Honda CB Hornet 200R India Launch Tomorrow

This will be Honda’s first 200cc motorcycle in India

[UPDATE: Honda India has launched the Hornet 2.0, a 184cc motorcycle that replaces the CB Hornet 160R. Head here for more details regarding the bike.]

• The Honda CB Hornet 200R features an air-cooled fuel-injected engine.
• It is also the first made-in-India Honda bike to get an inverted front fork.
• Expect the Japanese bikemaker to price the bike at around Rs 1.40 lakh (ex-showroom).

Honda is all set to launch a sporty motorcycle tomorrow. Going by the recently released teaser video, the motorcycle could be the Honda CB Hornet 200R. If so, it will replace the now-discontinued BS4-compliant CB Hornet 160R. Expect the Japanese brand to price the bike at around Rs 1.40 lakh (ex-showroom).

The teaser video reveals quite a few bits of the motorcycle. The design is similar to the 160cc Hornet, but there are tweaks all over to give it a unique personality. Adding to the premium quotient are the gold finished inverted fork. It complements the butch fuel tank extensions and LED headlamp rather nicely. The bike also features an all-digital instrument cluster with a gear position indicator - a first for the Hornet range. Ergonomics are likely to be comfortable thanks to the wide single-piece handlebar.

Powering this motorcycle will be a single-cylinder air-cooled fuel-injected engine. It is likely to be derived from the Honda CBF190R sold in the international market. The CBF190R produces 15.09PS and 14.5Nm from its 184cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine. Considering the 200cc segment in India is a little more performance oriented than this, expect the power and torque figures to be slightly higher - somewhere within the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V’s ballpark. It will definitely be higher than CB Hornet 160R’s 15.09PS and 14.5Nm. 

The bike gets premium underpinnings in the form of an inverted front fork (a first for a made-in-India Honda) and a rear monoshock. For optimum braking, it uses a petal disc on both ends, likely with a dual-channel ABS as standard. Petal discs offer greater surface area than conventional discs, and hence ensure better cooling efficiency.

When launched, the Honda CB Hornet 200R will go up against the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V and the Bajaj Pulsar NS200.