Honda launches sports bike CBR 650F priced at Rs 7.3 lakh

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) on Tuesday launched its sports bike CBR 650F in India, priced at Rs 7.3 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), as part of its plans to roll out 15 products this year. The company also showcased its brand new 160cc bike CB Hornet 160R and updated versions of CBR 250R and CBR 150R models, which will make it to the market in the near future. The two-wheeler major also showcased a new 'mystery' motorcycle, which would be launched later this year.

However, no details were shared. "We had announced to launch 15 models this year and out of that we have already introduced 10 products so far in the past seven months. CBR 650F is the 11th model launched in the country," HMSI President & CEO Keita Muramatsu told reporters here.

The company is manufacturing the CBR 650F in India. "The team at Honda has worked very hard to realise a dream of making a 16 valve in line, four cylinder motorcycle right here in India," Muramatsu said. The 'made in India' CBR 650F opens a window of opportunity for the company, he added.The CBR 650 F comes with various features mono shock suspension, six speed transmission and engine cooling.

HMSI Senior Vice President (Sale and Marketing), YS Guleria said the models showcased on Tuesday are going to drive "the next growth curve for Honda in India". He further told CNBC-TV18 that the company had made investments into its plants that could easily shift between producing more motorcycles to more scooters at will.This, he said, would help the company sense a shift in demand as and when consumption in rural and urban areas waxes and wanes."From November onwards you can very clearly see there is more propensity of the customer to buy scooters now and scooters are also getting more and more acceptable for commuting. So, this is a plus point for us. We invested in time to bring in more flexibility in our production wherein within one full year almost 8 lakh units can be swapped from motorcycles to scooter or from scooter to motorcycle as per the demand of the market," Guleria said.As part of Honda extending MotoGP association with Italian apparel maker GAS, a limited edition of GAS-Honda biking clothes and accessories would be launched in the country.