Honda Motorcycles unveiled the updated version of the popular CBR 150R motorcycle in Indonesia. The bike gets some mechanical changes and some cosmetic updates. The bike was discontinued in India a while back and currently its big brother the CBR 250R is available in India. What’s not new-
Despite the bike being an updated version it still uses the same 150 cc liquid cooled engine. It’s a DOHC unit which produces 17.1 PS of power @9000 RPM and 14.4 Nm of torque @7,000 RPM. It is mated to a Manual 6-speed gearbox. In 2018, this kind of performance even for a 150 cc bike is underwhelming. The Yamaha R15 V3 has set a standard for every other 150 cc bike with its VVA and Blue Core technology. As far as we can tell 17 HP is just not too bad nor too great but just decent.
What’s new-
The 2019 version of the Honda CBR 150R gets a feature that no other bike gets in its segment, adjustable front suspension. Usually, in motorcycles of this range, only the rear is adjustable and only for pre-load but the new CBR 150R has an adjustable suspension at the front as well. It is a telescopic unit while the rear is a pro-link monoshock.
Next on the list is a coloured instrument cluster. These type of consoles are becoming common each day. Currently, the Duke 390 and some other premium motorcycles deploy this technology but soon it will become common on entry level bikes as well. Petal discs at both ends and a new windshield and front covers, complete the list of new updates for the CBR 150R.
India launch?
No one is sure of the Indian launch of the bike and people in the country are also not asking for it. Considering how Honda has treated its sportsbike lineup in India almost no motorcycle enthusiasts talk about the company unless it’s the CBR 650F or the CBR 1000RR. Honda’s most favourite sports bike in India is the CBR 250R which recently outsold against the TVS Apache RR 310, a state of the art entry level supersport. This just goes to show that the Indian market is very unpredictable and no company can bet all of its money on just one player.
By: Yetnesh Dubey
