How Different Are The Honda CB150X And CB200X?

Honda recently launched its smallest ADV, the CB150X, in Indonesia. In a lot of ways, it draws parallels to the India-spec Honda CB200X. So if you’re wondering what exactly are the differences between the two road-biased adventure tourers, you’ve come to the right place.

Of course, the heart:

As their name suggests, the biggest difference between the Honda CB150X and the Honda CB200X lie in the engines. While the desi ADV comes with an air-cooled 184.4cc fuel-injected single-cylinder engine with a 5-speed gearbox, the CB150X gets a more advanced 149.16cc liquid-cooled one with a 6-speed transmission. While Honda hasn’t officially revealed the output figures of the CB150X, we reckon it makes the same 16.85PS and 13.8Nm as the CB150R Streetfire, since both use the same engine. That said, Honda may have tweaked the CB150X’ engine to suit its mile-munching character.

The Honda CB200X, on the other hand, produces 17.26PS at 8500rpm and 16.1Nm at 6000rpm; identical to the Honda Hornet 2.0, on which it is based.

Slightly different limbs:

Honda has equipped both the CB150X and the CB200X with a diamond-type frame. The CB150X gets a 37mm Showa inverted front fork with 150mm travel and a Pro-Link rear monoshock. While The CB200X also gets an inverted front fork, the company hasn’t revealed the travel. We reckon it offers lesser travel considering the bike’s ground clearance is just 167mm (same as the Hornet 2.0’s) as opposed to the CB150X’s 181mm. The CB150X’s ground clearance is also 17mm more than the CB150R Streetfire’s.

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The two motorcycles roll on 17-inch alloys with similar looking designs. But the Honda CB200X gets a meatier 110-section front and 140-section rear tyres with a more rugged tread, making it suitable for trails. On the other hand, the CB150X’s shoes are slightly slimmer, with a 100-section front and 130-section rear. They are street-oriented tyres, so taking them to the trails may not be as fun as you’d want it to be. And at 12 litres, the fuel tank capacity for both bikes is the same.

Cosmetic and feature differences:

The Honda CB150X’s front beak is a little more pronounced than the CB200X, and its windshield appears to be a bit taller too. Both bikes get beefy fuel tank extensions but the one in the CB150X looks a little more muscular and premium thanks to the elements in brushed metal-like finish. The side panels on the CB200X look a little sportier than the ones in the CB150X.

The CB150X also gets a proper full-sized bash plate with a brushed metal finish as opposed to the relatively smaller non-metallic one in the CB200X. As for the seat height, despite having a greater ground clearance, the CB150X gets a 817mm tall seat, which is 7mm more than the one in the CB200X. The CB150X weighs 139kg, making it easy to manoeuvre by shorter riders. On the other hand, the CB200X weighs 147kg, which is still reasonable for a bike of its size. However, the full-sized upswept exhaust in the CB150X might be better for water wading compared to the stubby unit in the CB200X.

Both bikes get an all-LED lighting system, and the CB200X gets a negative LCD instrument cluster with gear position indicator, battery voltage indicator, clock, speedometer, odometer, tripmeter and tachometer. The CB150X’s LCD instrument cluster is slightly more feature packed as it shows the real time and average mileage apart from everything that the CB200X shows. Sadly, neither comes with smartphone connectivity or turn-by-turn navigation. As far as safety is concerned, the CB200X is superior, thanks to the inclusion of a single-channel ABS (both bikes get petal discs at both ends, though).

Pricing:

At IDR 32 million (around Rs 1.67 lakh), the Honda CB150X offers a good set of features for a road-biased ADV, but feels a little too expensive for what it offers over the Honda CB200X, available at Rs 1,44,500 (ex-showroom, Delhi). Of course, this is purely a one-on-one price comparison, which excludes the purchasing power of the customers, and the general price positioning of the segment in the respective markets. All said and done, we wish Honda had at least increased the ground clearance and the fuel tank capacity of the CB200X, as these changes would’ve made it a much better mile muncher than it currently is.