[TusharK]

Honda has announced the commencement of bookings for its 2019 CBU line up, which includes the Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT priced at Rs. 27.79 lakh and CB1000R+, CBR1000RR Fireblade and CBR1000RR Fireblade SP priced at Rs. 14.46 lakh, Rs. 16.43 lakh and Rs. 19.28 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively.



The 2019 Honda Gold Wing comes with a power adjustable windscreen, trunk and a host of other features aimed at touring enthusiasts, including multiple suspension modes. The bike comes equipped with an infotainment system with Apple CarPlay connectivity and has ABS as standard.

The Gold Wing is powered by a 1,833cc, flat-6 cylinder engine that produces 124 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 170 Nm of torque @ 4,500 rpm. The engine is mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that has creep and reverse function. The bike comes with 4 riding modes - Tour, Sport, Econ and Rain. Other features include Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Idling Stop.

The 2019 Honda Gold Wing is available in Candy Ardent Red colour option.



The 2019 CB1000R+ is powered by an in-line 4-cylinder engine that produces 143 BHP @ 10,500 rpm and 104 Nm @ 8,250 rpm. It has 3 riding modes as well as a User setting for power and engine brake. The bike comes with Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), quick shifter, heated grips among other features. It is available in Graphite Black colour option.



The 2019 CBR1000RR Fireblade and CBR1000RR Fireblade SP is powered by a 1,000cc, in-line 4-cylinder engine that puts out 189 BHP @ 13,000 rpm and 114 Nm of torque @ 11,000 rpm, which comes mated to a 6-speed transmission.

The bike comes equipped with features like Wheelie Control System, Riding Mode Select System (RMSS) and a full-colour TFT instrument cluster. The Fireblade SP gets semi-active Ohlins Electronic Control (S-EC) suspension at the front and rear, quick shift and downshift assist.

The CBR1000RR Fireblade comes in 2 colour options - Grand Prix Red and Matt Ballistic Red Metallic.

Link to Team-BHP News

[abeerbagul]

The CB1000R+ is my dream bike.

Great looks,
great power,
great reliability

In many ways it is the ideal superbike for a middle aged Indian

The only downside is that it will cost approx 15 lakhs on road here.

[AbhisheKulkarni]

Originally Posted by abeerbagul

The CB1000R+ is my dream bike.

Great looks,
great power,
great reliability

In many ways it is the ideal superbike for a middle aged Indian

The only downside is that it will cost approx 15 lakhs on road here.

The ex-showroom itself is 14.46 lacs. On-road should be around 18 lacs in MH.

A fair bit overpriced, IMO. One can buy a brand new Honda CBR650R 2019 (for highway runs and touring) and a Triumph Street Twin (for everyday commuting and city runs) in the price of one naked roadster.

[howler]

Originally Posted by AbhisheKulkarni

The ex-showroom itself is 14.46 lacs. On-road should be around 18 lacs in MH.

A fair bit overpriced, IMO. One can buy a brand new Honda CBR650R 2019 (for highway runs and touring) and a Triumph Street Twin (for everyday commuting and city runs) in the price of one naked roadster.

By the same logic no one should have bought the accord , a city and a jazz would have done the trick. Flawed logic , ride a cb1000r it’ll help put things into perspective.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by AbhisheKulkarni

The ex-showroom itself is 14.46 lacs. On-road should be around 18 lacs in MH.

A fair bit overpriced, IMO. One can buy a brand new Honda CBR650R 2019 (for highway runs and touring) and a Triumph Street Twin (for everyday commuting and city runs) in the price of one naked roadster.

Well why buy these 2 ... buy the TVS 100XL for city runs and Bajaj CT100B for touring for less than the price of a single CBR650R !!

Give some respect to a liter class naked - it will take the pants off both the Striple as well as CBR650R

[bigron]

One word, Boring!! Its just to predicable.
The thing that always works for a Honda, is its super creamy engine. Butter smooth but just that.
Th gold wing is more of an evolution than a revolution. Everything works like intended and this is probably the best for its intended purpose. But then, where is the fun in it.
The cbr1000rr has lost the game to other engineering marvels that play in the liter class race. Sure it has the usual tech but the talk of a 212 hp cbr1000rr is all up in smoke at the moment and this one will just not cut it in the age of panigale and the s1000rr.
The cb1000r though looks interesting and has that concept look about it. Wonder how it rides.

