooter gets a 3 step Eco Indicator on its instrument cluster that relates to better fuel efficiency.
The Honda Dio Repsol Edition is priced at Rs.69,757, which is a premium of Rs.2,500 over the Deluxe variant. Bookings have opened for this limited edition scooter while deliveries are set to commence soon.
Honda Dio Repsol Edition Specs
Honda Dio Sales
Honda Dio has been consistent in terms of sales and has regularly found a spot on the list of 10 best selling scooters in the country month after month. The BS6 variant was introduced earlier this year and received several feature and technology updates.
In October 2020, Honda Dio sales grew by 19.24 percent to 44,046 units, up from 36,939 units sold in the same month of the previous year with volume gain of 7,107 units. Dio is not only one of the highest selling scooters in the country but also the No.1 exported scooter from India. More

2021 Honda CB 150R
2021 Honda CBR150R is not likely to arrive in India anytime soon

Honda has launched its entry-level faired motorcycle CBR150R in Thailand. The updated fully faired sports bike comes with new paint scheme options. Other than added colour schemes there are no other changes brought by the Japanese brand. Earlier, it was speculated that the bike would get USD front fork suspension units which didn’t happen.
New Colours on offer
The latest iteration of CBR150R is offered in four dual-tone colour options which include Matte Black with Red, Grey with Red, Red with Black and Black with Orange. Out of the four colour combinations, Grey with Red comes with the most funky-looking body graphics and decals.
Overall Design & Hardware
This said colour comes with a red front wheel, red underbelly cowl and sporty graphics with a hint of yellow. The overall design and colour schemes of CBR150R have been inspired by higher CBR models such as CBR650R and CBR1000RR-R.
It continues to exhibit its signature dual-LED headlamps which are integrated with eye-grabbing LED DRLs. The bike gets low-set clip-on handlebars which demand an aggressive lean forward position accompanied by the rear-set footpegs.

The sculpted fuel tank, fairing-mounted rear-view mirrors, split-style seats and a high-rise tail section enhance the bike’s sporty appeal. The contrasting exhaust canister tip also accentuates the sporty look. Coming to its hardware, suspension duties on the bike is handled by telescopic forks at front and a rear mono-shock. Braking duties are taken care of by petal-type disc brakes on both wheels.
Powertrain Specs
In terms of its powertrains, the latest version of CBR150R derives its power from a 149cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine which comes with a DOHC setup and four valves. The motor kicks out a power of 17.1 PS at 9000 rpm and a peak torque of 14.4 Nm at 7000 rpm. This unit comes equipped with Honda’s PGM-Fi fuel-injection system and eSP technology. Transmission is carried out by a six-speed gearbox as standard.

The new 2021 Honda CBR150R has been priced at THB 99,700 which roughly translates to INR 2.43 lakh. The bike is very popular especially in South East Asian countries although it is unlikely to launch in India anytime soon. It directly locks horns with Yamaha R15.
Honda is rather looking to introduce the updated 2021 CB300R in India which is expected to launch sometime early next year. The naked streetfighter got discontinued earlier this year and is expected to make a return in its updated BS6 complaint form soon. The bike is likely to be brought via the CKD route and is expected to cost around Rs 2.50 lakh (ex-showroom, India). More

Image for reference. Credit – RNickeyMouse
Honda is developing a new technology where it can take input from the rider’s brain and enhance the safety systems

While riding a motorcycle one would have wished at least once in life that the two-wheeler could perform the intended actions after reading what’s on the rider’s mind. This would reduce a rider’s effort in stiff riding conditions and make up for a pleasant experience. Sounds too good to be true? Not really!
Apparently, Honda is developing a brain-wave-detection system that would help future motorcycles know their riders’ thoughts and intentions. Patent images regarding the same have surfaced online which are part of the patent application filed by Honda’s Los Angeles based R&D facility at the US Patent and Trademark Office.

What is this technology?
The basic idea behind this technology is to assist the onboard safety system which can ensure that the bike does what the rider wants even when his/her actions may not be accurate. In simple words, this technology would allow a rider to connect to his/her motorcycle telepathically via electrodes attached to one’s helmet that would send signals to a computer which Honda calls BMI or “Brain-Machine Interface“.

The brain wave signals are then interpreted by BMI and sent to the corresponding part of the bike. The bike is equipped with a suite of electronic rider aids present in most modern premium bikes such as accelerometers, IMU (computing lean, yaw, and pitch and other dynamics of motorcycles), electronic throttle, ABS, traction control and more.

The only additional functionality will be a sensor measuring steering angle and an actuator to move the steering in case input is not enough from the rider’s side and electronic intervention is required.

In what ways could it help a rider?
Interestingly, the images shared shows examples of riders pulling out dangerous stunts like wheelie and stoppie using a rider’s imagination. The system assists the rider to carry out the stunts by taking control over various aspects of the motorcycle. The one problem here though is that even if one knows the theory of pulling out a perfect wheelie or stoppie it would take a lot of experience to do it cleanly in practice.

More importantly, BMI could act as electronic assistance to less experienced riders and help avoid serious accidents due to lack of experience. Furthermore, as per the text provided by the company with the patent filings, BMI can also adapt to an individual’s skill level and accordingly modulate its assistance depending on the rider’s experience. If Honda does manage to pull this off, it could potentially lead to a new revolution in automotive technology.

Prospects of this technology reaching future?
Since it is a patent filing it is safe to say it would take at least a few years for something of this sort to actually materialise and reach production. The cost behind developing such a technology would also be monumental and puts a doubt whether this would be feasible for production models in near future.

