2018 Hornet ABS price hike is higher than expected; ABS offered even on Standard version…
Apart from the new X-Blade, Honda also showcased the 2018 Hornet 160R in India at the 2018 Auto Expo. The display model draped in matte grey colour looked similar to the older version but adorned the following changes.
2018 Hornet 160R Changes
New design bikini fairing – The fairing is slightly elongated and resembles that of the X-Blade. It is divided in two parts with the brand name ‘Hornet’ in between.
LED headlamps – Hornet is the second motorcycle in this segment to get this feature.
Optional ABS – It is a single channel ABS unit and is offered in two variants. Hornet also becomes the second motorcycle in Honda’s range to offer ABS.
New Graphics – 2018 Hornet comes with slightly refreshed graphics.
New Colour – Honda has introduced a new ‘Dazzle Yellow Metallic‘ colour to the palette which will be in addition to the existing Striking Green, Mars Orange, Athletic Blue Metallic and Sports Red.
Apart from these, it also gets hazard lamps and blue backlit instrumentation.
The 162.71 cc engine now produces 15.1 PS (14.9 bhp) of peak power (down from 15.25 PS) at 8500 rpm and lower 14.5 Nm (down from 14.76 Nm) of max torque at 6500 rpm. The reason of this detuning is not known.
Honda X-Blade Adventure: What is Different?
Hornet ABS Price
In order to liberate space for the XBlade which is placed in between, Honda increased the price of Hornet to present it as a more premium offering. Add to that, within a few weeks of original launch, they have increased the price of the motorcycle again by Rs 559.
| Variant | Old Price | New Price |
| Hornet 160R STD | Rs 82,359 | Rs |
| Hornet 160R CBS | Rs 86,823 | Rs |
| Hornet 160R STD ABS | NA | Rs |
| Hornet 160R DLX ABS | NA | Rs |
*ex-showroom Delhi
- This means that Hornet has become expensive by about Rs 2900 within two months! So effectively you pay this amount for LED headlamps and reduced power and torque! The price hike should not have been more than Rs 500-800 at max!
- Additional premium for ABS of Rs 5500 is the lowest (for the standard variant). Suzuki charges about Rs 6000 on their Gixxer for ABS!
- STD ABS version comes with a rear drum brake and the DLX ABS variant gets an additional rear disc brake.
On Mid-Size Motorcycles Honda Says ‘Wait! It’s NOT the Right Time’
Honda had already planned to increase the gap between the Unicorn 160 and Hornet 160R and hence they introduced X-Blade in between (which appears to have taken a lot of design cues from Hornet). The new 2018 Hornet 160R will go against the new 2018 Apache 160 which is now the most powerful motorcycle in the segment!
