Honda All Set To Launch The All-new CB Hornet 200R Tomorrow

[UPDATE: Honda has launched the premium Hornet 2.0, its biggest made-in-India motorcycle. Head here for all details on the price, features, engine specs and more.]

• Feature list includes USD forks, chunky tyres, an LED headlight, and a tank mounted key fob.
• The teaser video suggests the engine is air-cooled and gets fuel-injection.
• Likely to be priced around Rs 1.40 lakh (ex-showroom).

Just last week, Honda teased its upcoming motorcycle, which we believe could be the CB Hornet 200R. And if that’s true, it’ll be the first Honda to compete in the entry-level 200cc performance segment in India. Considering the kind of equipment it carries, we believe it’s likely to be positioned in between the more affordable TVS Apache RTR 200 4V, Bajaj Pulsar NS200 and the premium KTM 200 Duke. So expect a price tag of around Rs 1.40 lakh (ex-showroom).   

The CB Hornet 200R looks like it’s all new for 2020. The only areas where it remotely resembles the BS4 CB Hornet 160R are the chunky tyres, stubby exhaust, box-section swingarm and the full-digital console. The styling, on the other hand, looks a lot more sportier and aggressive with sharp lines and surface breaks. Even the tank extensions appear to be beefier with a new full-LED headlight upfront that looks more dynamic than before. The key fob has also been moved from the handlebar to the tank. Also, the ergonomics are likely to be upright with just the right amount of lean towards the wide single-piece handlebar.  

The addition of gold finish on the USD fork not only adds a touch of premiumness but may make the Hornet 200R a better handler. Highlighting its sporty intentions is what looks like chunky radial tyres and petal disc brakes that offer a larger surface area for better heat dissipation. Dual channel ABS may come as standard. Holding everything together is a single-cradle frame which seems to be borrowed from the CB Hornet 160R.

The teaser video gives us a glimpse of the engine which appears to be air-cooled and possibly fuel-injected considering the strict BS6 emission norms. It could be derived from the Honda CBF190R which packs a 184cc single-cylinder air-cooled motor in the international market. The CBF190R is tuned to make 15.09PS of power and 14.5Nm of torque, which is quite low for the 200cc performance segment in India. Hence, we expect Honda to tweak the CB Hornet 200R’s motor for added oomph.

The CB Hornet 200R will surely open up new avenues for the Japanese brand and may also help it tap into different genres using the same platform. The two-wheeler manufacturer has already revealed its intentions of launching its entire 500cc range in India to plug the sizable gap between the 300cc to 650cc range. Once executed, Honda will pretty much cover the length and breadth of the Indian two-wheeler motorcycle segment.