Honda is planning to bring a new motorcycle in the Indian market, the brand has teased us with the sound clip of the new motorcycle and it is likely to be a long-stroke engine cruiser which will rival the likes of the Royal Enfield in the Indian market. The brand has kept the project under tight wraps, and only the only hint that has been given is that the new motorcycle could be called the H’Ness (Highness).
If rumours are to be believed the new Honda H’Ness is likely to be based on the Honda Rebel 300 Cruiser motorcycle that is sold in the international market. It has also been confirmed that the new motorcycle will be sold from the brand’s premium sales network, Honda Big Wing and will be the most affordable motorcycle in the premium range.
The Honda Rebel features a low riding cruiser design with a rounded headlamp unit, teardrop-shaped fuel tank, relaxed handlebars positioning, split-seats, low slung side-mounted exhaust, circular negative LCD digital display and chunky tyres that give it a bobber-like appearance.
It is speculated that the new Honda H’Ness is likely to be powered by the CBR300R’s 286cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled fuel-injected engine that produces 30 BHP of power and 27.4 Nm of torque matched to a 6-speed gearbox. The engine will be BS6 emission-compliant and is likely to be tweaked for the cruiser characteristics. But the sound clip of the engine from Honda official sources reveal that it could be a long-stroke under-squared engine.
Honda has revealed that the new motorcycle will be revealed on the 30th of September and only time will tell if it is derived from the Honda Rebel or is a completely new product. Last month, Honda launched a sub-200cc segment sporty streetfighter, the Honda Hornet 2.0 at the price of INR 1.26 lakh ex-showroom, Gurugram. The Hornet 2.0 rivals the Hero Motocorp Xtreme 200R, TVS Apache 200 4V and the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS in the Indian market.