Honda XBlade At Auto Expo 2018: First Look

The XBlade is the fourth and final two-wheeler that Honda had promised to launch before the end of FY 2017-18, but does it live up to the hype?

The Big Red has stayed true to its promise of showcasing four new two-wheelers in FY 2017-18. Honda Motorcycle And Scooter India (HMSI) unveiled the final piece of the puzzle at the ongoing Auto Expo 2018. Christened the XBlade, the premium motorcycle is essentially the Honda CB Hornet 160R underneath. It gets the same chassis and the same engine as the Hornet. So will the XBlade eat into the Hornet’s market? Not exactly.

The XBlade is being positioned as a rather premium commuter that will slot in between the CB Unicorn 160 and the CB Hornet. To that effect, it gets premium styling bits sprinkled all across the body work that help set it apart from the aforementioned motorcycles.

Up front, the futuristic and sharp headlamp is an all-LED affair. It is way more radical than the Hornet’s and should have a good throw. Its instrument cluster has also been laid out differently and offers additional readouts over the CB Hornet 160R like a gear position indicator, service indicator, hazard lights and a white backlight. This adds a bit more practicality, which is the essence of the commuter segment. Speaking of practicality, it gets touches like a single-piece saddle and ergonomic grab rails which reaffirm its cause.

Sharp extensions protrude from the fuel tank to give it that edgy and sporty look that appeals to youngsters. The chiselled lines continue through till the tail where it flaunts an LED setup for the tail lamp. As far as looks go, the XBlade does make a case for itself as a more premium offering than the Unicorn but not as mature as the Hornet.

Powering the XBlade is the same 162.7cc, air-cooled motor as the Hornet. However, Honda has detuned it to produce 13.9PS at 8,500rpm and 13.9Nm at 6,000rpm on the X-Blade, in comparison to the Hornet's 15PS of power and 14.76Nm of peak torque. This should tone down its sportiness a bit as will the slightly slimmer 80/110 R17 and 130/70 R17 section tyres at the front and rear respectively; down from the Hornet’s 100/80 R17 and 140/70 R17 tyres. It gets a 276mm disc brake up front and a 130mm drum brake at the rear. Surprisingly, Honda is not offering a rear disc brake even as an optional extra. At a kerb weight of 140kg, it is lighter than the Unicorn, but heavier than the Hornet.

While most of its cycle parts are a notch or two down from the Hornet, they are a step up from the Unicorn which offers a relaxed and practical performance. Honda also showcased a kitted out version of the XBlade called the XBlade Adventure, and based on the response to the motorcycle, the company will take a call on whether it wants to launch an accessory kit for the XBlade, like it currently offers on the Navi. On paper, this hints at a motorcycle that isn’t as sporty as the Hornet, but is definitely not as vanilla as the Unicorn either. Stay tuned as we take it out for a spin to understand better.