Report - Honda's 160 cc bike (festive season launch) to be more powerful & sportier than CB Trigger

02/07/2014 - 12:26 Honda CB Trigger, Honda Motorcycles Nithyanandh K

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) had previously announced that it is preparing to launch a new 160 cc bike in the second quarter of this fiscal (July to September 2014) to get a move on in the segment.

The technical specifications are not revealed as of now but Autocar Professional reports that the bike will be tech-laden and will not compromise on fuel economy. The new 160 cc motorcycle in question is expected to be more powerful and sportier than the CB Trigger whose 150 cc air-cooled engine develops 14 hp and 12.5 Nm of torque.

Market positioning would be above the CB Trigger and much below the CBR150R, taking the fight towards the likes of the Yamaha FZ FI V2.0 series and the TVS Apache RTR160.

Front three quarter of the Honda CB Trigger — The new Honda 160 cc bike will be positioned above the CB Trigger (image).

HMSI quickly rose to become the second largest two wheeler maker in India, riding on the success of the venerable Activa automatic scooter which ended the last fiscal as the second best selling two wheeler in the sub-continent. However, Honda's sales performance in the 150 - 160 cc segment have failed to make a mark.

The aging Honda CB Unicorn is doing reasonably well while the more premium CB Trigger couldn't keep up with the rivals such as the Bajaj Pulsar 150 and the Yamaha FZ twins. The CBR150R is positioned away from the nucleus of the segment which limits its volume potential.

The two wheeler major is also working on a third member of the Dream family of 110 cc commuter bikes, which is also scheduled for a launch in festive season.

HMSI managed to sell 323,224 units (172,119 scooters and 151,105 motorcycles) in June which is a 28.29% growth compared to June 2013's 251,936 units. Honda has set itself a sales target of 4.5 million units in this fiscal.