Honda Motorcycle & Scooters India (HMSI) is a leading force in the scooter segment in the country. For a 2W juggernaut like Honda, the Honda Activa is just the tip of the iceberg, while there is a huge range of interesting scooters sold in the global markets, which are not currently sold in India even though enthusiasts want more.
One such scooter is the Honda Airblade, which is a maxi style scooter and is offered in two engine configurations – 125cc and 160cc. Both these engines are also liquid cooled. The latest generation of Honda Airblade has now been patented in India, spiking launch speculations. let’s take a closer look.
Honda Airblade patented in India
The Activa has become the default scooter choice for Indian 2W buyers. The only other option from Honda for Indian scooter buyers is the Dio. So, that is a family format and a sporty scooter. What about a maxi-style scooter? The segment is growing in India, reflected by the Suzuki Burgman Street, Aprilia SXR (now discontinued), Hero Zoom 160 and Yamaha Aerox 155.
Honda may be addressing this gap in the growing scooter segment with the Airblade Maxi scooter, which was recently patented in India. Globally, the Honda Airblade is offered in both 125cc and 160cc versions. Looking at the design patent filed in India, one can’t tell whether it is a 125cc or 160cc.
The Honda Airblade is a great machine in terms of design. It is a sporty/maxi scooter like the Aerox 155, rather than being a full maxi scooter like the Hero Zoom 160 and Suzuki Burgman Street. It has apron mounted projector LED headlights with what Honda calls Crystal Light Technology and above that, we see a wide LED DRL and above that are LED turn indicators. The rear LED tail lights, stepped seat and rear grab rail are also noteworthy.
The Airblade is not a step-through scooter and has a spine in the middle, where the fuel tank is located. This approach frees up space under the seat and the AirBlade has a capacity of 23.2L. The fuel tank holds 4.4 liters of fuel and the company promises a mileage of 44.8 km/litre, resulting in a tank range of close to 200 km on a single fill with the Honda Airblade 160.
Specifications and Features
The Honda Airblade 160 is a more suitable proposition for India than the Airblade 125. The first comes with a 156.93 cc single cylinder liquid cooled engine with 15 bhp and 14.8 Nm. Seat height is 775 mm and ground clearance is 145 mm. The AirBlade 160 weighs 113 kg, which is less than the AirOx 155’s 126 kg and significantly less than the Zoom 160’s 142 kg.
In terms of features, the Honda Airblade gets all LED lighting, USB port under the seat, Honda smart key without key, fully digital LCD instrument cluster, front disc brake, rear drum brake, single channel ABS, 14-inch alloy wheels at both ends, 90/80-14 front and 100/80-14 rear tyres, RSU telescopic front forks, twin rear shock absorbers and more. Get something.