Honda has finally entered India’s 180-200cc motorcycle segment with the all-new Hornet 2.0 sports commuter
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has launched the all-new Hornet 2.0 sports commuter to mark its entry to the highly competitive 180-200cc motorcycle segment. Prices start at Rs 1.26 lakh ex-showroom. As the name suggests, the new Honda Hornet 2.0 is a successor or major upgrade to the old CB Hornet 160R that was phased out ahead of BS6 emission norms.
In its last avatar, the BS4 Hornet started from just about Rs 85,000 for the non ABS variant and went all the way to Rs 95k for the single ABS variant. In other words, the new Hornet about Rs 30,000 more. Does the 2020MY Honda Hornet 2.0 offer enough to justify such a steep price jump (considering the segment and category)?
The ‘Hornet’ nameplate has remained quite popular on the market even though the 160R was facing tight internal competition towards the end, from the Honda X-Blade (BS6 prices start at Rs 1.07 lakh ex-showroom). Let us take a brief look at the differences or improvements on the Hornet 2.0 over its lesser BS4 sibling, ‘Hornet 1.0’:
Looks, dimensions & features
The new Honda Hornet 2.0 appears sportier than the CB Hornet 160R, thanks to focused ergonomics, edgier body lines, split seats, bigger tyres, body-coloured engine cowl and more. The original Honda Hornet looked like a typical commuter motorcycle with a few additional bits for enhanced aesthetics.
In addition to this, Honda’s latest offering rides on 110/70R17 at the front as against 100/80R17 for its predecessor. Interestingly, rear-wheel size (140/70R17) and disc brakes (276mm and 220mm petal units with single-channel ABS) remain identical. Ground clearance stands at 167mm and 164mm, respectively. The Horner 2.0 is also heavier, at 142kg.
Some of the main highlights of the all-new Honda Hornet 2.0 include golden USD forks, engine kill switch, hazard switch, ‘liquid crystal’ digital instrument console with added functionalities; key inlet on the fuel tank, among others. Features such as full-LED lighting, stubby exhaust, split 5-spoke alloy wheels, abstract graphics, black theme, etc., continue albeit differently.
Engine & specs
Powering the 2020MY Honda Hornet 2.0 is a BS6-compliant 184.4cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine. It makes 17bhp @ 8,500rpm and 16.1Nm @ 6,000rpm. The BS4-compliant CB Hornet 160R had a 162.71cc single-cylinder mill good for 14.9bhp @ 8,500rpm and 14.5Nm @ 6,500rpm. Both get a 5-speed transmission. In terms of output, the newer Honda Hornet avatar lags slightly behind popular names in the 180-200cc class.
| Description | Hornet 2.0 BS6 | Hornet BS4 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine cc | 184.40 cc | 162.71 |
| FI | yes | yes |
| Cooling | air | air |
| Type | SOHC | SOHC |
| Power PS | 17.26 PS @ 8500 rpm | 14 PS @ 8000 rpm |
| Torque Nm | 16.1 Nm @ 6000 rpm | 14.7 Nm @ 5500 rpm |
| Gearbox | 5-speed | 5 speed |
| Weight | 142 kg | 140 |
| Mileage | – | 45 |
| Fuel Tank | 12 | 12 |
| F Brakes | Disc 276mm | Disc 276mm |
| R Brakes | Disc 220mm | Disc 220mm |
| ABS | Single | Single |
| Front tyres | 110/70-17 | 100/80-17 |
| Rear tyres | 140/70-17 | 140/70-17 |
| Length mm | 2047 | 2041 |
| Width mm | 783 | 783 |
| Height mm | 1064 | 1091 |
| Seat Ht mm | – | 790 |
| Wheelbase mm | 1355 | 1346 |
| Ground Clr. Mm | 167 | 164 |
| Price (Ex-sh) | Rs. 1.26 Lakh | Rs. 85,000 – 95,000 |