[AbhisheKulkarni]

Originally Posted by howler

By the same logic no one should have bought the accord , a city and a jazz would have done the trick. Flawed logic , ride a cb1000r it’ll help put things into perspective.

Logic is relative to one's requirement, and I have mine. If it wasn't clear and obvious, I would like to make it so, that this is my personal opinion.

If you feel this bike is priced sweetly and is worth what it offers, you're free to make a purchase.

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Well why buy these 2 ... buy the TVS 100XL for city runs and Bajaj CT100B for touring for less than the price of a single CBR650R !!

Give some respect to a liter class naked - it will take the pants off both the Striple as well as CBR650R

You are missing the point.

There is simply no market for a street naked at 18+ lacs OTR. A buyer in that segment will most likely look for either a sports tourer or an adv bike. It sure is very convenient for Honda to launch a liter-class CBU product but not launch the 2019 CB650 R, which may result in decent sales volume.

Please note that I have not passed any judgment on the capability of the bike, it may well be a superb ride, however only time will tell how many will actually sell.

Fact remains that the CB650R & CBR650R are the two bikes that Honda should focus on, and bring to India as soon as possible.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by AbhisheKulkarni

You are missing the point.

There is simply no market for a street naked at 18+ lacs OTR. A buyer in that segment will most likely look for either a sports tourer or an adv bike. It sure is very convenient for Honda to launch a liter-class CBU product but not launch the 2019 CB650 R, which may result in decent sales volume.

Fact remains that the CB650R & CBR650R are the two bikes that Honda should focus on, and bring to India as soon as possible.

If that was true - there wouldnt have been Ducati Monster 1200, BMW S1000R, Kawa Z1000, Aprillia Tuono, MV Brutale & Suzuki GSX S-1000 on sale in India. Maybe the manufacturers know more than you and me.

Should Honda launch the CBR650/CB650 twins in India ? Yes
Is it dependent on them NOT launching CB1000R in India ? No

Besides CB650 would have a very hard sell going against Z900/Striple/GSX-S750/Duke 790(rumored) given the lower power & expected ridiculous pricing - so maybe thats why HMSI is not keen on launching it here.

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by AbhisheKulkarni

There is simply no market for a street naked at 18+ lacs OTR. It sure is very convenient for Honda to launch a liter-class CBU product but not launch the 2019 CB650 R, which may result in decent sales volume.

Well by that rationale there isn't a big enough market for Goldwings either yet the rich folks at Delhi have a GoldWing club or so I've read.

If sales numbers were really the target for these litre class and above bikes they would all be coming in as CKD, not CBU. Every single manufacturer(except maybe Suzuki) knows there isn't a viable target customer for these big bikes in the country even today. So manufacturers are content ordering bikes from Thailand or Japan in very limited quantities and sometimes even only ordering them based on booking details so they don't have unsold inventory gathering dust in a warehouse.

[anand.shankar]

Its pretty clear that they don't care much about the market. I'm sure they would have neither cared to see what buyers want nor if the products fit anywhere. Anyways, they really only sell a handful.

Just curious, since this is a CBU and assuming they will mostly procure and get it shipped on order, what's the big deal about its launch. Can't they have every one of their product available as a CBU or do these need to go through ARAI(?) and get homologated?

[AbhisheKulkarni]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

If that was true - there wouldnt have been Ducati Monster 1200, BMW S1000R, Kawa Z1000, Aprillia Tuono, MV Brutale & Suzuki GSX S-1000 on sale in India. Maybe the manufacturers know more than you and me.

Should Honda launch the CBR650/CB650 twins in India ? Yes
Is it dependent on them NOT launching CB1000R in India ? No

Besides CB650 would have a very hard sell going against Z900/Striple/GSX-S750/Duke 790(rumored) given the lower power & expected ridiculous pricing - so maybe thats why HMSI is not keen on launching it here.

Let's wait and connect back post the next 2-3 quarters and see the sales.

Till then let's agree to disagree.

I don't see any reason to applaud Honda for having launched this 'extremely value-for-money' offering, however neither do I feel it's an incompetent product and lacking stature. It's a good/competent product that shall end up being relegated to the garages of a select few who have the luxury to buy eclectic bikes.

