For some reason, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India believes that targeting the more mature older audience will win them customers (and market share). All their launches so far hint at the same ploy. Even their new Unicorn 160 (which we are testing currently) is a motorcycle aimed at the over 30 years aged customers.
Now in an update, a patent image has allegedly come up which signals that Honda two wheelers is working on a cheaper version of CB Unicorn 160 to give their sales figure in the segment a fair bit of push.
Unicorn 150 is no more on sale and if that doesn’t come as a surprise, the CB Unicorn 160 is doing pretty well in the 150cc segment. However, apart from Unicorn none of their other offerings have earned them sales. If, some way, Honda can find another motorcycle in this segment which can click, they may pose a threat to Bajaj, which has so far been comfortably positioned as the segment leader.
Getting back to the new motorcycle which might be on the cards, as per Gaadiwaadi.com, the bike may carry the name CBX. The patent images reveal that CBX will continue to have a single seat, similar tail lamps, exhaust, fuel tank and mid-section. To reduce costs, according to the image, the motorcycle features a budget grab rail, conventional twin spring setup. There is a round headlamp in place of the bikini fairing of the Uni 160 (which actually looks better). It may or may not get CBS (Combi Braking System), Honda’s version of twin brake system.
If this is true, the idea may be to produce a bike which is based on an existing successful motorcycle for economies of scale and place it as an entry-level offering where Honda is absolutely absent at the moment.
We are considering this as a speculative rumor and if and when we have some concrete dope we will talk about it again…