Honda is also working on many other tech for motorcycle riders, that will eventually help in reducing crash / accidents. This includes their prototype from 2017, when the Japanese auto major presented a self-balancing bike that could stand upright without the assistance of a rider. More

New Honda Activa 6G 20th Anniversary Edition
Activa has once again been the best selling Honda two wheeler in India

In line with industry trends, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has registered positive YoY growth in November. A total of 4,12,641 units were sold in the domestic market, which is YoY gain of 10.54%. Sales during the corresponding period last year stood at 3,73,283 units. However, MoM sales have turned negative at -16.55%. Sales during October 2020 were 4,94,459 units.
MoM de-growth in November is not surprising, since this has been the usual trend in post festive period. Two wheeler sales usually attain their peak during the festive season and tend to dip in the subsequent period.
Honda two wheeler exports
Honda exported a total of 20,565 units in November, which is YoY de-growth of -11.04%. Exports during the corresponding period last year stood at 23,116 units. MoM de-growth is much higher at -37.15%, as compared to 32,721 units exported in October 2020.
Honda total sales (domestic + exports) were 4,33,206 units in November, which is YoY gain of 9.29%. Total sales during the same period last year were 3,96,399 units. In terms of MoM growth, total sales are down by -17.83%. Total sales in October 2020 were 5,27,180 units. If we add the sales numbers of October and November, Honda’s festive sales have crossed the one million milestone.
Honda Two Wheeler Sales Nov 2020 vs Nov 2019 (YoY) vs Oct 2020 (MoM)
Honda domestic and international bestsellers
Honda is currently the second largest two wheeler manufacturer in India, trailing behind Hero MotoCorp while ahead of TVS, Bajaj and others. In the domestic market, the company’s bread and butter is the popular Active scooter. Lifetime sales of Activa over the last two decades have already crossed the 20 million mark.
The company recently launched a special 20th anniversary edition Activa 6G to celebrate its success. It came with cosmetic enhancements such as a new Matte Mature Brown colour, golden strips, and gold embossed ‘Activa’ logo.
Other Honda bestsellers in the domestic market include CB Shine, Dio, Unicorn 160, Dream, Livo, Grazia and Hornet 2.0. Recently launched Honda H’ness CB350 has also been receiving a lot of attention and appreciation from bike enthusiasts. CB350 goes up against rivals such as Classic 350, Meteor 350, Jawa and Benelli Imperiale 400. Honda is currently expanding its Big Wing dealer network, something that is expected to boost sales of CB350 and other premium bikes.
Talking about exports, Honda’s bestsellers include Navi, Dio, CB Shine, Hornet 160R, X-Blade, Grazia and Unicorn 160. The company is currently the top scooter exporter from India, made possible largely by consistent demand for Dio. Earlier this year, Honda achieved the milestone of exporting more than 2.5 million two-wheelers. The company’s products are shipped to several countries across Middle East, Asia and Latin America. More

Image for reference
Goldwing sits on top of the line in Honda’s BigWing offerings in India

Whenever one thinks of a big and brawny bike, Honda Goldwing will surely be one of the first to pop up in one’s head. The bike is huge and has a road presence no less than an SUV. Being a premium bike of a reputed global brand, the motorcycle comes with tons of gizmos on offer.
However, the bike misses out on one feature which is still very novel in two-wheelers- adaptive cruise control. Recent introductions of radar-based tech on the brand new Ducati Multistrada V4 and BMW R1250RT have made Honda rethink and the company is now contemplating on adding this technology to its flagship offering.
2021 Honda Goldwing With Radar Tech
Patent images of Goldwing suggest that Honda is working on incorporating a radar-assisted sensor technology on its premium cruiser. This radar-based sensor will most likely be used to offer features such as adaptive cruise control and other safety and convenience systems. While radar-assisted cruise control is a familiar feature in premium cars, it is still a very nascent technology in motorcycles.
Where could the sensors be mounted?
Recent images are proof that Honda idly patenting technology which it isn’t going to use. However, the images do suggest the challenges for the Japanese brand as far as placing the radar on the bike. Going by the images, the radar sensor could be located in the middle of Goldwing’s massive headlamps. It needs to be kept in mind that radar sensors can see through some materials like plastic, however, the surface needs to be flat and smooth so that it doesn’t intervene with the radar waves.

Fortunately for Honda, the space between Goldwing’s headlights is fairly uncluttered and flat and it intends to place the radar just behind the panel. This would make it invisible in plain sight thus not compromising on the bike’s looks. Honda also plans to bridge the gap between the radar sensor and bodywork by using a sponge-type material in order to prevent vibrations from fairing to reach the radar sensor and affecting its efficacy.
The technology used in radar sensors in Ducati Multistrada V4 and upcoming BMW Motorrad bikes has been jointly developed by the respective manufacturers and German brand Bosch. Similar systems are also developed by Kawasaki and KTM in association with Bosch and are expected to be introduced in future. In all probability, Honda would too source its technology from Bosch. Honda also deals with the German electronic giant which supplies radar sensors for some of its cars to the Japanese automaker.

When can we expect it?
The latest iteration of Multistrada V4 also comes with a rear radar system that offers safety features such as Blind Spot Monitoring. Although, the patent images of Goldwing do not indicate a similar feature onboard.
As of now, there has been no official word from Honda regarding this technology and when will it actually be available on the cruiser. However, if the company uses a radar sensor technology sourced from Bosch which would not require additional development, we might see this feature in production-spec models by 2022.
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