Here’s What Honda Will Be Bringing For Us This Year

Honda has made no secret of its plans to expand its BigWing operation in India. What this means for us is that we have a host of new large-displacement motorcycles making their way to our shores this year. From litre-class superbikes to adventure tourers to nakeds and more, here are all the big bikes we can expect from Honda in 2020:

CBR1000RR-R

Honda has decided to finally get serious about its superbike game, and the end result is this - the mental CBR1000RR-R. Quite a mouthful, isn’t it? One R for every cylinder in its new 999.9cc motor. The previous Fireblade was a bit of a slouch (relatively speaking, of course) when it came to engine performance. On this updated bike, however, output is a staggering 217.5PS and 113Nm, making it even more powerful than the Ducati Panigale V4! Given that the CBR now weighs just 201kg (kerb), expect some pretty explosive performance.

While the regular CBR1000RR-R Fireblade is suspended on a Showa Big Piston USD fork and Big Piston monoshock, the hotter SP version comes with an Ohlins semi-active suspension setup. Both variants get larger twin 330mm discs at the front, bitten on by Nissin monoblocs on the regular CBR and top-of-the-line Brembo Stylema calipers on the SP. We expect Honda to bring this new ‘Blade to our shores sometime in mid-2020, priced Rs 1 lakh dearer than the current CBR1000RR. The SP is expected to be Rs 2 lakh more expensive than the present SP variant.

CRF1100L Africa Twin

The Africa Twin has been updated for 2020 to meet Euro5 emission norms, which means it will also comply with upcoming BS6 norms in India. We expect Honda to launch the new Africa Twin in India in early-2020 at around Rs 15 lakh. The Euro5 update has resulted in a larger engine, now displacing 1,084cc thanks to a longer stroke length. Consequentially, motor output has also increased, up to 102PS and 105Nm compared to the previous 95.2PS and 98Nm.

A six-axis IMU has also been thrown in, meaning cornering ABS and traction control, as well as three levels of wheelie control. The chassis has been made lighter and stiffer at the same time, and at 236kg kerb, the new Twin is 6kg lighter than its predecessor. Cycle parts continue to be the same - fully-adjustable suspension from Showa and braking hardware from Nissin.

CB650R

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We expect Honda to expand its middleweight lineup in India, which currently consists of only the CBR650R sportsbike. This will be joined by its naked sibling, the CB650R, sometime in 2020. It sports the same Neo Sports Cafe Racer design language seen on the CB1000R and CB300R, both of which are already available in India. The introduction of the 650 later this year will plug this large gap in Honda’s naked lineup.

The CB is powered by the same 649cc inline-four motor as the CBR650R, which means peak output of 95PS and 64Nm. It is suspended on a fully-adjustable USD Showa separate function fork and preload-adjustable monoshock and equipment levels are also quite good. Full LED lighting and a fully digital instrument cluster are on offer, as well as traction control and ABS. Going by the price of the fully-faired CBR650R, we can expect the naked CB to sell for around Rs 7.3 - 7.5 lakh once it arrives in mid-2020.

2020 Goldwing

The current-spec Goldwing on sale in India is a rather well-sorted motorcycle. Which is probably why Honda hasn’t made any radical changes for 2020. The updated bike gets a couple of new paint schemes, along with minor updates to the fuel injection system and the automatic DCT gearbox. We expect this 2020 version to make its way to India sometime in 2020, without much change to the Rs.28.26 lakh rupee price tag.

The rest of the ‘Wing remains unchanged, which means a mammoth 1,833cc flat-6 motor producing 126PS and a creamy 170Nm of torque. This engine is mated to Honda’s signature 7-speed automatic DCT gearbox, resulting in a very relaxed and stress-free touring experience. An innovative and unconventional double wishbone suspension setup is seen up front, similar to that used on some BMW motorcycles, while the rear uses a ProLink monoshock setup. The hardware is the same as before but Honda claims to have set it up more in favour of comfort on this updated bike, which should be good news for prospective buyers in India.