Honda has launched its third offering in the 160cc space, the new SP160, and priced it between Rs 1,17,500 and Rs 1,21,900. This means it slots right in between the Unicorn and the XBlade in terms of price. In terms of appearance as well, it sits between these two Hondas – the Unicorn is a traditional, old-school commuter, while the XBlade is a more aggressively styled and modern motorcycle.
- Shares its 162cc engine and main frame with the Unicorn
- 13.5hp and 14.6Nm output is identical to the Unicorn
- LED headlight and tail-lamp, fully digital instrumentation
Honda SP160 engine
This is very much a platform-engineered motorcycle, sharing its engine and main frame with the Unicorn. The air-cooled 162cc single-cylinder mill even produces the same 13.5hp and 14.6Nm as the Unicorn, while the XBlade uses the same motor, but is tuned for a little more power and torque. While the SP’s figures aren’t quite as high as sportier offerings like the Bajaj Pulsar N160 and TVS Apache RTR 160 4V, they are comparable to the likes of the Pulsar P150, Yamaha FZ and Suzuki Gixxer.
Honda SP160 features
What differentiates the SP from its siblings is its styling – Honda has brought in the SP identity by borrowing cues from the smaller SP125, but has scaled everything up. The LED headlight bears a strong resemblance to the SP125, while the LED tail-lamp has a rather unique and distinctive design.
Where the Unicorn sports a more conservative and reserved look, the SP’s styling is more youthful and modern, with longer tank extensions and sharper lines all across. It’s also more premium than the Unicorn, not just because of its LED lighting but also because it gets fully digital instrumentation.
While the LCD display is on the smaller side, it does manage to pack in a good deal of information. In addition to a speedometer, tachometer and gear position indicator, you also get a decent amount of trip and fuel consumption related data. Bluetooth connectivity, however, isn’t present.
Honda SP160 underpinnings
Underpinning the SP160 is the same diamond-type frame from the Unicorn, suspended on a telescopic fork and a monoshock. It differs from the Unicorn in that it rolls on 17-inch wheels (the Unicorn gets 18 inchers), and chunkier rubber – 80/100-17 at the front and 130/70-17 at the rear.
Honda SP160 price and rivals
The SP160 is being offered in two variants: the Single disc version is priced at Rs 1.18 lakh and gets a 130mm rear drum brake, while the Deluxe variant comes in at Rs 1.22 lakh with a 220mm rear disc brake. Both get a 276mm front disc brake, and single-channel ABS as standard. Chief rivals to the Honda are the Yamaha FZ (Rs 1.16 lakh), Suzuki Gixxer (Rs 1.35 lakh), Pulsar P150 (Rs 1.20 lakh) and TVS Apache RTR 160 2V (Rs 1.19 lakh).
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
