Honda CBR150R is all set to take on Yamaha R15

Since its launch in 2012 Honda CBR150R has been selling 200 units every month against 3000 units of R15. Will the game change now that Honda is planning to launch an updated CBR150R to make it look more exciting?

Honda CBR150R; Photograph: honda2wheelersindia.com

The Honda CBR150R was launched in India in 2012 but hasn't been able to give the Yamaha R15 any sort of competition. Going against the Honda CBR150R was the not-so-impressive styling, high pricing and poor city ride-ability.

Now Honda has updated the CBR150R in Indonesia and the new bike is set to be launched in India in the near future. The current CBR150R will slowly be taken off the market.

The biggest change to the CBR150R is the styling. It no longer looks like the VFR, the old model. Instead, Honda has used styling inspiration from the CBR series to design the baby CBR.

The CBR150R looks very similar to the CBR300R, another bike headed to our shores. With a twin headlight at the front and a more muscular body, the new CBR150R looks sporty rather than boring.

Honda has also made changes to the underpinnings of the bike. The new CBR150R uses a Truss frame and drops the perimeter frame for improved comfort and reduced cost of production. The rear suspension is a pro-link unit instead of a swing-arm mounted system.

The changes will also reduce vibrations on the bike. The engine has been carried over; the 150cc motor gets some tweaks and produces reduced power than before, 17.1 PS.

The torque from the single-cylinder engine has increased marginally and is rated at 13 Nm.

Honda has also changed the switchgear on the CBR150R which now takes inspiration from the CX-01 concept which was showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo. There is still no engine kill switch on the bike.

The claimed top speed is 131 km/hr while the claimed mileage is 35.2 km/l. Honda has been selling less than 200 units of the CBR150R every month in India while Yamaha sells in excess of 3000 units of the R15.

With the new CBR150R, Honda could boost sales but only if they price the bike aggressively.

Note: This picture is used only for representational purpose