We usually don’t have a lot of siblings to have a rivalry with, in the lower segments, but Honda now has a virtual smorgasbord of choices should you be in the market for a 150cc motorcycle from Big Red. Here’s what is on offer:
We aren’t considering the CB Unicorn 150 because it belongs to a previous generation of 150s, and those are sought out by commuters who have highway duties. The clocks, the design, they all feel like a generation old and the price also reflects that. We shall instead look at the CB Unicorn 160 and the CB Hornet 160R that are within arm’s reach of the XBlade.
Let’s start with what is common: all three use the same air-cooled 163cc single-cylinder motor. However, the Unicorn quotes 14.5bhp, the Hornet quotes 15bhp, but the XBlade quotes 14bhp. While the Unicorn generates its peak power at 8000rpm, the other two generate it 500rpm higher. The torque peaks at 14.6Nm@6000rpm for the Unicorn, while the XBlade matches its peak of 13.9Nm at the same revs. The Hornet sticks with 6500rpm for the highest figure of 14.76Nm. All feed the power to the rear wheel via a chain and a five-speed gearbox.
The XBlade choosing parts from one, then the other continues with the brakes. It opts for the Hornet’s 276mm petal front disc, but chooses the Unicorn’s 130mm rear drum. While the Hornet is also available with the same rear brake in base form, you upgrade to a rear disc brake when you opt for the CBS. Not so with the Unicorn, where CBS will retain the rear drum brake. The Xblade doesn’t offer an option of CBS as of now; we expect it to directly offer ABS shortly beforenearer the time when ABS becomes mandatory.
The tyre sizes for the front are identical for the Unicorn and XBlade, at 80/100-17. The Hornet uses an upsize: 100/80-17. The rear tyres follow the pricing: the Unicorn has a 110mm wide rear, the XBlade a 130mm width, and the Hornet, a whopping 140mm wide tyre. The wheelbase of the Unicorn is the shortest at 1324mm whereas the Hornet and XBlade are a mere 2mm apart at 1345mm and 1347mm.
The features list is quite similar for all three – all three have an all-digital instrument cluster, but the XBlade shows a gear position as well, something that isn’t currently available on the other two. It also the only one to sport a hazard warning lights switch on the right handlebar. None of these offer an engine killswitch.
Finally, the CB Unicorn 160 is the entry-level Honda 160, at Rs 74,000 onward, the XBladecomesis next at Rs 79,000 onward and the CB Hornet 160R is the most premium of the lot at Rs 82,000 (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi).
