The first 160cc BS6 bike from Honda, the new Honda X-Blade will sit above the Unicorn in the maker’s range and has been introduced in India. The motorcycle will be available in two variants – front disc and dual disc.
Powering the Honda X-Blade BS6 is a Bharat Stage VI compliant 160cc, fuel-injected engine which Honda calls PGM-FI NEWHET (Honda Eco Technology) engine. The system uses 8 onboard sensors to constantly inject optimum fuel and air mixture to provide greater performance and superior efficiency. The bike’s BS4 engine cranked out 14 bhp of power and 14 Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed gearbox. The updated engine now makes 14.7 Nm at 5,500 rpm and 13.86 PS @ 8,000 rpm. The bike now tips the scales at 143 kilos (kerb) for the single-disc version and a kilo more for the dual disc variant.
The engine is designed to deliver superior efficiency with best in class torque. According to the maker, the compression ratio of 10:1 and spiny sleeves on the outer surface leads to punchy performance. Smooth power delivery is ensured with a needle bearing rocker arm which helps in the reduction of friction losses. The new engine also comes equipped with counterweight balancer which reduces vibrations and helps in delivering smooth acceleration from low to high rpm. Powered by HET (Honda Eco Technology), the long-stroke engine is tuned to deliver extra torque and super mileage.
The bike continues to feature a rear mono-shock, a diamond-type frame and gets petal-type disc brakes which can be had for the rear wheel too. The BS6 X-Blade comes equipped with ABS, a new engine stop switch and a hazard switch that flashes the indicator lights.
It is also equipped with a new Street-Tech digital meter which offers – gear position indicator, digital clock and service due Indicator. The updated Honda gets a 130 section rear tyre with hugger fender, a 1347mm-long wheelbase and a long (582mm) & wide (337mm) seat for a comfortable long-distance ride.
The new Honda X-Blade continues to feature Robo-faced LED headlamp and a razor-edged LED tail lamp. Adding to its sporty demeanour are the aggressively designed tank extensions and a dual outlet muffler. The bike also gets a link-type gear shifter, groovy grab rail, stylish wheel stripes, sporty under cowl & front fork cover, sharp side covers and hugger fender. New graphics on the fuel tank and side covers enhance the identity of X-Blade.
The new X-Blade will be available in two variants – Single disc & Double disc in four colours – Pearl Spartan Red, Pearl Igneous Black, Matte Axis Grey Metallic and Matte Marvel Blue Metallic. The price for the X-Blade BSVI starts from Rs. 1,05,325 (Single disc version, ex-showroom Noida, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh). The bike is being offered with a 6-year warranty package (3 years standard + 3 years optional extended warranty).