The power delivery is good in the low range and lets you get off the line easily. It feels strongest between 4500-6000rpm where the bike feels peppy, even more so than the Hornet. As a result, at 5.3 seconds, the bike is only 0.22 seconds slower to 60kmph than the Hornet. But more impressively, at 6.42 seconds, it is 0.26 seconds faster than the Hornet in getting from 30 to 70kmph in 3rd gear. This makes the X-Blade an able city dweller. Combine this with a slick-shifting 5-speed gearbox and it's a pleasant riding experience in the urban environment. It feels smooth and runs almost free of vibrations till the 9000rpm mark. After the 9000rpm mark, there are some vibrations on the mirrors and the pegs, but most riders are rarely going to find themselves in this zone. On the highways, it’s most comfortable doing 85kmph at 5500 rpm. Like the performance, even the handling is biased towards city use. And in that aspect, the X-Blade shines. At 140 kg, the X-Blade is the heaviest in the Honda 160 family, but doesn't feel like it. That's down to the lightness of the front end. It's easy to manoeuvre the bike in between traffic, and taking u-turns is also quite simple. But this lightness becomes a bit of an issue on winding roads. The bike is a bit too eager to tip into corners and doesn't provide confidence when leaned over. The stopping power on the bike, though, feels lacking. The brakes have decent bite but desperately lack feel. The front disc still managed to convey some kind of feedback but the rear drum just seems wooden and happily locks up under hard braking. This wouldn’t have been a huge concern if Honda had offered ABS, or even CBS, but neither of them are available on the bike, even as an option.
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