Honda to Launch CBR 150R Sports Bike at Rs 1.15 Lakh in March

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) is all set for the launch of a new sports bike in March 2012. The CBR 150R of the Japanese subsidiary to be launch in March is priced at about Rs 115,000, pitting it directly against Bajaj Auto's freshly-introduced product KTM Duke 200 (Rs 117,000).

The CBR 150R, powered by engine of around 150cc, is a downsized clone of the popular CBR 250R that HMSI sells at little over Rs 145,000. The new bike will also compete against Yamaha's R15 sports bike, which recently received a face-lift and is priced at Rs 107,000.

Though Bajaj's KTM bike offers better power with a slightly bigger engine in straight comparison, HMSI chose to price its CBR 150R at a premium than Yamaha and fractionally lower than KTM Duke.

HMSI had showcased the CBR 150R at the Delhi Auto Expo without disclosing price details. The bike, which will be fully built in India, had received strong response from the visitors, according to company officials.

The company hopes to sell more than 3,500 units of the CBR 150R every month after its launch. Currently, Yamaha's R15 version 2.0 clocks sales of around 3,000 units per month.

This will be the third new offering by HMSI this year after it launched a face-lifted Dio with a new engine this month.