Naked motorcycles seem to be flavour of the season as a growing number of manufacturers are unveiling new naked versions of their faired motorcycles. Honda is going with this flow with the new 2014 CB150R, which is a naked version of its popular 150cc fully-faired motorcycle, the CBR150R. The motorcycle was also showcased at the 2014 Indonesia Motorcycle Show, which took place in Jakarta, last month.
Mechanically, the CB150R is identical to the CBR150R and is powered by the same 149cc single-cylinder engine which produces 17.6bhp and 12.5Nm of torque. The liquid cooled unit gets a fuel injection system and comes mated to a six-speed gearbox. It gets telescopic forks at the front and a monoshock in the rear. Both wheels get disc brakes as standard.
The engine of the CB150R, unlike the CBR150R, is completely exposed and comes with a black finish. It gets new red/white and black/white liveries with racy decals. Even the wheels get a red/black paint scheme, which matches the bodywork. The headlamp unit has been styled along the lines of bigger naked CB motorcycles and has a typical Honda look to it.
Rumours of Honda launching a new 150cc motorcycle in India have been going around for a while, though it is very unlikely that it will be the CB150R. The price tag of the motorcycle is a very important factor which influences its sales in India and pricing a naked 150cc motorcycle around the one lakh mark might not help the Japanese manufacturer generate the necessary volumes. Still, if Honda does decide to launch the CB150R in India, it will rival the likes of the Yamaha FZ-S FI V2.0 and the Suzuki Gixxer.
Image source: TMC
