The XBlade was shown to the world just a few days ago, at the Auto Expo. Honda has announced that it will go on sale soon and has started accepting bookings for it. Here are six things you should know before you book it:
1.The XBlade is a study in appealing design. A lot of the XBlade’s mechanical specifications match that of the CB Unicorn 160, but that was not an exciting motorcycle to look at, like the CB Hornet 160R. The XBlade marries the simplicity and more value-driven pricing of the Unicorn with the exciting looks of the Hornet.
2.It shares mechanical parts with both the Hornet and the Unicorn. It has the kerb weight of the Hornet, the wheelbase is nearly identical to the Hornet’s (2mm longer), the front disc is the same size as the Hornet’s and the rear drum, the same as the Unicorn’s. Oh, and it has the same 162cc air-cooled single-cylinder that run the other two. Instrumentation is all-digital and the basic format is identical to the other two. Rest assured, parts will be well priced and plentiful for the XBlade.
3.It gets an LED headlamp which is a first for the segment. In the age of always-on headlamps, LED headlamps will last for the life of the vehicle, in addition to looking plenty cool
4.There is no CBS or rear disc. In an effort to keep costs down, the XBlade offers a rear drum brake only as an option. Honda offers both the Unicorn and Hornet with CBS, but the XBlade misses out on this as well. It gets the larger petal disc from the Hornet for the front, though.
5.There still is no killswitch. Honda has seen fit to provide the XBlade with a hazard switch rather than a killswitch – an exercise that would have cost nearly the same. Go figure.
6.It is priced between the Unicorn and Hornet. Honda seems keen on sewing up the 150cc space, so you can choose between the CB Unicorn 150, CB Unicorn 160, CB Hornet 160R and now, the XBlade. With a starting price of Rs 79,000 (just like we predicted), the XBlade’s price splits the Unicorn’s and the Hornet’s price.
