Clash Of The Japanese Retro Bikes

Published October 27, 2021
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2 min read

Both the Japanese bikes feature retro design with fairly modern tech

Honda launched the 2021 CB190SS in China last week with a few tweaks on the cosmetic and mechanical fronts. Its Japanese rival two-wheeler brand, Yamaha, already has a retro offering in its arsenal in the form of the XSR 155 (we still wish it came to India instead of the FZ-X). So, we’ve compared the two visually and here are the results.

The 2021 Honda CB190SS gets LED illumination all around while the Yamaha XSR 155 cuts cost with bulb indicators.

Both the bikes get a fairly retro design, wide handlebar, ribbed single-piece seat and are available in matte finish.

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Honda has powered the CB190SS with a 184cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine with the output bumped up to 16.8PS at 8000rpm and 16Nm at 7000rpm from 15.9PS and 15.3Nm. On the other hand, the retro Yammie sports a 155cc liquid-cooled motor with VVA (Variable Valve Actuation) that reportedly dishes out 19.3PS at 10,000rpm and 14.7Nm at 8,500rpm. This should make the XSR 155 faster on paper.

The 2021 Honda CB190SS gets an asymmetrical twin-pod cluster where the larger dial houses the analogue tachometer and the smaller pod packs the speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge, clock and gear position indicator. Meanwhile, Yamaha has stuck to its single-pod digital console.

Both bikes use a USD fork and monoshock setup. Even the braking hardware is similar: disc brakes at both ends.

The CB190SS rolls on 17-inch spoked wheels while the XSR 155 gets 17-inch alloys. Both bikes get block-pattern tyres.

At 15.3 litres, the CB’s fuel tank is notably larger than Yamaha’s 10.4-litre unit.

But, at 145kg, it also weighs 11kg more than the XSR 155.

The asking price for the 2021 Honda CB190SS is set at Rs 1.98 lakh in China while the Yamaha XSR 155 retails for Rs 1.94 lakh in Japan. Neither of the two bikes is slated to be launched in India. So, for a similar budget, you could check out the Honda CB350RS or the Jawa 42 2.1.