Honda’s 2-wheeler arm has just confirmed its plans for the 2014 Auto Expo and there is some good and bad news. Let’s get done with the bad news first. The CBR300R won’t be displayed at the event, ouch. This means Honda is still going to sell the CBR250R, a motorcycle which isn’t doing great numbers resulting in a lot of unsold inventory. Once existing units of the CBR250R are sold, we can expect Honda to launch the CBR300R in India. Now for some good news. Honda has confirmed its plans to showcase 7 models at the 2014 Auto Expo.
We were the first to confirm and report about Honda’s plans to bring in the CBR500R to India. Dealers have already been trained to handle sales and service of this half-litre bike and the company will showcase the Honda CBR500R at the 2014 Auto Expo. The CBR500R is powered by a 500cc, parallel-twin engine which outputs 47 BHP of peak power and 43 Nm of peak torque. The bike weighs a heavy 194 kgs but sprints from 0 to 100 km/hr in just 5.7 seconds. Top speed of the CBR500R is 185 km/hr. We expect the CBR500R to be priced under Rs. 4 lakhs in India with ABS being offered as standard.
To be showcased alongside is another performance offering, the CBR650F which is a middle-weight touring motorcycle, a rival to the highly successful Kawasaki Ninja 650. The CBR650F is powered by a 649cc, in-line four engine which outputs 87 BHP of power at 11,000 RPM and 63 Nm of torque at 8000 RPM. Honda is likely to launch this bike in India but given the fact it’s a 4-cylinder motorcycle, don’t expect prices to be under Rs. 7.5 lakhs (even after being locally assembled). The Honda CBR650F will become the cheapest 4-cylinder bike in India, without a doubt.
Honda will also showcase the PCX125 scooter which gets some interesting features like idling stop, theft proof system, smart navigation and a smart engine. The PCX125 is very famous in Europe and is UK’s best selling scooter, priced at £2600 (Rs. 2.71 lakhs). The PCX125 uses a 124.9cc, liquid-cooled engine which produces 11.7 HP of power at 8500 RPM and 11.56 Nm of torque at 6000 RPM. The scooter runs on 90/90/14 and 100/90/14 tyres at the front and rear respectively. It weighs 124 kgs and has a 6-litre fuel tank with the claimed mileage being 46 km/l. The top speed of the PCX125 is 112 km/hr while stopping power is via combi-brakes (there is no ABS). Honda also offers the PCX150 which outputs 13.5 HP of power.
Honda will also bring the RC213V motorcycle to the Auto Expo, which is the bike Marc Marquez rode to become the youngest Moto GP champion in the world. The company will also showcase the Goldwing, often referred to as the king of motorcycles. The Goldwing is the first bike in the world to get an airbag system, it also has a reverse gear! The Japanese manufacturer will display a new design concept model and will unveil an all new scooter (likely to be the 125cc Activa). Honda will also put its ATV in action in the outdoor activity area.
