Honda stands firm with plans of a Royal Enfield rival, estimating the launch time frame to year 2020 and clearly removing Rebel 300 from the expected list. They have made the fact clear that Rebel will stay on sale in those restricted markets and Honda would develop an all-new motorcycle on a completely different platform.
This increases the chance of a cruiser with all-new engine to exist in the Honda lineup. The news was confirmed in March 2017 but most fans were expecting Rebel 300’s Indian entry as a competition. Royal Enfield offers cruiser style engines on all of the bikes, leaving entire Honda global lineup without a direct competition in this segment.
They have confirmed the on-going research for this segment and would come up with a similar performing engine in the coming years. Royal Enfield was once considered a slow seller but at present, they have recently crossed the 60,000 a month sales mark with Classic 350 as the highest seller. Honda will definitely target the best-seller and bring an even refined motorcycle on the charts.
Honda will try the new product in most Asian markets as more sales would help them keep the cost under check. Although they have tie-ups with top part manufacturers of India, getting a perfect design and cost effective component list would be necessary before any production estimate. This would be the first engine from Honda in this segment to focus on more torque and ease of driving. All other Indian motorcycle brands focus on higher horsepower, clearing a nice segment for manufacturers in the coming time.
