Honda CB Hornet 160R – First look review

First Look Review

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India has been having a hard time increasing its market share in the 150cc-160cc segment. While the CB Unicorn attracted lot of buyers, other products like the CB Dazzler and the CB Trigger failed to gain traction. The major reason being, its overall design language which wasn’t trendy and aggressive enough to attract the right audience. In order to fix that, the Japanese manufacturer unveiled the CB Hornet 160R, which will replace the slow-selling CB Trigger.

The CB Hornet 160R has been inspired from the CX-01 concept and it looks good. The Japanese manufacturer has taken a sharp design approach for this bike, which has worked in its favour. The fascia looks attractive, thanks to the smartly designed bikini fairing, while the design of the fuel tank is fresh. In fact, with its sharp creases, the side profile is the best angle to look at the bike. Honda is calling the LED tail lamp as the “X” lamp due to its shape and that’s something new in the segment. While the styling is new, the instrument cluster isn’t - it gets the same cluster from the CB Unicorn 160.

While the company didn’t reveal any technical specifications at the unveiling, we are expecting the CB Hornet 160R to get the same 163cc engine from the CB Unicorn 160. This engine produces 14.5bhp at 8,000rpm and peak torque of 14.61Nm at 6,000rpm and is mated to a five-speed gearbox. The bike also gets the patented Honda Eco Technology (HET), which helps in delivering more fuel efficiency. Just like the CB Unicorn 160, the CB Hornet 160R gets a telescopic fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear. Honda has equipped the motorcycle with petal disc brakes at the front and rear and also with the combi-brake system (CBS).

With the CB Hornet 160R, Honda has finally managed to hit the sweet spot in terms of design, which is very important for a buyer in the premium 150cc-160cc commuter segment. We are expecting the Honda CB Hornet 160R to be launched during Diwali with a price tag ranging between Rs 78,000 and Rs 83,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).