However if Honda feels that they can wait for an entire calendar year to launch the CBR650R by the end of 2019, it's a ridiculous strategy which deserves criticism, at the very least. Also, they should launch the CB650R here, as there are some (if not many) who would prefer a Honda 4-cylinder 650cc product over the alternative offerings from Kawasaki, Triumph, Suzuki or KTM.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by AbhisheKulkarni

However if Honda feels that they can wait for an entire calendar year to launch the CBR650R by the end of 2019, it's a ridiculous strategy which deserves criticism, at the very least.

That we can totally agree on. Its about time that Honda / Yamaha show some seriousness for the big bike segment in India - bring their products here as early as possible and price them right.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by anand.shankar

Its pretty clear that they don't care much about the market. I'm sure they would have neither cared to see what buyers want nor if the products fit anywhere. Anyways, they really only sell a handful.

Just curious, since this is a CBU and assuming they will mostly procure and get it shipped on order, what's the big deal about its launch. Can't they have every one of their product available as a CBU or do these need to go through ARAI(?) and get homologated?

Even for CBUs, there is a decent amount of documentation required like registering the product and maybe major spares individually at Customs, Registering the bikes at various RTOs, Adapting the User Manual to maybe India spec, Training of service personal to service the bike etc.

Rachit

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Well by that rationale there isn't a big enough market for Goldwings either yet the rich folks at Delhi have a GoldWing club or so I've read.

If sales numbers were really the target for these litre class and above bikes they would all be coming in as CKD, not CBU. Every single manufacturer(except maybe Suzuki) knows there isn't a viable target customer for these big bikes in the country even today. So manufacturers are content ordering bikes from Thailand or Japan in very limited quantities and sometimes even only ordering them based on booking details so they don't have unsold inventory gathering dust in a warehouse.

Gold Wing remains the most sold bike of the Delhi dealership most quarters of the year. In some quarters where there were discounts on the CBR650F, probably 650F would have sold more, but otherwise Gold wing is their most sold bike. Also I am talking about this performance for the last 3 years as I keep visiting them for my service needs and stuff.


In the next few sentences, I am not trying to defend Honda but Honda is doing things differently because of their specific position in the market. All this info is mostly my opinion after speaking to some service staff and other Honda employees at the dealership and can very well be wrong.

1) My opinion: Honda was not selling these bikes in India to earn money from them until they launched CBR650F. You have got to experience the quality of their service setup and technicians at least in the big Wing World service centers to believe this. No company with the volumes they have will invest so much on quality. It was more of a marketing thing. Any amount of profit they can earn from these bikes is minuscule in comparison to what they are earning from their smaller bikes.

2) Hondas are the cheapest to own and maintain and that is because they don't have any revenue targets from servicing. They only have targets around number of customers serviced. They also know this. They also know that they are one of the most reliable things to own in general.

3) From what I read somewhere, Honda motorcycle had a CEO change about last year or maybe an year before and this new guy is supposed to be a motorcycle guy. Last one was not and that shows in their products. But things are changing and some interesting things are coming from Honda. Will take time to turn around the whole portfolio though.

4) They do have utmost confidence in what they are selling. It can be borderline arrogance as well. They are selling an ownership experience and not just a bike and they want to charge for the whole thing while selling the product. Some companies choose to cover up these costs in servicing.

I have owned a CBR650F for more than 3 years now. I have a few bikes of nearly all manufacturers in my group. We are a small group of friends and discuss stuff honestly. Just to put it in one sentence, it will be very hard for me to buy any Non Honda new bike, when I upgrade, even if I don't like that generation of Fireblade.

These are my personal views and can be biased because of my good experience with Honda.

Thanks

Rachit

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by AbhisheKulkarni

However if Honda feels that they can wait for an entire calendar year to launch the CBR650R by the end of 2019, it's a ridiculous strategy which deserves criticism, at the very least. Also, they should launch the CB650R here, as there are some (if not many) who would prefer a Honda 4-cylinder 650cc product over the alternative offerings from Kawasaki, Triumph, Suzuki or KTM.

1) Y.S Guleria has mentioned the CBR650R will arrive at the end of FY19 which is the end of the Financial Year i.e., before the end of March 2019
2) HMSI would have probably noted Suzuki struggling to ship their S750 and Yamaha their MT09 by now. The middleweight naked segment has too many contenders eating off each other's pie. Easy to sell 20-30 units of CBR a month(their actual target) than manage the same numbers with the CB model.