When we talk about the proper naked streetfighters in India, very few names come across the mind. The Yamaha MT-15 is one of the proper and well-established streetfighters in India.
Well to challenge it, Honda is expected to bring the CB150R ExMotion in India.
The Honda CB150R ExMotion is already present in several Asian markets. The bike comes with a 149 cc single-cylinder, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled engine. The engine is already present in Euro 6 format so it will be easier for Honda to launch in India. Nevertheless, it produces about 20 bhp max power and about 14 Nm of peak torque. The engine comes mated with the six-speed gearbox. We can expect it to have slipper clutch as well in India.
The interesting bit of the Honda CB150R ExMotion is its weight. It weighs about 125 kgs, making it about 15 kgs lighter than the Yamaha MT-15.
However, the India bound model is expected to come with some altered parts that can raise the weight of the bike. The international model comes with USD forks at the front which might be replaced with conventional telescopic forks in India. The rear suspension work is done by the mono-shock suspension which is expected to remain the same.
The Honda CB150R ExMotion comes with a fully digital negative display instrument cluster. The headlamp and taillamps on the motorcycle are all-LED units. It is also expected to have a side stand engine inhibitor as a standard feature. We can expect the braking to be assisted by the single-channel ABS as dual-channel ABS will raise the cost significantly.
The bike shares lots of similarities with the bigger sibling, the CB300R. At first glance, they look exact identicals. And why not as the platform of the Honda CB150R ExMotion is shared with the Honda CB300R.
It comes with round retro looking LED headlamps. minimalistic tank fairing and a short wheelbase. All these design elements make the CB150R ExMotion even more challenging for its rival. Nevertheless, the design is fantastic and if Honda does the justice with the pricing, we are pretty sure that it will be a successful streetfighter.
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The pricing of the Honda CB150R ExMotion is expected at around Rs 1.4-15 lakh (ex-showroom). Currently, there are very few bikes in the segment, so it could turn out to be a good alternative for Yamaha MT-15 and KTM 125 Duke. The launch is expected at the end of 2020 or Q1 of 2021.