The 2021 CBR150R Packs Big Things Into A Small Package

The Honda CBR150R was a popular and fun little motorcycle back when it was sold in India, but if you thought that bike was a weapon, wait till you hear about this 2021 version of the CBR150R that Honda has just launched in Indonesia. At first glance, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for the CBR250RR, because that’s exactly where the new 150 derives its design inspiration from. The funky headlight design, sharp fairing and neat tail section all mimic the 250RR and give the new CBR150R an intentful and aggressive appearance.

The next most noticeable feature on the new bike is that lovely new golden USD fork. We were pretty impressed to see a simple Showa USD fork on the Hornet that we rode recently, but the CBR150R takes things up a notch because the unit you see here is the revered SFF-BP separate function big-piston fork - the same kind used on the Ninja ZX-25R. Another new piece of kit on the 2021 CBR150R is the slipper clutch, which not only reduces rear wheel hopping and locking during aggressive downshifts, but also claims to cut down lever effort by 15%.

To bring the little CBR properly up to date, Honda has thrown in a smart and well-laid out fully-digital LCD instrument cluster complete with fuel consumption data and a gear position indicator. The motor remains pretty much the same: a 149cc liquid-cooled 4-valve single churning out 17.3PS and 14.4Nm. This means that it’s down on power compared to the Yamaha R15 V3 but actually produces slightly more torque.

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Honda offers the new CBR150R in two versions, with and without ABS, and the variant with the safety feature will set the Indonesians back by around 40 million rupiah, which translates into Rs 2.10 lakh. At this price point, it’s quite easy to understand why Honda has no plans of re-launching the CBR150R in India anytime soon.