Since the split from Indian automobile giant Hero MotoCorp, the Japanese auto maker Honda has been aggressively marketing its new product to make its mark in the ever growing two-wheeler market of India. The company has been releasing new models and revamped versions of its older two-wheelers in all the segments, ranging from commuter to the largely unexploited market of superbikes. Honda is planning to launch 6 new vehicles this year that include the facelifts of Activa, named Activa 3G, and a 650 cc speedster called the Honda CBR650F.
During its most recent HMSI dealer’s meet, the company talked about its all new sports bike, the CBR650F. It was first shown to the world during the last year’s Auto Expo in Delhi. The CBR650F is powered by an in-line 4-cylinder 649 cc engine, which is capable of churning out a maximum power of 87 bhp with a peak torque of 63 Nm. The bike gets a slew of new features like a new aluminium swingarm, adjustable rear shockers and Anti-lock Breaking System (ABS) along with clip-on handlebars. Its instrument panel is fully digital and comes with white backlights.
Honda announced that the bike will be delivered as a CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kit, which means that it will be assembled in one of the 3 plants Honda has in India. Owing to this, CBR650F is expected to have a competitive price tag, and will give a tough competition to its rivals, which include Kawasaki Ninja 650, Benelli TNT 600i, Hyosung GT 650 and Triumph Street Triple. Honda is aiming to launch a total of 15 new models in the next fiscal year, and has its eyes set on an annual sales target of 50 lakh units. To meet these expectations, the company is working on opening a 4th factory in Gujarat which will be fully functional in January 2016.
