Honda CB Hornet 160R: First Ride Impressions

Narendra Sharma takes the Honda CB Hornet 160R for a spin on Goa's roads.

Two-wheeler giant Honda has been ruling the scooter market in India for many years now, that too by a big margin to its closest competitor. Somehow, Honda has not been able to make an equivalent impact in the country when it comes to their motorcycles, though they have been selling in decent numbers.

A few months back Honda had announced and showcased some of their new motorcycles across different segments and one of them was the CB Hornet 160R, which Honda have just launched. We bring you the first hand experience on this motorcycle, from Goa, to tell you whether it is good enough.

The Honda CB Hornet 160R enters the highly competitive and growing 150-160cc segment in India. Apparently, this segment is one which has been hotter over the last few years and customers are getting more and more demanding in terms of looks and performance mainly. Following the Bajaj Pulsar, the Yamaha FZ-S was the a very successful bike in this segment , followed by Suzuki Gixxer, which created a space for itself within a short time of launch.

The first look gave us impression that the Yamaha FZ-S and the Suzuki Gixxer do have something to worry about. The styling and design of the Hornet 160R is not too aggressive but is well-sculpted. The headlamp cowl resembles bigger bikes from Honda and the tank shrouds bearing the 'winged' Honda logo add to the the flair and aggression it needs. The fuel tank has an interesting carbon fibre-finished cladding on the top. It has sharp looks from the side too and the 'X'-shaped tail lamp looks unique, adding some more character to the bike. The sari guard is also a good looking one.

The instrumentation is average and the fully digital instrument cluster has the speedo, tacho, fuel gauge, trip meter and a clock. We would have preferred a gear indicator too. The switch gear is placed on the left side only and one thin we sorely missed was an engine kill switch. it is such a convenient feature which we don't know why Honda has not offered. It also has a kick starter, which has a unique shape and fits in very well. Overall, the fit and finish of the bike is top notch and there hardly any room for complain.

The riding stance on the CB Hornet is not aggressive and you sit pretty upright. This is a good thing, specially when riding for a longer time or covering long distances. The handlebar is short and feels sporty at the same time. The foot pegs are also not place too far behind. Press the starter and the engine fires up in a typical Honda fashion, which is smooth and refined. Though we rode for a short distance, it was more or less enough to get a feel of this machine and its behaviour. The acceleration is linear and the bike pulls away effortlessly. You will like the deep throaty exhaust note and it grows louder at higher RPMs.

The CB Hornet 160R has a 162.71cc air-cooled, 4 stroke, single cylinder engine that produces 15.66bhp of power at 8500rpm and a torque of 14.76Nm at 6500rpm. The engine is mated to a five-speed transmission which is silky smooth. The suspension is a well balanced to provide a good mix of a comfortable ride and good handling as well.

On the twisting roads, the CB Hornet stuck to its job well and felt confident, though the front end felt a bit light. The 140/70 17 MRF Zapper S1 tyre at the rear provides very good grip. At the front, there is a 100/80 17 MRF Zapper tyre which compliments the 276mm disc brake in stopping the bike. The CB Hornet has a 220mm disc at the rear and is also equipped with CBS (Combined Braking system), which automatically engages the rear brake if the front brake lever is engaged.

The Honda CB Hornet 160R prices start at Rs 88,000 and the higher variant with CBS costs Rs 92,800. Both are on-road, Delhi prices, approximately. It is slightly higher than the Yamaha FZ-s and the Suzuki Gixxer, but carries a higher capacity engine with more power than the other two. In terms of refinement and fit finish, it comes out as the better one too. Adding a couple of  features more, would make it complete.

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